I write a column for the Saturday Business section called Test Drive. Every week I get to try out a shiny, new car, truck or SUV.
It’s not a bad gig. My buddies at the paper sometimes rib me, though, for searching out fancy cars.
Well, in defense of my habit of occasionally writing about $100,000 vehicles, I would like to point out one often-overlooked fact: Radiologists need cars, too.
Sometimes my auto reviews include a laundry list of newfangled features such as traction control, backup cameras, ventilated seats and navigation systems. Automakers are always looking for the next game-changing safety or convenience feature.
Sometimes car company engineers are influenced by their own cultural biases. For example, VW was late to adopt big cup holders, which is understandable because only a dummkopf would drive 125 mph on the autobahn while chugging a Slurpee.