4/11/08

5 Year-Old Guest Columnist Chats with IndyCar Driver

By Cade Varela

What is it about the kids of Mother Proof that makes it so darn easy for them to score the interviews that the rest of us have a tough time landing? Five-year-old guest columnist Cade Varela (inset) chats up IndyCar driver Sarah Fisher about all things safety.  As it turns out, Sarah didn't race in the IndyCar race at St. Petersburg, but she's still fast, furious and also very friendly. She answered Cade's questions by email.

Dear Miss Sarah,

My name is Cade Casteel Varela.  You spell it C-A-D-E and I'm learning how to write it in cursive.  I am 5 years old.  That's cool because I heard that you started racing cars when you were 5 years old. I'm Catalin's little sister.  She helps me clean my room.  When we're finished cleaning we like to play racecars.  We make them out of big boxes, push each other around fast on the carpet and pretend to change the tires and give them gas.  Will you please answer my questions?

Hi Cade-
How cute you are! Cursive was always tough for me, but all you have to do is practice.  I've gotten pretty fast at signing my name in cursive.  I use to put my dolls in my wagons and race them around too-it was fun.

Cade: What do like to ride in to get to your races?  Scooters, bikes or cars?

Sarah: "The political answer to this is my Acura TL.  We usually pull it behind my motor coach to use at the race track.  But my day-to-day car is a BMW M3 when I'm at home.  When we are at the track, I typically ride around on a bicycle but can sometimes be found on a scooter."

Cade: What things are in your car that make it safe for you to drive so fast?

Sarah: "Every year, the series continually makes changes to enhance the safety of the car. This year, we have added anti-intrusion panels to keep parts from piercing the tub and driver inside. We also have several safety elements in our head gear, Hans devices, and ballistic-packed headrest surrounds. Other safety features include a rear impact attenuator, styrene beaded seats, and the more obvious personal safety gear of the driver. These are just a few specific pieces.  It gets pretty technical."

Cade: Is it scary when someone in front of you crashes and tires and things go flying at you?!

Sarah: "Avoiding the crash is the most important thing here. Evaluating where parts or cars are headed and get though it quickly.  It can be like a obstacle course!"

Cade: Does your helmet keep sharp things from hitting your head? What color is your helmet?

Sarah: "I have a shield on the front of my helmet to protect my face and we have tear offs that we can take off after so many laps because they get dirty.  You can think of it like a wiper on your mom's car.  When I take the tear off of the shield, it's clean again.  My helmet last year was red and white.  But it will probably have some blue elements tied in this year because part of our sponsors' colors are elements of blue and I really like blue."

Cade: Do your helpers [referring to her crew] do anything to help keep you safe before you start your race?

Sarah: "They prepare the car to its safest possible condition."

Cade: Thanks for talking to me.

Sarah: "Good luck with your cursive."

4/7/08

In This Case, Sex May Sell a Minivan

By Sara Lacey

OK, plant your tongue firmly in your cheek and go check this out. It's a new Toyota Sienna ad that brilliantly mimics Calvin Klein spots. At one point, a male voice whispers and a female voice lustily urges, "Say it again," to which the male voice whispers in return, "Five-star safety rating." I'll do you the favor of not spoiling the funniest line.

Now, I'm not one to promote the use of sex to sell cars, but this totally works. Maybe you won't buy a Sienna because of it, but it made you laugh, didn't it? Sometimes that's enough for me.

4/2/08

Any Woman Can Be a Driving Pioneer

By Sara Lacey

In honor of Women's History Month last month (OK, you caught me, I totally blew my deadline on this), I wanted to offer a little history of women in motorsports.

There's plenty of material there. I could tell you about Janet Guthrie, who was the first woman to compete in a NASCAR Winston Cup Race and was also one of the first women inducted into the International Women's Sports Hall of Fame. And then there's Shirley Muldowney, who was the first woman licensed to race a top fuel dragster and is known as the first lady of drag racing.

There's more, but in thinking about these women and their accomplishments, and even their first times behind the wheel, I was reminded — albeit humbly — about some of my own "motorsports" firsts. Not just my first time driving or when I got my license, but the first time I, as part of this Mother Proof team, slid around on a skid pad. Or the first time I took a course at the Bridgestone Winter Driving School and understood how a vehicle handles in the snow. Or the first time I understood the whole weight-transfer business.

I recall the first time I realized I could drive a car like it was meant to be driven, understanding I could be better at something I didn't think I needed to be. It's huge and empowering, and a priceless boon to the safety of your family.

So instead of a highly educational treatise on women who drive, let's think about how we drive and how we can expand our horizons when it comes to our cars. Sign up for a driving skills course. Take an auto shop class or change your own tire (BEFORE an emergency, that is). Learn something new about driving. Learn something new about your car. Make Janet and Shirley proud; create your own first in motorsports.

3/28/08

Annual Auto Issue Full of Helpful Data

By Sara Lacey

So you've come to Mother Proof to research a car. I got here myself the very same way a few years ago. Maybe you've just started looking at cars, or maybe you've been at it awhile and just want some support for a decision you've already made. Whatever the case, Mother Proof welcomes you!

Either way, odds are good that you're using more than Mother Proof for your research. In that case, your timing couldn't be better. Consumer Reports' Annual Auto Issue is out on newsstands now, chock full of high-quality, easily digestible information. I picked it up the other day, sat down with a cup of coffee and dove into it like other gals do InStyle, Cooking Light, People or Tiger Beat.

I flipped right to the list of the best and worst cars for 2008, where the Honda Accord is the top pick for best sedan. It beat out the Nissan Altima, but only by a bit because the Altima doesn't come with electronic stability control standard on all trim levels. The top minivan is the Toyota Sienna, which is also the only minivan available with all-wheel drive. Those Consumer Report-ers are safety nuts, and I love them for it.

Other top picks include the Toyota RAV-4 (best mpg of any nonhybrid small SUV), the Hyundai Santa Fe (excellent fit and finish, standard stability control), the Hyundai Elantra SE (again, standard stability control) and the Toyota Prius (best hybrid mpg and great reliability).

In addition to all the best and worst lists (which I love), I also enjoyed the Automaker Report Cards. The report cards give an overall grade to each manufacturer based on the average test score of all the models they produce, as well as on their predicted reliability ratings. The predicted reliability ratings are based on how all models from the 2007 survey compare with average scores over the past three years. Honda scored highest with a 78 out of 100, followed by Toyota with a 75. The tail end of the list shows a tie between Chrysler and Suzuki, both scoring 49.

Then we have the list of cars that are the most and least expensive to own, as well as vehicle ratings, profiles, safety ratings, and best and worst used cars (this list is sorted by price range and is an excellent resource). All this data makes my head spin, in a good way. I love to compare models and daydream about which car I'd buy next if I were in a position to do so.

If you're considering a new car, go grab yourself a copy of Consumer Reports. If you've got a significant other, get one for him, too. Shoot, get a picnic blanket and some snacks, take the kids to the park and sit and do research together. Later, you can cut out pictures of your favorite heartthrob from Tiger Beat and hang them on the wall. What could be dreamier?

3/14/08

High-Performance Benz a Rock Star Kind of Car

By Courtney Messenbaugh

Every engine in a Mercedes-Benz AMG car is painstakingly made by a rock star, start to finish. They aren't rock stars in the vein of Mick Jagger, but there are 50 AMG engine technicians who build each engine individually. Each engine is engraved with the name of the technician who built it, and after attending the launch of the C63 AMG last week, I can attest that these people truly are rock stars.

I've driven a few manufacturers' high-performance models, and after driving the C63 AMG I can say with certainty that it's my favorite to date. Philosophically, it resonated with me. What I mean is that, unlike some high-performance cars that in their flashiness say "I'm totally overcompensating," an AMG says "I'm totally at ease with who I am, enjoy the finer things in life and, by the way, am a lot smarter and more fun than you." These vehicles are beautiful, sleek, modern and seem to effortlessly cast a spell on you. They're brilliant.

The C63 is the "entry-level" AMG. Well, I may be a novice, but even the veteran journalists around me were taken in by this car's power and beauty. As for price, it comes in at just less than $54K! Honestly, I thought it would cost twice that. Between you and me, I think they could charge more for this car and still sell quite a few of them.

The C63 has a 451-horsepower, 6.3-liter V-8 engine and does 0-60 in 4.3 seconds, blah, blah, blah. Not to worry, moms of the world, it's also a four-door sedan with plenty of space for a family of four. Accessible Latch system? Check. Roomy trunk/cargo space? Check. I think it's safe to assume this car's engineers didn't have moms in mind when they made it, but it could easily be my perfect mom-mobile.

A few others goodies of note: A powered glass sunroof and heated seats are standard, and you can opt to get power rear window shades (I could so use that when my son goes mad about having the sun in his eyes). There's also an optional six-disc CD/DVD changer.

Even though we only spent a day together, I loved this car. In fact, even at the risk of sounding cliche, I have to say it: Oh Lord, won't you buy me a Mercedes-Benz?

3/14/08

First Lady of Benz Helped Cars Get on Their Feet

By Courtney Messenbaugh

You've heard the old saying, "Behind every great man is an even greater woman." Well, it's true. I should know, since my husband is great but I'm greater. Kidding! (Kind of.)

Well, that idea is exemplified by Karl Benz, the creator of what we now know as Mercedes-Benz, and his wife, Bertha. Because March is Women's History Month, I figured it's an appropriate time to celebrate Bertha and her great contribution to automotive history. While I'd guess many of you didn't know that a woman's touch was behind those sleek Benzes you see cruising around, I'd also wager that, now that I'm telling you, you're saying, "Of course!"

Bertha was so dedicated to and supportive of her man Karl that, upon their engagement, she gave him her entire dowry, enabling him to buy out his partner and obtain full creative control of his blooming inventions. (Note: The only financial gift I gave my husband upon marrying him was my grad school debt.)

Bertha's best contribution to the Benz legacy, however, came in the form of helping Karl overcome the motorized coach's biggest barrier: She found a way to get people over their "the-devil-must-be-behind-this" skepticism (it was the Victorian Age, after all) about cars.

How did Bertha do this, you ask? Well, with a lot of chutzpah and the age-old trick of going behind her hubby's back. Gotta love a gal who does that!

One summer day in 1888, Bertha took her two teenage sons for a drive in Benz's newly-minted "Patent Motorwagen." They were off to see Bertha's mother 60 miles away — a distance no one had ever come near completing in a car, let alone a woman and her kids!

Bertha may not have had a title for herself, but I think nowadays it would be something like Strategic Marketing Genius. By driving the car so far, she exposed it to people all around and showed them how useful it could be; she created that ever-sought-after "buzz." People became less frightened and more interested in finding out how they could get one for themselves.

Bertha also proved herself to be quite a problem-solver along the way. Because there weren't any gas stations lining the streets in those days, she charmed pharmacists and chemists into giving her some fuel. She fixed a few brake and chain problems with the help of a blacksmith or two, and even used a hairpin to clean out a blocked fuel pipe —� thank goodness for female vanity! She shared her experiences with her husband, thereby helping him make improvements to his Motorwagen.

The moral of the story? Do something radical behind your husband's back — it might just turn into something great! Also, raise a toast to Bertha and know we're all a part of history — or herstory, as some feminists might say.

3/6/08

Bring Back Politeness On and Off the Road

By Courtney Messenbaugh

What is up with people these days? I'm not saying I'm the most polite person — truth be told, I can form a hurricane inside me when the situation calls for it — but I was raised to say "please" and "thank you," RSVP to invitations on time, smile and nod through even the most boring of conversations, and be a gracious hostess and guest. These days, I feel like most of these things are totally lost on people. In short, people are rude, both on and off the road.

I've noticed that people don't give a wave of thanks on the road anymore when someone lets them into their lane. Even if they were driving like a total jerk, historically, the motorist who was let in would give a happy wave of thanks. Nowadays, they're too busy gossiping on their cell phone with one hand and eating something with the other. That being the case, it's clear they don't have a hand to wave with — in which case, what extremity are they using to drive? People, please make a point to wave to anyone who gives you help on the road. It's the right thing to do and it doesn't cost you a thing. In fact, it probably grants you some good karma.

While I'm on this subject, I might as well also ask all those manner-less fools out there to stop riding my tail if you think I'm not going fast enough (even though I'm going five mph over the speed limit). Go around me if you want to get a ticket so badly. And don't swear at me just because you're having a crappy day.

Call this my latest crusade, if you must, but I bet I'm not alone in noticing the deterioration of manners these days. Start smiling, start saying "please" and "thank you" — just plain old start spreading the love. If we all act together, maybe we can cause a manners revolution, both on and off the road.

3/5/08

Using Different Names Doesn�t Fool Anyone

By Emily Hansen

Call me naive, but I find multiple branding of one vehicle a bizarre practice. Personally, I�m always looking for ways to simplify and streamline my family budget, not complicate and expand it. So why do major manufacturers make several versions of the same vehicle in multiple flavors of vanilla?

A quick trip around the Chicago Auto Show evidenced several examples of one model with multiple badges. For instance, there�s GM�s lineup of crossovers that includes the GMC Acadia, Saturn Outlook, Buick Enclave and �all-new� Chevrolet Traverse. To me, these cars are the same song, second verse, but apparently GM thinks they will sell.

Each of these vehicles are marketed differently, and each has some unique elements when it comes to exterior styling and interior amenities, but they are all very obviously the same vehicle. Essentially the same options are offered on each vehicle, regardless of its brand. While I understand the economies of scale in being able to use a good portion of the same parts and materials on multiple vehicles, I don�t understand why there have to be so many copies of one car. What do you think? Is this consumer-demand driven? Do you buy cars based on brand loyalty, or is this practice as confusing and annoying to you as it is to me? Inquiring Mother Proof minds want to know.