My First Ever Car Review – 2013 Honda Civic

It was published last week.

How it looked in print, across Canada, in the big newspapers that you have to unfold to read, ha.

(Read it on Autonet.ca)

Favourite line:

… the 2013 is noticeably more upscale than previous Civics, bringing a subtle classiness to the car.

I gave them high report card marks.  Not because it’s my first one and I’m being a pleaser, but because I like it that much.

I would, and do, compare other cars to the Civic.

Non-car nerds: the industry turned its thumbs way down at 2012 Civic, so this 2013 was heavily anticipated.

I’ve been driving different press cars for 16 months now, but have never written about it so technically, so filled with specs and math.

Until this, I’d written news and opinion pieces only.

All my columns: Keri on Driving         All my news articles

I had to get 3 months under my belt at the paper, before I was allowed to do a review.

After this printed, now I feel like a real auto journalist.

Remember the embargo 3 weeks ago?  

It was for this.  I went to Honda Canada one morning, walked into a classroom-type setting, with some of Canada’s biggest auto journalist names. I was the only girl.

We were informed of the changes to the new model, then were each given 15 minutes to test drive AND photograph the car (this is normal in the industry).

I was like omg :O ermahgerd. So I went last, and kept the car for 45 minutes and 300 photos.

Despite all that, the paper still had to use some stock images (gallery here), because my photos were weak, and it never occured to me, to check for my relection in the paint.  Rookie move.

I’ll leave you with a video; click here to watch me drive the high-end version of the Civic (HFP), on a track, at an airport, with great enthusiasm.

 

 

Meet Some of My Autonet Team

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.

 

Talking about Trucking

EVERYthing is brought in by truck, it’s the only vehicle that will fit inside a downtown core… truckers are the glue keeping things moving.

Santa is a trucker.

Never pull out in front of one and brake, it’s terrifying for the driver, a truck’s stopping distance is massive.

Favourite line:

100% of everything has been transported by a trucker. So why are we passenger vehicles so impatient with them?

Thanks for getting everything, everywhere.

Take good care out there! 

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Back to ‘Keri on Driving’ – Index

 

 

It's Time to Crush my Car

I spent a large chunk of last week, dealing with my car. It’s been in a friend’s extra parking space underground, in North York.

It hasn’t moved since December 30, 2011.

The electrical has been going for a long time. Half the windows don’t go down, I saw it arc once, blogged the problems before: The Studio Lives and Been Car-less for 2 Weeks Now.

Called CAA, who towed me to Canadian Tire.

It’s no longer a car, it’s now a money pit.

Came to terms with it Wednesday night.

Here’s an email I sent a friend, sums it up well.

(click to enlarge)

This is the 10th car I’ve said goodbye to; it’s not that.

I sat inside, got chocked up.

Because look, so beautiful.

I’m not attached to much material stuff (remember when I gave away all my belongs last year), but this is making me sad.

I invented my show in here, “The Canadian Explorer”:
driving around celebrating Canada, my studio is my caaar

Here’s the theme song I wrote, sums it all up in 0:18.

3 years, 80 episodes, 1,000 good stories, and the best internet training ever – that’s where the attachment is coming from.

Oh well, back to the bottom line in my above email.

Stay tuned for a good crushing video.