Speaking of a test drive...

While I am very grateful for Andrew and Janella preceding us into twinhood, my most important test drives during the last few weeks were related to the purchase of the first babies-ready vehicle of our 10-year relationship. Many of you may know Penelope, our Saturn Sedan that I have had since before I met Claudia. She still looks pretty good, but her computers and wires are beginning to be more suspect. With the imminent arrival of Baby A and Baby B, we thought now would be a good time to buy a different kind of car.

Many of our (well-meaning) friends and family suggested that we get an SUV, a crossover vehicle, or even...I shudder to think of it...a minivan. While I know that one day, we may have no other choice than to drive a bigger and less fuel efficient car, I wasn't quite ready to give up on the dream of all urban, hipster left-leaning 30-somethings: that is, to be able to speak smugly of both the practicality and altruistic nature of one's car selection to other, less enlightened friends and family.

Hence, I test drove the following vehicles, and had the following thoughts and ultimate results:

1) Ford Fusion: Who couldn't love this sleek, muscly car with snappy interior design, along with that American sense of space and comfort. It even comes in a hybrid model and has some of the technologically advanced gadgets you can find. It is a smooth operator that we enjoyed driving both in the traditional gas version and in the hybrid. MPG (hybrid): 38/41 (highway). Great marks, but when we saw the hybrid in person, the one big drawback is its trunk capacity. As with others of the sedans with Hybrid engines, the rather large battery used to facilitate its hybrid identity sits quite squarely in the midst of the trunk. This junk in the trunk for my money was going to be too much of a nuisance for a family of four with strollers, playpens, suitcases, etc...to schlep around. Therefore, ixnay on the usionFay.

2) Toyota Prius: This is the aforementioned hipster urbanite's most sought-after dream, the holy grail of fuel economy and altruistic sacrifice of style and (to a certain extent) comfort. We were taken with the experience of driving the Prius, and marveled at its hatchback "trunk" space. It sports more room in the back than many sedans and definitely more than that of the Ford Fusion and Toyota Camry hybrid trunks. It has a somewhat stylish interior (in an austere, Japanese sort of way), and it makes one feel that one is driving inside the cockpit of a small jet airplane, only without all the noise. It is near silent at lower speeds, and rises to just a slight rumble at freeway speeds. Great car, probably enough space, but in the end, my 6' 1.5" frame could not be convinced that I wanted to drive for the next 10 years in the little thing, regardless of its economy. MPG: 49/51 highway!

3) Toyota Camry Hybrid - Beautiful car. Lots of them on the road. Great reviews. Small trunk (See Ford Fusion). MPG: 31/35 (highway). Not as good as the Fusion, but quite high for a sedan. Due to trunk capacity limitations, also a no-go.

4) Hyundai Sonata Hybrid (2011) - After driving a rental Sonata to Angel Fire this past January, I was ready to take a test drive of the new Hybrid which has gotten better ratings in most areas than the other sedans mentioned above. Just one problem...they don't have any in Houston yet, and they don't know when they will be shipped. Sorry Hyundai, we need a car sooner than that. Maybe in 10 years, I'll take another look.

5) Volkswagen Jetta Sportwagen TDI - I almost didn't look at this one after I determined that the new Jetta Sedan was not going to be big enough for us (didn't test drive one, just looked at them online and at the dealership). But, when a friend of Claudia's and mine (thanks Jacy!) mentioned that he thought we should really take a look at it, I decided that it was probably a good idea. In the end, the Sportwagen (don't forget the SPORT part) had everything we were looking for: a stylish, German look, a spacious, though not cavernous, wagon hatchback trunk area, and it still will get us 30+ MPG in the city and 40+ MPG on the highway. We bought it on Tuesday and have not had even a scintilla of regret. It drives smoothly and quietly, has an amazing sunroof, and (my personal favorite) has Bluetooth capability that can run my phone calls through the speakers in the car. Claudia reminds me that most new cars have this option nowadays, but of course I don't have most new cars, but only our Jetta Sportwagen TDI.

Yes, the TDI means that we use Diesel fuel. I have not refueled yet, so I have yet to experience the pain of the higher prices (about 10% more than gas). However, I am confident that with the Teutonically luxurious space we will enjoy and the fantastic fuel economy (30% better than traditional gas options), I won't even notice the extra cents per gallon.

Not ours, but you get the idea:

Now, we'll see what Claudia does when she no longer fits behind the wheel of her 2005 Mustang Convertible...