We’d be a little remiss if we finished off 2024 without continuing our annual tradition of polling our writers, editors, and contributors for their favourite Driving.ca stories from this past year. That’s especially true because just a few months ago, our site once again cemented its reputation as home to the Canadian automotive writing industry’s top talent via a slew of awards and accolades.
You won’t be surprised to find out many of the authors who took home said trophies also show up on this list, alongside the incredible articles that make them the stand-outs they are. And they really run the gamut, let me tell you: from in-depth investigative reporting into consumer issues; to fun features that clearly exhibit the passion with which they were written; to road-trip chronicles from across Canada that make you feel like you were there.
Anyway, I won’t hold you up any longer. Here are 10 of the Driving.ca stories that our own writers and editors named their favourites from this past year. And, hey, did you have a favourite Driving.ca story of your own from 2024? Nominate it in the comments below!
Brendan McAleer
There were a lot of good pieces out there this year, but the easiest way to pick a winner is to go for one that got an actual trophy. Stephanie Wallcraft came away with the win as the AJAC Journalist of the Year (five other Driving.ca contributors also won hardware) and her piece on towing a small camper through B.C. with a Hyundai Ioniq 5 was a classic example of why that reward was well-deserved.
For one thing, it was the sort of actually useful automotive journalism that’s far more applicable to real life than some lead-foot would-be speed merchant describing how the latest Porsche goes around a track. The Ioniq 5 is a great choice for families, being about the size of a Honda CR-V, and those families are going to want to take it on vacation. Wallcraft’s piece thoughtfully shows how you can do just that, and what to look for.
And there’s also a slightly sentimental appeal to me here, as these camping excursions are a regular annual activity for Stephanie and her daughter. It’s a bit of inspiration for me to go camping with my own kids this coming summer. (In a V8 Mustang—would-be speed merchant, here.)
I’ll also offer a tip of the hat to Elle Alder’s piece on the TVR Tuscan Speed Six, because I’m a big fan of great photos of deranged machinery. TVR is such a fun company to be a fan of because its business plan seems to have simply been “Build really loud things and see what happens.”
Elle Alder
Clayton Seams’ cheerful drive of an all-original 1968 Mazda Cosmo was always going to be good, but his on-camera joy and on-page Supertramp analogies brought even more smiles than I could’ve expected.
The rotary-powered Cosmo is a properly important car that, by its unique spirit and story, lends well to Clayton’s knowledge and skill set as an automotive presenter. Rosy but frank, this story is one it’s clear he’ll reflect on and chat about for years to come. Our best work comes from love, and this is a strong case for that.
Jil McIntosh
I have two of them, one being David Booth’s look at Elon Musk’s “bromance” with the president-elect to the south of us. Musk recently unveiled his so-called “robotaxi,” an autonomous car without pedals or steering wheel, which he claims will arrive in 2026. It will ferry passengers using inexpensive and yet-untested technology, instead of the pricey lidar that gets Waymo driverless cars around some cities. NHTSA regulations are potentially standing in Musk’s way; and David echoes my belief that Musk’s ultimate goal is to gut that federal safety agency so it can’t stand in the way of anything he wants to do.
The other, which won Stephanie Wallcraft a slew of awards, including Journalist of the Year, looks at potentially life-saving vehicle features, such as crash notification tech that automatically calls 911, that require subscriptions to keep them going. This is long-form journalism that takes many, many hours of research, and Steph did it exactly as it’s supposed to be done.
Stephanie Wallcraft
Perhaps it’s my soft spot for Newfoundland that leads me to adore this story by Matthew Guy about driving the island’s entire length in one day. I think there’s more to it than that, though. Truth be told, the drive Matthew describes is quite mundane and routine by islander standards: every Newfoundlander has made the haul from the ferry dock at Port-aux-Basques to the provincial capital of St. John’s at least once.
But Matthew imbues his retelling with local lore and neatly tucked-in humour in a way only a born-and-raised Newfoundlander can. You’ll learn about mug-ups and why driving with daylight is essential on the Rock, making the year’s longest day and its 16 hours of daylight an ideal time to undertake the journey. It makes for a delightfully charming read. Matthew, I dies at you.
Renita Naraine
When I was first being interviewed for my current position, managing editor Jonathan Yarkony asked something along the lines of “Why do you want to work for Driving?” I replied, paraphrasing, here, somewhat, “Whether you drive or not, own a car or not, or even like or have any interest in cars at all, we can’t get away from driving.”
That’s why I like to see unique content like Benjamin Hunting’s “The Ford F-150 Lightning was the plus-one that powered our wedding.” I love that it showcases the pickup as more than just something to drive, but also features changing technology in the automotive field, as well as – maybe most importantly – a personal touch.
Sami Haj-Assaad
Reader, its time you learn a thing or two about me: I love video games. Every spare moment to myself (of which there are very few) has the potential for a gaming session. When I was younger, though, games played a major role in my appreciation for car culture.
In 2005, a game called Need For Speed: Most Wanted captured my love for cars of all dimensions. And to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Need For Speed series, BMW brought the cover car to life: the E46 BMW M3 GTR. This may not seem like a big deal to you, or anyone else, but to me there’s something magical about seeing something come to life from the digital space.
The same thing happened with the Jaguar C-X75, a concept car that had a significant role in the James Bond flick Spectre. Legendary designer Ian Callum recently revised the made-for-movie car into something road-legal, and that just makes me warm and fuzzy. Many automotive enthusiasts and car culture fanatics have claimed the industry is headed down a dark path, with limited innovation, uninspired designs, and no imagination, but seeing these pop-culture idols become real and usable gives me hope for the gearheads out there.
Matthew Guy
Stephanie Wallcraft’s thorough and all-inclusive dive into how different manufacturers approach paid subscription services was as illuminating as it was eye-opening. Most customers grasp the concept they’ll have to pay for in-app remote unlocking and the like when their car’s trial period runs out, but the notion of losing remote start, something once considered a fixed physical feature, gets up the nose of many.
Steph expanded this research to include the spectre of potential life-saving features being locked behind paywalls, a 1984 notion if there ever was one. Insightful, informative, and thought-provoking.
Andrew McCredie
This is a tough one, as every week there is at least one outstanding article and/or video on Driving.ca. Our staff contributors Elle Alder, Matthew Guy, Nicholas Maronese, Jil McIntosh, Renita Naraine, and Clayton Seams consistently produce informative and entertaining content, but the standout story of 2024 for me came from the wily wit of David Booth and his partner-in-crime (and -in-life) Nadine Filion.
Arguably the hardest-working automotive writer in the country, and certainly the most accomplished, Booth has made a name for himself driving and reviewing supercars, so him behind the wheel of the quirky 2024 Fiat Topolino Dolcevita, an all-electric dollop of Italian whimsy with a top speed of just 45 km/h (28 mph), proved an interesting match.
And Filion is a veteran automotive journalist, having worked for English and French outlets in Canada for more than a couple of decades. Their he-said, she-said reviews are always spot-on and very entertaining, and when that formula was applied to the Topolino (“Little Mouse”) and Dolcevita (“Sweet Life”) it resulted in a fun and fresh romp through the streets of Lago di Gardo in Northern Italy. Cool photos, too. Bravissimo!
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