Well, Ramona and I have had 5 days to get to know one another. We're getting along quite nicely, I think. Getting in and out of her isn't exactly automatic yet, but it's becoming familiar. Weird that NOT using a key takes more effort for me than using one. But that will become habit soon enough.

I've still got a bag of stuff I took out of the Car Who Shall Not Be Named, but I'm reintroducing those items slowly. It's not really trash, per se, but I'm not sure I need all of it cluttering up my new ride. My sunglasses and charging cables have made it back in so far.

First impressions are definitely good. I like the way she feels, but there are notable differences. First of all, she's quite a bit lighter! In general, that's good. She's quite nimble and probably quicker. But she is a 4-banger and despite her acceleration, she sounds as if she's working harder. I must admit, the sound of the old V6 was much more enticing than a straight four. But I'm getting accustomed to the toss-ability of this one. The quality of materials, especially the interior, is much better than most competing vehicles at this price point, but you can feel the lightness in the doors. They close very solidly but just don't feel as if there's as much to them. On the other hand, the light weight also shows up in the gas mileage -- so far around town I've averaged about 10% better than the old one ever got on the highway. That I can get used to.

Perhaps the best impression comes from the modern driving tech. Moving from a 2008 to a 2017 feels a bit like Rip Van Winkle waking up from a nap. The cruise control is adaptive radar-enhanced. The ability to keep a set distance from a vehicle ahead, up to and including stopping itself when traffic stops is eery. It also has lane-keeping assistance that offers a choice of feedback. When active, if you approach a lane line the wheel feels as if you're running over rumble strips. It's uncanny! I also like that that's as far as it goes. It does not intercede and try to steer for you. I've driven a couple rentals that steer themselves and it's overkill.

A couple of years ago, when it first seemed self-driving cars might be closer that we thought, I read an article that said, while self-driving is technically possible, the smarter path most auto makers are taking is better driver assistance. I like that approach and Ramona is a fine assistant. Okay, she cannot park herself, but neat as that trick is, it still feels more like a trick than necessary assistance.

As the Clark's Third Law states, "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." By that definition, Ramona is magic, indeed.

Farewell, 2008 VW Touareg 2 V6.

I'm not sure why I get so attached to cars. I know they're just material possessions, and depreciable assets at that. But I've loved cars since I was little and I get involved. The story of this troublesome vehicle goes back to around 2004 when I sat in one of the first VW Touareg's in the dealer showroom while waiting for an oil change on the Jetta wagon I had at the time. The Touareg was VW/Porsche/Audi's first SUV and it was nice. I sat in the lovely and comfortable interior thinking, "I'll never be able to afford one of these."

But when it came time to hand the Jetta down to my son, I made the mistake of looking at used Touaregs. The one I got seemed a good deal, but I didn't get my mechanic to check it out and that was a big mistake. It never stranded me and didn't act up all that often, but when it did it was expensive and time consuming to fix. As I posted on Facebook last week, it was like a dysfunctional relationship. I loved her and she never treated me right. I should be happy to see her go, but the emotions are, in fact, mixed.

Getting used to a new vehicle will take a little while. I am pretty good at figuring out the layout and features of different vehicles. Years of business travel, driving unknown rental vehicles away from airports in unknown territory, usually in the dead of night, built that skill. But I think the strangest thing about my new 2017 Mazda CX-5 will be getting used to all the things that actually work! The turn signal cancels itself. (The Touareg's did not.) The sun visor stays up where you put it. (The Touareg's did not.) The Mazda recognizes that the front passenger-side door is closed when it is. (The Touareg did not.)

So, Touareg, as much as I wanted to love you, you were a pain. Your untimely demise was also costly. (Much like health care, the end of life carries a large percentage of the cost.) But they hauled you away today. Good riddance. 

Now to begin a new relationship with my CX-5. I'm thinking of naming her. (Perhaps the Touareg resented never being named, aside from the occasional references to the Beast.) My second car was sporty and red and earned the name Arial, from the redhead Little Mermaid. This car is blue and my kids pointed out that our favorite blue-haired character is Ramona Flowers, from the Scott Pilgrim graphic novels. So, time for Ramona and I to begin getting to know one another. Here's to a beautiful friendship! (And let's hope she doesn't have any evil exes...)