finding the signal in an industry filled with noise
To date over 12,000 people have placed orders for the much delayed and discussed MCC Smart, now expected in early ‘08.
If you’re curious to see what the car feels like there’s an event you’ll want to look into, the “street smart” road show.
Please feel free to share your experiences with the rest of the class…
My preferred rent a car company is Hertz, simply because they’re most likely to have something that’s remotely pleasurable to drive than the next company.
This special edition of the Mustang only reinforces that opinion…
It’s no wonder that more 16-18 year olds die in cars each year than any other group. Combine hubris, peer pressure, hand-me-down cars with bald tires and all too often alcohol and it’s a minor miracle each time your child’s head hits their pillow and not their airbag. You’d want your children to have mace or martial arts training if they lived in a high crime area, so why not give give them the skills they need to keep their cars under control – something that is sadly NOT taught or required by our government before a license is issued.
I cant urge parents enough to consider a program such as this one. (There is a school in the St. Louis area on May 20th but with only 30 available slots don’t delay).
They will learn to look far enough ahead to anticipate unwise actions of other drivers… They will learn how their cars feel and sound just before and as they exceed the limits of tire adhesion in a controlled situation, helping them to avoid accidents in actual everyday driving situations where they might experience problems… They will experience each exercise element several times, in order to learn from their mistakes and to improve their skills.
(Anecdotally I used to consider myself a great driver who just happened to get into the occasional accident. Then at age 20 my parents paid for my first advanced driver training. Within 20 minutes I realized how little control I really had – I haven’t exceeded limits and lost control since).
If nothing else, $60 is a lot less than an insurance deductible…
What does driving a car around a smooth test track for 60 seconds or so tell you about how happy you’ll be with it in the long run? Not much.
But when you get to drive a few cars back to back the contrast in control efforts, visibility, build quality, etc. starts to become apparent.
GM’s AutoShow in Motion – in town from now until Sunday – lets you do just that.
(Sadly for sponsor GM, at last year’s event the lines to drive competitors’ cars were far longer than those to drive GM’s offerings. The person who procured the vehicles should be fired – the 5 series with Active Steering and Dynamic Drive that was getting the most raves is frustrating on real roads but shines on what is esentially an autoX course).
UPDATE: This year’s event was largely like last years, save some detail changes. You won’t find the richly appointed Acura TL or firmly suspended SE version of the Camry, and the 530i now lacks the sport package. But we still feel whoever’s in charge of procuring cars should be fired; the Cobalt SS lacked the limited-slip option that would have helped it exit corners smartly and the X5 had the sport package and the 4.4L engine, embarrassing all other SUVs and even some of the sedans available to drive. Also missing were the PT Cruiser and Miata, the cars that the uninspired HHR and gutless Solstice are meant to steal sales from…
Until the 16th of October, Volvo will donate $20 to Pediatric Cancer research for every Volvo you test drive.
Click here for more information…