Cars, Security and a Peek into my Life
Never understood why CarGuys take so much heat for being so into cars… they’re organized and have good time management, they’re finishers with multi-faceted minds.
And even though I’m female, the term is still CarGUY.
Maybe the brightest trait, is that this is all done with an infectious enthusiasm.
Blog tag = CarGuy
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Back to ‘Keri on Driving’ – Index
2013 Hyundai Accent GLS here
Starting at $13,749
This one $18,949
1.6L 4-cyl./ 6-spd automatic, providing with Power/torque: 138 hp/ 123 lb.-ft.
Short review: loved the lack of dashboard screen; the interior is ergonomic; and it’s a sporty ride that handles the same.
This is a sub-compact, not a wizard car.
HAcomeon. Wizard car.
My point is: for what it sets out to do, and at what price, the Accent does it well; any more, and you may want too much.
Read the full review on Autonet.ca
I travelled with Acura to Portland, Oregon, to test their heavily-refreshed MDX 7-passenger SUV.
It’s an important vehicle launch for them, the MDX accounts for 1/3 of Acura’s total sales.
So the vehicle was re-built from scratch; new chassis and body, designed specifically for this SUV (non-car nerds: this is rare).
Read the full review over at Autonet.ca.
Short review – an excellent refresh; if a 7-passenger 3rd row vehicle is important, test this MDX, it’ll make the shortlist.
The interior ergonomics were updated, it used to be “a bit like climbing back into 1999”.
The new model is only the tiniest bit bigger, but the interior feels bigger, more open.
Steering is improved; engine provides more than enough power for a fun drive; it’s really quiet inside; all seats now fold flat for loading cargo; a secret storage compartment; the base model is loaded up nicely; great safety features come standard; 6 cameras; and for winter, you can pre-condition the car remotely, a just-for-Canada added feature.
Meet my driving partner, Sylvain Raymond.
Il écrit les belles histoires pour le bon website, Guide de l’Auto. Bienvenue à ma blog, mon ami!
I was surfing around, sourcing stories for Autonet.ca, and I stumbled on news about BlackBerry’s QNX OS.
BlackBerry’s operating system is QNX, and it’s poised to become the default software which runs the infotainment in all automobiles.
(Read it online here)
That is HUGE. Because that’s a real problem – each auto manufactuer has their own proprietary software, and there’s no easy way to update it, so often brand new cars have 5-year old systems inside.
Now.
Prem Watsa is an investor, he’s like the Canadian Warren Buffet.
He owns Fairfax Financial Holdings, and is the largest investor in RIM (BlackBerry) – $700 million, or 10%. And it was always so curious to me why he held onto his stock, even when BB was at its lowest *, why he loved it so. Yes BB is known for security, and still has lots of subscribers, but…
Now THIS makes total sense – if QNX becomes the default auto OS, BlackBerry will return to it’s former glory, and then some. I predict last week’s software release will be the game changer, though – QNX CAR.
Numberous automakers already base their infotainment systems on it, like: the guts of the system is QNX, then Acura adds its look & fee on top.
Audi, Chrysler… there’s more I’m not remembering…
Acura / Audi / Chrysler / Land Rover / Hyundai / GM / Porsche / Saab
Chevy’s new MyLink system uses it, which won all the awards this year for “best auto infotainment system”.
I interviewed the lady behind it all for the paper in February, click here, and I blogged it was the first system I’d ever liked (to my 500 times telling you never to buy one).
My BB story even made the cover of the paper, and my first non-‘Keri on Driving’ article to, nice.
I was so pleased with myself for figuring this all out, I texted and emailed everyone as much, and documented my smirking here, last photo.
* so I did too. My stock market strategy is: copy the successful guy
As a organizational nerd, this was interesting to me. Because the title of this post is true – without DHL, there is no race. For 25 years they’ve been the ones to ship the race to its 20 worldwide destinations.
This week for Autonet, I interviewed President of DHL Express (Canada), Greg Hewitt, and I learned that DHL is repsonsible for everything at the race, literally – the VIP suites, the cars, the merchandise, the celebratory champagne, everything you see at a race.
What got me most was the clearing customs aspect; hadn’t thought of that, makes total sense.
Read the full article on Autonet.
