Automotive

Earlier this evening I realized I didn't know why my RAV4 has a tachometer to show engine RPM. My Camry had one too. I don't think I ever look at it except to tell if the engine is already running. What is that doing for me, really? With a manual transmission, the tachometer could prevent over-revving the engine and help me judge shift points, but the automatic transmission … [Read more...] about RAV4 Blogging – Why a Tachometer?

We've had the new Toyota RAV4 for about 10 days, and I have a few observations: There's a little digital display in the middle of the dashboard with some numbers on it, but when I first saw it I couldn't figure out where the odometer was. After a moment, I realized that the odometer must be that little "4" all by itself on one row. I guess I'm not used to seeing less than … [Read more...] about RAV4 Blogging – 10 Days Behind the Wheel

After my trusty old Camry gave up the ghost, my wife and I decided to buy an SUV. It was a big deal for me, so I'm going to be blogging about it a bit, in case anyone is interested. Buying an SUV is insanely complicated because the category covers a lot of vehicles designed for a lot of different purposes, and we had to make some choices. We settled on a few basic criteria. … [Read more...] about Choosing an SUV

Ever since we bought our last car in 1998, my wife and I have been thinking that our next car should be an SUV of some kind. Our 1997 Camry feels roomy inside, but that's because of good ergonomics. If you try to fit in something not shaped like a human, like a bunch of Banker's Boxes or a set of shelves from the Container Store, you quickly realize that the back seat has an … [Read more...] about Time For a New Car

Chicago just got pounded with a lot of snow, and driving in it is turning out to be an educational experience. Or maybe I should say a re-educational experience. After 190,000 miles, my Toyota Camry finally gave up the ghost a few weeks ago. I haven't got a new car yet, but a friend was nice enough to loan me one of her family's cars in the meantime. It's a '97 … [Read more...] about Rear Wheel Drive Flashback