Toyota

Leave a comment Posted on July 18, 2014 car reviews, parenting, reviews

It’s Officially Cool To Drive A Minivan Now

October 15, 2013 at 9:12 pm , by Nick Shell

2 years, 10 months.

Dear Jack,

There used to be this stigma with minivans. I was very aware of it.

I figured if I was a 32 year-old dad who drove a minivan, it would be like giving up on being cool.

To me, driving a minivan was like wearing a t-shirt of a wolf howling at the moon and tucking it into jean shorts, with a flip phone in a holder on my woven leather belt.

At best, driving a minivan would be an ironic thing to do- like it was when I did it in high school.

But this past year, I started realizing… minivans are actually pretty cool these days.

Call it perfect timing, but then Toyota let us take one of their 2013 Siennas on our family road trip from Nashville, TN to Louisville, KY this past weekend. That’s what made me realize, it’s officially cool to drive a minivan now.

(By the way, you were pretty sad to have to say goodbye to it today. You waved to it as I dropped you off for school.)

And no, I don’t just think it’s because I’m older now and have a kid that I think minivans are cool.

Driving a minivan is fun.

I can say this, now that I’m back in my normal car, it feels like I’m driving with the emergency brake on. Mommy coincidentally said the same thing today; with this being our first day back in our own vehicles.

She and I both agreed that the Sienna rode like a boat. I mean that in a good way.

It just seemed to effortlessly hover across the road; never seeming clunky or like driving a loaf of bread.

One of my favorite parts about driving the Sienna on our road trip this weekend was when I shuttled the 8 of us around Louisville.

You, me, and Mommy met my parents, sister, brother-in-law, and your cousin there in Louisville. There were 3 vehicles and I figured we would have to do sort of a caravan thing as we drove around the city for the weekend.

But sort of by accident, Mommy discovered the stowaway seat in the very back of the van which could be attached in between the 2 captain’s chairs in the 2nd row.

That meant there were 8 seats for 8 people; 2 of those people being 2 year-olds. It’s not like we felt like a can of sardines, either.

In fact, my mom (your Nonna) commented: “I feel like I’m riding in 1st class!”

(She’s never actually ridden 1st class so we’ll let this count.)

It was a lifesaver for me because I get stressed out when I have to lead, or be part of, a caravan; especially in a city I haven’t completely memorized. Instead, all I had to do was drive (with Mommy riding shotgun) and follow the built-in GPS to the zoo.

Also, we saved money on parking by being in just one vehicle.

So, I’m over my conditioned belief that minivans uncool, or at best, ironic.

Things have changed, now.

We had a great family road trip anyway, but it totally (!) added to the enjoyment factor and subtracted from the stress factor by having the Sienna. Now I don’t like the thought of taking another family road trip the old fashioned way… without a minivan.

Love,

Daddy

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

P.S. To see more pictures of our family road trip, go to The Dadabase’s Facebook page and click on the picture folder, Louisville AdVANture Road Trip October 2013.

1 Comment Posted on July 18, 2014 car reviews, parenting, People, reviews

We’re Ready For A Family Road Trip…Minivan Style!

October 11, 2013 at 10:14 pm , by Nick Shell

2 years, 10 months.

Dear Jack,

So let me catch you up… back in July I was invited to the Sienna AdVANtures Tour in Las Vegas where everyday dads like me were asked to test out the 2013 Toyota Sienna and all its new features.

Hey, I’ve never been to Vegas… I would have loved to have gone; except the dates interfered with our family vacation in Sacramento.

However, I think it all worked out all right, because… we get to test drive the Sienna for a whole week, 3 days of which will include our family’s road trip from Nashville to Lousville with my side of the family.

Yes, there will be 8 of us, but there will be enough seats for me to be able to shuttle us around Louisville, KY. The zoo is our special stop!

Needless to say, you’ve been loving getting to cruise to school in a minivan.

The concept of “the ceiling window” (moonroof) is something totally foreign to you; as well as the huge window next to you so you can look rare sights… like the pink flatbed truck we saw and the three hot air balloons, which were landing dangerously close to the Interstate.

We even got to see 3 deer crossing the road on the way home the first day.

That’s what you’ve enjoyed the most so far about the van; getting a great view of what’s going on as we drive.

And there are a couple of other things I’ve enjoyed watching you be fascinated by, too…

Like being able to see what’s behind us with the integrated backup camera that automatically replaces the GPS whenever the vehicle is in reverse. You were confused by how I got things to appear on there, so I got Mommy to wave at you for a few seconds, while I obviously kept my foot on the brake, for the quick demonstration.

That cleared things up a little; but then you asked to watch her on there the next morning after she had left for work.

And you think’s really cool being able to open the sliding doors by pressing a button.

As for me, I have found the blind spot monitor to be especially snazzy. This little orange light pops up on the outer side of the rearview mirrors whenever another vehicle is passing me or trying to get by.

Now that we’ve tested it out for a few days, we get to leave in the morning for our family road trip, minivan style.

What an interesting time for this to happen, considering that for the past two weeks we’ve watched your new favorite movie, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, a minimum of 23 times now.

You are totally enthralled by the thought of such a magical car.

I think, in your mind, the van we get to have for our Louisville road trip is our real life version of a Chitty Chitty Bang Bang car.

In other words, you’re a fan of the minivan! I’ll write more about our family road trip as the adventure begins.

To be continued…

Love,

Daddy

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

P.S. To see more pictures of our family road trip, go to The Dadabase’s Facebook page and click on the picture folder, Louisville AdVANture Road Trip October 2013.

3 Comments Posted on July 7, 2014July 7, 2014 Uncategorized

2014 Toyota Highlander: Platinum Package Including Pre-Collision System With Dynamic Radar Cruise Control

Let me clear up any confusion… Yes, I did indeed review a 2014 Toyota Highlander while on vacation in Lake Tahoe two weeks ago.

But that was a different one. It was was black. This one today is silver…

Plus, reviewing a Highlander while back at home in Nashville gave me the opportunity to appreciate some features I didn’t notice the first time around.

For example, the air was low one day in the front passenger tire, but I didn’t realize that on my own. However, I was alerted on the dashboard what was wrong.

So using the built-in GPS, I was able to find the closest gas station where I could fill up the tire. Had I not been alerted by the vehicle itself, I could have ended up driving too far on that tire; it could have went flat on me.

Another interesting feature I want to point out is the “pre-collision system with dynamic radar cruise control.”

Say you’ve got the cruise control set on 70 mph and everything is going fine… until you get behind a slower vehicle going 68 mph.

The Highlander (Limited PLT V6 FWD with Platinum Package) automatically slows down to match the vehicle in front of you. Pretty clever, actually.

There’s also a setting called “lane departure alert” that lets you know anytime you veer over into another lane by accident.

I’m not a high-tech kind of guy, but I have to point out that for anyone is who is, this is a smart SUV.

My brother-in-law, who is the epitome of high tech, set it up to where I could use my “dumb phone” (which has no Internet) over the speakers of the car.

That was the first time I’ve ever got to sync my phone up to a car. I felt special.

I will close on this note. I want to remind you that just because a car company is “foreign owned,” it doesn’t mean the cars it makes aren’t made in America.

Take a look at these pictures in which I circled in blue the phrase “Made in U.S.A.”

Meanwhile, there are “American car companies” that have the majority of their parts made and assembled overseas. I quickly recognize the double standard.

I am now inspired to start promoting where the cars are actually made. As you can see, this 2014 Toyota Highlander was made here in America. In Princeton, Indiana, to be exact.

Thanks for reading this week’s Family Friendly Daddy Blog car review. I’ll finish off with some stats:

Fuel Economy: 21 MPG combined/19 city/25 highway

Annual fuel cost: $2,500

Manufacturer’s suggested retail price with optional equipment: $42,945.00.

6 Comments Posted on June 25, 2014May 30, 2015 Uncategorized

2014 Toyota Highlander- Limited PLT: Family Friendly Car Review

I’ve been having several people asking me when I’ll finally review a Toyota Highlander. This time has come!

The timing was perfect because it was the vehicle I was able to test drive during my family’s annual vacation to California. This time around was special, though, because we took a special road trip from Sacramento to Lake Tahoe (Squaw Valley) in it.

Before I say anything else, even if a Highlander isn’t the kind of vehicle you’re in the market to own, it’s at least the perfect one to rent while on vacation.

Even though there are just three of us in my family, we hauled around a lot of luggage, being that we flew in from Nashville. Not to mention, our road trip was also a “travelling family reunion.” In other words, we were part of a caravan in which extended family members were rotating in and out of the car.

The Highlander was the perfect size; seating 7 plus cargo space. With an average MPG of 20, I could have made it all the way from Sacramento to Lake Tahoe and back on the same tank, had it not been for some extra trips to neighboring towns like Truckee. Doing so much driving in an unfamiliar part of the country, the special backup camera was especially helpful.

In what turned about to be a perfect coincidence, Toyota happens to be the official sponsor of Squaw Valley, where we stayed. I had no idea going into this.

So on display there at The Village At Squaw Valley, they featured several other Toyotas, all of which I have previously reviewed: the Rav4, the Tacoma, the Prius, and today, the Highlander.

Just a couple of months ago, my sister and her husband traded in their Mazda Tribute for a Highlander, and I’ve heard nothing but positives the whole time. They love theirs.

So in addition to me saying the Highlander made the perfect complimentary vehicle for an all-American rugged road trip, my sister is very satisfied with it as her main car.

And she did a lot of research before buying it. She admitted to me that all my many Toyota reviews helped convince her. (We were raised in a very pro-Ford home.)

Similarly, my wife loved the Highlander, saying that she loved how “roomy” it is and that “it’s high enough off the ground that it makes me feel like I’d be safe in a crash.”

Lastly, my son said his favorite part about riding in the Highlander was that he could see out all the windows. And on a mountainous road trip to Lake Tahoe, that matters!

Here are the stats:

3.5 DOHC V6 Engine with Dual WT-i

6 Spd Auto Trans; 5,000 lb Tow Capacity

7 passenger

Annual Fuel Cost: $2,600

20 MPG combined: 18 city/24 highway

Cost As Shown: $44,450.00

Thanks for checking out my very anticipated review of the 2014 Toyota Highlander. I hope you enjoyed it!

2 Comments Posted on June 11, 2014 Uncategorized

2014 Toyota Avalon: Family Friendly Car Review

I am very excited to get to do a review on a Toyota Avalon again this week! Last year I reviewed the 2013 Avalon Hybrid, so I already knew how much I was going to love the 2014 version.

Before becoming familiar with the Avalon myself, I never realized what an “easy to love” kind of car it really is. There’s no thinking required in regards to “How does it handle?” or anything like that.

You just get in it and you drive. And you don’t think about the car. You just become one with the Avalon.

If you’re considering test driving a full-size car, I would recommend starting with the Avalon. I have test driven and reviewed many cars by now, and I can tell you, there’s something special about the way this car drives; incredibly smooth and natural.

And I’m not the only one to rave about the Avalon. If you’ve got the budget for a car like this, and you’re looking for a car this size, I would say start with Avalon- let it be the car to beat.

I would like to close with some stats on the car.

Standard Equipment:

3.5L 268 HP DOHC 24V w/Dual VVT -i

6-Speed ECT -i A/T w/Paddle Shifters

Government 5-Star Star Safety Ratings:

Overall Vehicle Score: 5

Frontal Crash Driver: 4

Frontal Crash Passenger: 5

Side Crash Front Seat: 5

Side Crash Rear Seat: 5

Rollover: 4

Fuel Economy and Price:

24 MPG combined (21 city, 31 highway)

Annual fuel cost: $2,200.

Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price: $39,650.00

Fully Loaded, As Seen: $42,785.00.

So there’s a sneak peak at one of my favorite Toyotas: the 2014 Avalon.

My next family friendly car review will be on the 2014 Toyota Highlander, as I will be travelling from Sacramento to Lake Tahoe and back.

I’m guessing it will be pretty cool…

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