Checking out the mechanical features on a new vehicle is a given. Most of the time, however, the experience of driving is one that has little to do with the mechanical features of the vehicle. It has to do with whether or not you’re comfortable with the vehicle and whether or not you feel you can control it. When you take candidate cars for test drives, pay attention to the following to see if the vehicle is right for you.
Cornering/Height
Larger vehicles are sometimes very top heavy compared to smaller ones. If you’re not comfortable with how much you have to slow down to take sharp corners or if it feels unstable to you, count that against the vehicle being suitable. Most vehicles aren’t prone to roll overs, but you want to feel comfortable behind the wheel.
Braking
See if you can drive around the dealer’s lot a bit and try out the brakes. See how they respond when you hit them hard, as if you were making an emergency stop.
Clutch
Before you head out on the road, find the friction zone on the clutch. As you let out the clutch, there’s a point where the tires start to get power but where the vehicle isn’t quite taking off yet. This is the friction zone. Knowing where this is can stop you from jumping forward and real ending someone.
Visibility
When you’re driving, make sure you take into account how well you can actually see out of the vehicle. Check the visibility when you’re driving slow, too. Try driving around parking lots a bit and see if you have a good sense of how large the vehicle is.
Parking
Make sure you can park the vehicle that you’re trying out. Large vehicles can be real chores in cities and other place where the parking can be very tight. If you feel like parking the vehicle is too difficult for you to do comfortably, consider a smaller vehicle. Big vehicles aren’t for everyone.
Knowing your vehicle is a basic part of being safe on the road. Some people don’t take into consideration whether or not they can even drive the vehicles they buy and end up hurting someone because of that. A car accident lawyer in Dallas can help you if you’ve been injured by a negligent driver. Talk to a DFW car wreck lawyer about filing a lawsuit.
