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Top vehicles for students going back to school

Benjamin Yong on September 6, 2016

2017 Hyundai Elantra front
The 2017 Hyundai Elantra has been completely redesigned and still offers a lot of value for the dollar. Photo by Benjamin Yong.

Is it really back to school already? Well not quite yet, but September will be here in the blink of an eye. If a vehicle is on your school supplies shopping list, OpenRoad Auto Group is here to help with a list of the most affordable vehicles for students for 2016.

2016 Volkswagen Jetta front back

2016 Volkswagen Jetta

Starting at $15,995, the 2016 VW Jetta is the most affordable model in the German automaker’s lineup and is equipped with a zippy turbocharged 150-horsepower engine. A five-speed manual gearbox is standard, or add an extra $1,400 for a six-speed Tiptronic automatic transmission.

2016 Honda Civic Sedan white

2016 Honda Civic Sedan

Completely redesigned, the legendary Honda Civic enters its 10th generation sportier in both appearance and performance. The interior has be also been reworked to provide lots of storage space for things like phones, wallets and cups. Also offered in a coupe body style, the four-door (starting MSRP $16,155) is the better buy for those on a budget. 

2016 Toyota Corolla

2016 Toyota Corolla

Toyota Corollas have been the go-to-car for many students for five decades now, and not much has changed in that regard. The current compact sedan is still great on gas — 8.4 L/100 km in the city, 6.4 on the highway — and has enough interior room for five adults to sit comfortably thanks to the flat floor in the rear. Prices start at $15,995.

2017 Hyundai Elantra rear

2017 Hyundai Elantra

All new for this year, the reimagined Elantra is drop dead gorgeous with a smart looking front end anchored by a wide-mouth grille and a set of sleek headlamps. As always, even the base model ($15,999) is chock full of features like heated front seats that will come in handy during those brisk fall morning drives to class. The car is powered by a 2.0-litre motor producing 147 horsepower and 132-lb-ft of torque.

OpenRoad Auto Group used cars

Pre-owned vehicles

In the market for a used car? OpenRoad has hundreds of pre-owned vehicles available for sale  — have a look on the website.

2017 Honda Accord Hybrid receives second-generation powertrain

Benjamin Yong on August 19, 2016

2017 Honda Accord Hybrid front
The 2017 Honda Accord Hybrid has been given an exterior facelift and a next-generation hybrid powertrain.

Following a short hiatus, the Accord Hybrid returned to the Honda’s North American two years ago. After skipping a model year in 2016, the electrified mid-size family sedan receives a second-generation version of its proprietary hybrid system for 2017.

Called Intelligent Multi-Mode, the system is made up of a 2.0-litre i-VTEC inline four-cylinder Atkinson Cycle engine, a 1.3 kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery and two electric motors. One is responsible for propulsion, driving the front wheels, and the other is a generator producing electricity for the propulsion motor. Both are smaller, more technically advanced and 23 per cent lighter than before.

There are three drive modes: Hybrid, EV and Engine. The first causes the gasoline engine to disconnect from the front axle and instead run the generator motor to charge up the battery pack; the second allows the car to operate on pure electricity during light cruising; and the last allows the gasoline engine to directly send power the wheels in medium to high speed situations.

2017 Honda Accord Hybrid rear

The gasoline engine produces 143 horsepower and the electric motors are rated at 135 kilowatts, together creating a total output of 212 horsepower, 16 more than the outgoing vehicle. The transmission is comprised of an electric continuously variable transmission that features a new sport mode — drivers can activate the function by pressing a button below the shifter, which channels additional energy battery energy towards propulsion resulting in quicker acceleration.

Along with the upgrades to the powertrain, the exterior gets the same facelift treatment given to the standard ninth-generation 2016 Accord comprised of reworked front and rear fascias, LED fog lights and taillights, and more. Hybrid models have a few extra differentiating tweaks such as blue accents on the front grille and light housings, and unique badging. 

A couple of other changes elsewhere on the car include a more performance-oriented damper setup and retuned electric steering to provide improved handling response and feel.

Look for the 2017 Honda Accord Hybrid to arrive in dealerships soon.