Last Saturday, I was lucky enough to get tickets to the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. And by "lucky," I mean "received the honor of paying an arm, leg and pancreas to attend four events." But it still took some effort, so I still feel accomplished. If you care, I go into more detail after the jump.
What does this have to do with our long-term fleet? Well, I need your help blogosphere. I'll be driving to Vancouver in the dead of February and will need something to get me, three friends and all our stuff through the wintry climes of Northern California, Oregon, Washington and a sliver of British Columbia. Therefore, I'll prefer all-wheel-drive. At first glance, our present fleet actually has quite a few vehicles that meet that criteria: Audi A4 Avant, Audi S5, Mitsubishi Evo MR, Suzuki SX4, Infiniti FX50 and Nissan GT-R. On second glance, never mind. The Infiniti is orobably the best candidate, but as Phil discovered back in December, our long termer has summer tires on it. The Audis would be great for making a hip Olympic entrance, but neither satisfies the friends and stuff criteria. The GT-R would be awesome if my friends were Keebler Elves and we had a plow escort.
If I were to leave tomorrow, I'd probably just take the Flex and its chains since I know they can handle a snowy road trip. But I have eight months before Vancouver and we'll have a different fleet by then. What cars and SUVs should I lobby for to make my Olympic road trip? The serious and ridiculous are certainly welcome.
James Riswick, Automotive Editor
About those tickets. Even as a Canadian citizen with an in-country address (a family member's) my first request for several ticket packages was denied during the "Phase 1 Priority Access Period" of ticketing back in December. Actually, I got three tickets for curling (shut up, I like it). I certainly wasn't alone in my frustration. The next phase was last Saturday, when a la carte event tickets went on sale. Since the system was so overwhelmed with traffic, the Olympic Web site diverted into a "virtual waiting room" where I "sat" for an hour and 20 minutes before being logged into the system. When I got in, I was able to snag tickets for women's luge, women's 1000m speed skating and one of the nightly victory ceremonies at the Olympic Stadium (aka BC Place). And all the women's events is due to scheduling, not because I especially enjoy watching ladies in spandex. Also, Alpine skiing and ski jumping were sold out.
But I'm going, and I'm thrilled. Should make for a fun time (and blog) in eight months.
slowevo says:
09:56 AM, 06/11/09
bowler wildcat
jstandefer says:
10:14 AM, 06/11/09
Did I hear somewhere that you guys are adding a Volvo XC60 to the LT fleet? I would assume it is the T6 AWD model...
The new Taurus SHO would be awesome, but will it be big enough?
Oh, I know... An AWD EcoBoost Lincoln MKT. Since y'all like the Flex so much, you should see what it's big brother has to offer.
spen1818 says:
10:22 AM, 06/11/09
AWD minivan would be best. Honda Pilot or Acura MDX would be a sweet Long Term addition. 535xi wagon (I refuse to use there 535i x drive lingo or whatever they are doing) Ford Taurus X, Toyota Highlander, 2009 Dodge Ram w/topper, Audi Q5 , Porsche Cheyanne or Panorama (sedan), Subaru Forester 2.5xt or WRX (maybe too small) . Just a few off the top of my head that you don't have in the stable right now.
jackson611 says:
10:23 AM, 06/11/09
mercedes GL or GLK
slowevo says:
10:25 AM, 06/11/09
Subaru Legacy
indy_mistert says:
10:27 AM, 06/11/09
subaru forester xt or outback (from the legacy gen. currently being rolled out)
((shame about the current gen. forester xt not being available w/ a manual trans))
benz ml63
bmw x5 or 6 ///m (but I imagine they'll come with summer rubber)
tcd223 says:
10:34 AM, 06/11/09
Cayenne S or Touareg V8.
asdf9036 says:
10:35 AM, 06/11/09
audi q5
ckk2 says:
10:44 AM, 06/11/09
2010 taurus sho
adavis2493 says:
11:19 AM, 06/11/09
Too bad you guy's didn't get a Q5 instead of the S5 or A4 Avant.
I still hope you guy's could get a Volvo XC60. I never really viewed Volvo as a company for making good snow cars. It may be interesting...
clarkma5 says:
11:28 AM, 06/11/09
I adore curling! I think it's actually my favorite olympic sport.
nealibob says:
11:28 AM, 06/11/09
AEV J8 Milspec, duh!
http://news.pickuptrucks.com/2009/05/road-test-review-aev-j8-milspec.html
Oh wait, did you need a back seat? Crap.
How about a MANUAL, 4-door, 4WD Tacoma?
Mazda5?
535i xDrive Sports Wagon? (wish they had this as a 535d)
jriz says:
11:36 AM, 06/11/09
"I never really viewed Volvo as a company for making good snow cars."
Um, talar du Svenska?
That's like saying "I never really viewed Ferrari as a good company for navigating winding Italian roads."
subaru123 says:
11:54 AM, 06/11/09
Subaru Tribeca, it can easily go through 2 feet of snow or more http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Dy0kQquV5s, but any Subaru will get you there on a snow covered road.
subaru123 says:
11:56 AM, 06/11/09
Youtube link doesn't work, just search Subaru Tribeca Snow and it should be the first video by PASHAGLOCK
tinyelvis says:
01:22 PM, 06/11/09
Rent an AWD Enclave
smudge12 says:
01:22 PM, 06/11/09
SAAB 2.0T SportCombi - XWD!!!!!!
desmolicious says:
01:38 PM, 06/11/09
Unimog 500. I feel like a little kid when I ride in my brother's.
stovt001 says:
01:48 PM, 06/11/09
If the new Equinox is out in time, that could work. Its been getting good reviews. It isn't fancy, but it will get the job done.
2010 Taurus SHO would work and be fun.
AWD minivan could work. You don't seem to have any van in the fleet at the moment.
spaceywilly says:
01:49 PM, 06/11/09
I'd take a Suby with snow tires. Probably 2009 WRX or 2010 Legacy GT. Both would be fun, comfortable, and great in the snow.
pantherblack says:
01:59 PM, 06/11/09
James, as fellow canuck, curling rocks! Go for the new Cadillac SRX with the 2.8 turbo engine with AWD. Hope you guys get one because I've heard good things about it.
pengwin says:
02:22 PM, 06/11/09
slap some winter tires on the FX
slickersdrip says:
02:27 PM, 06/11/09
I'd vote for an MKS or SHO.
jriz says:
02:37 PM, 06/11/09
"James, as fellow canuck, curling rocks!"
Hey oh!
"Unimog 500. I feel like a little kid when I ride in my brother's."
You'll soon be getting a call from Mike Magrath asking to meet your brother.
So far I'm liking the SHO idea. It definitely has the rear seat and trunk space.
td1105 says:
02:39 PM, 06/11/09
Though we've seen how the smaller-output diesels have done with all the Jetta TDI fun, it would be nice to see the addition of one of the newer, larger dieseld SUVs (i.e. M/GL bluetec or Touareg, in light of the recent X5 long-termer). A diesel would be great for the kind of long, highway-oriented trip that would come with traveling up the west coast into Canada.
Apart from that, the next generation Outback is coming out soon, and as a Subaru owner I would be keen to see the take on the redesigned model (so long as it has a manual transmission).
compliance says:
03:05 PM, 06/11/09
I'd take the 7 series. The highway will probably be fine.
uncanny_man says:
03:31 PM, 06/11/09
Personally, I'm curious about the jeep patriot with updated interior, ford escape, and chevy equinox. However, by then the lincoln mkt will be out, the cadillac srx, and the new lexus rx is already out. If you guys weren't edmunds, what I'd really like to read about would be the f150 raptor though!
samjpatrick says:
04:19 PM, 06/11/09
Maybe Tata would allow you to try out some cold weather testing on the Nano.
mikentosh says:
05:17 PM, 06/11/09
I'll be driving my M3 up there. Though I may swap out the Michelin PS2s for some more "all weather" friendly tires.
iancar says:
07:07 PM, 06/11/09
Why don't you guys try to live through snow belt winter with Porsche GT3? If you guys fail, no one should/ would try it anymore.
ahightower says:
07:52 PM, 06/11/09
Four adults plus luggage including bulky winter attire and photo gear. A small SUV would be tight, much less a sedan. My first thought was Volvo XC60. I'm sure you'll want a Venza at some point. Also like the new Equinox.
How about whatever pickup truck you get next. New Ram, maybe? Crew cab, 4WD. Get a tonneau cover to keep your stuff secure and dry in the bed.
briancam says:
08:19 PM, 06/11/09
I triple dog dare you to take the SX4 - THAT would be a story!! Road trip for under $20,000. Do it, do it do it.
bimmerdriver41 says:
08:48 PM, 06/11/09
i know its old but a Lexus GX470 or even a new LX570/Toyota Land Cruiser...i would tell u to take the X5 but you have already had that car
incufan32 says:
11:43 PM, 06/11/09
You guys could try out the Kia Borrego, sounds lame i know but it's a decent SUV. My personal fav would have to be the Saab 9-3 Aero Sport AWD. Comes with Turbo V6 280 hp, AWD, 6 spd, plus you would get to handle all the dealership issues that Saab will be going through when Koenigsegg takes over.
dino6 says:
12:05 AM, 06/12/09
Don't be a wimp. Nobody needs AWD to drive around BC highways in the worst of winter. Its not like you're going off-roading in the Yukon in winter. You'll probably get more rain than snow anyway.
A good set of snow tires on any of Edmunds' long-termers: FWD, RWD, or AWD, would be sufficient. Or a set of 4 season tires on an AWD or even FWD w/d be fine too.
I'd say pick the best road tripper from the garage at that time regardless of the drive wheels.
stovt001 says:
12:24 AM, 06/12/09
And please lay off the mega-dollar luxury mobiles. The Genesis is quickly becoming the econobox of the fleet.
jriz says:
09:48 AM, 06/12/09
"Don't be a wimp. Nobody needs AWD to drive around BC highways in the worst of winter."
It's not B.C. I'm worried about. It's more Oregon and Northern California.
"And please lay off the mega-dollar luxury mobiles."
Hey, can it buddy. What's next, I shouldn't get my daily dose of caviar and Domain Chandon? Communist.
audisport says:
11:38 AM, 06/12/09
Touareg TDI or Audi Q5 or Audi Q7 TDI.
tshoe says:
05:02 PM, 06/12/09
I think IL should get a loaded up new Equinox LTZ AWD so you could take that. A Venza would be good too.
autoboy16 says:
06:17 PM, 06/12/09
1) Vw Touareg TDI
2) Kia Soul
3) Mazda 3 Hatch
4) Vw Golf Mk6 (tdi?)
5) Mercedes GLK (especially if a diesel comes)
6) Saab 9-3 XWD
7) Equinox LTZ
8) Volvo Xc60
9) BMW 335d
10) Ford Fusion Hybrid