car review

1 Comment Posted on May 5, 2014 Uncategorized

Family Friendly Car Review: 2014 Lexus 9550A IS-F 4 Door Sedan

It’s not often I end up behind the wheel of a luxury car with a V8, so when I do, I must put the pedal to the metal to test out the engine. And I did.

Thrills were had… for the whole family, not just the driver. I’ll just leave it at that.

The 2014 Lexus IS-F is the head-turning, sophisticated monster machine you would expect it to be. Again, the thing has a V8; in case you missed that. After all, the speedometer cuts off at 210 mph!

While the official government safety tests had not taken place by the time I test-drove this car for a week, I can tell you this: It’s a solid mass.

You can tell by how heavy the doors and trunk door are. But with a V8, the 2014 Lexus IS-F can move despite its bulk.

Until driving one myself, I can honestly say I never saw a Lexus IS-F on the road. Granted, I had a car enthusiast ask me a few weeks ago if I would ever get to test out a Lexus IS-F, then I got one last week.

That tells me this is a rare, elite vehicle for those who are looking for the sportiest, meatiest luxury sedan made by Lexus.

Granted, I’ve also driven the Lexus cars with a V8, but for fact the Lexus IS-F only has 4 seats, it by default says “faster.”

As I will be explaining in an upcoming Parents.com story, what my son loved most about it was that he figured out he could crawl through back seat into the truck.

He declared, “Daddy, this car is the bestest one!”

Performance Features:

5.0 Liter DOHC, 32 Valve V8, Direct & Port Injection, WT-iE (intake), WT-I (exhaust)

416 Horsepower, 371 lb-ft of Torque

8-Speeed Sport Direct-Shift Transmission

19” BBS Forged Alloy Wheels

This vehicle has not yet been rated by the government for overall vehicle score, frontal crash, side crash or rollover risk.

Fuel Economy: 16 city/23 highway; 18 combined

Annual Fuel Cost: $3,100

Total Price as Shown: $67,250.00

2 Comments Posted on April 25, 2014May 19, 2014 Uncategorized

Family Friendly Car Review: 2014 Fiat 500 Sport Hatchback

When I pulled into the parking spot of our townhouse, after our 1^st drive in the 2014 Fiat 500 Sport Hatchback, my 3 and a half year-old son proclaimed, “Daddy, this is the first day with this new car… and I already love it!”

For the past couple of days now, he’s had a lot of fun being close enough to grab the front passenger’s seatbelt, announcing, “Hey Daddy, I got the toilet paper!”

Why wouldn’t a little boy love a Fiat 500? It’s one of the coolest cars he’s ever seen, like it’s from Mario Kart Wii. And here in Nashville, we don’t see a lot of them on the road, despite the fact I work right down the road from the Fiat dealership.

It has been interesting how my thoughts on the Fiat 500, which is part of the Chrysler group, has so quickly changed since first test driving it. On day one, I was sort of paranoid of how unsafe I assumed the small car is. I also assumed it had no real power.

But by day three, I realized I actually really liked driving the thing. It’s truly a lot of fun. Turns out, it has much more power than I realized. Whereas I thought I’d be struggling to keep up with the speed limit, instead, I keep going 10 miles over the limit before realizing it.

As for the safety concern, I was definitely surprised to see that compared to the Toyota Tacoma I just reviewed, the Fiat 500 actually earned the same overall government safety rating: four stars.

But what possibly surprised me the most about this car is how much room it has, despite how it looks.

It made me think of how on the classic 1980s Smurfs cartoon, their house appeared to be the size of a mushroom, but once the Smurfs went inside, it was very size-appropriate to their bodies.

Granted, at 5’9” and weighing 142 pounds, I’m not a particularly large man, but still, I am able to fit in the trunk of the Fiat!

More importantly, while sitting in the driver’s seat, the top of my head clears the ceiling of the car by over 3 inches.

I was extremely surprised to discover that I can sit in the back seat, directly behind the driver’s seat with it still in place from me sitting there a moment before, and there is room for my legs.

So in theory, four men my size could fit into a Fiat 500, plus one more in the trunk!

I’m actually bummed I have to return this car next Tuesday. It really is a lot of fun.

That’s my opinion, here are the stats…

Government Vehicle Safety Ratings: Out of 5 Stars

Overall Vehicle Score 4

Frontal Crash- Driver 4, Passenger 3

Side Crash- Front Seat 5, Rear Seat 5

Rollover 4

Fuel Economy: 30city/34 highway; 32 combined

Annual Fuel Cost: $1,900

Standard Equipment:

Engine: 1.4 Liter 14 Multi-Air Engine

Transmission: AISIN 6-Speed Automatic

Total Price as Shown: $22,200

6 Comments Posted on April 25, 2014 Uncategorized

Family Friendly Car Review: 2014 Tacoma Double Cab 4X4 V6

I’m the kind of guy you’ve heard about through a friend, but never met or have even seen in person.

There are people in America who get to test-drive a new car each week to write reviews. And I’m one of those guys…

And I will say, my most favorite vehicle so far, out of all the vehicles I’ve reviewed now, is without a doubt the 2014 Tacoma Double Cab 4X4.

For me, everything about it just came together perfectly. It fit me very well. I even had two different fellow parents tell me that, separately, when I picked up my son from daycare last week.

Getting to drive this Tacoma last week was a great 33^rd birthday gift for me.

I know this may sound like a strange thing to feature, but what I loved most about the Tacoma was the cab space.

If you take away the fact the Tacoma is indeed a pick-up truck, the space inside reminded me of the Rav 4; which is another one of my most favorite vehicles I’ve driven for Toyota.

Another positive feature I want to point out about this truck is that the truck itself isn’t too big. I had no trouble parking it or keeping it in the lane, unlike other larger vehicles I have driven.

There’s my opinon, here are the stats…

Government Vehicle Safety Ratings: Out of 5 Stars

Overall Vehicle Score 4

Frontal Crash- Driver 4, Passenger 3

Side Crash- Front Seat 4, Rear Seat 5

Rollover 4

Fuel Economy: 16 city/21 highway; 18 combined

Annual Fuel Cost: $2,900

Standard Equipment:

4.0L DOHC 24V WT-I 236HP Engine

5-Speed ECT-I Automatic Transmission

4WDemand: Part-Time 4X4 Sys w/2-speed

Coil-Spring Double Wishbone Front Susp

Total Price as Shown: $32,768.00

Disclaimer: The vehicle mentioned in this story was provided at the expense of Toyota, for the purpose of reviewing.

P.S. Here’s a collection of my Toyota family reviews so far; just click on title to read the full story:

2014 Toyota Tacoma: My Son Thinks Our Car Windows Are Voice-Activated

2014 Lexus LS 460: 2014 Lexus LS 460 Review, From The Dad’s Perspective; Journey To Howard’s Chapel (The Church Built Into A Rock); Ironically Driving A Lexus To See A Dinosaur Named Junkasaurus Wrecks; What Parents Do When The Kids Are Asleep With The Grandparents; Grandma Regifts As-Seen-On-TV “Perfect Polly” To Great-Grandson; I’ve Heard Of Sleepwalking, But… Sleep-Eating And Sleep-Playing?

2014 Toyota Corolla: Surviving The Polar Vortex Of 2014, Icicles And All

2014 Scion tC: Lightning McQueen, Donatello, Batman, Play-Doh… Nuff Said!

2013 Toyota Avalon Hybrid: 2013 Toyota Avalon Hybrid Review, From The Dad’s Perspective; A Family That Recycles Together Doesn’t Decompose

2013 Toyota Rav4: 2013 Toyota Rav4 Review, From The Dad’s Perspective

2014 Toyota Tundra: Dad Gives 3 Year-Old Son A Monster Truck For Birthday… Sort Of; Nashville Dad Introduces 3 Year-Old Son To Country Music; 3rd Birthday Monster Truck Road Trip: Build-A-Bear; 3rd Birthday Monster Truck Road Trip: Little River Falls, AL; 3rd Birthday Monster Truck Road Trip: Mountain Driving; 3rd Birthday Monster Truck Road Trip: Canyon Land Park; 3rd Birthday Monster Truck Road Trip: Canyon Mouth Park

2013 Toyota Sienna: We’re Ready For A Family Road Trip… Minivan Style!; It’s Officially Cool To Drive A Minivan Now

2 Comments Posted on April 12, 2014April 13, 2014 Uncategorized

Family Friendly Car Review: 2014 Lexus RX 350

Hi there. My name is Nick Shell and this is my family friendly car review of the 2014 Lexus RX 350.

Normally when I write an article it’s because I’m the daddy blogger of Parents.com, with my blog called The Dadabase. I write to my son on a near daily basis and have been doing so since 7 months before he was born. He’s nearly 3 and a half years old now.

You’re welcome to check out my main writing gig. But as for now, it’s time to catch a glimpse of what it’s like driving a 2014 Lexus RX 350… with wife and kid in tow.

If you’re here today because you’re curious about this vehicle and would like to “test drive” it online before heading to the Lexus dealership, then I think I might be able to help.

I’ve thrown together these photo collages so you can see what the vehicle looks like “with human life in it.” I’ve also included all the important stats.

Something I particularly appreciated about the Lexus RX is how easy it was to see out all the windows when passing other cars.

Have fun. Check it out…

Description: 2014/ 9426A RX 350 5-DR SUV

Standard Features:

3.5 Liter 270 HP Four Cam 24-Valve V6 Engine

8-Sp Auto Transmission w/Paddle Shifters

Full Time Active Torque Control All-Wheel Driver

19″ Aluminum Alloy Wheels with All-Season Tires

Tire Pressure Monitoring System

F Sport tune Suspension with Front and Rear Performance Dampers

10 Airbags: Driver & Front Passenger: Front, Knee & Side (6), Rear Side (2), Side Curtain (2), Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS) with Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD) & Brake Assist

Automatic Xenon HID Headlamps

LED Daytime Running Lamps (DRL)

Vehicle Theft-Deterrent System with Engine Immobilizer

F SPORT Front Bumper and Spindle Grille

Safety Connect: Automatic Collision Notification, Stolen Vehicle Location, Emergency Assist Button (SOS), and Enchanced Roadside Assistance (1-year trial subscription included)

Rain Sensing Wipers

Lexus Premium Audio System, Automatic Sound Levelizer (ASL), USB iPod/MP3 Control, SiriusXM Satellite Radio (90-day All Access trial subscription included)

Auto Dual Climate Control Sys w/Rear Vents

10-Way Power Heated/Ventilated Front Seats Driver’s Memory System

Power Tilt-and-Telescopic Steering Column

Recycling/Sliding 40/20/40 Split Rear Seat

Premium Roof Rails

Power Moonroof/Power Back Door

Rear View Mirror- Auto Dimming, Homelink Garage

F SPORT exclusive Leather Interior Trim, Aluminum Pedals, Steering Wheel, and Shift Knob

Blind Spot Monitor

Mark Levinson Premium Surround Sound, Single DVD/CD Player, HD Radio with iTunes tagging & 15-spkrs

Navigation Sys w/Voice Command, Backup Camera, Lexus Enform w/Destination Assist & eDestination, SiriusXM NavTraffic, NavWeather, Stocks, Sports & Fuel prices (1 yr- trial subscription included), Subscription-Free Enform App Suite

Intuitive Parking Assist

Cargo Mat, Cargo Net, Wheel Locks

Total price as featured: $53,375.00

Fuel:

18 city/26 highway/21 combined

Annual Fuel Cost: $2500