http://www.everyroadtaken.com

Hang with us while we get everything 100%, but the move will allow us to provide an even better user experience for all of you.

Ahhh yes, the supercar flavor of the year from 2009, the Nissan GT-R.  Lots of power, tons of grip, tons of gadgets…although these days I’m happier than ever that my car has a lot of simple mechanical parts as opposed to electronically controlled everything.

Next up we have what may have been the “looks” car of the show for me this year, the Cadillac CTS-V coupe:

I have only ever owned 1 single solitary 4 door car in my life, and these pictures are why.  Coupes are just so much more beautiful.

Chevy busted out their Stingray Corvette concept car.  It certainly is something to look at, but who wants to put money on that making it to production in its current form?

Cadillac also brought an other-worldly car with them, although this one looks more like a 1950′s version of other-worldly.

This is just opinion, but I think that Audi right now has the best looking overall lineup of cars of any automaker.  Their supercar, the R8, is included in that claim;

I guess I should actually say that Audi has the best looking lineup of cars for any ordinary automaker.  Aston Martin makes the most beautiful cars in the world.

Here’s a look at probably the only side of a Porsche 911 GT3 you would ever see on the road:

And finally, the Tesla Roadster, which definitely is not a car I will ever find myself in.  Some variation of an electric sports car is probably in my future, when such things are more common, but not this one.  Very cool car though.

Stay tuned, more from Philly to come!

So what do I have against inexpensive technology that seemingly helps people enjoy their cars more? Everything.

Read more to find out the four reasons why GPS is the worst thing to ever happen to motoring.

1) Your GPS makes you lazy.

There is some debate to be had here: were you already lazy, or are you just lazy now? Frankly, I don’t care. Back in the “old days” people had to drag out large pieces of paper that had drawings of roads on them. They were called “maps” and they helped people get from place to place. In more recent history people had to use the internet to figure out how to get to from place to place. Like this. Two very different methods both of which are quick and effective. Apparently not enough for some of you.

2) GPS makes you dumb.

This is an extension of the first one. By taking out the pre-planning you are letting your GPS hold your hand like a doting grandmother. Sounds great, right? I mean grandmothers are awesome. No, its not that great. When you have no idea where you are going and seemingly out of nowhere you hear “TURN RIGHT IN .6 MILES” your natural reaction is to slam on your brakes and jerk the wheel across all 3 lanes of traffic. Obviously this is less than safe, and pretty stupid.

3) GPS will make you kill others.

This one gets me going more than anything else. An informal survey recently indicated 100% of GPS drivers put their device directly in their line of site. When asked about why they do this, the most common answer was “the cartoon car is much cooler than the rea…” it always stopped there as that is the farthest any of them got before they collided with the tractor trailer in front of them. A common way of mounting them is like this: 

Doesn’t look that dangerous right? The problem is it blocks everything behind it. Through the magic of the internet we show you what was there: 

Thats right, those cute little kids with their new puppy… and YOU killed them.

GPS In Action

4) GPS will kill you.

This is self explanatory. This guy was fine until he looked down to see where to turn next.

GPS even tried to kill Michael Scott, a national treasure. Why would it let you off?

The Office – Michael Trusts the GPS Too Much – Every10Mins.com

The bottom line is that the benefits of GPS far out weigh the negatives. Print out a map, know where you are going, and have it to use if you get lost but don’t use it as a crutch.

We have also been occupied with another issue, which we will announce soon.  Anywho, I figured I would put up a song post, and not just any song post.  This song is a little known gem that is another song written for all us driving enthusiasts.

Drive-by Truckers – Daddy’s Cup

As you may have noticed, Paul and I are unabashed fans of the Drive-By Truckers, and we think you should be too.  Badass southern rock plus exceptional songwriting?  Sign me up!  I wish I could find a better video of this song to share with you, but this was the cream of the youtube crop.  This song is a little known gem that, like my previous song of the week, is quite literally about driving.  Whereas the Rush song I posted previously was all about the open road and a fantastic car, this song is about formal racing plus the idea of giving it your all in life no matter what.  This is a great song to blast through your car (or home) speakers to really get the driving bug juicing through your veins.

Stay tuned as we *eventually* deliver the promised coverage of the Philadelphia Auto Show, plus our special announcement!

Look for lots of posts over the next few days about our thoughts about the show and motoring in the upcoming year.

Dear Toyota,

I would suggest that two weeks ago was the time to fully come clean.

Love,

Every Road Taken

Meet Steve Wozniak.

Read on to find out about Wozniak’s findings as well as breaking information on the Federal Investigation into Toyota.
Some of you may know the name but, for those of you that do not, Steve Wozniak is one of the co-founders of Apple Computers.  To put it mildly, he knows a little about computers.

According to Wozniak he has been able to identify a condition in which the cruise control on multiple Prius models of multiple generations fails to respond and results in the car accelerating uncontrollably.  Wozniak also claims to be able to recreate this at will.  Obviously, we would like to see him invite an auto-journalist along for what will surely be a hair raising, but enlightening ride.

If his claims are correct, solving a computer problem may be much easier than previously thought as one of the greatest tech minds of our time may have already identified the issue.

Also breaking as we speak: It seems that Wozniak and yours truly (among many other auto enthusiasts) may be on to something in regards to this being beyond the pedal issue.  CNNMoney is reporting that the Federal Government is probing the electronic systems in Toyota vehicles. Quoting the article

The official says the safety agency is looking at the possibility that electromagnetic interference might somehow be causing Toyota’s electronic throttle control systems to malfunction, though NHTSA has not seen evidence to support that yet.

Interesting – I know we have some more technical readers, hopefully you can chime in, in the comments below,  to describe how this is possible.

For more: http://money.cnn.com/2010/02/02/news/companies/toyota_recall/index.htm?hpt=T1

Warning:  This is going to be a rant thread.  Consider yourself forwarned.

I am a patient man.  This is not idle boasting, I have actually been commended on this trait by numerous others including work supervisors (that makes it official!).  As this is a personality trait, it is innate and has been developed throughout my life.  However, I also actively cultivate it as a necessary skill for my professional life.

And yet I too find myself yelling at my steering wheel.  All.  The.  Time.  As different scenarios occur that incite my wrath I intend to seek catharsis on this very blog, allowing the anger to flow out of me, through my keyboard, and into your face.

Oh, and I will also offer the (almost always) simple solution to preventing these interruptions to my serenity for all to read and understand.  Keep in mind that this is opinion and I know that there will be those who have differing opinions.  It just so happens that they are wrong.

Several times over the past few days, and countless times over my driving career, I have had to hit the brakes.  Now, while I don’t like doing so in general simply because I know that each application hurtles me closer to having to spend money on new pads, in this case it is a specific reason for hitting the brakes that has my blood up.  The cutoff.

I’m actually not even speaking about those drivers out there who purposely ram their car into the space between me and the car in front of me.  I guess they feel that they are accomplishing something.  No, that behavior doesn’t even bother me that much.  I take solace in the knowledge that those people are self-centered and probably angry and therefore, their life has already taken my revenge for me.  Plus I’ll wave when inevitably we end up still right next to each other at the next light, despite all their lane changing heroics.

I’m talking about the people who don’t realize they cut me off.  The reason these people don’t realize they have cut me off is because they don’t use this:

Notice that stalk protruding from the steering column?  Notice the lit-up arrow on my dashboard?  They are all part of a genius system! /sarcasm

On the message boards I frequent I often hear the argument that we all have the right to act how we want, make our own decisions, etc etc blah blah blah.  I have no problem with that, but sometimes the decision is so damn obvious that those arguments are ridiculous and petty.  “I have the right to decide whether I use my turn signals/seatbelt/etc or not.”  Baloney.  First off, it is in fact the law.  But most importantly, turn signals don’t just affect you.  Those people who have cut me off were simply lazy, and probably didn’t even realize that I had been accelerating and had to hit my brakes to avoid plowing into them.  Furthermore, believe it or not, I have and I will purposely let people in front of me specifically because they put their signal on.  The thing is, the turn signal is one of the few ways that drivers can communicate with each other their intentions.  Deciding not to use it, or being lazy about it, that doesn’t just affect you.

So please, utilize your turn signals.  Auto manufacturers have made it stunningly easy, they put the control right next to the steering wheel!  I really hope that at least one of your hands is already there…

PS.  Not to get off topic, but the seatbelt thing:  The argument “It’s my right to not wear a belt if I don’t want to, no one should be able to force me to, etc etc blah blah,” I have often heard the addendum that “It only affects me.”  I guess that is true…if there is literally no one else on the planet whose life would be affected by you going through the windshield and being severely hurt or killed.  Personally I know that maybe my family, friends, and significant other would probably be a bit upset should that happen to me.  So I like to wear my belt (and use my turn signals).

/Rant

The dealers will likely be caught in a Catch-22.  Right now, they are unable to sell their most popular vehicles, yet other profitable vehicles (typically hybrids) are still available for sale.  Additionally, any recall results in more service calls, a busy service staff, and guarantee reimbursement from the manufacture. Yet what is the long term impact?

Read more after the jump…

The most apt comparison is to the Audi 5000.  In 1986 60 Minutes ran a story about unintended acceleration in a small number of cases.  So what caused Audi’s unintended acceleration?  Pedal placement.  The pedals were placed slightly to the left of where North American drivers are accustomed and a number of drivers pressed the throttle confusing it for the brake.  Even when the fact that the issue was driver error and not a mechanical issue became clear the public backlash, in the United States, against Audi was immense.  What was the backlash like in Europe?  There wasn’t any.  European driver training techniques make this type of unintended acceleration extremely unlikely.

So while Audi continued produce excellent products and thrive in Europe, their reputation in the United States plummeted.    It took 15 years for their sales numbers to recover.

So where does this leave Toyota?  It is hard to say.  Toyota has a much larger market base and much stronger reputation than Audi did at the time of their difficulties.  Audi had to change the name of the 5000 to continue to sell it in the United States.  That fate is doubtful for the Camry.

The biggest threat for Toyota is the potential perception that they do not know what is causing the issue.  If they do not fully address the issue before the sales suspension ends, an additional recall could be devastating.  Overall, Toyota will likely pull through with no long term repercussions.  As a brand they are much larger than this issue, and two of their models (the Camry and the ever successful Prius) are almost brands upon themselves.  Long term, the world still looks bright for Toyota.

Short term, the situation may be more tenuous.  Dealers are celebrating after an exceptionally strong December 2009 (up 34% in volume over December 2008) but even a small hiccup (in this economy) can end up having long term residual effects.  Smaller dealers, in particular, will not be able to suffer another downturn.

Toyota corporate will have to take a huge loss.  Under-reported by the American press was that, last spring, Toyota had to request assistance from the Japanese government, just as American automakers did.  As a result Toyota’ bond rating has been downgraded multiple times and Fitch Ratings may be signaling intent to downgrade it again (they are currently an A- a downgrade would result in them being a BBB, which is still investment grade).  A downgrade of Toyota’s bond rating will result in more expensive loans, thereby possibly limiting future development or resulting in increased costs being passed on to customers.  Note – As of market close on 1/28 Toyota’s stock had fallen from 89.09 on 1/22  to 77.55.

The likelihood of drastic consequences (dealerships closing, major lines being cut) seems fairly limited at this point.  This, of course, is under the assumption that the issue is repaired in a prompt and final manner.  If, in the unlikely event, the issue continues with no foreseeable end it may be necessary for Toyota to undertake some fairly aggressive cost cutting measures (likely dropping a line) but more tragically it could result in the loss of dealerships, sales/service jobs, and factory positions.

In the end, the economic factors that result if Toyota acts slowly are rough but the loss of lives is a bigger tragedy.  Doing it right is more important than doing it fast.