driveway - driveway - december 6, 2013

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Friday, December 6, 2013 Richmond Review · Page 13 Find more online at drivewayBC.ca Safety Tip: During the months of November and December there is an 86 per cent increase in crashes where a pedestrian is injured compared to July and August. Always be on the lookout for pedestrians – especially in dark, wet weather when visibility is limited, at intersections and near transit stops. OF THE WEEK! ? QUESTION Go to drivewayBC.ca to submit your answer. Question OF THE WEEK: Should the maximum speed limit on the highways be raised to 110 km/h and 120 km/h on the Coquihalla network? Hike those highway speed limits, say a third of BC residents A significant number of British Columbians clearly don’t buy the safety man- tra that speed kills. In fact, according to a new Insights West poll, conducted in partnership with Black Press, 37 percent of residents (and 39 percent of drivers) believe a higher speed limit should be posted on our major highways. Currently, 100 km/h is the maximum on most free- ways, while 110 km/h is posted on the Coquihalla Highway and parts of the Okanagan connector. “The fascinating issue on this question is the gender gap,” said Mario Canseco, Vice President, Public Affairs at Insights West. “While half of men in BC would like to see a higher speed limit, just one-in-four women concur with this view.” However, it was surprising to see that more than half (55 percent) believe the speed limits should be left alone. Another five percent want to see limits lowered. It’s surprising if you read the news- paper letters pages and listen to the province’s radio talk shows, where the 100-click limit is commonly referred to as unrealistic on today’s well-designed highways. As a frequent driver of the network, I have to agree that a 110 limit on the suburban highways and 120 on the Coquihalla is reasonable. In my experience, it is not speed alone but exces- sive speed combined with over-driving the weather/road condi- tions that kills. It is also true to say that that dramatic speed differ- entials of traffic is also a major contributor to road carnage. However, while that may be true on congested urban roads it is less so on the highway where few people are travelling below the posted limit and I don’t see another 10 km/h hike making for major mishaps. Not surprisingly, the online survey of a representative provincial sample also shows that a majority of residents believe that photo radar should not be brought back. More than half of those polled (53 percent) believe the province should not bring back photo radar, which was introduced in the 1990s as a measure to curb speeding, but was abandoned in 2001. While almost half of residents aged 55 (48 percent) would like to see photo radar coming back, support is decidedly lower among residents aged 18-to-34 (36 percent) and 35-to-54 (31 percent). I supported photo radar initially because when used in high-collision locations, elsewhere in the world, it has a remarkable record for reducing death and injuries. It never operated that way in BC and soon became public enemy number one where it was perceived as merely a cash cow for greedy provincial government. Residents were also asked about the quality of British Columbia’s roads and in- frastructure. More than seven-in- ten (74 percent) rate it as “good” (68 percent) or “very good” (6 percent), while only 22 per cent deem it “bad” (19 percent) or “very bad” (3 percent). Overall, only 16 percent of British Columbians believe that the province’s roads are “not too safe” or “not safe at all” for motorists, while four-in-five (82 percent) consider them “very safe” or “moderately safe.” This is the first of four surveys Insights West will conduct during the next year in partnership with Black Press. We hope these poll findings will find their way in the current speed limit and traffic safety review by the provincial government. This week in Driveway, our “Ques- tion of the Week” and “Drives-U-Cra- zy” spots focus on speed-related issues please participate online. [email protected] About the survey: Results are based on an online study conducted from October 23 to October 27, 2013, among 838 British Columbians who are aged 18+ and are Your Insights panel members. YourInsights.ca is Insights West’s in-house access panel offering on-demand samples for both clients and research suppliers looking for Western Canadian populations. The data has been statistically weighted according to Canadian census figures for age and gender. While statistical margins of error are arguably not applicable to online panels/online studies of this nature, we have assumed that the same margins of error apply as if it were a true unweighted random probability sample with a margin of error of +/- 3.4 percentage points, nineteen times out of twenty. To view the detailed data tabulations go to www.insightswest.com The 100-click limit is commonly referred to as unrealistic on today’s well- designed highways. Keith Morgan ‘‘ More than half of those polled believe the province should not bring back photo radar. ’’ Keith Morgan Visit the photo gallery at drivewayBC.ca drivewayBC.ca | Welcome to the driver’s seat REVIEW the richmond Giving warms the heart. Donating a coat can warm two at a time. Black Press is collecting coats for kids in support of the Greater Vancouver Builder’s Associations’ 17th Annual Coats for Kids Campaign to be held Nov 19 - Dec 7. Last year over 3000 coats were collected by the GVHBA members for distribution by the Lower Mainland Christmas Bureau and other agencies. Bring in your coats to the Richmond Review #1-3671 Viking Way, Richmond

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Page 1: Driveway - Driveway - December 6, 2013

Friday, December 6, 2013 Richmond Review · Page 13

Find more online at

drivewayBC.ca

Safety Tip:During the months of November and December there is an 86 per cent increase in crashes where a pedestrian is injured compared to July and August. Always be on the lookout for pedestrians – especially in dark, wet weather

when visibility is limited, at intersections and near transit stops.

OF THE WEEK!

?QUESTION

Go to drivewayBC.ca to submit your answer.

QuestionOF THE WEEK:

Should the maximum speed limit on the highways be raised to 110 km/h and 120 km/h on the Coquihalla network?

Hike those highway speed limits, say a third of BC residentsA significant number of British Columbians clearly don’t buy the safety man-tra that speed kills.In fact, according to a new Insights West poll, conducted in partnership with Black Press, 37 percent of residents (and 39 percent of drivers) believe a higher speed limit should be posted on our major highways. Currently, 100 km/h is the maximum on most free-ways, while 110 km/h is posted on the Coquihalla Highway and parts of the Okanagan connector.“The fascinating issue on this question is the gender gap,” said Mario Canseco, Vice President, Public Affairs at Insights West. “While half of men in BC would like to see a higher speed limit, just one-in-four women concur with this view.”However, it was surprising to see that more than half (55 percent) believe the speed limits should be left alone. Another five percent want to see limits lowered.It’s surprising if you read the news-paper letters pages and listen to the province’s radio talk shows, where the 100-click limit is commonly referred to as unrealistic on today’s well-designed highways.As a frequent driver of the network, I have to agree that a 110 limit on the

suburban highways and 120 on the Coquihalla is reasonable. In my experience, it is not speed alone but exces-sive speed combined with over-driving the weather/road condi-tions that kills. It is also true to say that that dramatic speed differ-entials of traffic is also a major contributor to road carnage. However, while that may be true on congested urban roads it is less so on the highway where few people are travelling

below the posted limit and I don’t see another 10 km/h hike making for major mishaps.Not surprisingly, the online survey of a representative provincial sample also shows that a majority of residents believe that photo radar should not be brought back. More than half of those polled (53 percent) believe the province should not bring back photo radar, which was introduced in the 1990s as a measure to curb speeding, but was abandoned in 2001. While almost

half of residents aged 55 (48 percent) would like to see photo radar coming back, support is decidedly lower among residents aged 18-to-34 (36 percent) and 35-to-54 (31 percent).I supported photo radar initially because when used in high-collision locations, elsewhere in the world, it has a remarkable record for reducing death and injuries. It never operated that way in BC and soon became public enemy number one where it was perceived as merely a cash cow for greedy provincial government.Residents were also asked about the quality of British Columbia’s roads and in-frastructure. More than seven-in-

ten (74 percent) rate it as “good” (68 percent) or “very good” (6 percent), while only 22 per cent deem it “bad” (19 percent) or “very bad” (3 percent). Overall, only 16 percent of British Columbians believe that the province’s roads are “not too safe” or “not safe at all” for motorists, while four-in-five (82 percent) consider them “very safe” or

“moderately safe.”This is the first of four surveys Insights West will conduct during the next year in partnership with Black Press. We hope these poll findings will find their way in the current speed limit and traffic safety review by the provincial government.This week in Driveway, our “Ques-

tion of the Week” and “Drives-U-Cra-zy” spots focus on speed-related issues please participate online.

[email protected]

About the survey: Results are based on an online study conducted from October 23 to October 27, 2013, among 838 British Columbians who are aged 18+ and are Your Insights panel members. YourInsights.ca is Insights West’s in-house access panel offering on-demand samples for both clients and research suppliers looking for Western Canadian populations. The data has been statistically

weighted according to Canadian census figures for age and gender. While statistical margins of error are

arguably not applicable to online panels/online studies of this nature, we have assumed that

the same margins of error apply as if it were a true unweighted random probability sample

with a margin of error of +/- 3.4 percentage points, nineteen times out of twenty. To view the detailed data tabulations go to www.insightswest.com

The 100-click limit is commonly referred

to as unrealistic on today’s well-

designed highways.

Keith Morgan

‘‘More than half of those polled believe the province should not bring back photo radar.’’Keith Morgan

Visit the photo gallery at drivewayBC.ca

drivewayBC.ca | Welcome to the driver’s seat

REVIEW the richmond

Giving warms the heart. Donating a coat can warm two at a time.Black Press is collecting coats for kids in support of the Greater Vancouver Builder’s Associations’ 17th Annual Coats for Kids Campaign to be held Nov 19 - Dec 7. Last year over 3000 coats were collected by the GVHBA members for distribution by the Lower Mainland Christmas Bureau and other agencies.

Bring in your coats to the Richmond Review #1-3671 Viking Way, Richmond

Page 2: Driveway - Driveway - December 6, 2013

Page 14 · Richmond Review Friday, December 6, 2013

PAPER TO INSERT DEALER TAG HERE

TMThe Hyundai names, logos, product names, feature names, images and slogans are trademarks owned by Hyundai Auto Canada Corp. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. †Finance offers available O.A.C. from Hyundai Financial Services based on a new 2013 Santa Fe 2.0T Limited AWD/2013 Santa Fe XL Premium AWD/2014 Tucson 2.0L GL FWD MT with an annual finance rate of 0%/0%1.9% for 36/36/96 months. Bi-weekly payments are $493/$448/$122. $0 down payment required. Cost of Borrowing is $0/$0/$1,831. Finance offers include Delivery and Destination of $1,760. Registration, insurance, PPSA, fees, levies, charges, license fees and all applicable taxes are excluded. Delivery and Destination charge includes freight, P.D.E., dealer admin fees and a full tank of gas. Financing example: 2014 Tucson 2.0L GL FWD MT for $23,259 at 1.9% per annum equals $122 bi-weekly for 96 months for a total obligation of $25,090. Cash price is $23,259. Cost of Borrowing is $1,831. Example price includes Delivery and Destination of $1,760. Registration, insurance, PPSA, fees, levies, charges, license fees and all applicable taxes are excluded. Delivery and Destination charge includes freight, P.D.E., dealer admin fees and a full tank of gas. Fuel consumption for 2013 Santa Fe 2.0T Limited AWD Auto (HWY 8.4L/100KM, City 11.0L/100KM), 2013 Santa Fe XL Premium AWD (HWY 8.0L/100KM, City 11.7L L/100KM), 2014 Tucson 2.0L GL FWD MT (HWY 7.2L/100KM, City 10.0L L/100KM) are based on Energuide. Actual fuel efficiency may vary based on driving conditions and the addition of certain vehicle accessories. Fuel economy figures are used for comparison purposes only. Price of models shown: 2013 Santa Fe Sport 2.0T Limited AWD/2013 Santa Fe XL Limited AWD/2014 Tucson 2.4L Limited AWD are $40,259/$44,659/$35,359. Prices include Delivery and Destination charges of $1,760. Registration, insurance, PPSA, fees, levies, charges, license fees and all applicable taxes are excluded. ‡No Charge AWD Offer: Purchase or lease a new 2013 Santa Fe 2.0T Limited AWD or Santa Fe XL Premium AWD and you will be entitled to a $2,000 factory to dealer credit. The manufacturer’s estimated retail value for Santa Fe AWD is $2,000. Factory to dealer credit applies before taxes. Offer cannot be combined or used in conjunction with any other available credits. Offer is non-transferable and cannot be assigned. No vehicle trade-in required. No Charge AWD Offer not available on the 2013 Santa Fe Sport 2.4L FWD, 2.4L Premium FWD or 2.0T Premium FWD, or the 2013 Santa Fe XL FWD. †‡ Offers available for a limited time, and subject to change or cancellation without notice. See dealer for complete details. Dealer may sell for less. Inventory is limited, dealer order may be required. ††Hyundai’s Comprehensive Limited Warranty coverage covers most vehicle components against defects in workmanship under normal use and maintenance conditions.

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Page 3: Driveway - Driveway - December 6, 2013

Friday, December 6, 2013 Richmond Review · Page 15

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§ AWC standard on RVR SE AWC and GT. S-AWC standard on Outlander GT.^Limited-time offer available on select new 2013 and 2014 vehicles purchased through participating dealers to qualifi ed retail customers until January 2, 2013. $1,500/$1,000/$1,000/$750/$750/$500 MasterCard card available on all 2013 and 2014 Outlander/Lancer Evolution/RVR/Lancer/Lancer Sportback/Mirage models. $750 MasterCard card available on all 2012 and 2013 i-MiEV models. Offers are subject to change without notice. Some conditions apply. See dealer for details. MasterCard cards are issued by Peoples Trust Company pursuant to a license by MasterCard International Incorporated. ® MasterCard is a registered trademark of MasterCard International Incorporated. No payments for 90 days is available on select new 2013 and 2014 models fi nanced through Mitsubishi Motor Sales of Canada or Scotiabank subvented fi nancing programs on approved credit through participating dealers to qualifi ed retail customers until January 2, 2014. Leases are excluded from the No payments for 90 days offer. Offer only applicable to monthly, weekly or bi-weekly payments. Interest charges (if any) will not accrue during the fi rst 60 days after purchaser signs contract for a participating vehicle. After the fi rst 60 days, interest (if any) starts to accrue and the purchaser will repay principal and interest (if any) monthly over the term of the contract. Some amounts may be due upon signing. See participating retailers or visit mitsubishi-motors.ca for complete details. † Highway and city ratings for non-hybrid sub-compacts based on Natural Resources Canada test requirements: Mirage highway 4.4 L/100 km (64 mpg) and 5.3 L/100 km (53 mpg) in the city for CVT-equipped models. * Best backed claim does not cover Lancer Evolution, Lancer Ralliart or i-MiEV. ® MITSUBISHI MOTORS, BEST BACKED CARS IN THE WORLD are trade-marks of Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. and are used under license. ** Whichever comes fi rst. Regular maintenance not included. See dealer or mitsubishi-motors.ca for warranty terms, restrictions and details. Not all customers will qualify.

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driveway

by Zack Spencer

The Mercedes CLA 250 is here and it is a cause for celebration.

This stylish compact car is powerful, filled with all kinds of features and starts at an amazing $33,900. What this means for the entire car market is a trend towards more car for less money.

If Mercedes Benz can sell such a competent car for so little, the pressure will be on non-premium brands to sharpen their pencil, add more features, and revise their prices lower. Mercedes already has a very affordable hatchback with the B250, which ar-rived about a year ago and is the basis for this CLA. Both of these cars open up Mercedes Benz to a new market of buyers who might have been thinking about buying a non-premi-um brand but now realized a CLA is within reach. This, along with Mercedes strong resale value will help to keep lease rates low, amplifying the value this car offers.Looks

Mercedes helped create the “coupe” 4-door sedan several years ago with the CLS sedan, which is based on the E-Class sedan. By dropping the roof, raking the front and rear win-dows and adding a more aggressive front end, pro-duces an eye-catching se-dan that looks classy and aggressive at the same time. Mercedes has taken this formula and applied it to the B-Class platform to produce this coupe-like sedan. The base model comes with 17-inch wheels but the sport package is great value, at $1,600, which adds 18-inch AMG wheels and extra AMG ex-terior trim pieces. The side windows are slim as is the back window for limited outward visibility, not so much for the driver but the rear seat passengers, especially kids. Inside

One trend I’m not sure I like is placing a screen in the centre of the dash, like putting an iPad Mini in the permanently placed in middle of the dash. It doesn’t look particularly polished, almost like an af-terthought. Audi’s new A3 sedan, arriving in March, has the ability to lower their screen, which I think is a better approach.

The premium package is a must because it includes a huge panoramic sunroof, backup camera, automatic

climate control and heated

front seats; all of this for $2,800. This is a small car; the roof feels very low and back seat passenger’s needs to be children or shorter adults. Rear seat outward visibility is limited and legroom is also at a premium. Drive

The launch event for this new CLA was held in the Washington DC area, leaving historic George-town and heading towards Maryland’s ports and navel academy. This provided some excellent stop-and-go traffic opportunities in Washington’s morning rush hour and then getting to stretch the new CLA’s legs on fabulous Interstate highways. The power plant is a direct injection turbocharged 4-cylinder engine with a healthy 208hp. The power goes through a 7-speed dual clutch automatic transmis-sion to the front wheels. The more expensive and powerful 355hp CLA 45 AMG has an all wheel drive (AWD) system as standard equipment but the base CLA 250 will get this important option sometime in 2014. Power is fantastic, especially if the transmission is placed in the sportier mode. This car cruises effortlessly at highway speeds and passes with ease.

All CLA models come with a Collision Prevention Assist feature that alerts the driver to the possibility of an impending collision.

VerdictWe are heading into a

wonderful period of lower priced cars, or vehicle fitted with more standard features. This new CLA 250 is a perfect example of this. Other new entries include the latest A3 that arrives in March and starts at $31,100 and then the new BMW 1 Series will arrive in about a year.

For the price of a well-equipped non-premium brand Canadians can now get a premium German sedan for about the same price. [email protected]

‘‘If Mercedes Benz can sell such a competent car for so little, the pressure will be on non-premium brands to sharpen their pencil, add more features, and revise their prices lower.’’Zack Spencer

Mercedes-Benz CLA 250 is a stylish price buster

The Mercedes CLA 250 is powerful, filled with all kinds of features and starts at an amazing $33,900.

The LowdownPower: 2.0L turbo 4-cyl-inder with 208hpFill-up: 7.8L/5.1L/100km (city/highway) Sticker price: $33.900

Page 4: Driveway - Driveway - December 6, 2013

Page 16 · Richmond Review Friday, December 6, 2013

smart Centre Richmond - 5691 Parkwood Way, Richmond - 604-278-7662D#6279

2013 smart Canada, a Division of Mercedes-Benz Canada Inc. Vehicle shown is the 2013 smart fortwo passion coupe with optional equipment at an extra cost. Total price is based on a 2013 smart fortwo pure coupe, National MSRP of $14,400. Total price of $16,660 includes charges of freight/PDI of $1,495, dealer admin fee of $595, air-conditioning levy of $100, PPSA up to $50.48 and a $20.00 fee covering EHF tires, fi lters and batteries (taxes are extra). Vehicle options, fees and taxes extra. Lease offer based on the 2013 smart fortwo pure. Available only through Mercedes-Benz Financial Services on approved credit for a limited time. Lease example based on $209 (excluding taxes) per month for 36 months (STK#V1300462). *$0 Down payment, $0 Security deposit, $0 fi rst payment, and $0 due at signing, on the condition of approved credit only through Mercedes-Benz Financial Services. Lease APR of 1.9% applies. Total cost of borrowing is $576, total obligation is $8,461. 12,000 km/year allowance ($0.20/km for excess kilometres applies.). Vehicle license, insurance, and registration are extra. Dealer may lease or fi nance for less. Offer ends December 31st, 2013.

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driveway

by Alexandra Straub

One of the questions I’m asked most often when

someone finds out about my line of work is “What car would you buy if I had an unlimited amount of

money?”Well I have yet to win

the lottery. But I can refine the question to, if

I had to buy a vehicle for my family, what would it be?

Currently, we’re the

owners of a 2001 VW Cabrio. We imported it from Southern California and have put quite a few kilometres on it. But, we needed something that was bigger, had more trunk space, was prefer-ably a diesel and could make it through the snow.

So, the hunt began. It actually began in Decem-ber of 2012. The better half and I went looking for an SUV. It didn’t mat-ter if it had five or seven seats. We preferred a die-sel but were not excluding gasoline options. The first place we went to was the Mercedes-Benz dealership. The ML350 Bluetec was in a new generation and something we were inter-ested in. However, with the options we wanted and a three month wait time, the price was out of our range and the wait was too long.

Then we looked into the Mazda CX-9. Granted, it’s not a diesel but a classy car and one that’s nice to drive. Again, the Ford Explorer Sport was not diesel, but a strong con-tender. Though, the fuel economy wasn’t as stellar as we had hoped.

We had spent the better part of a road trip in an Acura MDX in 2013 but wanted to wait until 2014 for the all-new version to come out. After taking that for a spin, that was top three on the list. We also fancied the Volvo XC90 and the Jeep Grand Cherokee diesel.

With all these great options, it was hard to narrow it down. But there was one that we had still not looked at. That was the 2014 VW Touareg TDI.

It wasn’t hard to fall in love with it. As a VW own-er, it’s something I should have thought about right away but for some reason didn’t. Regardless, testing it out fit everything we were looking for.

The Touareg was within our price range, it had a generous cargo capac-ity, all-wheel drive (for our various trips up the mountain) and best of all, a diesel engine.

I’m a huge supporter of alternatives to gas-powered vehicles, whether that’s diesel, electric or hybrids. It only seemed fit-ting to welcome this type of beautiful machine into our home.

With our new addition to the family and smiles on everyone’s faces, we couldn’t be happier. We’ve also driven almost 2,000 kilometres in the first two weeks of having the Touareg TDI at home and have only filled the tank twice. Even better!

[email protected]

‘‘The Touareg was within our price range, it had a generous cargo capacity, all-wheel drive (for our various trips up the mountain) and best of all, a diesel engine.’’Alexandra Straub

Alexandra car shops for herself for once