I’m just back from a wonderful two week vacation in Iceland, and so this week we’re pushing hard to complete a number of jobs, so I’ll be brief. I did, however, want to share some pictures from the land of midnight sun.
I was shocked to see this MG logo on a cross-over SUV in Iceland. While it may look like somebody added their own badges to a generic late-model car, it’s actually an MG product! Its called the MG ZS (they call it the Zed-S over there) and you can Google to learn more about who makes it and how. I have never in my life seen a more inappropriate matchup between a brand name and a generic car with zero classic vehicle personality. It’s almost comic.
Were I to set out to build an MG SUV, you can be sure it would like some oil and sport some sensual curvaceous fenders.
Maybe on next year’s model!
We drove 1300 miles in Iceland in a Kia Sportage. It was an extremely fine vehicle loaded with electronic features that I could barely operate. I am hopelessly stuck in the 60s when it comes to what I expect from a vehicle.
The Sportage provided an amazing contrast between the analog automobiles inhabiting our shop and cars of the future. For example, the Kia had a lane departure warning system that literally moved the steering wheel if we drifted out of our lane… and given the amazing scenery in Iceland, it was easy to drift across the lines.
So while I was longing to drive something a little bit more traditional, the modern minders actually brought some more safety to our trip because in Iceland, there are no guard rails, no shoulders and just about any off-road excursion would lead to a rollover down a significant cliff.
Anyway, it was an awesome trip, we’re glad to be back, and driving around in something a bit more familiar, i.e. in an MGA today with about the dumbest and most ridiculously-designed turn signal switch ever invented.
Which I missed.
And love.
We’ll have more news next week, unencumbered by laser technology and/or electronic key fobs.
Happy Motoring!
