Busy Mom Reviews

Greetings from the beach!

The kids are getting bigger, and, each year our vacation ride gets tighter and tighter with the stuff, and, with the people.

The fine folks at Ford Motor Company graciously provided us use of a shiny new 2008 Ford Taurus X (formerly known as the Ford Freestyle), and, so far it's just what we needed.

When I first heard that I'd get to check out a "Taurus", I admit I thought, "How...functional." However, so far, we've driven over 700 miles, and, it's been great, and, I daresay, a lot of fun.

We're having Ford fun, Who knew?

It's what's known as a "tall wagon", not quite a van, not quite an SUV, and, there's room for everyone (this one has six seats), and, our stuff. We've had plenty of room to pack all the bulky vacation luggage, and, food, etc., and, everyone has been really comfortable.

As a matter of fact, the cargo area with the 3rd row folded holds two boys nicely:

It's really powerful (3.5-liter V-6) , and, so far, we've averaged about 25 mpg.

This model is also luxurious, not usually the first thing I think of about Ford, but, it is right fancy.
It has an onboard DVD system, Sirius Satellite Radio, and, GPS, so the kids are never going to want to give it back.

Actually, I'm pretty fascinated with the GPS thing myself. Drove around yesterday just to watch the little arrow thing move along the coastline.

The kids' favorite part is the one touch flip and fold second row seating. It's cool, to get to the 3rd row (which, btw, is quite comfortable for an adult) you push a button, and, the seat flips forward and folds itself up.

I know I'm easily entertained, but, so far, I've truly been impressed by this new Ford.

Actually, I've been especially impressed by the arctic blast air conditioning. It's really, really hot in Florida.

We're getting ready to take it fishing here in a little while, and, we've figured out that everything fits nicely because the 3rd row seats split, and, there's still room for a cooler.

For drinks. No one is putting fish in my shiny new car.

Yes, I can say "mine" for the next few weeks, anyway.

With gas prices the way they are, many people are going to be in the market for a more fuel efficient car.

I've seen more Ford Focuses (Foci?) than ever lately.

Anyway, Carmax.com is a good place to start your search online.

Their newly redesigned website allows you to search for vehicles based on reliability and safety ratings from the NHTSA and J.D. Power, customer and expert reviews from Edmunds.com and more.

Check it out!

The Diesel Technology Forum (DTF) is a non-profit educational organization dedicated to raising awareness about the economic importance and essential uses of diesel engines.

Founded in 2000, the DTF highlights the improvements in diesel fuel efficiency and emissions reductions, and progress to reduce the environmental impact of existing diesel engines, and future developments in clean diesel technology.

The DTF website has a number of interesting items such as a diesel calculator that helps you calculate the potential savings of using diesel fuel.

The Energy Information Administration has more about the current prices of diesel and gasoline and fueleconomcy.gov has a lot of information about vehicle mileage.

If you're not familiar with diesel technology, you can learn more here, or if you want to learn about the diesel vehicles for sale in the US, the DTF website has a list.

Also, the Diesel Technology Forum has an upcoming webinar, Clean Diesel – Driving America’s Energy Solutions, on Wednesday, September 10, 2008 at 10:30 am ET where you can learn more about the impact of diesel fuel technology.

In one month, we will have a new driver, and we're in the market for a new car.

There are lots of things I worry about (Me? Worry? I know, I hide it well, huh?), and car maintenance and safety, especially tires, is high on the list.

When you're an experienced driver, you feel like you know how to handle your worn or finicky tires, but really everyone should know how to take care of tires and when to replace them.

It's summer. and many of us are on the road, and the nice folks at Goodwrench offer these tire tips:

- According to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA,) 660 fatalities and 33,000 injuries occur every year due to tire-related problems. - Keeping your family vehicle’s tires inflated to the recommended pounds per square inch (psi) will not only save on gas, but will provide a safer ride. - It’s important to keep in mind that during the warm weather of summer, hot road surfaces can cause the pressure to increase in a tire. As a general rule, for every 10-degree rise in temperature, a tire’s pressure increases one psi. - Invest in a quality tire gauge! Eyeballing tires to measure pressure can be misleading, as radial tires often look fine even if they are under-inflated.

Drive safely!

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