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September 25, 2005

I'm in the midst of a 24 hour test drive of the new Passat. Volkswagen invited me to join a preview program for current VW owners. I believe they're hoping to generate good word of mouth. You know, one of those viral effects that all the hip marketing kids are buzzing about.

Who am I to turn down the key to a brand new $32K autobahn stormer and a free tank of gas?

First impressions. It's much better than I'd expected. The 2.0 liter turbo engine screams, even with the six-speed auto transmission. I'm eager to try it with a DSG in the GLI/GTI/A3. The Passat also carries a couple of interesting technical features. The key is really a radio transmitter that slides into a dash slot and becomes the engine start/stop button. Very slick. Makes more sense than a traditional key paired with a button that's become somewhat trendy.

Perhaps my favorite feature springs from the electronic parking brake. The traditional lever/pedal has vanished. Instead, there's a button on the dash controlling a servo motor to set and release the brake. Seems kind of silly at first blush or at least until you consider the Auto Hold button lurking next to the shifter. This little bit of electronic magic eliminates the creep that happens with a traditional automatic's torque converter. That means once the car comes to a stop, it won't move again until you press the gas pedal. It also means you won't roll down a hill. Good at stop lights here in San Francisco. Not so good for parallel parking on those same hills.

All in all, I'm feeling quiet favorable to this sixth incarnation of the Passat. I'd seriously consider one if I needed another big car. The funky styling has even started to grow on me.

11:45 PM | Comment (1)

September 18, 2005

Have you seen my next car? Volkswagen introduced the Eos at the Frankfurt show last week. Should be available in the US next spring. Looks promising and could be an ideal replacement for the Jetta. I really want a convertible next. Don't have to worry about being too practical since the Touareg can handle Ikea and Target duties. Then again, I stopped by the GM dealer hoping to see a Solstice in person yesterday. They didn't have one yet but I was intrigued by the Saab 9-3 Convertible. Again. My fondness for Saabs predates my VW fixation so the notion of getting one through the European delivery program, saving enough to pay for a Euro trip and getting to visit Trollhättan just might prove irresistible.

11:00 PM | Comment (3)

September 09, 2005

Spin control has started. Of course our image problem is crime. Don't pay any attention to those pesky Waging War on Trumped Up Charges and Criminally Neglecting Our Own Citizen facts that are lurking behind the curtain. How dare those criminals mar our international image by stealing food and other things to survive. Why couldn't they just quietly die, I mean wait, with the others at the convention center?

Totally and completely pisses me off. But I'm not going to let you leave mad. Funny from the Daily Show.

11:58 PM | Comment (0)

September 08, 2005

Interesting contrasts in the products Apple debuted yesterday. The much-speculated-about iTunes-enabled cell phone strikes me as a big turd. It's ugly. Overpriced. Ugly. Has a lame name and marketing. And is ugly. Compare it to the lust-worthy iPod nano. I'm guessing most of the shortcomings of the ROKR accrue directly to ineptitude of Motorola and Cigular. Something to remember the next time you read some blowhard pundit claim that Apple needs to abandon its vertical integration model and strike more partnerships to succeed.

10:38 AM | Comment (3)

September 06, 2005

Watch these clips. Olbermann from MSNBC. Anderson Cooper losing it with a slimy senator. Now read the transcript of Nancy Giles's editorial that ran on CBS Sunday Morning.

05:34 PM | Comment (1)

If you buy the whole celebrity death trio superstition, it's time to start making wagers. First Rehnquist over the weekend. Then news of Gilligan biting it hit today. Who's next? Start making your lists kids.

12:22 PM | Comment (1)

September 05, 2005

Technical overkill in motion, I suppose you could say. I know that borders on enigmatic so let me properly explain. Marc (no link means no web presence, shame shame young man) and I have developed a fun weekend habit of test driving cars. In part I'm looking ahead a year or two when it will be time to start thinking about replacing the Jetta. But it's also fun to try out different cars. And I've gotta have something to do on Saturdays when Rich kicks me out so he can clean.

Saturday we tried the new Subaru B9 Tribecca. Marc loved the swoopy silvery interior. I hated it. He thought it was a simple, modern design. I found it lame and gimmicky, more at home on a Star Trek set than in a daily driver. I prefer the more traditional approach of my Touareg with its multitude of gauges and buttons, the majority of which dedicated to an individual task or control.

Marc countered that he finds the Touareg's dash intimidating and that got me to thinking. As I've grown accustomed to the assortment of backlit buttons and spring-loaded knobs have I lost perspective? Admittedly the Touareg has more features that need controlling than the Tribeca we tested but where do you draw the line?

Out of curiosity, I tallied all the buttons, knobs and levers in the Touareg. The count was 115 in the front compartment, 22 in the rear. Too much or am I abnormal in thinking anyone possessing a license should be able to master it?

11:45 PM | Comment (4)

September 02, 2005

The situation in New Orleans depresses and appalls me. Yes, it's a natural disaster on a huge scale but the flaccid Federal response strikes me at best as shocking and more likely criminally negligent. New Orleans Mayor C. Ray Nagin summed up the Federal reaction perfectly.

"They were talking about getting public school bus drivers to come down here and bus people. I'm like you got to be kidding me - this is a national disaster," he said. "Get every doggone Greyhound bus line in the country and get them moving to New Orleans. That's them thinking small, man. This is a major, major, major deal. I can't emphasize that enough man, this is crazy."

Fortunately, the officials finally seem to be waking up. Seeing news of an airlift plan strikes me as good news. But why wasn't this put into place on Monday when the media made the scale of the tragedy clear to anyone with a TV? And why were some of the participating airlines not aware that the plan existed?

Shock and appall hardly seem adequate to convey the dismay I'm feeling now.

09:24 AM | Comment (2)