Tag Archives: Grand Touring

Review, Rides, Travel

The Kia Stinger Adventure Begins – #KiaStinger #StingerIsHere

Kia Stinger

A couple of weeks ago I attended an incredible Kia Stinger event in North Hollywood, CA. This was an all-expenses paid trip. Opinions are 100% my own.

When I first saw anything about the Kia Stinger I fell in love. It was love at first sight because I only saw the beautiful lines and look of this vehicle. I knew nothing else about it. That all changed when I was introduced to the Kia Stinger at a special event in North Hollywood, CA. I was invited to come and drive the Kia Stinger over the course of a couple of days and also learn all I could about the car. There was plenty of information coming at me as fast as that top speed of the Kia Stinger (167mph).

The Kia Swag

We stayed at The Garland, a quirky and fun hotel. I had never been on a Kia event before and I have to say, Kia covers every base and looks at every detail. The Garland has a cool 70’s feel and that was something that people get from seeing the Kia Stinger. The materials that we received were designed to incorporate elements from The Garland. Notice the orange pillow. The floating dandelion seeds on it and then look at the Stinger Pamphelet. How cool is that. We even received some sweet shades from Maui Jim as part of this event. Those were perfect for the California sunshine.

Before I get going too far you should watch this video above, it hits many of the major details for the Kia Stinger. I’m not incredible informed when it comes to cars. I can’t tell you the reasons why there are differences between cars but I do love driving them and i know when I am having fun. I was having a ton of fun in the Kia Stinger. One thing I do know is that this car was built for four adults to take an amazing trip. This would be a fantastic car for a family of four to go on so many adventures together. Just look at the room in the hatchback. What I liked about the hatchback was that it didn’t feel like a hatchback at all. What an incredible feat of design.

Lots of room

Continue reading The Kia Stinger Adventure Begins – #KiaStinger #StingerIsHere →

Photo-A-Day

BenSpark Rides – Driving the 2017 Mazda 3 Grand Touring – #DriveMazda

Mazda Steering Wheel
Photo-A-Day #4318

I have had a Mazda 3 to drive for over a week. I have enjoyed it thoroughly. The car was provided by Mazda so that I could experience all the car had to offer. Opinions are 100% my own. #DriveMazda

There were a bunch of great features that a commuter like me would use every day. Driving it was a dream. The ride was really smooth and whenever I wanted a little boost of power I had it. No matter what speed I was a at, I could still get a little more power. I don’t have the confidence in my current car to know that it will give me that boost to pass when I want to pass. I never felt that way with the Mazda 3. I always had what I needed to pass when I wanted to pass. When you drive far and often you don’t always want to hang out behind someone putt-putt-putting along in the left lane.

the car also had some nice safety features and one that I failed to mention in the video below. The sideview mirrors had blind spot monitoring. I know that you shouldn’t totally rely on them and you need to use your mirrors and also turn but it is nice to know that If I forgot to do any of those things I would quickly see that there was someone in my blindspot from the light on the side mirrors. That is also a commuter’s dream feature.

I liked that there was a rearview camera, too. We have a small driveway and because of that I often have to park part on the grass so that there is room. When it snows my door is by the snow and it is slightly sloped so I occasionally slip. With the rearview camera I can back into my spot with complete accuracy. It is fun to watch, too.

Fun with Andrew in the Mazda

I liked driving a car that had the advanced keyless entry system. I just have the key fob in my pocket, walk up to the car and push a button to open the car. Push it twice and it opens all the lock, push it again and it locks everything. You don’t even know how much I would have loved to have had this for the past year with my current car where I have to get Andrew in and out and then fumble with keys. Yeah, my 2015 car doesn’t even have keyless entry and that is standard on this edition of the Mazda 3. The the push to start button was excellent. It was so easy to get on the road and just drive.

My favorite feature, though had to be the Multi-Function Commander Control in the center of the car. I could do everything one handed and never have to take my eyes off the road to switch music, make calls, turn on navigation. Everything would display on the 7″ Color Touch-Screen Display. I didn’t even realize that it was a touch screen until today, and I’ve had the car over a week. I did everything with the control knob in the commander center.

Overall I give this car a really high rating. I’ve enjoyed driving the Mazda cars ever since my trip to Joshua Tree last April. While I drove those cars on a fantasy road trip, it is nice to know that the same cars have great real world practicality.

Continue reading BenSpark Rides – Driving the 2017 Mazda 3 Grand Touring – #DriveMazda →