DRIVEN TO DRIVE

Archive for the ‘COMMENTS’ Category

On Saturday (November 19 2011) evening at the Porsche Club banquet celebrating the Club’s 35 anniversary, I had the privilege of listening to Lorraine Sommerfeld, columnist for the Toronto Star, tell how she met Aaron Prevost, a blind auto mechanic who loved cars. Lorraine arranged for Aaron to meet Rick Bye, Porsche’s fleet manager and an accomplished race car driver, the idea being that Rick would drive Aaron around Mosport so he could experience the thrill of being on a race track. It seems things escalated and Aaron got drive a Porsche around Mosport for five laps. Here is an in-car video.

Aaron at Mosport from Rick Bye on Vimeo.

2008 Mazda 5 GT

In my quest to find a new car, bearing in mind I was very intrigued by the styling and practicality of the Mazda 5, I’d walk up to people who were getting in or out of a Mazda 5, and ask them about their vehicle.  I’m not shy in this respect.  One lady cut me off in a parking lot, and when I parked I walked over to her.  She was very apologetic, but I assured her, it wasn’t a problem – after all it was 8:45 in a Tim Horton’s parking lot and vehicles were juggling for parking spaces.  I asked how she liked the Mazda as I was interested in buying one.  She gave me the 5 minute tour and how she loved the space.  She had the second row seats folded flat and the extended cargo space was stacked to the roof with merchandise. Read the rest of this entry »

2008 Mazda 5 GT

I just bought a new vehicle.
Actually it’s not new, but it is ‘new’ to me.

When I buy vehicles, I usually have a specific purpose in mind.  My last vehicle was an SUV and when I bought it, it served my purpose very well.  Now, that purpose has gone away and so I went looking for a vehicle to serve my present needs.  The problem is, there are lots of very good vehicles out there, but one that really caught my attention was the Mazda 5. Read the rest of this entry »

Media day starts early which means an early rise to ride the wave of commuted traffic headed along the QEW to Toronto. As it turned out, the traffic wasn’t too bad and the weather cooperated. With registration out of the way, it was time to tune the sniff receptacles to the coffee setting and follow the aroma. Breakfast, courtesy of Castrol, was a substantial improvement over recent years – perhaps a reflection of the improved state of the auto industry.

Let’s face it, the auto industry has gone through some rough times as of late but has somehow managed to weather the storm. But one has to reflect that it also saw some tremendous growth in the decade prior to the economic “adjustment” of 2009 and yet, 2010 saw some companies having to deal with their shortsightedness, arrogance and complacency.  Hopefully, lessons were learned.

Let the Awards begin -

First up was the ecoEnergy Awards for the most fuel efficient vehicles. Of the twelve most fuel efficient models, only two were diesel.  Sadly, I feel we are only paying lip service to the importance of finding more economical means to propel vehicles. When hybrid vehicles come with a premium price, not many people are going to be lining up to buy them. When the public doesn’t appear to be interested in hybrid vehicles regardless of price, we are going to be forever in the gasoline rut. Having just returned from a trip to the UK and seeing the number of diesel powered vehicles, I can’t help but wonder what message we in North America are missing. Let me explain something, I rode in many a diesel powered vehicle while in the UK. They were fast, powerful, didn’t smell, and didn’t sound different and the resale value was as good as any other vehicle. The British pay over 2 dollar a litre for petrol and diesel, so they don’t give much thought to the economy of Diesel – it’s a given.  Perhaps, when the price of fuel exceeds $2 per litre here, people may wake up. To find out more and see the award-winning vehicles  visit – ecoENERGY.

Next up – the Automobile Journalists’ Association of Canada’s Technology, Best new Design, Truck and Car awards. The Technology Award went to Ford for its inflatable rear seat belts. The Best New Design went to the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG. The Truck of the Year award when to Ford for the Ford Edge and the coveted Car of the Year awards when to General Motors for the Chevrolet Cruz. For the full list of winners – AJAC awards

CLICK HERE for pictures from the awards and media presentations

Posted with permission from Honda