Longtime no post. Since my last foray into the forums I have moved from Portland, Oregon - where you may recall some of my snow-rally shenanigans testing the Kizashi's AWD system at Crater Lake national Forest - to sunny Miami Beach FL, where I have no need for AWD whatsoever.
I got a job at a high-end sound and video system installation company here in Miami in January and that settled it. After 6 years in the terminally damp, grey, and passive-aggressive NorthWest, my wife, who is Honduran and raised in Miami, was about to go clinically insane from the lack of sun. I wasn't quite as adamant about moving as she was, but after about 5 years there, I was ready to see somewhere new. I speak Spanish and love Latin music and culture, so Miami seemed like a good spot to land, and one that wasn't as insanely built-up and mental as LA nor as panic-attack-inducing as NYC or SF.
Soooo, we packed up the Kizashi, put our stuff in storage, and set off on a 4,400 mile road trip in my trusty 2013 Platinum silver SLS (spoiler alert: the only issue the entire trip that I had was changing the oil and some TPMS alerts because I had inflated the tires to 47psi due to the heavy load) . You would be amazed at how much stuff we managed to cram in this deceptively roomy little (midsize) sedan. As fate would have it, Portland got one of its 20 year snowstorms the night we were due to take off. Of course. The first night where I could have taken the Kizashi out in an empty parking lot in the city and just hooned it we had it packed to the gills and were just about to leave. This is what it looked like the night we left:
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This is what me doing 60 in the snow on I-5 headed out of Portland at 2am looked like:
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As I've stated before, this is one of the best snow cars I've ever driven. Very composed, very stable. I don't think I would necessarily be doing 60 MPH with a loaded down car if anyone else was out there at that hour, but given the circumstances - namely that the snow pack was only about 1-2 inches on the road and it was all very dry and sticky - I felt like I had some leeway to put the car through some more snowy paces. It performed admirably. Very impressed with this car's snow capabilities so far.
We first stopped in Santa Barbara where, even loaded down to the last possible square inch of space with what must have been at least 700 pounds of stuff + the two of us, the Kizashi managed to corner and perform quite admirably on the twisties in the mountains from I-5 to 101. The next day I really felt like I needed to get to the gym after so many hours of sitting and driving. Not for leg cramps, but just general driving fatigue. I will say, however, that the leather seats in the SLS are THE most comfortable seats I've ever driven long distance. Absolutely no cramping even after a 12 hour bruise cruise down I-5. My Honda insight (previous car) almost gave me a damn blood clot in my upper thigh. Anyway, check out what I saw when I got to the gyn in Santa Barbara:
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So we rested for a few days in Santa Barbara and then headed for the Grand Canyon. For the first time in my life. Words and pictures do not do it justice. Just. Go. SEE IT.
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