By Barbara & Bill Schaffer One our favorite pastimes is taking road trips. When we needed to make a recent trip from our home, just east of Portland, Ore., to Boise, Idaho, and the 2018 BMW X6 M happen to be available, it was like a match made in South Carolina. (We say that, because…
By Barbara & Bill Schaffer Lonepine, Mont. ?? When the invitation to Bill?s nephew?s wedding in Lonepine, Montana arrived, we had no idea where Lonepine was, even though Bill was born and raised in Western Montana. A quick check of Google Maps showed a small dot, in the middle of nowhere ? about 20 miles…
By Barbara & Bill Schaffer Road trip ? Typically we don?t think of an SUV as a good road trip vehicle, that would be the bastion for something like a luxury sedan or maybe a crossover. However, over the years the once hard edge of many SUVs has soften to a more passenger-friendly demeanor often…
Leg One – Detroit to Nashville By Bill Schaffer Detroit — With the fifth generation Camaro nearly ready for public consumption, the Chevrolet public relations staff was pondering a unique way to get the word out about the latest version of this iconic muscle car. Someone came up with the bright idea of getting automotive…
By Barbara & Bill Schaffer Washougal, Wash. to Butte, Mont. ? When we last traveled to Montana in April to visit family, Bill?s nephew, Cody, announced he was getting married in July. Of course that compelled us to plan another road trip from our home near Portland, Ore. to Butte, Mont. and then to Deer…
By Barbara & Bill Schaffer We try to make a trip to Montana at least twice a year to visit Bill?s mother and over the years we?ve discovered it?s nearly as fast and it?s a whole lot more fun to drive than fly. On previous trips we?d driven several different types of cars, but we…
By Barbara & Bill Schaffer When it became necessary for us to make a quick trip to California recently, Nissan lent us a 2015?Nissan Murano. Barbara had reviewed it several months ago after the December 2014 introduction, but this was Bill?s first time behind the wheel. What better way to get to know a new…
By Barbara & Bill Schaffer When we get an Audi test vehicle there seems to be a little voice that says to us ?road trip?, so when the 2015 Audi allroad (that?s how Audi spells it, with a lower case ?a?) was added to our test schedule we booked a few nights at our timeshare…
By Barbara & Bill Schaffer Washington to California ? Surveying the press cars to see what might be available for a December road trip; we discovered a new diesel version of one of our recent favorites, the 2015 Audi A3 TDI. Our planned trip from the Portland, Oregon area to the Monterey Bay area, about…
By Barbara & Bill Schaffer Since it debuted as a 2009 model, the Jaguar XF has grown from a couple of models to an extensive lineup offering five different engines and even one model with all-wheel drive. In Europe the selection is even larger with diesel variants and a very sexy new wagon, or as…
