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