5 Road Trips 3 Hours or Less From New York City

by Gabrielle DeSantis

New York City is exciting and fun, but it can also feel frenetic. So sometimes it’s great to get out of the city. A road trip is a quick escape that helps change your perspective and opens doors to new adventures. Here are some amazing car trips three hours or less from the Big Apple. 

Quaint towns less than 2 hours from New York City

RELATED: 3 Fun Rental Cars for Your Next Road Trip

It’s easy to escape New York City by car. By traveling less than 120 minutes, you can feel like you’re in another world. TimeOut recently compiled a list of the best road trips from NYC, and we’ve chosen our top five that are less than three hours away. You can even find great spots less than two hours from the big city.

Located in Pennsylvania, only 1 hour and 34 minutes from NYC, the Pocono Mountains offer an escape to another realm. In the Poconos, you’ll find gorgeous mountain views, fall foliage, summer lakeside activities, hiking, biking, and pretty much anything to do with the outdoors. There are also quaint towns filled with hotels, inns, and bed and breakfasts for fun, romantic getaways. 

Looking for a slice of Americana that’s barely an hour’s drive out of the Big Apple? Check out Cold Spring, New York, an 1 hour and 13 minutes north of the city. Don McLean wrote “American Pie” here, so you know it’s about as American as you can get. Cold Spring is a cozy riverside town loaded with antique shops, an adorable trolley, and even a country store. With a population of only about 2,000, it’s the definition of a small-town hamlet and a perfect visit to get away from the hectic pace of city life. 

This big city is less than 2 hours from NYC 

On the other end of the spectrum, why not check out the bustle of another city? It’s only 1 hour and 56 minutes from the Big Apple, but Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, has a completely different vibe. If you love history, Philly is a great choice for walking tours, the Liberty Bell, and the site of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution in Independence Hall.

Philadelphia is also famous for its food, so don’t leave without trying an authentic Philly cheesesteak sandwich. At a distance of only 100 miles, New York to Philadelphia is the perfect road trip in an electric vehicle. 

Beach towns 3 hours or less from New York City

RELATED: Can Your Car Handle a Road Trip?

Traveling just a bit farther opens up new adventures and, even better, the opportunity to hit the shore. Check out these destinations less than three hours from New York City. 

The coastal town of Westerly, Rhode Island, is 2 hours and 37 minutes from the city. Westerly combines a gorgeous, sandy Atlantic coastline with a charming New England town. While you’re there, check out the Babcock-Smith House Museum, the Watch Hill merry-go-round, and the shore, where you can enjoy live music at a beachside restaurant or relax on the sand. Head to the posh Watch Hill section of town, and you might even get a glimpse of Taylor Swift’s summer house. 

There’s also Cape May, America’s oldest resort town, located just 2 hours 20 minutes from New York City. This classic vacation town boasts beautiful beaches, restaurants, and brick-paved streets with great shopping plus trolleys and horse-drawn carriages. It’s a perfect weekend getaway to recharge your batteries and get a new perspective. 

With these awesome destinations just a short road trip from New York City, there’s no reason not to hop in your car and for an awesome drive this weekend or anytime. 

The post 5 Road Trips 3 Hours or Less From New York City appeared first on MotorBiscuit.

/by

Consumer Reports Reveals the ‘Truth’ About Destination Fees

by Gabrielle DeSantis

You’re at the car dealership, excited about the new car that’s about to be yours. You’ve researched makes and models, picked out options and extras, and finalized your financing. All that’s left to do is sign the paperwork and drive the car off the lot – until you see the final price, including what seems like an exorbitant destination fee. 

A man looks at the sticker price of a new car. |Tim Boyle via Getty Images

What Are Destination Fees?

Destination fees have long been a part of buying a car, but what exactly are they? That’s a question without a definitive answer. Car manufacturers say they’re a way to recoup the cost of shipping a car to its new destination, but it’s largely unclear how exactly they’re calculated and what they include. That leads consumer advocates to believe that a destination fee is just another way to make money off selling cars. 

Dealer fees, including destination fees, on a new car sticker.
Car Dealership Sticker | Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Destination Fees Are on the Rise

Adding to the mystery of destination fees is their recent rise. According to Consumer Reports, destination fees have increased from $839 in 2011 to $1,244 in 2020 without any real explanation from car manufacturers as to why. “If they had a valid reason beyond just driving up the price, they would actually be able to point us toward specific examples of costs that have gone up within the shipping process,” said David Friedman, CR’s vice president of advocacy. 

Why Do Some Car Companies Charge More Than Others?

While some automakers like Audi and BMW have managed to keep destination charges relatively in line with inflation, Stellantis brands Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep costs have jumped by 90% since 2011. So why does Car and Driver say it costs more to transport some brands than others? Consumer Reports tried to get to the bottom of it, but they were met with vague answers that didn’t exactly clear things up. 

A Jeep Grand Cherokee on a transport truck to its destination.
A 2014 Jeep Cherokee is seen on a transport truck |Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Big Cars May Cost More

According to Autotrader, larger, heavier vehicles tend to have higher destination costs, likely because they take up more space on transport trucks and cost more in fuel to ship. Think you can save money if you live near a factory? Think again. TrueCar says that costs don’t vary based on the dealer’s distance from the factory, either; every destination charge on every car of the same make and model is fixed.

A train full of cars on their way to dealerships.
Cars Being Transported | Hendrik Schmidt/dpa-Zentralbild/ZB/picture alliance via Getty Images

Destination Fees Are a Fixed Cost, but There’s Wiggle Room

What can the average consumer do about this often-hidden charge? Consumer Reports wants automakers to have to disclose their destination charges in their advertised prices. This would make the car buying process easier, as shoppers would be aware of additional costs beforehand.

In the meantime, consumers will have to do a little digging on their own. Unfortunately, Edmunds says there’s not a lot to be done about the charge itself, but that doesn’t mean you can’t offset the costs in other ways. Look to negotiate other fees, such as dealer documentation or advertising fees. Yahoo Finance recommends asking for extras like fabric protection or preventative maintenance vouchers.   

The post Consumer Reports Reveals the ‘Truth’ About Destination Fees appeared first on MotorBiscuit.

/by

Every New Midsize Luxury Car Consumer Reports Has Tested Has Failed at This

by Gabrielle DeSantis

It can be tricky to make environmentally friendly purchases, especially new vehicles. But Consumer Reports is making that easier for buyers with its Green Choice designation. However, eco-conscious shoppers looking for new midsize luxury cars might be out of luck. That’s because all have failed to earn CR’s Green Choice designation. However, one EV may soon achieve the honor.

About Consumer Reports’ Green Choice designation

RELATED: Do Luxury Cars Get Pulled Over Less?

Consumer Reports has a new designation called Green Choice to help buyers find environmentally friendly vehicles and encourage more manufacturers to produce them. Carbon dioxide and other gases that gas-powered vehicles emit contribute to climate change, pollution, smog, and related health problems. New technologies are making cleaner gas or hybrid vehicles and zero-emissions EVs possible.

A green leaf icon identifies Consumer Reports’ Green Choice vehicles. The designation means these cars have low or zero emissions, with lower levels of greenhouse gases and smog-causing gases. The Green Choice designation goes to only the top 20 percent of vehicles with the cleanest emissions.

No new midsize luxury cars qualified for the Green Choice designation

Consumer Reports lists 11 luxury midsize cars for 2021. However, its testers have reviewed only six of them, and none qualifies for the Green Choice designation. Some hybrid and plug-in hybrid versions have strong ratings from the EPA, but their gas-only versions seem to knock them out of the running for Green Choice.

The EPA gives the 2021 Volvo S90 a rating of 5 out of 10 (with 10 being the best and given for the lowest emissions) for greenhouse gas emissions and 7 out of 10 for smog. However, a plug-in hybrid version gets a 10 for greenhouse gas emissions and 7 for smog. The 2021 BMW 5 Series received 5 or 6 from the EPA for greenhouse gas emissions and 5 or 7 for its smog ratings. It also has a hybrid version, the BMW 530e. It earned a 9 for greenhouse gas emissions and 7 for its smog rating.

The 2021 Lexus ES offers several engine options, and the EPA rates this model a 5 or 6 out of 10 for greenhouse gas emissions. It gets 5 or 6 out of 10 for its smog ratings as well. However, a hybrid version, the Lexus ES 300h, has a 9 out of 10 for greenhouse gas emissions and 7 out of 10 for smog. The 2021 Audi A6 is rated a bit lower by the EPA and doesn’t offer a hybrid option. It gets a 4 or 5 for greenhouse gas emissions and a 5 for its smog ratings.

The 2021 Mercedes-Benz E-Class gets just a 3 or 5 from the EPA for greenhouse gas emissions and 3 or 6 for smog. The 2021 Maserati Ghibli receives a dismal 2, 3, or 4 from the EPA for its greenhouse gas emissions and a 1 or 3 for its smog ratings.

But Consumer Reports hasn’t tested the Audi e-tron GT yet

RELATED: Consumer Reports Recommends Only 1 ‘Ultra-Luxury Car’ for 2021

Of the five midsize luxury cars Consumer Reports hasn’t tested yet, one stands out. The Audi e-tron GT is a brand-new vehicle. Because it’s all-electric, it has no tailpipe emissions, which would qualify it as a Green Choice once tested. Even the interior is eco-friendly with recycled materials and no leather, although buyers can add leather upholstery.

The Audi e-tron GT will compete with the Porsche Taycan, Tesla Model S, BMW i4, and Lucid Air, all high-performance electric sedans. The e-tron GT shares the same platform as the Taycan because the Volkswagen Group owns Audi and Porsche.

Audi says the e-tron GT can charge to 80 percent in 20 minutes using public DC fast-charging stations. It also states the base trim will have a range of 238 miles, and the RS trim will have a range of 231 miles.

Both models pack a 235-hp front motor. The base trim has a 429-hp rear motor, which combines with the front to generate 469 hp, which jumps to 522 hp for 2.5 seconds when in “overboost” launch control mode. The base trim produces 464 lb-ft of torque or 472 lb-ft of torque in overboost. The RS trim has a 450-hp rear motor, which generates 590 hp or 637 hp in overboost. Its max torque is 612 lb-ft.

Consumer Reports’ new Green Choice designation helps buyers choose the most environmental vehicles. Though there aren’t any midsize luxury cars that hold the designation yet, the 2022 Audi e-tron GT will likely earn the Green Choice honor once CR tests it.

The post Every New Midsize Luxury Car Consumer Reports Has Tested Has Failed at This appeared first on MotorBiscuit.

/by

Can You Add Parking Sensors to a Car That Doesn’t Have Them?

by Gabrielle DeSantis

Many new cars in the market come with parking sensors installed, but what if you want to install them on your older car? Older cars don’t have fancy sensors or infotainment systems built-in, so adding parking sensors might seem almost impossible. Fortunately, there are a lot of aftermarket solutions currently available for just about any car, so it is a possibility.

What are parking sensors?

A parking sensor on a Hyundai Ioniq 5 electric vehicle (EV). | Photographer: SeongJoon Cho/Bloomberg

Parking sensors are small sensors installed into the front and rear bumpers of a car that emits ultrasonic waves and then receives them back from an object nearby. These sonar waves are then transmitted to a display in the car’s interior to let the driver know how close or far the car is from a nearby object.

The system alerts the driver by emitted a tone, or beeping noise when the car is close to the object. As the car gets closer, the tone becomes louder and more constant to let the driver know they need to reverse the car’s direction.

You can choose between an audible or visual parking sensor system

A Mercedes-Benz E200 drives on its own through a parking house equipped with Bosch sensors.
A Mercedes-Benz E200 drives on its own through a parking house equipped with Bosch sensors. | AFP PHOTO / DPA / Marijan Murat / Germany

If you decide that you want to outfit your car with parking sensors, then you can either opt for an audible only or an audible and visual system. An audible-only system will give you the audible alert via beeping. While an audible and visual system will have a display to show you how close or far your car is away from an object in addition to beeping.

How do you install parking sensors on a car?

A parking sensor system
A parking sensor system | Amazon.com

Depending on what type of system you get, installing parking sensors on a car can be really easy or somewhat difficult. If you want the really easy route, then you can get a system like the FenSens, which is basically a license plate holder with the sensors attached to it that sends info to an app on your phone.

It’s really to install, however, it works best if you have the phone app on all the time. But if you would rather have the traditional parking sensors, then you can get a kit with the actual sensors and the equipment to hook them up. Just note that you would have to drill into the bumper and hook up wiring, so professional installation is recommended if you don’t have the proper tools.

Upgrade your car into the future

Whichever way you plan to add parking sensors to your car, you’ll be glad you did as those little sensors can mean the difference between parking safely and getting into a mild fender bender. And since your car will be safer, you’ll be able to keep it longer and in better condition.

There are plenty of parking sensor systems currently in the market, however, most of them retail for anywhere from $20 to $200. You’ll still have to factor in the cost for labor to install the kit and possibly even paint for the bumper and the sensors, though.

The post Can You Add Parking Sensors to a Car That Doesn’t Have Them? appeared first on MotorBiscuit.

/by