Without a doubt, cars packed with technology tend to look sleek and high-end. With more and more cars going down a route of touch screens, built-in navigation systems, and Bluetooth phone capabilities, we couldn’t be more grateful for voice commands!

Voice commands have almost become a necessity in today’s technology-packed cars. It’s simply not realistic to expect a person to safely operate a vehicle while trying to adjust temperature settings via a touch screen. These intuitive voice command systems have incredible voice recognition capabilities, allowing the computer to understand your commands.

These voice command systems can seem intimidating if you’ve never used one before, but once you get to know the commands that your car responds to, it’s very easy to get your car to do exactly what you want! In many of these cars, some touch-screen features are disabled while the car is in motion for safety reasons. This means it is critical for you to learn your car’s voice command system.

Route your GPS, make a phone call, change your music, turn up the heat, or any number of other car functions simply with your voice. It doesn’t get much easier than that - and we sure are thankful car manufacturers are taking the needed steps to keep us all safe.

On September 19th we saw the release of the totally re-designed Honda Accord. If you are looking to get some bang for your buck, the buck stops here. Honda has literally added thousands of dollars worth of features and technologies to its base model while only increasing the price by about $200 (depending on the model you choose).  You can expect your new Accord to cost $21,860 for the base model and up to $33,430 for the high-end Accord Touring model.  

Honda has taken itself to the next level, completely rebuilding the Accord- from the ground up. Not only does it have a new sleek look, but the technology it packs is competitive and impressive. You will find that every new Accord comes standard with alloy wheels, rearview camera, expanded view driver’s mirror, Pandora Internet Radio® capability, USB/iPod ®integration, Bluetooth®, AM/FM/CD audio, SMS text message function, and dual-zone auto climate control.

If that’s not enough to get you into this car, let’s talk fuel efficiency. Not only is this car fun to drive, but it is leading in its class on fuel efficiency. The 4 cylinder Accord rocks an impressive 27/36/30 mpg city/highway/combined fuel economy rating. That doesn’t impress you? Well, how about the 6 cylinder model, which is rated the most fuel-efficient vehicle in the midsize sedan V-6 class. You are looking at a city/highway/combined fuel efficiency rating of 21/34/25.

Still looking for more options? The 2013 Accord offers other impressive technologies such as the all-new HondaLink™ system which allows you to stay connected to your phone, social media, and music- so you can put your phone away. We are also seeing the all-new Honda LaneWatch™ blind spot monitoring system debut in the Accord.  Switching lanes make you a little nervous? Not any more, with a camera integrated in the passenger side mirror and using the 8 inch color display screen, you can see everything coming your way.

For a family friendly and gas efficient car loaded with the latest technologies, we think the new Accord is quite the value!

Most parents want their teen drivers to have a “safe car” as their first car, but even the safest cars in the world cannot protect a young, inexperienced driver who has not been properly trained. This is one of the ideas that led to the creation of the Mercedes-Benz Driving Academy in Los Angeles.

Mercedes-Benz’s academy is a state-certified teen driver training and education center. The program includes 30 hours of interactive online courses, classroom sessions, and workshops to help familiarize new drivers with situations and rules of the road before getting behind the wheel. The course also includes 16 hours of behind the wheel training with professionals who coach students to help them make decisions for themselves on the road.

The program comes with what may seem like a steep price tag to many, $1390, yet it provides an education that may prove to be priceless.