Karl on Cars
Driving
October 13, 2009
I spent last week driving the new 2010 Volkswagen Golf through the country formerly known as Eastern Germany. A full Test Drive on the Golf will be forthcoming, but suffice to say it's very much like the 2009 Golf -- except a little better in every way (when you've got the best-selling car in Europe it's not easy -- or smart -- to make radical changes).
While the new Golf wasn't much of a surprise, the driving experience over three days and 300 miles in Deutschland was. I'd driven in Germany before, but it was 10 years ago and mostly through the congested streets of Frankfurt. This time I drove from Wolfsburg to Dresden to Berlin, with a few side trips in between.
I was also driving with Csaba Csere, former editor of Car & Driver, and one of our many conversation points was the vastly different driving experience between German and the U.S. roads.
As such, I'd like to present the Top 10 Differences Between German and American Drivers:
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- Karl Brauer October 13, 2009, 6:00 AM
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- Driving, Talk Back Tuesday
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- German American Driver Differences
July 21, 2009
I just returned from an 1,100-mile towing adventure involving our long-term 2009 Dodge Ram 1500
and my 1970 Plymouth GTX. In terms of drama it had to be one of the most boring tow trips I've experienced. The Dodge proved extremely capable over the mountain passes between Denver and Los Angeles, and even the triple-digit temps in Arizona and Nevada didn't upset the truck's cool, collected demeanor.
But not all my towing adventures have been so blissful. So for the benefit of those who like to learn from others' screw-ups, I present 5 Towing Tales to Terrorize:
1. When I was about 8 my aunt gave my oldest brother her car. It was a 1954 Chrysler New Yorker station wagon. It was actually in pretty good shape overall, but the engine wouldn't run so my Dad decided to tow it home...from Pennsylvania to Colorado...with our family station wagon and all of us aboard. It was going well until the Chrysler came unhooked in Kansas. At night. In the middle of a blinding snow storm. It took awhile to locate it, but thankfully it had landed in a famer's field with no real damage. We talked to the farmer, left it there, and eventually had it towed the last 500 miles by someone who knew how to properly hook up a tow bar.
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- Karl Brauer July 21, 2009, 6:00 AM
- Categories:
- Dodge, Driving, Muscle Car, Road Trips, Talk Back Tuesday
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- Towing Tow Stories
July 7, 2009
Just back from a vacation that included several days in New York City. I'd been to New York a few times before last week, but every trip was a work-related endeavor that left little time for simply enjoying the city. And yet, every time I'd been there I'd enjoyed the city more than I expected.
So I felt it was time to find out how enjoyable the city is when enjoyment is the only reason to go. Also, as indicated during last Tuesday's blog entry, I wanted to see how much of a "car town" New York really is (or isn't). I think I had a sense of both issues before going to NYC for a vacation, and yet the depth of how each affected me is something I couldn't foresee.
First, how enjoyable is New York when your only agenda item is to enjoy New York? Well, here's a word I didn't expect to use for America's largest population center: charming. Yes, the city is downright charming. And not just from a "I want to be entertained at 2 a.m." perspective (though it shines there, too). No, it's even charming for a family of four, with two kids ages 8 and 10. Whether walking Times Square or meandering in Central Park or even just sitting at an open cafe enjoying the best "people watch" in North America, the city offers as much family-friendly entertainment as Disneyland or Six Flags.
But you may notice in my description of New York fun that I have yet to mention a car-related activity (cruising, showing, street racing, canyon carving. etc.). This brings me to my second question: How much of a car town is NYC? Not much at all, really. And you know what? That's why I LOVE it!
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- Karl Brauer July 7, 2009, 6:00 AM
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- Driving, Talk Back Tuesday
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- New York City Car Liability
June 30, 2009
It's summer time, and that means everyone, (including me) is traveling the country, taking in the sights and visiting new (or maybe old, familiar) places. I'm personally spending today flying to New York City to enjoy the sites and sounds of that singular metropolis. Even more exciting, I'm picking up a new, 2009 Dodge Challenger R/T as my ride around the Big Apple.
As you may have guessed, this is a press vehicle. However, according to the window sticker (it was faxed to me last week) this Challenger is equipped almost exactly as I would equip one for myself -- right down to the Deep Water Blue color. On one hand I'm thrilled to be driving a performance car I'm personally drawn to, but on the other I don't really think of New York as a car town. It's crowded with narrow streets, lots of stop lights and no where to park. Heck, you can't even drive through Time Square anymore.
That got me thinking. If I had access to this Deep Blue Challenger R/T and could go to any city to enjoy it, where would I go?
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- Karl Brauer June 30, 2009, 6:00 AM
- Categories:
- Dodge, Driving, Muscle Car, Road Trips, Talk Back Tuesday
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- Talk Back Tuesday America's Real Car Town
April 14, 2009
As I write this I've just driven home in a brand new, 2010 Volvo XC60 featuring the new "City Safety" system. This is a system that will completely stop the new Volvo crossover's forward motion, independent of driver input, if you are traveling at less than 20 mph and show no sign of stopping yourself before hitting a solid object (wall, fence or another vehicle). The idea is that even the best of us can have a lapse in judgment or attention, but the car will turn an otherwise costly at best (and potentially deadly at worst) low-speed collision into a non-event. I've tried the system out, and it does indeed work. It can't discern a pedestrian- or motorcycle-sized object, yet, but Volvo says a later version of City Safety will.
This experience comes three weeks after driving a Bentley Continental GTC Speed from Napa to Los Angeles. The Bentley features adapative cruise control, allowing it to match the speed of vehicles in front of it regardless of the speed set in cruise control. These systems have been around for a couple years, but it took that 400-mile jaunt for me to fully realize the extent of its powers. Basically, you can set the speed at just about any velocity (say, 85 mph) and then use surrounding traffic to modulate your speed -- all without ever hitting the brake or gas pedal. Once you get confident in the system's ability (it took me about 100 miles of freeway driving) you realize how much easier it makes long-distant travel. Basically, you just have to steer -- at least until Bentley or someone else comes up with a fully-automatic lane-guidance system. Then you won't have to do anything.
Finally, this afternoon I saw a press release for the new Mobileye Accident Avoidance System. This is an aftermarket modification that can be added to any vehicle for approximately $1,000. Once installed it provides much of the same features listed above, including forward collision warnings and lane departure warnings.
It's clear we're rapidly moving into a world where cars will not only possess advanced radar systems (effectively letting them "see" as well or better than the driver), but they will also make decisions for the driver based on these systems.
Today's question: Is this technology making us better or worse drivers?
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- Karl Brauer April 14, 2009, 6:00 AM
- Categories:
- Car Audio and Technology, Driving, Future Vehicles, Safety Systems, Talk Back Tuesday
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- Driving Technology Safety
March 24, 2009
So I'm cruising through Beverly Hills last week, returning from the Infiniti G37 Convertible event, when I spot this sign on the corner of Sunset and La Cienega. Between logistics and time I rarely drive on Sunset these days, and with the near constant state of traffic on this famous boulevard I don't much miss it.
But seeing this sign unexpectedly sends my mind cascading back 20-plus years, to West Colfax Avenue in Denver. It's the summer of 1986, and I'm spending nearly every night (certainly every weekend night) crusing "the 'Fax" in a 1969 Plymouth GTX. Blame one too many viewings of American Graffitti if you must, but the thrill I get immersing myself in a cornicopia of cars piloted by similarly bright-eyed youth is addictive -- I simply can't get enough. The stories from those days are many -- most of them unfit for print.
But for the first time, gazing at this sign, I came to a sad realization: cruising is a dead past time. Between its ecological implications and modern's youth's preference for technology over traffic it's hard to imagine anyone under the age of 30 choosing to spend hours in low-speed cruising on a Saturday night (though plenty of Angelenos are forced into it against their choice, and not just on Sunset).
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- Karl Brauer March 24, 2009, 6:00 AM
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- Driving, Muscle Car, Talk Back Tuesday
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- Cruise Traffic
October 17, 2008
It's not everyday I can drive a Ford GT through the more picturesque parts of California with a like-minded enthusiast. Okay, technically I can drive the car wherever I want whenever I want to, but in reality my schedule leaves precious little time for galavanting around The Golden State's backroads.
However, earlier this week I managed to escape the daily routine and meet up with friend and co-worker, Brent Romans, for a romp through California's central valley. Our mounts of choice? One 2005 Ford GT and one 2008 Chevrolet Corvette (with six-speed manual transmission and Z51 suspension package).
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- Karl Brauer October 17, 2008, 2:00 PM
- Categories:
- Chevrolet, Driving, Ford, Ford GT, Road Trips
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- Ford GT Chevrolet Corvette Drive
September 16, 2008
About a year ago I commented on the fate of traditional manual transmissions
, and basically predicted their complete demise in the next few years. I'm not happy about that prediction, but 11 months later I stand by my statement, as I see nothing to stop the imminent death of three-pedal cars.
Another comment I made in that post related to the lack of flexibility offered by F1-style (or automated clutch) transmissions that are rapidly replacing both traditional manual transmissions as well as conventional automatics. This statement springs from the notion that when the driver fully controls the clutch he also controls how much clutch is or isn't utilized. This can come in handy in situations where the "on-off" nature of automated clutch transmissions are a liability.
For instance, if you get a vehicle into a situation where it is sliding (on public roads or at a race track) you may be able to save it by slightly disengaging the clutch and allowing the drive wheels to regain traction. There are a million variables at work here, and I'm certainly not suggesting traditional clutches will keep drivers from ever crashing. But having this level of control over the clutch is simply another tool at your disposal with a manual transmission; a tool you don't have with F1 transmissions.
After driving our long-term Nissan GT-R I discovered yet anonther option I don't have with automated clutches, and as this list of "can't-do-that-with-paddle-shifters" builds my enthusiasm for F1 transmissions falters.
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- Karl Brauer September 16, 2008, 6:00 AM
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- Driving, Talk Back Tuesday
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- F1 Transmission Automated Clutch Manual
September 9, 2008
As pointed out by one KoC
reader (thanks maxwell3), an op-ed piece in Sunday's New York Times
has taken what seems to be a pretty logical position on the subject of automobile accidents and speeding. Essentially, Mr. Sepkowitz feels that too many people die every year in automobile accidents (a reasonable declaration), and he attributes one-third of these deaths to speeding.
His solution is pretty straightfoward: "...quit building cars that can exceed the speed limit."
As Mr. Sepkowitz points out, "Most cars can travel over 100 miles an hour -- an illegal speed in every state."
Can't argue with that. Is the solution as simple as limiting every car's top speed to the legal limits? Umm...no. Actually the holes in Mr. Sepkowitz "logic" could sink the Titanic, but I'll try to cover them all before Kate and Leo are floating on wreckage.
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- Karl Brauer September 9, 2008, 6:00 AM
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- Driving, Talk Back Tuesday, Traffic Safety
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- Talk Back Tuesday Speed Kills Traffic Accidents Fatalities
August 19, 2008
Last Friday's post
about "Car Guys versus Posers" brought up some interesting points regarding what does -- and doesn't -- count toward car-guy status. I think everyone has their own opinions on this topic, but I'm willing to put mine into self-test form to help you determine your car-guy credentials.
With this test I'll try to take every aspect of car guy-ness into account (i.e. while I'm not personally into modern motorsports I won't discount that as a viable aspect of being a car guy). And while it would be easy for such a post to degenerate into a series of cathartic chides against said posers, I'll avoid that...for the most part.
And to state the painfully obvious in an overly politically correct world -- yes, you can can have two X chromosomes and still be a "car guy." Also, if you have to use google, wikipedia or any other reference source to answer these questions you're not only a poser, but a cheater.
Test begins after the jump:
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- Karl Brauer August 19, 2008, 6:00 AM
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- Driving, Talk Back Tuesday
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- Definition of a Car Guy, Talk Back Tuesday
August 18, 2008
It's not every day you can see a Ferrari California Spyder leading a Cadillac V16 in a slow parade onto the 18th green at Pebble Beach Golf Course, but the image above is just one of many great sights and sounds I experienced over the past three days.
The 2008 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance was a celebration of cars from as far back as 1896, though most of the vehicles that caught my eye were from 1960 or newer. However, seeing several examples of the Cadillac V16 gave me a new appreciation for the brand's history. Would love to see GM's permier division produce a 16-cylinder engine for the 21st Century. Various economic and geopolitical issues suggest that's unlikely...
This was my third trip to the Pebble Beach Concours, and the first time I did the early-morning (5:30 a.m.) arrival to see the cars arrive in the morning (versus looking at them already parked on the fairway). Yeah, it's a brutal time to get up, but well worth it to see (and hear) the cars moving under their own power.
Beyond the Pebble Beach show I attended one auction and witnessed the widening chasm between what car sellers want and what car buyers will pay. The market for all but high-end, perfect, no-stories cars has shifted. The sooner the owners of cars not fitting that description face this reality the sooner they can realistically decide if it's time to sell or hold. Right now, they are wasting a lot of time and money putting cars on the block with fantasy-land reserves.
I also attended the Concorso Italiano at its new Marina Airport location. The short version? It was cold and windy and everyone hated it. I don't know where this show will happen next year, but it won't be at the Marina Airport.
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- Karl Brauer August 18, 2008, 6:00 AM
- Categories:
- Auto Shows, Driving
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- Monterey Historics, Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance
August 8, 2008
I just saw an article
in USA Today about how Nissan is going to "help drivers become more fuel efficient behind the wheel."
No, we're not talking variable intake manifolds or cylinder deactivation or even extra transmission gears. This latest fuel-mileage breakthrough comes in the form of an argumentative throttle pedal.
Specifically, the throttle will "press upward when it senses motorists are speeding up to quickly." In other words, if you try to go "too fast" the pedal will resist your efforts by pushing back against your foot.
I'm not sure I can capture all the frightening aspects of this "technology breakthrough" in a single blog, but I'll try.
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- Karl Brauer August 8, 2008, 6:00 AM
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- Driving, Fuel Efficiency, Nissan
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- Gas Mileage, Throttle Pedal
August 1, 2008
If you visit the NHTSA site
, among others, you can find reams of data regarding traffic accidents by city, state and region.
But I'm more interested in the what the statistics don't capture -- driving style and behavior, and how they vary around the country. An article in yesterday's Wall Street Journal discussed the concept of different driving (and jaywalking) styles across different parts of the country and planet. The article was introducing a new book called "Traffic" by Tom Vanderbilt.
It got me thinking about the differences I've noticed between the two states I've spent the most driver's seat time in: California and Colorado. I just returned from an L.A.-to-Denver-and-back-again road trip, so the differences are fresh in my mind.
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- Karl Brauer August 1, 2008, 6:00 AM
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- Driving
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- Driving Style
July 7, 2008
Guess what? High fuel prices are forcing a change in people's lifestyles. I've broached the subject directly on this blog a couple times over the past few months, but an Edmunds survey, posted between June 20 and June 25 on our homepage, has confirmed it with real statistics from over 1,300 respondents. Among them:
Nearly 50 percent are driving fewer miles or combining errands to reduce fuel consumption, and another 14% are consciously driving the most fuel-efficient car in the household versus their "regular" car. Just over 10% have revised or cancelled their summer vacation plans, while another 5% were working from home and only 4.9% haven't made any lifestyle changes.
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- Karl Brauer July 7, 2008, 6:00 AM
- Categories:
- Driving, Fuel Efficiency
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- Fuel Prices
April 25, 2008
I could be a tad biased, but we just posted what I consider a great story called Traffic Ticket Urban Legends. It's located in our Young Driver's Guide, yet this is a solid read for drivers of all ages. As much as I enjoyed seeing the myths I already knew about, it was far more interesting to learn about ones I'd never heard of.
For example, the "fool a breathalyzer with a penny" theory was new to me. And I actually thought it was against the law to drive barefoot -- it's not! It's not even against the law to ride a motorcycle barefoot, except in Alabama (makes you wonder what was going on in Alabama that made state legislators create this law...).
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- Karl Brauer April 25, 2008, 6:00 AM
- Categories:
- Driving, Traffic Safety
April 24, 2008
Yesterday's blog post brought up an interesting (but consistent) fact of car ownership. After describing the Smart in less-than-glowing terms several readers concurred with my assessment, but a couple blog posts insisted the car was not deserving of such slings and arrows.
Not surprisingly, these glowing Smart comments came from Smart owners, and another reader noted, "It sounds like people that bought them like them."
I would submit that this statement describes 99.99% of all buyers. Think about this: When was the last time you heard someone (inlcuding yourself) say, "Boy, did I buy a piece of junk. I guess I was just totally wrong, and the car I thought was good is actually quite awful. Now I'm stuck with it -- and don't I fool like an idiot."
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- Karl Brauer April 24, 2008, 6:00 AM
- Categories:
- Driving
April 10, 2008
Inside Line just published an excellent test
comparing a Crossover vs. a Minivan vs. an SUV. When you think about it, these vehicles really just represent a history of the family vehicle (though we left the wagon out). When minivans first arrived they were seen as super functional (and super cool) alternatives to the stodgy old station wagon that could carry the family around. Then came the SUV, which was seen as a way to carry the family around while looking like a rugged outdoorsman. Then came the crossover, which was seen as a way to carry the family around while looking like a rugged outdoorsman without having the ride/handling characteristics that felt
like a rugged outdoorsman's vehicle.
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- Karl Brauer April 10, 2008, 6:00 AM
- Categories:
- Driving, GMC, Honda, Toyota
March 20, 2008
We just posted a fabulous story on gas saving tips. With prices inching ever higher it seemd like the perfect time to re-run the old "A/C versus non-A/C" test. Or how about the "tailgate up versus tailgate down" rumor we've all heard regarding fuel mileage?
Three of our staffers (one a former automotive engineer) ran a Lexus ES 350, Buick Enclave and Toyota Tundra along a 60-mile stretch of California's Interstate 5 in the Central Valley. This region bares a strong resemblance to Kansas -- flat and straight (with miminal scenery), meaning small changes to driving conditions can yield small (or big) changes in fuel economy -- without other factors playing a role.
Does having empty roof rails on an SUV effect mileage versus removing them completely? The answer is "yes" but leaving them up there only cost us 1 percent in fuel mileage. But strap a few pieces of luggage down on those rails and guess what happens? In our testing program gas mileage dropped 21 percent! And you thought traveling light was only smart at airports.
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- Karl Brauer March 20, 2008, 6:00 AM
- Categories:
- Driving, Fuel Efficiency
February 21, 2008
I worked with the folks over at Parents Magazine to pick the Top Family Cars of 2008. The magazine just hit newsstands, but if you want to save trees you can read the article at the publication's Web site.
We focused on the items you would expect to find in a solid family vehicle, including strong safety scores, family friendly features and adequate interior space for child-related detritus (car seats, sippy cups, Hanna Montana backpacks). The usual suspects are all here, including the Honda Odyssey, Toyota Highlander and Dodge Grand Caravan. But we also picked winners in the sedan category (Fusion, Malibu), the small car category (Civic) and the value category (Kia Rondo).
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- Karl Brauer February 21, 2008, 7:00 AM
- Categories:
- Driving, Road Trips, Safety Systems
January 17, 2008
So I'm driving our Long-Term 1984 Ferrari 308 home on PCH, and I'm again amazed by the disparity I see between cars and homes on this stretch of American road. While you can pick up a mid-1980s Ferrari like ours for around $30,000, the cars I see on my commute range from $100,000 Porsche 911s to $200,000 Bentley Continentals to $300,000 Lamborghini Murcielagos.
But here's the tricky part: I've seen all of these cars and more parked outside crappy little beach houses that must be at least 30 years old and can't offer more than 1,400 square feet of interior space. I'm sure plenty of people consider a beach house (or bungalow...or shack) and a sweet ride like a 911 Carrera C4S the definition of "pefect life." If that's your dream, and you attain it, more power to you.
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- Karl Brauer January 17, 2008, 7:00 AM
- Categories:
- Driving
January 16, 2008
There's driver distraction, and then there's driver distration. On one of my final cab rides in Detroit I saw this practice raised to a true art form.
My driver had a video screen mounted in the center-stack area (right below the radio/climate controls). When I sat down in the rear seat an episode of LOST was paused on this screen, but he hit the "PLAY" button as soon as we drove off. That's not all -- at every stoplight on Woodward Avenue the driver would flip on the dome light and read from a newspaper (ironically, he did not pause LOST during these reading sessions).
Of course he wasn't completely wreckless. Whenever the light turned green he dutifully put the paper down, turned off the dome light and began watching LOST again (with a litle focus left over for that whole driving thing).
I knew nobody would believe me, so I snapped the above photo, which is not posed or staged in any way, I assure you. We were simply waiting at a red light on northbound Woodward when I took this shot.
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- Karl Brauer January 16, 2008, 7:00 AM
- Categories:
- Auto Shows, Driving
December 18, 2007
I don't know if any of you saw the recent L.A. Times story about vehicle trailers and the deaths/injuries associated with them, but it's a rather heart-wrenching report. Basically, the number of trailers on the road has increased by 50 percent in the past 15 years, as has the rate of carnage from trailer "accidents." I use the quotes because most of these accidents are the result of clueless drivers and/or negligent towing practices.
This gets to the heart of one of my major beliefs. See, as a certified freedom lover I hate the idea of restricting people's actions. But as a lover of logic, I realize you can't let everyone do whatever they want whenever they want to. The solution? Training-training-training.
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- Karl Brauer December 18, 2007, 7:00 AM
- Categories:
- Driving, Talk Back Tuesday, Traffic Safety
October 2, 2007
I recently blogged about the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT-8. Overall I liked the car, but some readers commented that they couldn't understand how Jeep could offer such a clearly high-performance vehicle without a manual transmission (even as an option). Jeep is hardly alone in their lack of manual appreciation. The latest BMW M5 and M6 models weren't available with a traditional manual transmission, at least not initially. There's no manual in Audi's S8, Porsche's Cayenne Turbo, or any version of the Mercedes-Benz SL (a model whose name comes from the term sports light).
Then there are the models that a technically available with a traditional manual transmission, but good luck finding one at your local dealer or in the classifieds. These would include such paragons of performance as the Aston-Martin V8 Vantage, Ferrari F430 and Lamborghini Gallardo. Even Mitsubishi's orignal bad boy rally racer, the Lancer Evolution, will be available with only two pedals this year. And who wants to bet how the majority of them will be equipped for the U.S. market? Here's a hint: Remember when the Porsche faithful bemoaned the availability of an automatic in their beloved 911 Turbo? They wondered who would actually buy a car like that with a slushbox shifter between the seats? The answer turned out to be the majority of Turbo buyers.
What does all this mean for the long-term health of the manual transmission? Is it destined for the same fate as the hand-crank starter, points ignition and carburetor? And with the development of electro-hydaulic clutches is the death of the manual transmission even worth worrying about? As usual, I have the answer to all these questions and more.
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- Karl Brauer October 2, 2007, 6:00 AM
- Categories:
- Driving, Talk Back Tuesday
September 7, 2007
Well, it would appear there's some passion when it comes to the definition of "fun-to-drive." First I must say I'm glad to see this, for if nothing else it proves people are at least still thinking about the concept of fun-to-drive (the Toyota-ization of so many modern cars had me thinking it was a dying topic of concern).
Ironically (or maybe appropriately) I happen to be driving my Ford GT yesterday (versus a random test car) and as many of you can probably guess I consider the GT one of the most fun-to-drive vehicles I've ever had the pleasure of experiencing. After reading through all the comments yesterday I drove it home and was more congnizant of FTD than I've been in a long time. But I can appreciate the fact that most folks haven't experienced a GT, and I would emphasize that it certainly doesn't take $150,000 to experience FTD.
Rather than argue which cars are or are not fun-to-drive, I'll describe the various components that, in my opinion, define it.
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- Karl Brauer September 7, 2007, 6:00 AM
- Categories:
- Driving, Ford
September 6, 2007
I have a scary proclamation to make, but that's never stopped me before:
Cars are losing their "fun-to-drive" factor.
There -- I said it, and I feel better. Actually I feel better in having finally faced an undeniable fact, but worse that this is a fact of today's automotive reality. Yet after recent stints in the latest Dodge Viper and BMW 5 Series (to name just two) I can't deny the trend.
Sure, the Viper is still quick, loud, brash and bold -- but it ISN'T more fun to drive than before. In fact it's less. The steering response is too slow, the shift action is too clunky (yes, even for a "raw, manly car" like the Viper), and the driving position is not only uncomfortable but uncooperative when driving fast, which is supposedly the whole point of the car. And while the 5 Series is still luxurious, refined and stable around corners, it's also less entertaining on a twisty road than it used to be (I blame active steering primarily).
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- Karl Brauer September 6, 2007, 6:00 AM
- Categories:
- BMW, Cadillac, Dodge, Driving, Porsche, Toyota
September 5, 2007
I'd like to be able to say "There's a great article
in this Sunday's L.A. Times" but all I can honestly say is, "The L.A. Times is only about five years late on this one." Waaay back in March of 2002 I wrote an editorial titled "(Wasteful) Actions Speak Louder than (Environmental) Words."
I wrote this article after seeing scores of Hollywoodies in West L.A. driving highly fuel in
effecient vehicles like Lincoln Navigators (Jennifer Lopez), Land Rover Range Rovers (Dustin Hoffman) and gray market G-Wagons (Arnold Schwarzenegger, before he was governor and before the G-class was being imported by Mercedes-Benz).
Now the L.A. Times is uncovering the shocking fact that (gasp!) some Hollywoodies aren't really as environmentally conscious as they claim to be!!!! Actually, the article basically admits that these folks have never been truly concerned over their wasteful lifestyle, but now society at large is finally calling them on it. (Sigh) Once again, I'm five years ahead of society.
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- Karl Brauer September 5, 2007, 6:00 AM
- Categories:
- Driving, Fuel Efficiency, Hybrid Vehicles
August 24, 2007
I wrote about the concept of crushing older cars to reduce vehicle emissions waaaaay back in the summer of 2001. This subject comes up every few years when the latest batch of legislators is looking to put an environmental feather in their cap. As I stated in my original editorial column, crushing older vehicles not only doesn't reduce emissions, it often raises them. Beyond the editorial I linked to above, here's another interesting take on the subject.
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- Karl Brauer August 24, 2007, 6:00 AM
- Categories:
- Driving, Fuel Efficiency, Muscle Car
August 9, 2007
Well, she wasn't really Jennifer Aniston, but if she wanted to cause havoc by visiting local L.A. starlet clubs she easily could. Yet it wasn't a government employee resembling a mega-star that freaked me out when I started the process of fighting my latest speeding ticket yesterday. What surprised me was that she was sincerely pleasant and helpful in the process (I can handle attractive government employees, but nice ones???)
This is on top of the unexpected news that Ventura County actually has a "Help Center" for its citizens. While no official legal advice is offered (obviously) the help center has resources like a "Fight Your Ticket and Win in California" book and computers where you can type up your motions for discovery to get all the notes the officer wrote down regarding your traffic stop. "Jennifer" went so far as to help me type up all the necessary forms...
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- Karl Brauer August 9, 2007, 6:00 AM
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- Driving, Traffic Safety
August 6, 2007
For all the concerns people spout regarding our supply of gas I find myself far more concerned about our supply of gas stations. I spent the last few days in Newport Beach attending the Ford GT Owner's Rally, and the single most disturbing aspect of the rally was the near absence of gas stations in that area. At one point, as I droned up and down Jamboree Road near the El Toro air base with the gas needle edging ever close to "E", I realized I'd covered at least five miles in my search for fuel without a single pump sighting.
And it wasn't like I was driving through rural Montana or the Mojave Desert -- I was in the middle of Orange County! It was truly surreal. I mean, there were cars driving all around me. And, unless I'd somehow slept through the extinction of the internal combustion engine and the birth of a fuel cell world, I knew these other cars were burning gasoline, and that gasoline had to come from somewhere.
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- Karl Brauer August 6, 2007, 6:00 AM
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- Driving, Fuel Efficiency
July 24, 2007
There are those folks out there, cynical types mostly, who think the system doesn't work. They feel like the government and the police have gone too far in the direction of "revenue generation" and lost sight of other, basic goals -- like public safety and prosecuting real criminals.
Well these people obviously weren't in Malibu this past Sunday, where a battery of police vehicles (cars, motorcycles and even a big RV with "CHP" painted on the side) were stopping every car and motorcyclist on Mulholland just west of The Rock Store. Yes, every motorist that passed -- at least until their ability to process folks was maxxed out, then they'd let a few vehicles slip by until the next slot in their mobile prosecution center opened up. Your speed didn't matter, nor the operating condition of your bike or car (though they were gunning people as they came up the hill, so if they could get you for speed they would).
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- Karl Brauer July 24, 2007, 6:00 AM
- Categories:
- Driving, Motorcycles, Talk Back Tuesday, Traffic Safety
July 18, 2007
...arrived right on time last week. Though maybe I should have titled this post "My Latest 'USE YOUR RADAR DETECTOR!' reminder."
I'd gotten lazy about mounting and plugging in the Valentine One ever since the CHP blanketed PCH with all those "Your Speed" digital signs that use radar to display your rate of travel. Of course they set off the Valentine One with a constant "BRAAAAAAAP!" tone as I drive by each unit, even the ones pointing the other direction (and there are literally, like, eight of them between Santa Monica and the Ventura Country line). Yeah, I can hit the "mute" botton on my radar detector 16 times a day, but it's not the most enjoyable way to spend my 100-mile, round-trip commute.
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- Karl Brauer July 18, 2007, 6:00 AM
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- Driving, MINI, Traffic Safety
July 5, 2007
What started out as a "let's see if the Triumph is still running right" ride, one I expected would last 20-30 minutes, turned into a full-fledged two-wheeI outing, with a stop at the Rock Store and a ride along PCH (traffic was snarled due to holiday beachgoers -- thank god for lane-splitting).
The Rock Store was rockin', with plenty of other Independence Day riders enjoying the slightly toasty (for L.A.) temperatures. I rode beween 9:30 and 11:30, avoiding the worst heat of the day. The Triumph Hurricane was basically running the best it ever has. This was a most welcome change, as it's been experiencing intermittant reliability (to say the least) over the past 12 months. But the 65 miles I put on yesterday were near perfect bliss. Still a tad twitchy on throttle response when you first roll into it, I suspect a slightly-too-advanced timing setting. But that's nit picking (especially for a 35-year-old British bike). It was fast, it made those magical-mystical British triple noises, and it elicited several thumbs up from other motorcyclists -- and even from a few four-wheeled folks. Best of all, it got unprecedented fuel mileage, a sure sign of a proper tune.
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- Karl Brauer July 5, 2007, 6:00 AM
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- Driving, Motorcycles
June 22, 2007
"Manual windows and no audio system?! What is Mitsubishi thinking?"
An easy question to ask, and even easier to answer. The Evolution RS is simply the best performance bargain on the planet. For less than $30,000 you get a vehicle that can chase down (and likely beat, considering the typical owner profile) Lamborghini Gallardos and...well, sure I'll say it...Ford GTs (note I said typical owner profile). This car screams, even with "only" 286 horsepower (remember, it weighs just over 3,000 lbs). The last one we tested, which was actually the heavier, more "luxurious" version, ran to 60 in under five seconds and slithered through the slalom at over 70 mph. Those are supercar numbers for $28,000.
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- Karl Brauer June 22, 2007, 6:00 AM
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- Driving, Mitsubishi
June 18, 2007
Go ahead and get all the Magnum P.I./Christy Brinkley/Vacation jokes out of your system. When you're done, consider the following: Every enthusiast worth his weight in burned rubber has asked the same question while browsing the car ads: "Wow, you can now buy a 1980s era Ferrari for about the cost of the average new car. Obviously it's going to be a different experience, but what do you get when you drop approximately $28,000 for a Ferrari instead of a well-equipped Camry?"
Well, purely in the name of serving you, the loyal reader, we've decided to find out. We just purchased a 1984 Ferrari 308 GTSi Quattrovalvole. It's a one-owner car with 46,000 miles on it, and we paid exactly $28,000. The car is red with a tan interior (just like the Magnum/Vacation models), and it's in surprisingly good shape. There are some scratches on the exterior and the interior shows definite patina, but we've already put on several hundred trouble-free miles. Well, they haven't been totally trouble free. The turn signals stopped working at one point, but yours truly dinked around with the hazard switch (after another editor confirmed the fuse was fine) and got them going again.
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- Karl Brauer June 18, 2007, 6:00 AM
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- Driving, Ferrari
May 25, 2007
It's the start of Memorial Day Weekend, and you know what that means. Uh-huh, too many scary drunk drivers taking people out with there 2-plus ton lethal weapons. Normally I avoid the "Don't Drink and Drive!" rant because, well, who among us hasn't already heard it? Of course, I ask myself that question and then I listen to the news reports every Monday night at the end of this weekend and am surprised to find that, apparently, some people haven't
heard it. Or else they have but think the chemical reactions between alcohol and their blood/brain are somehow different from the rest of the human race.
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- Karl Brauer May 25, 2007, 6:00 AM
- Categories:
- Driving, Safety Systems, Traffic Safety
May 9, 2007
I just got back from an 800-mile drive in our long-term Sedona. You can read the details on our long-term blog
, but the short version is that this minivan is yet another example of how Kia is stealing sales from long-time players. The van may not be the best in the category, but it's not far off the leaders, and (as usual with Kia) the price makes it quite the value proposition.
We're having a chat tonight with Len Hunt
, the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Kia Motors of America...
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- Karl Brauer May 9, 2007, 6:00 AM
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- Driving, Kia
May 2, 2007
I don't get migraines very often. In fact, I'm so unfamiliar with the term I had to look up the spelling on dictionary.com. But over the past few years I've noticed a strange phenomenon (yes, I had to look up that word too). It seems like whenever I drive through the Orange Curtain I get a headache. I'm not kidding, or even trying to make fun of the most-made-fun-of county in the U.S. I'm simply admitting that something about driving through the O.C. consistently makes my head hurt. I was just down there yesterday attending a conference in Newport Beach (where I finally met Jalopnik's Ray Wert
in person). The conference went well and I was able to speak on the topic of Web 2.0/User-Generated Content/Blogs (don't worry, I told the crowd that user-generated content is going to be a fad, just like the Internet.) Since migraines have been traced to brain damage and strokes
I'm somewhat interested in figuring out the cause here. I've narrowed the possibilities down to three choices:
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- Karl Brauer May 2, 2007, 6:00 AM
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- Driving
February 26, 2007
It's amazing how a good drive to a great car show can brighten a potentially dreary weekend. I planned to attend this show last weekend, but my car was too dirty and I instead spent last Sunday morning detailing the Ford GT for several hours. I really needed a distraction this weekend, and the self-named Supercar Sunday
provided it. It was only my third trip to this West Valley show, but there were hundreds of beautiful (and rare) automobiles. Of course there's no entry fee and anyone with wheels (two, three or four) is welcome to show up between 7 and 11 a.m. (get there early if you want a good space).
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- Karl Brauer February 26, 2007, 6:56 AM
- Categories:
- Driving, Ferrari, Ford, Lamborghini
February 22, 2007
On a day when most of California's politicians are debating how much money should be spent addressing L.A.'s traffic problems
an interesting article in the Financial Times
suggests a promising (yet troubling) solution. If you saw the 2004 movie I Robot
you've already seen this solution in action. It involves a complex technology system called Vehicle Infrastructure Integration (VII) which, essentially, allows vehicles to drive themselves. We've seen elements of this system in everything from OnStar (GPS tracking) to Mercedes-Benz (adaptive cruise control) to Infiniti (lane departure warning). But the idea here is to standardize a wireless communication system that every car company utilizes. With such a system in place every vehicle could "see" every other vehicle, plus intersections, traffic signs and even the specific curve of the road. With the system fully in place you could just get in your car, select your destination, and go to sleep behind the wheel (insert your own joke about people already doing this here).
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- Karl Brauer February 22, 2007, 7:07 AM
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- Car Audio and Technology, Driving, Future Vehicles, Safety Systems
February 5, 2007
A complaint about L.A. Traffic is as original as a new C.S.I. show ("Coming this fall -- C.S.I. Jackson's Hole!"). Yet I still have to raise an aspect of L.A. driving that hasn't received enough attention. It's not how bad the traffic is, it's how readily L.A. residents embrace it. I compare it to the frog-in-a-pot scenario that says a frog will immediately jump out of a boling pot of water when he's thrown in. However, if you put him in luke warm water and slowly heat the pot, he'll sit there right up until it's frog stew time because of the slow degeneration of his situation.
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- Karl Brauer February 5, 2007, 7:09 AM
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- Driving
January 22, 2007
The good news I got to drive the Saturn Sky Red Line last week. The bad news is I drove it on the one day every decade or so when it snows
in Los Angeles. I watched the outside temperature display go from 75 degrees as I pulled out of the underground parking lot to 35 degrees by the time I hit Mulholland. And with varying patches of dry and damp pavement (and the "Ice" warning flashing in the that same temperature display) I couldn't give it quite the workout I planned on. Yes, I was bummed, and no, I can't remember the last time I had icy roads stop me from effectively road testing a vehicle in Los Angeles. At least I didn't have to use Kanaan Road, a few miles west of my driving loop; there were plows over there clearing the packed snow...
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- Karl Brauer January 22, 2007, 7:54 AM
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- Driving, Saturn
December 13, 2006
Between last Saturday morning and Monday night the Ford GT experienced two relatively major (and expensive) tangles with road debris. First the rear tire was destroyed by a large piece of aluminum
that could have come off a Terminator unit (remember that metal chunk Linda Hamilton had to pull out of her leg after it exploded?). This is a shot of the inside
of the tire after it was removed from the wheel. Thankfully, both rear tires already needed to be replaced; but the total cost was $800...
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- Karl Brauer December 13, 2006, 8:55 AM
- Categories:
- Driving, Ford
December 5, 2006
You probably caught our coverage of the L.A. Auto Show
last week, and you may even be aware of the show's move this year from the late-December/early-January time frame to November. This most recent show was held the last week of November, but starting next year it will be held mid-November and the public days will extend through the Thanksgiving holiday.
Call me geocentric (every California resident is), but this is HUGE! The L.A. Show had existed in the shadow of both the holidays and the Detroit show for too long, and this move will finally give it the kind of pulling power it deserves. I have multiple reasons to believe L.A. will become the show on the international auto show circuit.
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- Karl Brauer December 5, 2006, 8:25 AM
- Categories:
- Auto Shows, Driving, Talk Back Tuesday
November 30, 2006
It takes a special kind of car to make my Ford GT feel pedestrian, and the Lotus Exige S is just such a car. For all those track-day fanatics who find the standard Exige too watered down, with its paltry 11-to-1 power-to-weight ratio, the new-for-2007 car offers 30 more horsepower via a supercharger (for a total of 220 hp), giving the Exige S a 9.5-to-1 ratio. Lotus claims a 4.1-second zero-to-60 time, and my internal accelerometer would agree.
But you have to be a dedicated sports car freak to put up with this car's entry/exit process and rear visibiliy (both of which make my GT seem like a Camry in terms of practicality)...
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- Karl Brauer November 30, 2006, 11:57 AM
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- Driving, Lotus
November 27, 2006
As part of the holiday weekend festivities I took a cruise over to Village Coffee Roasters in Woodland Hills at the 101 and Valley Circle exit. Every Sunday morning between about 8 and 10 a.m. a collection of interesting iron will show up, but on the fourth Sunday of each month it's "exotics" day, meaning you'll see a collection of Ferraris, Lamborghinis and Porsches. Of course, knowing exotics are going to show up somewhere just ensures everything else will show, too...
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- Karl Brauer November 27, 2006, 7:58 AM
- Categories:
- Dodge, Driving, Muscle Car
November 16, 2006
You may have noticed that we added a Chevrolet Silverado
to our long-term fleet. We also just added a Tahoe, though that introduction hasn't posted to the site yet. With all these new cars coming in you might assume we have a few to unload, and you're right. We're trying to sell our Pontiac Solstice
right now, but the off-loading process is dragging on like a congressional election...
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- Karl Brauer November 16, 2006, 2:14 PM
- Categories:
- Driving, Pontiac
September 25, 2006
I really don't know where to begin on this one, but I have to react to Bill Lockyer's (California Attorney General's) law suit against six automakers (Ford, GM, Toyota, Chrysler, Honda and Nissan).
Basically, he wants to sue these companies for all of the environmental damage they've caused to California (beach erosion, ozone pollution, etc.). Let's see if I can corral my many reactions into something that is both coherent and appropriate for publication (believe me, my initial reactions to this lunacy are NOT).
First, let's briefly hit my doubts regarding human activity and the environmental damage it's causing...
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- Karl Brauer September 25, 2006, 12:45 PM
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- Driving, Fuel Efficiency
September 19, 2006
California has come up with the latest "life-saving" law: No talking on a cell phone in your car unless you use a hands-free device (the law takes effect in July of 2008). According to statistics, there were six cell-phone-related deaths in California last year. Yes, that's six -- not 60, 600 or 6,000. And please don't pull out the "well, if it saves just one life it's worth it." We all know of life-saving laws that aren't worth enacting, so please don't go there...
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- Karl Brauer September 19, 2006, 8:03 AM
- Categories:
- Driving, Talk Back Tuesday, Traffic Safety
July 14, 2006
Everyone knows real estate is too pricey and taxes are too high in California (especially considering what you get in return...). And while I already knew gasoline cost more in California (both because of fuel taxes and refining costs) it is very telling to have a fist full of gas receipts from across the country. Put simply, fuel is stupid expensive along the Left Coast. In one 36-hour period I filled our long-term 2006 Jeep Commander
with fuel in San Antonio, Texas and Ventura, California...
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- Karl Brauer July 14, 2006, 5:14 PM
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- Driving, Fuel Efficiency
June 19, 2006
I just finished an interview with ABC News' Bill Blakemore. I was a guest on his show covering the new movie
Who Killed the Electric Car?
The other guests were the film's director, Chris Paine, and a former EV1 sales assistant, Chelsea Sexton. The film has some basic points it tries to make, all of them quite predictable in a world where most Americans feel they pay too much for gas and faith in the stability of the Middle East is at an all-time low. In terms of timing I give Mr. Paine credit -- the political and cultural atmosphere is ripe for a film like this to make money. Now let's hit the basic points in the film, along with my responses to them:
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- Karl Brauer June 19, 2006, 4:12 PM
- Categories:
- Driving, Fuel Efficiency, GM EV1, Hybrid Vehicles
May 24, 2006
I may be mistaken, but I could swear that for the last 2 and 1/2 days it's been SUNNY in "sunny" Southern California! This may not sound big like news, but if you've lived within 10 miles of the coast for the last three months, you know it is. I was lucky enough to drive our long-term Mazda Miata
home and I kept the top down the entire time. This car continues to prove the old adage -- It's more fun to drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow...
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- Karl Brauer May 24, 2006, 8:13 PM
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- Driving, Mazda
May 8, 2006
I attended a vintage British Bike museum display opening yesterday at the California Oil Museum in Santa Paula. It is called "Norton, Von Dutch, & Co: Legendary Motorcycles from the Schoenewald Collection," and it features everything from a Brough Superior to a BSA 650 Lightning to an Indian Scout to a Norton Commando (several Commandos, in fact). The owner of the collection, Daniel Schoenewald, lives locally in Ventura County and is well known in Southern California motorcycling circles, both for his amazing collection (which includes dozens of rare models) and his philosophy of actually riding them -- versus keeping them under glass like far too many collectors do. During the opening reception he proudly stated that every bike in the display is regularly ridden.
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- Karl Brauer May 8, 2006, 8:07 AM
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- Driving, Motorcycles
April 17, 2006
On my 47-mile commute today I saw no fewer than seven highway patrol vehicles (six cars, one motorcycle). Even more telling -- four of them were in the act of writing up a citation (I can only assume it was for speeding). Thankfully I wasn't one of the people stopped. Today being a sunny Monday morning on April 17, and this Monday coming just after a holiday weekend, I would suggest today's morning commuters were facing the holy trinity of speed trap synergy:
1. Fair Weather -- Like most Southern Californians, L.A.-area traffic cops don't operate well when conditions stray beyond 72 degrees and mostly sunny...
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- Karl Brauer April 17, 2006, 12:06 PM
- Categories:
- Driving, Traffic Safety
April 4, 2006
Messing up my Aston Martin V8 Vantage test two weeks ago was bad enough, but in the next seven days I'm scheduled to drive everything from a Gallardo Spyder to a Ford Mustang GT500 in "sunny" Southern California. There's also a cool Mopar car show this weekend that I might catch part of...assuming it isn't raining. Yeah, I know the rest of the country doesn't have any sympathy for what passes as weather here in Los Angeles, but I offer this in response -- When we pay the real estate prices (and taxes) that we pay, and
deal with the traffic we deal with, we are allowed to gripe eveytime it's not at least 68 degrees with fair to mostly sunny skies (which it hasn't been in a long time, btw). What, do you think I live here for the politics?..
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- Karl Brauer April 4, 2006, 5:35 PM
- Categories:
- Driving
March 27, 2006
Between our long-term vehicles and Edmunds.com employee vehicles we have noticed a rash of front license plate tickets over the past few months. Specifically, these tickets are given for not having a front license plate on your car. This has long been one of those "crimes" that most people don't worry about. Technically you're supposed to have a front license plate on your car in California, but we all know people who don't (including every Ford GT I've seen on the road...or in my garage). To many this jump in front license plate tickets seemed a coincidence, but it is in fact driven by a vicious cycle of revenue generation. First, the city of Los Angeles writes 164,000 front license plate tickets each year (often bagging people while they are parked in public places or at airports). At $25 a ticket that comes to a tidy sum of 4.1 million dollars. But while the "two plate" law has been on the books for years, the recent uptick in front license plate citations is now driven by a far more sinister power -- red light cameras. Seems the cameras don't work so well on cars without front plates, so L.A.-based police have been given a new directive: ticket every vehicle you see without a front plate. We even had one officer admit as much while writing up a co-worker, "See, we need those front plates on your vehicle for the red-light cameras to work."
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- Karl Brauer March 27, 2006, 7:12 PM
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- Driving, Traffic Safety
March 8, 2006
There was another Ford GT gathering this weekend. This time we met in Malibu at Paradise Cove for breakfast. Then we drove down PCH to Malibu Canyon Road, inland from there to Mulholland, then back out along Mulholland all the way to PCH. There were nine of us, with every color represented except the Heritage paint scheme (Gulf race colors)...
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- Karl Brauer March 8, 2006, 10:40 PM
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- Driving, Ford
February 5, 2006
The Shelby American Automobile Club met at Pacific Coast Highway and Sunset Boulevard this morning for a run up the coast and into the Santa Monica Mountains along Mulholland Highway. I'm not officially a member, but owners of the Ford GT are welcome to join and I figured they wouldn't kick me out of the event. Apparently four other local GT owners felt the same way, as there were five of us on today's rally. And, unbelievably, they were all different colors...
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- Karl Brauer February 5, 2006, 11:31 PM
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- Driving, Ford
December 30, 2005
Because those state law books were looking a little anemic, California decided to add a slew of new ones for 2006. I won't list them all, but here are the big ones that relate to driving in the "Golden" state:
1. Street Racing: AB 1325 establishes a jail term of 30 days to six months for persons found guilty of engaging in motor-vehicle speed contests if the driver causes bodily injury to someone other than himself or herself. (so try to steer around those folks watching the race once you lose control, else you're looking at jail time)
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- Karl Brauer December 30, 2005, 10:17 PM
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- Driving
November 9, 2005
You know the worst part about L.A. Traffic? No, it's not that it always sucks. It's that it sometimes sucks, at least for me...
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- Karl Brauer November 9, 2005, 8:51 PM
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- Driving
