How Not to Be Bored While Driving

For those of you who are struggling to figure out what kind of advice we're going to give you here, we're not going to tell you to turn the radio on. We're also not going to tell you to play "I spy" while driving. What we want to suggest is to drive a car that isn't boring to actually drive.

We feel like the industry is robbing us of that feeling of freedom and excitement. Not only are we unable to free ourselves of our mobile devices, we're now expected to plug them into our vehicles and use them to navigate, to take calls and view texts, even to monitor the vehicle's health. Driving used to be considered a fun thing to do. Now, it's not fun unless you have all the latest tech in your vehicle. The only way to escape is to turn off the old mobile phone and drive a car that makes you feel good. We've found a few recommendations for you.

Toyota GT86 / Scion FR-S / Subaru BRZ

Comparing the look of these three vehicles would lead you to expect that they are very similar. They are, in fact. The FR-S and BRZ were developed by the same team and now that the Scion brand is being thrown out, the FR-S will be sold as a "Toyota GT86," with a few upgrades like better suspension.

The thing that makes these vehicles so fun is the feeling of being in control while not really being in control. In other words, they do handle well but they're not engineered to stick to the asphalt like an F-1 car. It feels not unlike driving a go kart, even when you're travelling carefully.

Jeep Liberty

An obvious candidate here would be the Jeep Wrangler. A less obvious one is the Liberty. This SUV looks like it might be another crossover like the Rav4 or Trax. It isn't, though. It is a real SUV, available with 4WD and 210 horsepower. It's a great ride for off-roading, especially where there's limited space to travel between trees and other obstacles.

The liberty feels like the only thing left that compares to the beloved Jeep Cherokee (not the Grand Cherokee). It's rugged and capable but it's also simple, practical and affordable; affordable except in terms of fuel efficiency. Still, it's a fun vehicle.

Honda Ridgeline

Doesn't everyone miss those small, lightweight pickups that used to be on the market? For example, the early Chevy Colorado and the '92 or '93 Nissan Frontier were just little pickups that felt kind of like little sedans to drive. However, they had a pretty fair capacity in the bed.

It was fun to drive small pickups, wasn't it? It was also less expensive than driving big pickups, of course. The Ridgeline and the Colorado/Canyon are all that's left of the smaller trucks; although, some new ones are coming. We think the Ridgeline has that jumpy, bouncy feeling the old compact trucks used to have. You know you miss it!

A Quick Note

When it's time to get serious about buying a vehicle, get quotes online. It's free, there's no obligation, and you might be able to uncover extra discounts from dealers in our network!