Reading through these comments makes me feel so grateful that my mistakes haven’t resulted in bad damage.

That’s one of my favorite camping spots! Amazing views.

I think this ^ is the answer. Sponsorship

I think Subaru is the answer here. They could get an fully loaded 4cyl Impreza Wagon/Crosstrek, Outback Wagon, or Forester in that price range, depending on how large a car they want.

Agreed. When I was younger I put crap tires on my car and blamed the car for the poor handling. Later in life when I had money for Michelin’s, I was blown away but how much better they were. They cost double, but it was worth it. 

I think this probably covers all the bases. If they made a Subaru Baja style version with a bed instead of a hatchback, it could actually be the one car for all. Keep the Audi version around for the luxe version. And maybe one with rear facing seats in the back so people can seat 7 if need be. 

I had a dealer loaner Mazda6 a few weeks back that had radar cruise and lane keep assist. The radar cruise was really useful, though also quite abrupt. It would brake late, and hard, when traffic in front slowed down. Then if I was actually stopped for more than a few seconds, it would just disengage and I’d have to…

I imagine it’s more complicated than that, though I don’t have a full answer. But for example, the company I work for buys finished goods that are made in China, and we resell them in the US and Canada. Our Canadian customers pay duties because the items were not manufactured in the US (i.e. NAFTA does not apply),…

I think by now we’ve seen enough stories on Jalopnik to know that distracted, inattentive drivers buy every auto-trans make and model under the sun.

On two separate occasions, I rented a 4cyl Nissan Altima for long trips (800 miles in AZ the first time, 400 miles in HI the second time). Both times I was impressed at how comfortable, spacious and fuel efficient it was, while still having enough power. I think for the 800 mile trip we averaged around 33 mpg iirc,…

My dad had one of these, I think it was a ‘92, in white with an automatic. I remember always loving the car and thinking it looked very cool for the time (circa ~1997 ish). I still think they look great and I’d honestly love to have one just for the nostalgia.

I think Porsche will gladly charge you extra to take everything out of the car. 

Are most of these not common? My Mazda has everything you listed (other than remote start, which was an option I didn’t get). I know Auto headlights aren’t as common as they should be, but I thought most cars have them available at least on higher trims.

I had a loaner Mazda6 with auto-hibeams and I agree, they were extremely useful and worked really well (they also swiveled). 10/10 would pay extra for those next time. 

Agreed, I don’t understand why GM does this. Just add puddle lights for visibility, so I don’t think that Tahoe driver is backing out when really they just locked their car.

I didn’t even consider this before I gave my answer (cooled seats) but yes this is super important. And it should be adjustable up and down, not just in and out. My Mazda3 has adjustable lumbar but it’s ever-so-slightly too low. 

I have never heard of this! Seems flawed, did it work well?

Cooled seats. In California they can be useful almost every day. I recently bought a new car, and none of the compact hatchback contenders I considered even offered it as an option that I can remember (Civic, Impreza, Mazda3). I think Kia/Hyundai are the only manufacturers in that class that offer them (nice cars but…

My mom’s Tahoe will show the actual PSI of each tire, which is so useful! My Mazda just has a warning that says one of the tire’s pressure is off, but doesn’t tell me which one or by how much. And when I was in Death Valley, it actually came on because one of the tires was overinflated. Luckily, I carry a tire…

My old Nissan Xterra had a standard, linear automatic shifter. I once had to brake really hard on the highway, and my dog flew forward from the back seat and hit the gear leaver. Fortunately he was fine, but he knocked the transmission into neutral and I panicked when I hit the accelerator and just heard noise with no…