Consumer_Reports_-_April_2020

6 Tips to Jump-Start

Your Test Drive

Before you shift that car you’re considering into Drive, make sure

you do a careful tour of these key aspects of the interior. BY KEITH BARRY

Will it fit all my people? Bring

everyone who will use or spend

lots of time in the car—including

kids and grandparents—to make

sure the space works well for them.

If you’ll have little kids, teens, or

elders as passengers, pay special

attention to the rear seats. Are

they easy to get in and out of?

How is the headroom? Is there

sufficient legroom?

Will the car and my phone get along?

Connect your car with both a cable and

Bluetooth, then see how easy it is to make

calls and play your music. (Don’t forget

to delete your profile when you’re done.)

Most new cars have Android Auto and

Apple CarPlay, so ask for a demo. If you

like how they display your phone’s maps

on the screen, you can save money and

skip optional built-in navigation.

Will the controls drive me crazy?

Try the tasks you do every day—

changing radio stations, adjusting

the heat, entering a destination into

the navigation system. Are they

straightforward or are they hidden deep

within convoluted on-screen menus,

which will be distracting as you drive?

Can you perform common functions

using the controls on the steering wheel?

Does it have important safety features?

Check the window sticker to see if it has

the three features that CR thinks ought

to be standard: automatic emergency

braking (AEB) with pedestrian detection,

forward collision warning (FCW), and blind

spot warning (BSW). Then spend time with

the car’s on-screen menus to see if they let

you customize these features. For example,

can you turn off lane keeping assistance

(LKA) easily without turning off BSW?

Is it comfortable? Explore all the

adjustments for seats, the steering

wheel, and side-view mirrors.

Make note of headroom as well

as visibility out the back window.

Can you adjust the seat belt height

so it’s not annoying? Are the seat

cushions too soft or too firm? You

should have the ability to make the

interior fit you like a glove.

Will it fit all my stuff? Bring along

items you frequently carry with you:

the dog crate, sports equipment, the

fold-up stroller, summer camping

gear. And didn’t your daughter say

she wanted to learn to play the tuba?

Investigate whether the seats fold

down flat for easy loading. Inspect

the glove box and center console;

some cars lack a space for a purse.

ILLUSTRATION BY GIACOMO BAGNARA APRIL 2020 CR.ORG 99