Automotive Recall Round-up

There have been a few automotive-related recalls in 2014. And by a few, I mean 4,843,405 vehicles, and 4,176,601 car or booster seats. Those numbers are crazy; they're too big. And now my head hurts. 

Car News: Week of November 12, 2012

This week while reading or watching the news, the phrase I kept repeating to myself was, "Is everyone here bananas?"  

Photo from The Onion

I'm going to comb through all the crazy and find a few news stories related to automobiles, and anything else that I find worth sharing, and share with you here. I was hoping that life would return to a more "normal" state next week, but then I remembered that we're heading into the holiday season. I think the only way to survive is to read The Onion. This is how The Onion can help: Pistons Lose to Elementary School Girls Team After Big Night From 4'9" Center

Annoying Features: Who Thought of That?

Every now and then I'll run across some feature of a car that really throws me. Why did the designers do that? What's that for? Who thought of that? Here are a few that are on my mind today. If you have some, please share in the comments.

2012 Honda Odyssey: A friend just bought a new Honda Odyssey and she's thrown by the way the radio displays the time and the station: It displays the current time, the radio band, and to the far right the station number. For example, "3:45 AM       680." It annoys her and gets confusing. Maybe if she didn't listen to AM stations...

Sienna cupholders

2011 Toyota Sienna: (This one comes from a friend who is a new Sienna owner.) Where are you supposed to put your iPhone/iPod once you plug it into the auxiliary port and/or charger? On the floor where you can't see it? Or in a cup holder (where you want to put your coffee cup)? Maybe get a little suction cup thing to attach to the cheapy plastic dash?

2011 Chevrolet Malibu: I had this as a rental car and it took me 20 minutes to figure out how to get the gas tank door open to fill up the tank. I would have just skipped this step if the gas at the rental place didn't cost $8/gallon. There wasn't a release lever or button in the car. There wasn't a finger hold on the gas tank door. How in the world was I supposed to know that you press on the door and it pops open? I even looked for the book in the glove compartment, but it wasn't there. A little sticker on the gas tank door would have been helpful. Especially for a rental car.

2001-2009 Lexus RX300: Cup holders. The cup holders in the older RX were ridiculously short and would only keep a kid-sized drink upright through any braking or turns. Super annoying. 



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Q & A with Car Mama: Three Rows of Luxury

Car Mama answers your questions! A reader recently sent this: 

Infiniti QX56

Q. Dear Car Mama: I live on Long Island with my three kids, husband, and our nanny. My husband and I both work full-time and like to fill our weekends with adventure, as well as soccer games and trips to the park. I would like a luxury SUV with All Wheel Drive (or 4 Wheel Drive) that has captains chairs in the 2nd row and an easy-to-access 3rd row. My husband already has a GMC Denali, so I don't want another one of those. And I really don't want a minivan. Suggestions?

2011 Chevy Equinox LTZ: Nice Brochure

I drove the 2011 Chevrolet Traverse in October 2010 and thought it was OK. It paled in comparison to the tricked out 2011 Ford Flex, but I could see it's place for Chevy-lovers. I feel the same way about the Equinox. On paper, this is a nice Crossover: good gas mileage, great cargo space, On*Star, etc. But behind the wheel it's just ho-hum. There are too many buttons on the dash and poor visibility. This is not a vehicle that will convert me from a luxury buyer to a Chevy buyer.

2010 San Francisco International Auto Show

The weekend before Thanksgiving my 10 year old son and I went to the San Francisco International Auto Show. I was like a kid in a candy shop: I want one of those and one of those and one of those...! (And to bribe my son to keep up, I had to promise him a trip to the ice cream shop after the show.)

2011 Chevy Traverse 2LT - Good Option for Active Families

Most of the Moms I talk to about cars are looking for the option of hauling more kids. To haul more people, you need more space and the third row is the way to go. This week I drove the 2011 Chevrolet Traverse, a larger crossover with a third row and seating for 7 or 8.