6. Cars and Roads
This is an entirely non-political section of this blog. Just random photos from my travels across the United States. Randomly updated…
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Interstate 5, somewhere in central California:
Autobahnkampfwagen:
Interstate 5, just north of Roseburg, Oregon:
Gary, Indiana. Not the first place you’d want to stop for a snack and some gasoline:
Ohio Turnpike. The silver sedan is a Hyundai Genesis.
My new Accord. Great car!
I-17, outside Flagstaff, AZ, looking south.
The spaced-out Acura TL:
A real gem – Pontiac Grand Ville, probably from 1973. No price tag. I’d give a lot to cruise through the Wide Wild West in this babe…:
Somewhere in Nebraska:
The second-generation Toyota Camry Solara. The first generation was well designed but this second-gen model was, well, wallowy. It looked like something that could have come out of a GM design studio:
Interstate 70, somewhere in Kansas:
The 2013 Honda Accord. It looks even better than I expected:
Last-generation Mercedes E-class, a nice example with panorama sunroof and a cool, classy blue color:
Interstate 84, somewhere in Idaho.
Dodge Charger V8 AWD, in the service of an Iowa State Trooper:
Indiana Toll Road:
Interstate 25, just north of Cheyenne, WY. Looking south:
Ford Taurus SHO. A beautiful example:
A rare example of a rare species – Acura NSX making its way through Denver commuter traffic. God bless the man who keeps it alive!
Ford Mustang Convertible, only a V6 but still a decent car. In the background, a classic early ’90s Camry:
Random selection of cars, eastbound on the I-80. New S 550, last-generation Taurus and a ten-year-old Buick:
Great selection of cars, Larson!
I got the new Audi A8 about one year ago. So far, I am really happy with that car. It is light due to the aluminum body and the four weel drive system delivers in the alps. Even with the small engine (3 liter diesel) it is almost as fast as the 911 that I traded in (0-100 in 6.0 sec versus 5.5 for the Porsche). And that is done with an average consumtion of around 7 liters for 100 km! I often do Zurich – Malmö on one tank and it is a fantastic car to do long distance with. The only problem is parking but that should not be an issue in WY (I assume).
Thanks, my friend! Congratulations on the new car. Audi sure knows how to make diesel engines. BMW has been selling the 335d here for a long time, but due to the model transition it’s not currently available. I was considering it for my next trade-in, but I’ve become more and more of an automotive purist over the years. I flat out rejected an offer from my Hyundai dealer to get in to the new Azera. It’s a great luxury car, with leather seats, a silky smooth V6, panorama sunroof, cooled-and-heated seats, and all the electronic bells and whistles you could ever wish for. And somewhere there, they lost me. I don’t need to do facebook updates while driving. Nor do I need stock market updates or a cruise control that slows down my car when someone is ahead of me. If I can’t do that, I don’t belong behind the wheel. So I am considering a truly purist choice: either an old early ’70s battle-ship size, body-on-frame cruiser… or a brand new Honda Accord Sport with very few features, an inline four and a six-speed manual.
The Accord is a great looking car and in general I think that Japanese cars have better quality. We have a 2007 Subaru Legacy (3 liter petrol) as well and of all the cars that I have owned, this one is unique in the sense that there has been no problems what so ever. It just runs and it is also (like the Honda) a very fun car to drive. Very similar to a BMW, actually. In Switzerland, Subaru is very popular due to the permanent 4 wheel drive.
The purist thing I can relate to. As an example, I really don’t like any buttons on the steering wheel but it is now almost impossible to avoid. Also, I want to be able to turn off the rain sensor, etc, etc. Maybe it is just an age thing?
Talking about older cars, I have heard that Ford is now selling brand new components for the original Mustang, i.e. you can now build one yourself. That one, as a convertible, is a bit of a dream car for me….
Anyway, always fun to talk about cars and I hope to see you back in the Swedish debate. You are needed!
Thanks for the appreciation. We’ll see. Somewhere I’ve given up on Sweden, but I have not given up on trying to have a say. Right now I’m involved in this project, which will take quite a bit of my spare time through February:
http://onander.blogspot.com/
Let’s keep in touch.