If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to our RSS feed. All subscribers are automatically entered in our Car Seat A Week Giveaway. Thanks for visiting!

One day, over a dozen vehicles, the California sunshine and the wind in my hair. Every once in a while I really love my job.

Ford recently invited me to come test drive their line up and presented with a buffet of Mazda, Ford, Volvo and Lincoln that left me feeling exactly the same way I feel at a big lavish buffet. Like I had to pace myself and make sure to get the shrimp cocktail

Shrimp for me on this sunny day were the Volvos. I began with an indulgent fantasty, taking out the Volvo C30. My reasoning was simple. My husband needs a new car. And if it’s good enough for Edward Cullen… The C30 was fun to drive, nimble and quick. I wondered if I could get him to peel out and rescue me in it in some sort of semi compromising situation. Like if I was being stalked by the PTA mommies.  There was room for a couple of kids and backpacks in back. My bubble was only burst when a Volvo rep confirmed the backpack thing, mentioning  that this was a popular car for college bound students. Dude. Thanks for reminding me that while Edward is 17 eternally, my husband is almost 40. I moved on to the new XC60.

The XC60 reminded me of the XC90 only smaller and cooler. It made me feel the same way.  I was a little nervous to even sit in the XC60 at first as I’d had a bad “is this car making my ass look fat?” moment squeezing my buns into the driver seat the last time I was in an XC90.  In fairness to the XC90, I was very pregnant when I last drove it, so perhaps my ass was really that fat. Or maybe my ass is the same, and the seats are more generous in the XC60. The important thing is that this car did not give me a bad self image, which we all know is very important.

The XC60 was a smaller more agile version that won me over immediately. In it I got to try out the  City Safety automatic stopping feature which had me gasping and giggling as I attempted to accelerate and hit a barrier set up to mimic another car bumper. It’s harder than you think to do this consciously, last minute braking is instinctual. After several tries I did get this right and found it oddly comforting. I could imagine the instance where I was yelling at someone in the back seat and it could kick in to prevent a fender bender. The XC60 is also fashionable. I admired the blond wood available dash and sleek styling. It had a very eco-luxurious, if Abba-esque feel to it with the organic dash and an approachable price that did not have me reprising Meryl Streep singing “Money Money Money.” Just like that I went from Twilight, to  singing tunes from Mama Mia.

My next drive was pure fun. I took the C70 Convertible out and put the top down. Oh yeah. This car was clearly my hair’s favorite. It was like my hair said “Finally! My destiny!” I may look like a mom but taking this (safety minded, comfortable and spacious) convertible out on the highway, I felt like a supermodel. I wanted to keep going, head for the border and see how long it took them to catch up. This may not be the most practical vehicle for myself and my four kids, but I’m willing to overlook that. The kids can drive with Edward. In the minivan. He’s undead so that thing won’t age him.

An Open Letter to Be Read By My Nephew Waylon in 2025

Dear Waylon,
It was a thrill watching your reaction to the smooth opening of the three-paneled roof on the new Lexus IS 350C last week.

Watching you go all bug-eyed watching the 15 electric motors and the 37 sensors sink the hardtop into the boot in a scant 20 seconds reminded me that the mechanical ballet is truly a testament to the wonders of modern automotive technology. Your reaction summed up what some of us car-reviewing adults take for granted:

Whoa! It’s just like a Transformer!

And that’s why I had to write this letter to future Waylon. I didn’t realize it at first, but your father and I cracked the code. The Lexus IS 350C is playing a key role in a massive plot to kill off the human race.

On a lazy Sunday morning your father Dan glanced at the New York Times and said, “That’s the headline we’re going to look back on when the robots take over.”

The article’s title? “Scientists Worry Machines May Outsmart Man.” The piece uncorked this apocalyptic doozy from the recent Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence conference:

“Researchers generally discounted the possibility of highly centralized superintelligences and the idea that intelligence might spring spontaneously from the Internet. But they agreed that robots that can kill autonomously are either already here or will be soon,” New York Times, July 25 2009

That’s when it hit me. Transformers really are robots in disguise.

Up to that point, I hadn’t made the obvious connection between the IS 350C and the eponymous toys-turned-movie-monsters. My wife and I fell into the trap. We were content enjoying the simpler pleasures of the stellar new two-door convertible. The IS we tested had the feisty 306hp 3L V-6 six-speed automatic engine and we got our money’s worth, putting roughly 700 miles between our hectic New York City base and your laconic Martha’s Vineyard home. Clearly, the IS 350C is the next step on the road to our robotic overlords. It was a prototype and we didn’t have a manual, but the car is so intuitive, and does so many things on its own, that the animal behind the wheel never noticed he was being dumbed down for the inevitable takeover.

How will we be able to fight the machines if we no longer know how to read instruction manuals? It’s up to you, Waylon. By your flabbergasted reaction (and everyone else’s for that matter), I fear that the Transformers have already gotten to you with their twenty-year “fattening up the humans” campaign of benign benevolence. The Transformers have been laying the groundwork for years, starting with the harmless toys, onto the halfwit cartoon, the inedible cereal and ultimately, the end of phase one, the craptastic motion pictures that have hauled in some $788 million in box office receipts. (Only 25% of that staggering total is attributable to Megan Fox’s “talents.”)

The next step in the nefarious plan is incorporating transformative technologies into our everyday lives, making us so comfortable that we become immune to the changes all around us. (For further evidence, see also, the fat citizens on the Buy n Large cruise ship in WALL-E). The IS 350C is preparation for the robot revolution, a relaxing automated massage before Megatron turns himself into a guillotine.

I would like to say that I will be here to protect you, Waylon, but I’ve been co-opted by the Machine. The IS 350 features swaddled me, comforted me and nurtured me. Everything about this car dulled my senses into a state of bliss, what with air-conditioned seats, the quiet even-with-the-top-down cabin, the numerous seat-positioning options and the iPod connectivity pulsating the laid back sounds of the Beach Boys through the Mark Levinson surround sound audio system. Everything that once posed a challenge has been covered, even the hassle of having to push the front seats forward for backseat passengers. Easy-access is now a simple push of a button, which, my wife tells me, also ensures you won’t chip your nails. I was even chilled out by the two-toned alabaster-and-blue seats, although that was far from consensus amongst our four other female passengers. I guess it’s due to my long-standing love of saddle shoes.

A docile race is easily defeated, so the IS 350C goes the extra mile to make drivers feel safe. I liked having both the power of 0-60 in six seconds and the automatic bright orange “Ring of Fire” that surrounded the odometer gauge whenever I hit 80 mph, or topped 5000 rpms. I also liked the pop-up rollbar behind the backseats, and the side and rear view mirrors that automatically dimmed in the twilight, saving my eyes from all that unnecessary squinting.

Down the line, dulled senses will come back to haunt me, but it’s a fair trade for eliminating both speeding tickets and glare from postcard sunsets off the Gay Head cliffs.

I beg you Waylon, never forget, machines are fallible. The lack of an armrest in the backseat of the IS 350C got a thumbs-down from two backseaters (one can only raise their hands in the open air roller-coaster style for so long), the volume on the stereo is oddly weird sequenced (62 is the loudest? On Cybertron maybe) and while 18/25 mpg is livable, it’s a far cry from fellow HS 250h Lexus stormtrooper and its 35 mpg average.

I know you’re not quite three yet, but I hope when you read this in 2025, it’s not too late. Thankfully, it seems robots are staggering through these tough economic times like the rest of us, so maybe man and machine will come together in love, working together to create a peaceful world where joy abounds. Simple humanistic joys like cruising around a sunny summer island in an IS 350C.

There’s no need to dampen your enthusiasm for our machines, Waylon. Just don’t be blind to what they’re telling us.

Transformers, more than meets the eye.

Patrick J. Sauer is a contributing editor at Inc., where he writes the “Drives” column, and has contributed to ESPN.com, Popular Science, Fast Company, Details and 23/6, the Huffington Post comedy blog. A native of Montana, Sauer now lives in New York City and usually takes the subway.

We’re in love with the site Nature Rocks. This informative site offers up fabulous advice and planning guides for families who want to take a Nature “Staycation” this summer. Log on and enter your zip code and you will be amazed by the fun (and FREE!) activities that come up in a search. Extra bonus: evidence suggests that time spent in nature is actually good for your brain and makes you smarter. Smart, fun… cool! Look for some of the Nature Rocks  suggestions in our Car&Caboodle Summer of Fun posts this summer.

Are you comfortable getting your car serviced? Do you know what to ask? This Video from AskPatty & Jody DeVere gives you the critical info you need and important questions to ask when taking your car in to be worked on.

Car & Caboodle was one of the first sites invited to try out Volvo’s City Safety feature and we were impressed. We’re all about innovations that translate to keeping your family safer and we love it when car companies take that challenge seriously.

If you’re interested in taking a look at the so new you can’t buy one yet XC60, condider stopping in at one of the Volvo xc60 Lov Tour locations near you. TheXC60 Lov Tour Launch site is informative and entertaining, and worth clicking around as well.

Yes, that is a Smart Car outperforming a Ferrari on a drag strip. It’s actually a Smartuki, a Smart car with a Suzuki GSX-R 1100 CC 4-cylinder “Hyabusa” engine installed.

Smart cars are the laughing stock of the car world right now, overpriced, undersized and underpowered, with embarrassing 0-60 times, Premium fuel requirements, and a clownish demeanor. New in the US for 2008, they’ve been running strong in Europe for a few years now. So some enterprising Brits figured out that the Smart’s entire drivetrain bolts right out and one can with little pain drop in a 10,000 RPM screamer from a sportbike.

Now I know this is a family car magazine, and the 2-seat FourTwo doesn’t really have much relevance to us even in its’ 50-hp stock capacity, so what interest do we have in the 180-hp overstuffed screamer? Every! It’s a marvel of modern technology! It’s a go-kart with a phonebooth on top! It does wheelies and can burn rubber all day! It simply looks like it’s a lot of fun, and my mid-life crisis is inching closer and closer…

Free Photo Gallery by Picturesurf

DETROIT, January 12, 2009 — Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc., unveiled the all-new 50-mile-per gallon rated third-generation Prius hybrid vehicle today at the 2009 North American International Auto show.

Celebrated as the benchmark for cars of the future, the Prius has delivered superior fuel economy and ultra-low emissions to more than one million owners worldwide for more than 10 years.

The midsize third-generation 2010 Prius will offer even better mileage ratings, enhanced performance, and innovative design features. It will be quieter, roomier, and equipped with advanced standard and available features such as a moonroof with solar panels, four driving modes, Intelligent Parking Assist (IPA) and steering wheel touch controls that display on the instrument panel.

An Eco-Icon

The first-generation Prius entered the market in 1997 as the world’s first mass-produced hybrid. The name Prius, “to go before” in Latin, became symbolic of a car that was launched even before environmental awareness had become a mainstream social issue.

From the beginning, Toyota’s full-hybrid system was developed in-house and has become a driving force behind advanced vehicle technology. The company’s exclusive Hybrid Synergy Drive System was introduced in 2004 on the second-generation Prius. Since then, more than 670,000 have been sold in the U.S.

In designing the new, third-generation Prius, Toyota engineers combined a careful refinement of existing systems with an aggressive measure of new technology necessary for the future of automobiles.

Read the full story

It seems that you CAN reinvent the wheel. According to Trend Hunter, everything old is new again. Take a look at their awesome slide show depicting all the latest trends in tires. There is something for everyone in the family here, even the Hello Kitty Fan in the back seat.

Acura has recently launched this campain, showing people being sucked out of their seats in slow motion. We’re not sure what this is supposed to represent. Slow motion car accidents? But we were captivated. What do you think of their ads? Creepy? Or cool?

From the Huffington Post, and the Washington Post comes this article about why Limos are so “last four years”. Ask Patty also has an great article about the history of the Presidential Lincoln Vehicle. Read more about the president’s ride in the Detroit News.