Musings from my driveway, my home and my heart
NORTHFIELD TOWNSHIP, Michigan – There’s a different take on the speed trap in my neighborhood. We call it “the sunflower trap” and it’s not about getting a ticket from the cops for having a lead foot. It’s about slamming on the brakes and impeding traffic as you come off of the highway and encounter what... Continue Reading →
It annoys me when automakers and car reviewers pigeonhole vehicles, suggesting they’re aimed at Baby Boomers or Millennials or some other monolithic group. Case in point: the 2017 Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid, an all-new gasoline-electric compact hatchback that takes aim at the Toyota Prius. More than one reviewer has called the Ioniq a good choice for... Continue Reading →
I’m often jumping in and out of test vehicles with my sister-in-law Jean Jennings, a longtime automotive writer and editor. So when she showed up at my house one afternoon last week, it was only natural for us to get behind the wheel of the redesigned 2017 Mazda CX-5 compact SUV and go somewhere. (Hint:... Continue Reading →
My sister Claudia spent the last three years living in Saudi Arabia, a country where women are not permitted to drive and her family did not even own a car. So when she and her husband moved back to the U.S. in June after his work assignment ended, shopping for a new vehicle was high... Continue Reading →
My family spent the Fourth of July weekend with two of the stellar subcompact SUVs in the General Motors’ lineup, a test 2017 Buick Encore and our own 2017 Chevrolet Trax with its dealer-installed bike rack. They were great companions for an active extended family that did everything from fireworks to a 16-mile trek on... Continue Reading →
I found myself channeling Sister Digna, my eighth-grade science teacher at St. Mary of Redford junior high school in Detroit, as I spent a week in the 2017 Ram 2500 Laramie Longhorn Crew Cab 4x4. The IHM nun always preached the “gospel of respect,” especially when it came to her laboratory equipment. She didn’t want... Continue Reading →
“I’m sorry for stalking you,” said the 50-something woman in the produce department of Busch’s grocery store in my hometown. “But I noticed that cute little SUV you’re driving and I wanted to ask you about it.” She was talking about the subcompact 2017 Chevrolet Trax Premier in Crimson Metallic that I was test-driving. I’m... Continue Reading →
Most weeks I find myself chauffeuring everyone from my one-year-old granddaughter Eleanor to my 93-year-old father Chester, the retired Detroit vice cop. So what’s the perfect vehicle for this challenging life-stage? A 2017 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid Platinum, the first electrified minivan sold in the U.S. My parents love to get in on vehicle reviews, but... Continue Reading →
I’ve become something of a Honda CR-V evangelist to the women in my Pilates classes and book club. I’ve owned three of them in the last 10 years and whenever I’m asked for car advice I invariably recommend the CR-V compact SUV because of its “perfect fit.” So I was surprised at my reaction to... Continue Reading →
Anita's Way 