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After 20 years of clean driving, I got my first speeding ticket ever... I blame the bright red BMW 330i. OK, it takes two to tango and with all that power and great handling, speeding IS very tempting. But in this case I was behind a line of cars, driving through the small town of Raymond, Washington, when the cop picked me off...
Our FJ Cruiser, and thousands of others, will be paying a visit to the dealer to have its tires inspected. Toyota tells us a possible problem with the way the tires were mounted on the wheels could have caused some damage to the tire beads, which might lead to an air leak. No one has complained, but Toyota is implementing a voluntary recall to be sure no one does. Owners will take their FJs to a dealer, who will confirm the VIN falls in the affected range and then examine the tires for evidence of the problem...
The miles have rolled up quickly on our FJ Cruiser, as several editors have used it for long road trips. With the "maintenance required" light winking at us, we took the FJ in to Santa Monica Toyota for its 5,000-mile service. The service consisted of an oil change, tire rotation and inspection of various items such as the drive shaft boots, fluids, hoses, belts and brakes. The folks there were efficient and courteous, as dropping the FJ off and picking it up a few hours later was a breeze. The charge came to $72, which didn't strike us as too bad, as an oil change alone would've run $30.
After a long hard day's work, I look on our board to see what car I have been assigned for the evening. I'm always relieved to see my initials next to the Sonata. It's just so easy to drive. It's not overly techy inside so I don't have waste time trying to figure out any gadgets...
Leaving behind the covered bridges and rushing streams of the Southern Oregon Cascades, we pressed on toward Vancouver. Once the inquisitive Canadian customs agent was satisfied we were visiting, and not immigrating, he let our bright red car across the border.
Heavy traffic in Vancouver, a city of over 500,000 with no freeways, took its toll on the BMW 330i's mileage, as did Videographer Graham Suorsa's enthusiastic run up British Columbia's Sea to Sky Highway (the 330i was drafted as a support vehicle for a video shoot near Whistler, BC). We dropped to 18.4 mpg, then 16.5 mpg.
Yesterday, I used our long-term 2006 Mazda Miata for a five-hour drive to central California. To be honest, I wasn't really looking forward to it. A Miata has many strengths, but long-distance touring on the highway isn't one of them. However, this was my first experience in a third-generation Miata, and I must say that the experience wasn't as dreary as I had envisioned.
On my morning commute, I quickly took this shot of the rear view mirror to show how little you can see out the back of the Cruiser. While the front window is huge and wide, notice how you can barely see the car behind me in the mirror. The rear window is small and the full-size spare sits in the way. If someone were to walk behind the truck, I wouldn't even see them...
After staying the night in McCloud, California, Production Editor Caroline Pardilla and I motored down the main drag in the town of Mt. Shasta and took a right on Lake St. -- this road takes you straight to Siskyou County Rd. A10, a wonderful two-lane road that winds its way up the mountain itself. As quiet and smooth a cruiser as our BMW 330i is on the highway, it was clear that the car is happier running hard on a mountain road. The 255-hp 3.0-liter inline six was only minimally affected by the increasing altitude, and what minor fatigue it did show was easily remedied by a heel-and-toe downshift or two.
To add to the FJ Cruiser's flexibility, we recently had an aftermarket Bluetooth kit installed. With the wide variety of new car and aftermarket Bluetooth systems available today, there's really no good reason for driving around while holding a cell phone in your hand. With the FJ's already limited outward visibility, we felt this truck was the perfect fit for a hands free phone kit. Parrot Electronics sent us a 3200 LS Color Screen unit and so far we're very pleased with the results...
At full blast, the air conditioning cooled us to our bones. But lowering the temperature dial a notch caused the air to become significantly warmer. With the summer season fast approaching we drove to the dealer for service.
Moothart Chrysler/Jeep in Cerritos was busy when we arrived, and we didn't have an appointment...
It's only Day Two of our road trip to Vancouver and Senior Content Editor Erin Riches and I already had our first fight. OK, it wasn't really a fight but more like a kerfuffle over who got to drive the BMW 330i next. I took the wheel from Mt. Shasta to our next stop in McKenzie Bridge, Oregon (about 300 miles)...
In addition to its high fun-to-drive factor, the Miata also offers more practical advantages such as the ability to nab a smaller parking spot that all the bigger cars and space-hogging trucks and SUVs have to pass up. There is a smug satisfaction that comes with not only driving something that puts a smile on your face while getting from point A to point B, but which also makes it less of a hassle to find a parking spot once you've arrived.
I'd rather drive a Miata every day (while getting 24-30 mpg) and just rent a pickup or SUV if and when I actually needed one rather than put up with the wasteful fuel appetite and constant parking hassles of those trucks. The money I save on gas each year would probably cover over a month's worth of rentals!..
I've found a way around the lack of interior storage space in the Solstice - Pockets! Look at how much stuff you can get into the pockets of just a light jacket. In all fairness, the Pontiac does have a storage box between the two seats but it's good for a wallet and not much else. Plus that box is an awkward reach from the driver's seat...
I appreciate steering-mounted audio controls more and more each day. Like power door locks and power windows did a decade ago, this feature is quickly morphing from a nice-to-have to a must-have. An ever-increasing percentage of cars that pass through my hands have them. I'm not certain if manufacturers are adopting them because it makes good ergonomic sense, because it helps soften the ever-increasing complexity of audio systems as they sprout satellite radio and auxiliary iPod / MP3 player inputs (which our Sonata does not have), or simply because of the demands of the automotive feature "arms race".
Normally, a low-slung compact car is a poor choice for hiking trips. Not this trip. The roads in and nearby Yosemite National Park are sinuous temptations of blacktop begging for a thrashing. Trailheads are a stone's throw from the road, so the tires never even touch dirt...
Over the weekend I used our long-term Accord Hybrid for some errands. While loading up some bulky items purchased from Target, I noticed that the car's trunk space looked a tad small as compared that of our other long-term Honda product, the Civic Si. Officiallly, the Hybrid's trunk space is listed at 11.2 cubic feet. A regular Accord provides 14.0 cubic feet...
As Canadian grunge poet Neil Young likes to say, there comes a time. And for our long-term 2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser, that time was this weekend in California's Sierra Nevada Mountains. With its massive roof rack, blockish stance and short front and rear overhangs, the electric blue FJ looks the part of a post-modern toy for metrosexuals with near-off-road wanderlust. I found it to be the nearly ideal tool for the outdor world that lies between car camping and the Jeepers Jamboree.
The weekend gear of two grateful travelers plus one oversized Alaskan Malamute fit neatly into the rear cargo area behind the second-row seat. Even though on this trip it only carried a big dog, I noticed that the rear bench seat would outfit both kids and adults with a surprising amount of legroom. From the outside, it appears that the cargo area should be a bit more generous than it is, but at least the rear door is hinged street-side (which makes for easy loading when the FJ is parked at the curb) rather than hinged curb-side (like the Lexus GX models) which make you walk inconveniently around the door to load.
Yesterday our production editor, Caroline Pardilla, and I set out for a 2,500+ mile road trip between LA and Vancouver. So far we've stopped at the capital building in Sacramento. (Unfortunately, Governor Schwarzenegger wasn't there to explain to us how California's public schools can be fixed by spending less on books but more on standardized testing.) As we left Sacramento, the outside temp thermometer in the 330i climbed to a high of 113 degrees near Redding. Yet the car was unflustered, cruising along quietly at high speeds, with the A/C cranked.
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