It's Not Just a Car

When cars were first made, they only had one thing in mind, practicality. They gave people the ability to go from their homes to a night at the opera where they would be entertained by some large sized women sing random notes that some how was a form of music. Cars back then didn’t need to be quick because anything was probably faster than a horse and buggy. Styling didn’t matter either, though the Model T looked nice, it only came in one colour. To quote Henry Ford, “You can have any colour you want, as long as it’s black.”

But, we have come along way since the Model T. In this gap of time, engineers discovered angles, curves, and colours of every shade. And most automakers have gone away from practicality and made cars for people that don’t want to get just from point A to point B.

Take my good friend Dave McSporran. He is a point A to point B driver, and owns a Honda Element. Some main reasons he owns an Element is because it’s spacious, practical, and has plenty of room for his camera equipment. And though he doesn’t have a name for his car, like most men do, he calls his car many things. He described his car at one point being a toaster on wheels. So, I half expect him to arrive somewhere and climb out of his car looking like a slice of wonder bread ready for some peanut butter and honey, in his case almond butter. When it comes down to it, he is a straightforward car buyer and only buys his cars for what he needs them for. I get that, it’s the same reason I own a diesel Volkswagen Jetta, because the fuel savings are bigger than a plate of food from an American diner.

Unlike Dave though, I have almost a personal relationship with my car. It’s why I gave it a name, why I say sorry to my car if I push it too hard here and there. So when it comes to cars, I don’t see them as machines of travel, but rather art. That’s why we have cars like Porsches that have curves like women, Lamborghinis that have angles that look like fighter jets, and Ferraris that look as if they’ve been shaped by a delicate potter. These cars are from companies that couldn’t care less about being practical. And they only know how to make cars that look beautiful and drive fast. These are the cars that reach out to automotive enthusiasts. The same people that go to every racing event, that have many import car magazines, and could tell you what issue your car is having just by hearing the sound it makes. These are the people that have oil in their veins and pistons for a heart. And though some of them may buy a practical car, it is probably a car that most people wouldn’t find practical. I mean let’s face it, does it really matter how large the trunk is, or how many people you can fit in the back? No, it’s about the horsepower, the multimedia capabilities, and carbon fiber. What I mean is, if a minivan came with a Ferrari badge on it, men would probably buy it, because the thought of a minivan doing 0-60 mph in 3.2 seconds is amazing. But since Ferrari doesn’t make a van, and hopefully they don’t, most men won’t step foot near a Dodge Caravan or a Ford Windstar, because secretly they want that two-door coupe with racing stripes and a big engine.

So to those of us that name our cars and treat them like a second girlfriend and spend most of our expendable income on them, we are all in this together. Because Point A to point B drivers will never understand our culture, and why we love our cars so much that we shed a little tear when they are dead and gone. And to us, cars aren’t machines; they are best friends that are there until the end.

Looking Up

On a recent trip to York University where my girlfriend attends school, I filmed this while waiting. I filmed it on my GoPro Hero Cam HD and edited the film in iMovie.

Diesel Engines & the North American Way of Thinking

When North Americans think of diesel powered vehicles, the image of black smoke and pollution come to mind. Why people seem to think this is beyond me.

Granted, transport trucks don’t help with this image of disgust, nor do the country driven cowboys that decide disconnecting their catalytic converters somehow give them better fuel economy while kicking up black smoke. So, it’s no wonder that the general image that North American’s get when they think of diesels is one of Al Gore’s worst nightmares.

Does it really have to be like this though? Is there any hope for the image of diesels in a North American market? Well, for a good amount of years, and more recently, Volkswagen and Mercedes have tried to make things better, and they have. Somewhere down the line, the Germans thought that the diesel engine could become cleaner and better than the ones they already had. Considering Germany was the origin of the first diesel engine, making a new one wasn’t necessarily hard for them.

In the last decade, Volkswagen has prided itself on the diesel versions, of the Jetta, and Golf. Though engine sizes have changed over the years from 1.9 litres up to 2.0 litres, the fuel economy of both cars have stayed the same. If your not heavy on the peddle and don’t drive the cars like you’re in a movie scene being chased by thugs in a Range Rover, both cars will average 800 plus kilometers per tank. More importantly, Volkswagen has managed to make their diesel cars clean. It has come down to their newer cars having fewer emissions than their gas counterparts. Mercedes has done the same thing with their BluTec diesels. Essentially, the emissions from the engine go through the catalytic converter as well as a specially designed particle filter that reduces emissions even more.

The question is then; why are we still stuck in this image of filth? Why hasn’t the big three in Motor City thought about putting diesel engines in small cars? The truth is, they have. Over in Europe, most of the cars we have here have a diesel twin brother and sister over there. Take the Fiesta; small, sensible, and designed to look like a training shoe from Nike or Reebok. But, over here it only comes in a gas engine, and needless to say it isn’t the best one either. Even though it’s fitted with the CVT style transmission you find in a Nissan Versa, it’s almost like the Fiesta never knows what it wants to do. You put your foot down, it whines for a bit, then it stops jumping around, and finally levels out. Putting that aside, over in Europe, the Fiesta comes in diesel. So, if it has a diesel twin in Europe, why not in North America?

The issue is North Americans themselves. They been told there whole lives that diesels are filthy, dirty creatures that can be compared to waste lands like Stelco in Hamilton, Ontario. I find this to be just wrong. We have seen proof that diesel engines can run clean. And the big three don’t have an excuse when the diesel versions of their cars are puttering around in Europe. In conclusion, until the big three decide to step up and start putting diesels in small cars in North America, Volkswagen and Mercedes will remain untouched and the kings of fuel mileage.

Driving Music

We’ve all been there, in that moment when nothing else matters, when driving becomes an ultimate pleasure rather than a task. When you can’t be bothered to drive 10 kilometers over the limit. When red lights aren’t an issue, and having that feeling that you don’t really need to get anywhere. That moment when everything slows down making you feel almost as if the world is moving at your pace. For some of us, that moment is achieved with pure silence. All you can hear out of that silence is birds, the road, and the wind. And for some of us, that moment is achieved with music. It happens when the music playing is literally the soundtrack to the backdrop of life, making you feel like your driving in a picturesque scene from a movie. For me, that moment happens when I listen to one soundtrack in particular. And that soundtrack is Tron Legacy.

I was driving to my young adults group in the evening and that perfect moment hit. The sun was setting with tones of orange and red as it pierced through the trees and buildings. Everything was beautiful, even the road seamed like it was paved with something much smoother than it actually was. Everything slowed down, and nothing else at that moment mattered. It was just myself, my car, and the Tron Legacy soundtrack. I find this moment happens most of the time when I listen to Tron. It happens at night mainly, and really that’s the only time I listen to it in the car. Because to me, Tron fits night driving perfectly, just like a good pare of jeans. The orchestrated music beautifully mixed with smooth electronic undertones makes night driving amazing.

As a little back-story, Tron Legacy was Daft Punk’s first theatrical score. What made the soundtrack difficult to produce was mixing electronic with orchestra. Somehow though, they made it work. They took two worlds that would never take a second glance at each other, and put them in the same room. The results speak for themselves, and being Daft Punk’s first try at the movies, they pulled it off. And if you have ever seen Tron Legacy, the whole night driving aspect comes into play. It’s almost like Daft Punk sat down and thought that eventually their music would become more than just a soundtrack, it would become driving music.

The question is then; have you had that moment lately? If you haven’t, maybe it’s time you take a drive. Grab your keys and go, put on the radio, a CD, or your iPod. Or if you want, don’t put on any music, just drive until it all comes into view. And if you find yourself driving at night, do yourself a favour and listen to Tron Legacy. I am absolutely positive you won’t be disappointed, because you will be the complete opposite. You will be in driving heaven.

They Don't Make Them Like They Used To

In my driving career, I’ve driven a handful of cars; a Toyota Camry, Volkswagen Golf, Dodge Neon, and two Volkswagen Jettas. The Camry was my mother’s car, and the Golf was my brothers. But my first car, was a 1996 Dodge Neon, decent car, not terrible on fuel, and it got me from point A to point B. Unfortunately, due to mechanical problems, poor Eleanor hit a tree. After that, I had a 2002 Volkswagen Jetta TDI, excellent car, great on fuel, and I loved it. But, a Chevrolet Venture didn’t, and as a result it took out poor Veronica while she was parked on the street. Now however, I have a 2001 Volkswagen Jetta TDI, same as my old car, one-year difference, and about a good 100,000 plus kilometers older. As you can imagine, I like Volkswagens, more specifically Jettas. But they aren’t made like they used to.

Back a decade ago when Volkswagen made the Jetta in the years of 2000-2006, they were brilliant. They had a squared off look to them, a curved antenna in the back, heated folding mirrors, heated seats, and pretty much everything Volkswagen had to put in a car. You could have had a single DIN deck, which allowed you to have a small shelf above it, or a double DIN deck that had more buttons on it, minus the shelf. A sunroof was optional, as well as the many choices of trim you wanted for your car. What made the Jetta brilliant was the attention to detail. You could spend a lifetime in the car, and still manage to find new and exciting features you didn’t think anyone would have come up with.

So moving with the times, Volkswagen ditched the squared off look and introduced the bigger rounder version of its predecessor in the years 2006-2010. Yes, they did look nice, but I wasn’t really a fan of the new style, even though they still kept with the same attention to detail, the new style had a body that I could never love.

Then, 2011 came along and the style changed completely. Volkswagen introduced a semi-squared look again, and ditched the curved antenna for a fish fin antenna like you would find on cars like Lexus and Mercedes. When the new Jettas came out, I was excited; thrilled that Volkswagen ditched the rounded look. And if you didn’t know any better, you would think it was an Audi A4 at first glance. Partly because the tail lights on the new Jetta look very similar to its cousin from Audi.

The thing is though, somewhere down the line Volkswagen decided it would try to compete with the ever so popular Honda Civic, and sadly the attention to detail was gone. So, we ended up with hard fake leather dashboards, unlike the Jettas of old. Cloth interior that wasn’t the softest, and build quality that looked like they stuck panels together without bothering to hide the seems. Putting those small nitpicks aside; the new Jetta is still a great car. It still gets great fuel mileage diesel wise, the ride is comfortable, and they fitted a sixth gear into the car thus giving you better fuel mileage, as apposed to older Jettas that only had five.

In the end, I will probably buy the new Jetta. Though I’m not sure which year it will be because my old Jetta is still going strong even at almost 400,000 kilometers. And even though I will buy a new Jetta, in my mind the early 2000’s models were fantastic. And to know that going forward in the future makes me a little sad.

Tea Review: Paradise Found from Davids Tea

Have you ever wondered what a Pop-Tart tastes like in liquid form. Well it turns out that Davids Tea thought so as well. If you haven’t heard of Davids Tea, here is a brief summary. Their headquarters are in Montreal, and they have various stores here and there. One of them is in Oakville Place, which is convenient if you live in the Mississauga and Burlington areas.

When you walk into one of their stores, they have everything from tea to tea accessories. The best part is the wall of teas you have to choose from. Black, Green, Herbal, Rooibos, the list goes on. You can try a free sample of any of their teas, and if you want a full cup it will cost you about $2.20. Now some people would say the largest cup size from Tim Hortons is cheaper than that. They may be right, but this is premium loose-leaf tea. Its not some tea dust that falls of the assembly line that some how gets approved by health and safety and put into tea bags. I don’t necessarily have an issue with tea bags, but if you want a good cup of tea, loose-leaf is the better choice. But comparing these teas is like comparing a Smart Car to a Bugatti Veyron. Both have an engine and four wheels, but one has about 1,000 horsepower than the other. But enough of this tea grading nonsense, we’re here to talk about Pop-Tarts.

So, as part of Davids Tea spring collection of teas, Paradise Found is a black tea that tastes like a liquefied Pop-Tart. To me it was more of a mixed berry flavour, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I had the tea with two percent milk and two pumps of agave, which is a natural sweetener as apposed to regular sugar. It was quite delicious, and I would definitely have another cup soon.

Though, I have this distinct feeling that Willa Wonka comes up with these crazy teas for Davids Tea. Because only he would make a tea that taste like Pop-Tarts, and one that tastes like fuzzy peaches. They even have a tea called Chocolate Chili Chai that has bits of chili flakes in it. That sounds very strange, but as a result the tea ends up tasting like a melted down fudgescicle.

But let's be realistic, we all know Willa Wonka doesn’t make tea, because if he did, there would be such thing as everlasting loose-leaf tea. Could you imagine, a tea that never looses flavour, no matter how many times you steep it? It would be amazing, but unfortunately we don’t live in the movie world, so we will just have to keep buying tea. Which is really not an issue because if you’re like me, you’re a tea enthusiast. It’s the same reason why you have a cupboard dedicated to your loose-leaf teas, why you use a tea timer, and very thoroughly read the steeping instructions. The same reason why you know not to poor boiling water directly over white tea, because the delicate leaves might get burnt under the intense temperature of the water. So going to buy more tea is no problem for you, or any tea drinker for that matter. Because at the end of the day when you walk into Davids Tea and have a huge wall of teas that you can buy or try out, you start to feel warm and inviting.

So, in conclusion, will I go back and have a cup of Paradise Found? Yes, and chances are 50 grams of it will be coming back home with me. And if you ever stayed up late wondering what a Pop-Tart would taste like in liquid form, Davids Tea has the answer.