A roof box will be my next upgrade. So far I’ve managed with just the boot, but for camping I’d like exterior storage.

I think this sounds brilliant, and may further incentivize people to buy smaller/lighter cars even if they aren’t concerned about fuel economy. Just pay it with your registration/inspection/smog every period. 

I have ALWAYS wondered what those things were on Rogues. I thought it was a heat exchanger as well, or some kind of weird skid plate/muffler protector.

On my previous car (Xterra), the best mod I did was good quality (Michelin) tires. I upgraded from a store brand and the difference was immense. They were so much more quiet, rode more smoothly, and had way more grip in all conditions. They completely changed the way I felt about driving the car and made me feel much…

+1, these are great cars. I just got a Grand Touring Hatch with the 2.5 and I’m in love. It fits a surprising amount of stuff, is very comfortable, and the handling is great. I’m at just about 6000 miles and still loving it.

I remember hearing these same warnings 12 years ago. 

I agree with a lot of the comments here. The issue isn’t that passengers were being recorded (though they should be notified), it’s that the driver was broadcasting / sharing without passengers’ consent. It’s one thing to have video to protect yourself in the case of an incident, it’s another thing to share that video…

I actually thought the upper trim models look really great in photos. But I’ve started seeing them in person, and even the upgraded, larger wheels don’t help. IMO it’s not pretty in person. It kind of looks like a hippo in a wind tunnel (or what I imagine one would look like). 

Unfortunately this only lets me see the first 30 songs since I don’t have Spotify. Any way to just post a list? 

I’m lucky enough to live right off this highway, and I agree even driving it all the time, the beauty never gets old. It really is a must-see kind of drive when you visit central CA.

I don’t understand why people don’t use their parking brakes! I set mine every time I leave the car. Especially with so many cars having electronic ones now, you don’t even have to release it when you get in the car. Just go and it will release itself (at least in my Mazda). 

Exactly, there are hundreds of miles of lonely roads around Vegas where you can (I’ve heard...) drive stupidly fast and not see anyone for hours. 

My favorite songs change all the time, and it absolutely depends on mood/weather/time of day/which car I drive, but here’s what I’ve been bopping to in the car recently:

I wonder if it drives better than the standard Smart (other than being, I assume, incredibly slow). 

I just sold an ‘04 Xterra (V6, non-S/C) with 170,000 miles on it in great shape. I did not get $6,600... These are great trucks and I had no issues at all with the drivetrain, but that seems like a steep price, especially for a 2wd model with a short bed.

My practical side is screaming Mazda6 wagon, because I badly want one of those.

I actually test drove one of these (in black, it looks pretty slick) before I bought my car and it was surprisingly nice, and handled pretty well. Felt heavy, but I remember the seats especially were VERY nice, and the boot had a ton of space.

I just bought a new Mazda3 but only because they don’t sell the 6 estate here. I already have an older Forester so I don’t need a crossover (even though the CX-5 is very nice). I would have actually paid real money for a new Mazda6 estate, fully loaded, if only Mazda would let me.

Backup camera?! Automated emergency braking?! Just this year, I finally bought a car that has those features. But I never once crashed my old car in forward or reverse. Heck we don’t even have a backup camera in our E350 cargo van, and still we’ve never once backed it into anything, even when towing. I guess backup…

Agreed, I’ve always been surprised at how many well-to-do people I meet that drive an Outback, especially in the Northeast, but also here in CA. Usually a loaded 3.6, but still a Subaru! I haven’t noticed this much with their other models though, Foresters seem less “classless”. I bet the new Ascent will be similar to…