Miles, Jess, welcome to the Consumer Reports auto test
center.
This is Jen Stockburger, she's the Director of Operations
here.
Hi.
Hi, Jess.
Hi, Miles.
Welcome.
So we got kind of a special thing for you guys today.
We're going to put you in this car
and expose you, in the safety of our track, to some, hopefully,
real world experiences, build your confidence
behind the wheel, and show you some
of what the car's capable of doing for you to keep you safe.
So, Jess, how long have you been driving?
About a year.
Yeah.
And miles?
I got my permit a month ago.
Oh, so there's a difference even among you
guys, which we may see out there.
So, Jess, with your vast year of experience,
I think we're going to start with you in the driver's seat.
So let's get out there and do it.
All right, guys, "let's drive" on three.
Ready?
OK.
Hands up.
1, 2, 3.
Let's drive!
We're off to drive!
So exciting.
So the first course we're going to do
is getting a feel for heavy braking.
Anti-lock brakes, or ABS, are key to stopping in the shortest
distance, while maintaining control of your car
in an emergency.
But Jen says it's really important
to get a feel for when they are engaged and working well
before you ever need them.
And it's important for Jess and miles
to learn that you want to apply firm pressure
and keep your foot on the brake until your car is stopped.
[ENGINE ACCELERATING]
OK.
When you hit the two cones, brake.
[TIRES SQUEALING]
Whoa.
OK.
So that was a good brake--
Whoo!
--but it wasn't hard enough.
OK.
You didn't feel the ABS, because you'll know when you get it.
So we're going to try it again.
When you feel ABS, your reaction is
going to be to lift off that.
Yeah, I definitely did.
Don't do it, because let it do its job.
Like almost stand on them, Jess, to get that emergency braking.
Here we go.
Oh, she's got it now.
[TIRES SQUEALING]
Ooh!
That was great.
Yeah, so good, so good.
That felt so weird.
And that my friends is the ABS!
You know I ate lunch right before this.
[LAUGHTER]
All right, Miles, put some miles on this car.
All right, here we go.
Hit those brakes.
Ooh.
Whoa.
Feel it?
I felt like something, like, tapped on my foot.
Yeah.
(CHUCKLES) A little tickle on the foot.
If someone tickles your foot, you usually yank your leg away.
Well, don't do that.
Now, back to Jess for ABS demo number two.
So you're going to go to the cones, start your braking,
but at the same time, put a little steering.
And what we're trying to demonstrate
is that ABC lets you do both.
Which is why it's such an advantage.
So brake and steer.
And that's what Jess is going to do right now.
Right, Jess?
All right.
Here we go.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
[ENGINE ACCELERATING]
You got it.
Now brake, steer.
All right!
Yes!
Solid.
See it?
I was so scared.
So you had both.
The steering wheel, like, I thought it wasn't going to,
like, actually turn.
But it did.
OK.
There you go.
Don't be nervous, open track.
Not a person out there you could hurt.
Yeah, just cones.
OK.
And brake.
Nice.
You did it.
I was expecting to hit a cone.
Oh, maybe you did.
Maybe we just rolled--
oh, now you did.
Now I did it.
What is this?
This is called the avoidance maneuver.
See the two cones in the middle?
Yeah.
Pretend that's a kid running out with a ball.
And I'm going to say to you, at the last minute, left or right.
Because in the real world, you won't
be able to prepare for the kid running out.
And can you make that quick, evasive maneuver?
[ENGINE ACCELERATING]
Coming in, and I want you to go left.
Good job.
Ooh.
Excellent!
Did you feel the control?
Yeah.
You were in the box, you avoided the kid with the ball.
You did a great job.
And I felt the ABS.
And you felt the ABS.
Now Miles gives the avoidance maneuver a spin.
Right.
Now brake.
Brake, brake, brake, brake.
These complicated maneuvers can be tricky for young drivers.
That's part of the point.
Right.
That was good.
Good!
So how are you feeling?
Getting a little more comfortably each time?
Yeah.
And that's the point.
New lesson, so this is a slalom course.
Yeah.
What we're looking for here is a couple of things.
One, training yourself as a driver
to not look so close to what's ahead in front of your bumper,
but kind of ahead of where you want to go.
I also want to see your hands just at 9 and 3.
It does two things: gives you control,
but prevents you from getting injured
if the airbag should ever deploy, because your hands are
now on the sides.
OK.
Look ahead.
[ENGINE ACCELERATING]
Staying steady on your throttle.
Nice.
(CHUCKLES)
Nice.
Yeah.
Very nice.
Excellent job.
And you did something that was very good,
you also kept your gas pedal and your throttle very steady.
Now Miles tries the course.
There you go, Miles.
OK.
Slow down, you're going to miss.
See, now you're missing.
You're giving too much gas.
One more time.
Speed up, speed up.
Right.
There we go.
Left.
Nice.
Yay!
And left.
Awesome!
Nice.
So good!
Do you feel it?
Yeah.
I think I hit a cone, though.
That's OK.
That was great!
Nice job.
Nice work, buddy.
Nice job.
How you feeling, Jack?
Yeah, I'm doing-- I'm doing good.
(LAUGHS)
So you guys did great.
You did great.
So, Jen, ultimately should teenagers practice these?
We absolutely encourage, if there are driving schools
in your area that do similar demonstrations,
take advantage of them.
Not only do they give you that experience like we just did,
they can give you a break on your insurance.
So, what do you think?
You want to go try some more?
Yeah, let's do it again.
Oh, I think I'm going to sit this one out, guys.
(LAUGHS)
All right?
Good luck over there.
All right.