5 Essential Tips for Buying the Best Commuter Car for Your Daily Commute

by Gabrielle DeSantis

A report by the U.S. Census Bureau shows that the average one-way commute in the United States increased to a new high of nearly 28 minutes in 2019. If you’re one of those folks with a daily commute of over 20 minutes, you likely understand the importance of choosing the best commuter car for your daily commute. And if you’re new to the everyday slog? You’re going to want to keep these five essential tips in mind when car shopping for the best commuter car for your daily trek to the office.

1. The best commuter cars and SUVs are affordable cars

Toyota Camry | Toyota

Buying a new commuter car shouldn’t break the bank. In fact, many of the best commuter cars are new cars under $30,000. Take, for example, the 2022 Toyota Camry. Pitched by Toyota as the “cure for the common commute,” the 2022 Toyota Camry starts at $25,295. While higher trim levels are more expensive, the Toyota Camry remains one of the most affordable new cars on the road today. Not to mention, it’s also a fuel-efficient, reliable, and safe new car. 

2. Reliability matters if you’re shopping for the best commuter car

Price isn’t the only thing you should consider when shopping for the best commuter car for your daily commute to the office. You should also consider how reliable a new car is. Fortunately, finding out such information is relatively easy. Consumer Reports is a treasure trove for car reliability ratings. J.D. Power’s annual dependability study also highlights the most reliable new cars on the market. U.S. News & World Report regularly publishes new car reliability ratings too.  

3. The benefits of choosing one of the most fuel-efficient cars

A blue Toyota Prius driving
Toyota Prius | Toyota

Whether you find yourself commuting 20 miles or 50 miles per day, chances are you don’t want to spend a significant amount of time or money at the local gas pump. Fortunately, you don’t have to. In fact, some of the most fuel-efficient cars are also the best commuter cars. The 2021 Toyota Prius, for example, is among U.S. News & World Report’s picks for the best commuter cars. It also delivers an EPA-estimated 54 mpg in the city and 50 mpg on the highway. 

4. The best car safety features for your daily commute

Safety features are also important when shopping for the best commuter car for your daily trip to and from the office. Fortunately, new cars these days come stocked with safety features. The best safety features you should look out for include driver-assist safety features like forward collision warning, blind-spot detection, lane departure warning, and a rearview camera, State Farm reports. Safety features like adaptive cruise control can also be beneficial during the daily commute. 

5. The best car interiors for commuting are comfortable and full of features

Say your commute is 30 minutes long. That means you’ll be spending at least an hour behind the wheel of your car every day. There’s no denying that’s a significant amount of time. That makes it all the most important to choose a vehicle with one of the best car interiors for commuting. That means choosing a new car with features like power seats, heated and cooled front seats, and automatic climate control, CarMax reports. Also, take into consideration what types of interior features you’ll enjoy. Would a premium sound system make your commute better? Or a full leather interior?

The best commuter cars deliver in these categories

If you’re shopping for the best commuter car, it should deliver in each of these categories. Not only should it be an affordable new car, but it should also be one of the most reliable new cars on the road today. It should be among the safest new cars too. And when it comes to its interior? Make sure it’s both comfortable and well-stocked with features. 

RELATED: Midsized SUVs With the Roomiest and Most Comfortable Interiors According to Consumer Reports

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The 2022 Cadillac Escalade Loses 2 Color Options but Adds 3 New Ones

by Gabrielle DeSantis

Having your hands on the wheel inside a high-riding SUV like the Cadillac Escalade gives you an experience that smaller cars can’t offer. Of course, you enjoy several advantages when you opt for an SUV or 4X4 vehicle, including the ability to navigate challenging terrain, which most cars can hardly manage. That means that the Cadillac is more than just a luxurious SUV.

On the other hand, keeping up with the public’s insatiable demand for high-riding autos is no mean feat. For that reason, Cadillac has SUVs on sale for the 2022 model year. The offerings, in this case, range from the compact XT4 to the full-size Escalade flagship. It was recently released that the upcoming 2022 Cadillac Escalade model would lose two of its color options. However, Cadillac would also be adding three new color options to the luxury SUV model to balance it out.

Cadillac Escalade’s color options that are going away

The 2021 Cadillac Escalade Premium Luxury and Sport models | Cadillac Pressroom

GM Authority reports that the 2022 Cadillac Escalade will introduce many changes, including deleting two exterior paint colors. This way, the luxury SUV will premiere with a revised exterior paint palette. The color options that are going away are Dark Mocha Metallic and Shadow Metallic. 

New color options coming to the 2022 Escalade

The deletion of the two exterior colors from the 2022 Cadillac Escalade model also paves the way for introducing three new exterior colors. These color options will be Wilder Metallic, Mahogany Metallic, and Galactic Gray Metallic. Each of these new 2022 Cadillac Escalade exterior paint colors will come at an extra cost. 

Photos of the three new exterior colors are not yet available. So, the best you can do is imagine how they will look on the all-new 2022 Escalade, but one thing is for sure; these exterior colors will not take away the bold look of this luxury SUV.

Other updates to the 2022 Cadillac Escalade

There are a few additional updates and changes on the 2022 Cadillac Escalade over the previous 2021 model year. Additionally, the release of the 2022 Cadillac Escalade marks the second model year of the all-new fifth-generation nameplate. The new changes include adding the Buckle To Drive feature, which aims to promote safe seatbelt use.

The technology extends to the Teen Driver mode and prevents the driver from shifting out of a parked position if the seatbelt is not yet fastened. How does the technology work? After starting the SUV in Teen Driver mode, the driver hears an audible alert when the brake pedal is depressed. The system will also issue a message through the driver information center informing one to “buckle seat belt to shift.” 

The driver is finally able to move the vehicle after fastening the seatbelt. Once you enable the Buckle To Shift system, it times out after 20 seconds, and the Teen Driver mode or Settings menu on the onboard infotainment system will allow you to turn the system on and off. Additionally, if you want to enable the Teen Driver mode, you need to create a PIN in the settings menu. The PIN will register the teen’s particular key fob, according to GM Authority.

Another big update for the 2022 Cadillac Escalade that will be easily noticeable is the absence of the Near Field Communication (NFC) phone pairing feature. NFC enables quick data transfer between compatible devices close to each other. That, in turn, streamlines the smart device-to-infotainment pairing process. The NFC phone pairing feature was standard for the 2021 model year but will not be available in the 2022 Cadillac Escalade because smartphone pairing has significantly simplified over the past few years.

Additional highlights of the 2022 Cadillac Escalade include the GM Super Cruise semi-autonomous drive system, an all-new exterior, and technology features like the large OLED curved infotainment display.

RELATED: The Cadillac Escalade is Getting A Much Needed Power Boost

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Three Of The Most Beautiful Classic Race Cars

by Gabrielle DeSantis

When it comes to racing, there is a famous saying that “form follows function.” That means a car’s purpose and design is where its beauty originates. Perhaps that notion is debatable when talking about the race cars of today. Cars from the past, however, are an entirely different story.

Race cars of that era were stunning. Some of those race cars were also exceptionally successful. We want to highlight some of the prettiest and most successful race cars.

1957 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa

1957 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa | Ferrari

Many classic car enthusiasts and historians believe that the Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa is one of the most beautiful cars ever made by human hands. When looking at the Testa Rossa’s lines and curves, it is easy to see why someone would think so. Keep in mind while looking at the silky shape of the 250 that when Ferrari made this car, there was no 3D printing, no computer-aided design; it was all shaped and designed by hand.

The Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa was just as fast as it is pretty. It was one of Ferrari’s most successful race cars. The car earned Ferrari wins at the 12 hours of Sebring, 1000 Kilometres of Buenos Aires, the Targa Florio, and Ferrari’s first-ever win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. In 1958 the 250 Testa Rossa helped Ferrari secure the World Sports Car constructors’ title. Today the Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa is exceptionally rare and often sells for tens of millions of dollars at classic car auctions.

1954 Jaguar D Type Roadster

1954 Jaguar D Type roadster race car racing on a track.
1954 Jaguar D Type race car | Jaguar/Malcolm Griffiths

This Jaguar is indeed a special car. Widely regarded as one of the most beautiful cars in the world, its shape continues to inspire the design of Jaguar’s car to this day. Just take a look at the Jaguar F-Type to see hints of the D Type’s DNA. Like the previously mentioned 250 Testa Rossa, the D Type race car is impossibly curvy for a vehicle that was built by human hands rather than a computer-controlled machine. 

The Jaguar D Type was more than a pretty face. The D Type won the 24 Hours of Le Mans three times in a row for Jaguar. The D Type was one of the first race cars at the time to have monocoque construction and all-wheel disc brakes. That might sound silly now, but back then, that was the bleeding edge of motorsport technology—all in a form factor that was very easy on the eyes. 

1955 Mercedes Benz 300 SLR

1955 Mercedes Benz 300 SLR race car.
1955 Mercedes Benz 300 SLR #722 | Mercedes Benz

Before the Project ONE hypercar, the Mercedes Benz 300 SLR was the original “Formula One car for the road.” In the mid-1950s, Mercedes Benz was actively participating in both the World Sportscar Championship and Formula One. Rather than build two completely different cars for both series, they essentially took their Formula One car (the W 196 R) and gave it a two-seat sports car body. The result is the 300 SLR. 

British racing icon Sir Stirling Moss famously drove the Mercedes Benz 300 SLR. In Moss’ hands, the 300 SLR earned double victories at the Mille Miglia, a win in the Eifel race, the Swedish Grand Prix, and the Targa Florio.

Race cars of today are quite different than what was commonly seen back then. Current racers are much faster and more advanced. However, it is hard to argue that perhaps the racecars of the past have the edge when it comes to beauty and soul. 

RELATED: BMW M4 GT3 Race Car Revealed: Nostrils Remain

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The Three Best 80s TV Show Cars

by Gabrielle DeSantis

Cars and other vehicles were so closely tied to pop culture in the 80s that they often had prominent roles on the most popular television shows. It seems strange that TV show cars would be such a big deal, but we can vouch that it is true. Sometimes, a show featured a vehicle because it just looked exceptionally cool. Other times, the angle of a show revolved around a highly advanced car full of secret technology.

That flimsy premise was more than enough to keep countless 80s kids glued to their dangerously heavy CRT televisions every week. Who wouldn’t want to watch a car literally fight crime while also making sarcastic quips at the driver? We certainly did! 

To honor those cherished memories, we will share with you some of our favorite cars from 80s TV shows.

‘The A-Team’ van 

The ‘A-Team’ Van | Ian Gavan/Getty Images

The A-Team was an over-the-top, action show with tons of violent scenes in which nearly everyone magically escaped unharmed. Yet, none of that mattered because millions of people tuned in to see the hilarious banter between the A-Team members and watch them chase adventure in their iconic van.

The A-Team van never had a nickname, but it was so synonymous with the show that it didn’t need one. Based on a 1983 GMC Vandura, the A-Team van was the group’s mobile base of operations. Equipped with aggressive fender flares, a rear spoiler, and one of the coolest paint jobs ever, the A-Team van was easily recognizable. While technically a van, it is still one of the coolest TV show cars of all time.

The ‘Magnum P.I.’ Ferrari 308 GTS

A red Ferrari 308 GTS at a car show with its engine cover open.
Ferrari 308 GTS | Andrew Beckford, MotorBiscuit

Tom Sellick’s “Thomas Magnum” character had it all in 1980: a closet full of floral shirts, daringly short shorts, a mighty mustache, and on-demand access to a bright red Ferrari 308 GTS. Is there a better TV show car than a Ferrari? It is tough to say, but we would imagine Tom Sellick would probably go with “no.”  

The Ferrari that the Magnum P.I. character drove throughout the entirety of the series is easily the reason why countless kids (and more than a few adults) daydreamed about owning their own 308 GTS someday. Audiences were so enamored with Magnum’s Ferrari that the car didn’t need a gimmick. That is what makes it one of the excellent TV show cars of the 80s.

‘K.I.T.T.’ From ‘Knight Rider’

The car "K.I.T.T." from the 1980s television show "Knight Rider" seen on display in a museum.
‘K.I.T.T.’ from ‘Knight Rider’ | Andrew Beckford, MotorBiscuit

We are sure you all saw this coming. It is impossible to create a list of our favorite TV show cars and leave out “K.I.T.T.” from Knight Rider. Knight Rider was a prime example of an 80s car TV show. K.I.T.T. was featured prominently in the show’s intro, outro and was on screen just as much as the show’s main character “Michael Knight.”

Knight Rider was K.I.T.T.’s show; the other characters were just along for the ride. No pun intended. K.I.T.T. is based on a 1982 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am. The production team created a custom front end to set the fictional car apart from the actual muscle car it was built on, featuring the iconic tracing red lights. A replica of K.I.T.T. can be seen in person today at the Petersen Automotive Museum in LA.

We are glad you came on this trip back to the 1980s with us to a time when all you needed to get a show greenlit was a cool car. These days things are not as simple but maybe if that Knight Rider film ever gets made, shows like it will get a resurgence. 

RELATED: Three Of Our Favorite 80s Movie Cars

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