I had fun planning a full day of road tripping – offering to pick up friends and coming up with reasons to travel along some of my favorite road-test-worthy back roads that offered swaying curves and rowdy bumps. Weeeeeeee . . .

This was also my first time on the broad highway. If you thought this car could be weak on pick up, you’d be dead wrong. It never strains to giddy up and it was remarkably perky without much stress on the highway as well. I had to turn down my music (sound system eval coming up) to check out the road noise. For all the windows, it seems like it would make more noise. hmmmmm. Not too bad .

Speaking of all those windows, I don’t think I’ve ever driven in a car with such a huge windshield. I felt a little exposed initially, but the field of vision is excellent and actually reassuring on the highway. Again, I thought I might feel weeny in this car on the highway, but I felt pretty solid and didn’t have any size insecurities – even next to some rather large trucks. This car reminds me of one of those tiny Minature Pincher (affectionately known as MinPins) dogs that is like 7 pounds of tough . . . ruff, ruff . . . and I’m sure it believes it is a 60 pound Rottweiler. It truly has no idea how small it actually is. Believe me. I had a min pin once and it terrorized my 140 pound Newfoundland, who wouldn’t enter a room if Bean — the min pin — was in there!

Now, this is not to say the car is aggressive in any way, because it is such a peaced-out car. I kind of regret not taking the peace sign off my car before it drove away last time, because this car warrants my signature purple peace sign. I digress . . .

Ok. Now we chat about the sound system, which is part of a rather sophisticated computer system, complete with awesome touch screen (which prefers finger nails to blunt ends of fingers, BTW). Being a Green Diva, one of my priorities is music. This car has the upgraded Sony system, which is probably the only way to go. The other thing that I think comes in this particular package, that this Green Diva must have is the GPS system. So, there’s no doubt I need this upgrade package when I get my new C-Max . . . If I ever give this one back!

I’m still trying to figure out this EV system. The car only charged to 12 miles range again. Huh. I’ve written to my Ford contacts to ask about this. I played more with the MANY various screens in the instrument panel. Still haven’t opened the manual. Maybe tomorrow. But isn’t it so cool that the screen on the right with the sound information picked up my iphone’s name (via a conveniently placed USB port) and it says Green Diva Meg. I feel like this car likes me. Creepy and cool at the same time. Stay tuned for more on the evolution of this mobile romance!

eat. drive. be merry!