It’s funny how your priorities change once fatherhood is thrust upon you. Whereas a few months ago I wouldn’t have cared about how cramped the Acura TL’s rear seat is and how awkwardly shaped (and shallow!) its trunk is because I was merely concerned with driving it. Sure, those things registered as concerns should someone ask me about it, but it wasn’t at the front of my mind.
Now that I’m dragging a two-month old around, that’s changed completely. You really start to notice the sharply raked C-pillars when you whack your noggin on them when installing the infant-seat base. And the cabin length becomes acutely important to the passenger who can’t fit up front because of the ‘halo’ handle pushes their seat too far forward.
I’ve learned a lot in a very short amount of time as a parent – including don’t remove the dirty diaper until a clean one is ready to replace it – but the theory of efficient packaging and how some automakers totally ignore it are at the forefront of my daily driving life. I can understand why larger vehicles are heavily favoured by families, but I’m certainly not ready to concede that a minivan is my destiny.
So in all future encounters and posts about vehicles I’ve been driving, I’ll make a conscious decision to include all the parent-friendly information I can, even if some of you won’t find it near the top of your priority list.
Great article. Things definitely change don’t they? I remember similar thoughts (still have them really). I went from thinking my G35 sedan was plenty big to wishing for more room.
Looking forward to more!
Monaco F1 is absolutely BORING- give me a break Mark!!
You mention in your MSN – Autos that Monaco is a must see. You have to be kidding me! That blurp makes me wonder about your other recommendations and opinions wrt motor sports.
Monaco is so close to being dropped from F1 because of its predictable outcome relative to the pole sitter. Its like watching a single train race. You know that the locomotive will win because it starts at the front…unless it rolls off the rails or fails. The caboose ain’t gonna make a daring pass eh!
I have been watching F1 for 35 years and Monaco is no longer a must see for me. As a matter of fact, it was during the Monaco Grand Prix 21 years ago that I got so bored, I decided to take a look at red neck NASCAR, and I never looked back! You just never know who is going to win there do you Mark.
I still watch F1, just not Monaco. I am grateful though that I discovered something which I thought was not worth watching and am now an avid NASCAR viewer.
BTW – I must also say (being a Canadian) that the Montreal circuit is not much better than Monaco.