The Fast Lane Car

Fat Guy in a Small Car III the 2011 Scion IQ Preview

Imagine a funky, chunky white guy snuggled in a tiny Scion IQ – just as pleased as punch as he smiles at you.

The folks at the Scion booth during the 2011 Chicago Auto Show tried to look away in sheer embarrassment as Roman Mica (TFLCar.com despot) stuffed me inside the less than 118 inch-long machine. Not only did I perch my big booty in an IQ – I squeezed into the tiny back seat on the passenger side; and I FIT! Yup, the novel 3+1 seating basically means the passenger’s front seat has more inches of forward leg room than the driver’s side. This means, there is some room in the passenger side of the IQ for – wait for it – passengers!

The seat behind the driver is useless for anybody over five feet tall IF the driver is short too. Otherwise, the back seat behind the driver is good for a small grocery bag or maybe a baby seat. When I pulled myself into the back seat, I think the Scion crew thought I was mating with the IQ.

The Smart way to visit the Arctic Circle by Paul Shippey

Editor's Note: Our friend and long time automotive journalist/photographer, Paul Shippey, spent last week in the Arctic proving that a Smart car can be as at home on the Dempster Highway as on the streets of Paris. This is an excerpt of a story he's writing for Wired Magazine about his Smart Arctic adventure. Photos by Paul Shippey.

‘Trucker, trucker…’  yelled Jeremy on the two-way radio! 

In the distance I saw the telltale sign of smoke billowing into the frigid arctic air from two huge exhausts that rose like giant snorkels from behind the cab of the truck. I had two seconds to prepare for the meeting.  David meets Goliath in the middle of the Arctic tundra…