Search Results for: dan barron

Spent Last Week in Miami with Honda

Mar 9 2015

Honda invited my blog to South Beach to test their all-new HR-V.

Kind’ve a big deal really, since that’s the same invite as the newspapers and magazines get #proud

Here’s your first look at their all-new vehicle:
the 2016 Honda HR-V Compact Crossover

Ran into a chunk of Team Autonet down there.

Top right middle is Frederic Mercier, the French side of the newspaper’s newest addition.

And bottom left is Eddie; if you prefer to read car reviews in Mandarin, read his.

Close as I ever make it to the beach #HideFromTheSunAlways

Here’s a good shot of the HR-V until I get a proper post built about it.

See those long vents in the dash on the right? Slick eh. As is the open cavern beneath the gear shift where all ports are, that’s good ergonomics.

My driving partner was my editor at the paper, Dan Barron.

You’ve met before, and any clever headline of anything I write is all him.

When you drive an HR-V, this is what happens to your head.

The driving impressions of this vehicle are embargoed until end of April, so until then, I’ll roll out more about the car, then tell you how it handled after that.

(what’s an embargo? Here)

Short review – this car is going to crush it.

Honda managed to design seemingly-opposite features and functions into one vehicle, and I predict this HR-V will take over the compact crossover segment when it arrives this summer 2015.

Now a plane photo so if you’re scrolling, you know I was out-of-country.

It’s Auto Show Week so that Means Woah

Feb 11 2015

200 km + 2 events + haircut + a massive interview for my column = 11:30pm I’m home.

Tomorrow is the actual auto show day, so have to cut this short since I have to be back downtown and camera ready pretty early.

Driving some of those kilometres.

Okay first stop is the 2015 Alfa Romeo 4C Spider unveiling.

Which I had to leave before the cloth came off. to make it to my interview on time. I didn’t document the boardroom, it didn’t seem appropriate but kinda regretting it now, a photo would go good here.

ingenie, coming soon to Canada – plug the device into your OBDII port, and get performance-based insurance discounts by using a safe driving style. I secured one of the few interviews about it, and they’re putting together a review unit for me try, too; neat eh.

Okay interview done, now off to the 2015 Nissan Titan reveal.

Best part about these events are always the people.

The auto journalist crowd is genuinely hilarious, and I never have to dumb-down my vocabulary which is refreshing. Plus they always give me a hard time in the best way, “quick Keri, get this up on your blooooooog.”

You know those guys, Team Autonet! David Miller on the left, and Dan Barron on the right.

I’ll take more photos at the show tomorrow… probably. Whipping out your camera to document a moment completely kills it, so I err on the side of nope.

Arty rearview mirror shot.

And now it’s passed midnight, and I just realized I left a bunch of stuff freezing in the back seat so going to get that then fall on my face, TTYT

Opposite Ends of the Spectrum Day

May 22 2014

First, I tested Ford’s 1.0L engine in their Fiesta, the smallest engine available to buy.

It which claims some of the best fuel economy out there, but was surprisingly feisty. Really.

My review will be online tomorrow morning at Autonet, and will blog it next week.

Any day with track time makes me so happy, and did okay out there today.

During the event, two of my Autonet teammates, David Miller and Jeff Voth, and I sent a message to our editor, Dan Barron.

Who responded with this photo.

I love my job.

(meet more of my team here, and David, we need to make you a tag around here.)

Then the opposite spectrum part: off to a party for an engine about 4x the size.

Transformed in 10 minutes, from track attire to party dress, inside the hotel bathroom. I should blog some of my tricks for this, have it down to a science. That dress is 10+ years old, doesn’t wrinkle, and when in doubt, wear a suit jacket.

Up to Aurora for the Porsche Macan launch,
hosted by Pfaff.

Fancy times, ladies were in full hair and makeup, I was still covered in track dust #MoreSpectrum

I can’t put my finger on why, it’s not just that they carry luxury badges, but Pfaff is one of the classiest dealerships. Will blog that event next week, too.

Then, this.

Further proof of what I always say…

Thursday Night, best night of the week.

And the end.

I have to be up at 5am to keep the dream alive, TTY then.

Meet Some of My Autonet Team

Dec 9 2012

It’s Joe Duarte! My editor (boss) (my blog post / Autonet bio)

He’s giving me a lift to Markham; I’m picking up a Honda Fit, and that week Joe had the 2012 Porsche 911 Carrera.

To read our reviews, click those links.

Because we’re all freelancers, we don’t really get together and hang out, so this trio of photos are rare.

Meet Dan Barron – long time auto journalist, Joe’s right hand guy, funny.

We’re at Test Fest, in Niagara Falls in October.

And last week, out of nowhere at a Christmas party, there was Jeff Voth, hi!

Another top Canadian auto journalist, has his pilot’s licence, and does these unique road trip pieces you’d like.

Here’s the rest of the team!

This is all new, our bios and headhsots went live last week.

Here’s my bio.

I feel meh about my headshot.

Could be worse. Could use some posing lessons. And makeup lessons, can’t get away with just mascara and lip-gloss anymore. Hair could have been worse. You don’t even know how much I hate having my photo taken.

Look how thick my fridge-article-collection is getting.

A Plain Post Title on This Sunday Night

Sep 9 2012

Sorry for the lag in the blog the last couple days… Friday was non-stop everywhere, and I’m still figuring out how to balance writing this blog, and writing for the paper… the newspaper side comes with a commitment and a boss, but the blog side is why I have that stuff in the first place, and I need an assistant so bad holy crap.

Friday morning was headshots for the paper. That’s Dan Barron in the blue, and photographer, Michael. Welcome to my blog, guys!

I joined Dan at Autonet.ca, he writes great stuff read it here, and Michael is a long time Sun guy, and this is cool, Artic canoe-r.

This was also cool last week, the below photo Tweet. Hello, I’m in Windsor now! Thanks Chuck.

But. BUT. Look at the asterisk… that’s not the correct name,

my column is called, ‘Keri on Driving’, no gender glyph.

I saw this coming, remember the big eyes right before signing the contract? Didn’t see the woman sign coming though, ugh. It’s technically the sign for Venus, but it wouldn’t be my ~~first~~ choice, ever. But that’s the price: less-to-no control.

A lazy afternoon drive.

Think I’m going to have to buy a car, guys.

It’s too much, transit from Markham to Mississauga when swapping out cars, that’s a 100km & 3 hour investment. I’m going to starting looking into finding a $1000, manual, 1990’s something.

This week’s flowers.