Finishing off the summer with a few days of sunshine and the opportunity to spend a couple of those sunny days driving 25 exciting new cars along scenic Northwest roads definitely makes the transition into the fall season easier for this car girl.
The recent sixth annual Run to the Sun event sponsored by the Northwest Automotive Press Association (NWAPA) brought 25 automotive journalists and manufacturer’s new vehicles to the event, which was staged out of the Tulalip Resort.
The journalists experienced every car over the two-day drive, which was over 425 miles. Each drive was between 10-26 miles, so the journalists got a feel for the vehicle instead of an extensive test drive.
Most manufacturers sent along representatives who rode “shotgun” in their vehicles during the event and explained what is new and different for this model year.
Beginning and ending each day with a convertible made my enjoyment of the sun even greater.
On the first day when I got into the 2012 Volkswagen EOS Lux – the only hardtop convertible with a built-in sun roof, the manufacturer’s representative insisted that I begin the day with the top down even though a chilling fog was rolling into the valley.
I turned on the heated seats and enjoyed the cool drive. We drove over Stevens Pass on the initial day using mostly winding back roads to get to Highway 2.
Heading back over the pass, we followed a different route with more curves and exciting driving.
My final drive on the first day was in the 2012 Mercedes-Benz SLK350 cloaked in diamond white metallic and an interior of Bengal red leather.
Day two began with the 2012 Fiat 500 Convertible. With an olive green exterior and ivory interior, the Fiat was really fun to drive and a great buy in the mid $20’s. The second day’s journey took us up to La Conner and Chuckanut Drive into Bellingham and back to the foothills of the Cascade Mountain Range.
I ended the event in the 2012 Chevrolet Camaro Convertible with inferno orange inside and out.
Total value of the vehicles driven in those two days represents almost a million and a quarter dollar value.
We drove an outstanding variety of vehicles with a broad range of price stickers from a $20,470 Mazda 5 to a $112,805 Mercedes-Benz CLS63. Also included in the lineup were Acura TL SH-AWD, Audi A6 and A7, BMW 650i convertible, Cadillac CTS-V Coupe, Chrysler 200 Touring convertible, Dodge Charger SRT8, Ford Mustang Boss 302, Honda Civic SI, Hyundai Genesis 5.0 R-Spec, Jeep Wrangler, Kia Optima Turbo, Lexus IS-F, Lotus Evora S, Maxda RX8, Mitsubishi Outlander Sport, Suzuki Kizashi, Volkswagen Beetle Turbo, and Volvo S60.
The question is always asked, “Which car do you like best?” I’ll take one of each – thank you.
Sally Hanson is a freelance auto journalist who has been doing automotive reviews for 25 years. A 31-year Kirkland resident, she is the scholarship chair of the Northwest Automotive Press Association.
