Arrival of the new baby!
Well, it has been busy but I managed to pick up my ride last Friday. Since then we have seemed to find a few excuses to drive her around and play with all the gadgets. We've taken a couple of trips into the foothills and must say that she is a keeper.
For the most part I will impart my first impressions through the features we played with as we got acquainted with her. We all know she's a looker, doesn't drive like a beamer, can pull a boat, but can't pull a wheelie. She's a big girl with wide hips so she's not going to corner like she's on rails or chase down an Italian sports car. There's lots of room up front and if you are honing your paddle ball skills then the ex is the vehicle for you.
Enough about the incedentals and on to the gadgets. First, the active cruise control actually makes cruise control a necessity and not just a nice to have. No constant disengagement and resume. You set it to a speed that will just keep you out of the cuffs and the morons in front of you and the idiots behind you are suddenly a lot less annoying. When a moron decides that it's time to send a text and drops twenty miles per hour the ex just slows down to accommodate. And tightening up the following distance keeps the idiots from coming from behind to get pole position on you. Either way you don't have to hit the brake to disengage cruise control then re-set it all up again. It's like butter.
The next feature we tried was the lane keeping assist system. It is a bit freaky but cool. I turned it on took my hands off the wheel and started to jump into the back seat (just kidding) and the system yelled at me to put my hands back on the wheel. Then it proceeded to nag me to get some rest. It's like having your driver's ed teacher and the mrs with you at all times. Through all the nagging that my wife deemed "warranted", it kept me on the straight and narrow by nudging me back into my lane. Very cool!
Perhaps the most genial feature is BLIS. Once you start driving the BLIS system just seems to integrate into your driving senses. When one of those idiots start to become a moron, you just know where they are. It's wierd but I just felt like I was more informed about all the cars around me and I didn't feel like I was constantly watching the indicator light. Maybe this will improve my peripheral vision or my connection to the force.
Now don't get me started on the air conditioned seats. On a hot day they're like sitting on an air mattress filled with butterscotch pudding straight from the fridge. Not that I would know what that's like... but if you ain't got the seats I suggest you invest in copius amounts pudding, an air mattress, and a large syringe. I'll leave the mechanics of this up to you cuz I got the seats. By far this is my favorite comfort feature. I only wish that it would remember to turn on every time I get in... except in the winter. It doesn't get that cold here in the winter but I don't need both sets of cheeks to be rosy.
The navigation system has some big shoes to fill so I'm not surprised that it comes up a bit short. Anyone with a Driod can attest to that. Simply speaking a location into the Driod has it telling you where to go in seconds. Just let me hit the button and say "Navigate to where I'm supposed to be." Then let the lane keeping system, active cruise control, and BLIS take over. Wake me up when we arrive with a nice cool butt.
For that matter, the Nuvi and Tom Tom don't seem to get it either. A lot of energy has been expended in these systems to save and recall routes, to help me decide where I want to go, and to keep me out of traffic. First off, once I've been there I don't need to know how to get there anymore. Second, I can't bring myself to hop in the car then decide where I want to go. Finally, the time savings on traffic routing gets all used up while you do the mashup entering the address or banging through the POI list. Focus on getting me on my way. For you PND fanboys I'll race you any time with my Driod. Also, maybe it's just my area but the POI database really needs a boost from Yelp. Most of the time you don't know the address to the business you are going to but you do know what it's called.
Now don't get me wrong. I always hit the navigation panel on the ex so that it brings up the map. Having the current speed limit posted next to the name of the road you are on is awesome and being able to see BFE before you get there is awesome too. What it really needs is a fine calculator. Just press the right pedal until the risk outweighs the reward. The seven minutes you are saving could cost you six hundred bucks. It's like an invesment strategy.
The final feature that I had to try was the park assist. I drove around looking for a place to give it a shot where there wouldn't be anyone waiting as I dinked with my car. I have to say that this is probably the most out of control that one can feel driving the ex so if you have trust issues just take it slow the first time. Pull forward past a potential spot until the system says stop. Shift into reverse and hit the gas. The wheel will go spinning one direction then the other. A few rapid beeps shift into drive and bong! You are parked. Next we'll have to see if you can do it fast enough to beat someone to a spot. Is that a moron, idiot, or something in between.
Now before you guys tell me that it didn't happen if there aren't any pics. I'll get some posted this weekend.
