Today's dads need not be stuck driving boring minivans or dull family sedans. We've rounded up some of the best automotive choices for the dad on the go.
Cadillac is back in the spotlight with its new, BMW-hunting 2013 ATS. This nimble sedan offers a comfortable ride and luxurious appointments during a commute and power, performance, and planted handing during spirited driving. Its styling (both inside and out) is anything but anonymous, which is a very good thing for dads who want to stand out from the crowd of German sport sedans.
The OnStar system offers a number of features that any dad would find useful, including turn-by-turn navigation, hands-free calling, and automatic emergency crash response. You don't have to buy a whole new car to get these services, just a new mirror. The OnStar FMV replaces almost any vehicle's rear-view mirror, bringing with it GM's concierge service.
Ford's all-new Fusion Hybrid is an economical choice for your family's new Dadmobile. Few cars in the Fusion's class could match this slick sedan in a beauty contest. Even fewer match its EPA-estimated fuel economy and user-friendly Sync AppLink, active driver aid, and automatic parallel-parking technologies.
Mazda knows a thing or two about building drivers' cars and has injected the 2013 Mazda6 with a healthy dose of "Zoom-Zoom." This large sedan carves corners like a much smaller vehicle and offers fantastic feedback to the sporting driver. The 2.5-liter Skyactiv engine may be a bit low on power, but the Mazda6 is packed to the gills with style.
The portable navigation device isn't dead; it's evolving. The Magellan SmartGPS makes use of a home Wi-Fi connection and a smartphone's data plan to bring an assortment of connected services to the dashboard. Not only will this navigator help your dad get from point A to point B without stopping for directions, it can also make his commute smoother with predictive and live traffic estimates.
The Audi S6 (and its sportback sibling, the S7) is a 420-horsepower bruiser in a finely tailored suit. But this sport sedan is no dumb brute; it's got brains to go along with the brawn. Audi's signature Quattro all-wheel-drive system helps this large sedan to dance around bends, and the standard tech package includes a Web-connected navigation system with Google Earth integration.
For about what you'd pay for a fully loaded luxury sedan, you could toss your dad the keys to a Porsche Boxster. Not that there's anything wrong with luxurious, big sedans, but I've yet to meet one that's as much fun as a roadster. The new 2013 model is one of the best handling cars on the road today and how has a muscular, new design to back up its performance pedigree.
I'm sure that your dad is a safe driver, but accidents happen and it's sometimes good to have an extra set of eyes on the road to help prove innocence. Dashboard cameras like the Cowon Auto Capsule continuously capture video out of your car's dashboard and, when an accelerometer-based shock sensor is triggered, capture a clip of the incident.
