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There are three kinds of geek drivers: those who want to save the environment, those who want gadgets in their cars, and those with (a lot of) money to burn. And for every kind of geek, there is a car. Toyota Prius Hybrid Japanese carmaker Toyota is winning over a lot of Green Peace geeks with their new 2007 Prius Hybrid Synergy Drive, which hits three birds with one stone. It has: (a) an emission-free electric motor (Advanced Technology Partial Zero Emission Vehicle or AT-PZEV rating.)
(b) amazing fuel economy
(c) cool built-in gadgets such backup camera, Bluetooth, and even smart key
The Prius starts at $22,000+. Buy now if you are interested, and you may be eligible for Federal tax benefits under the Energy Policy Act. Audi A8 Last year was a great year for Audi because geeks just seemed to warm up to the Audi A8. And what tech-loving geek wouldn’t? The Audi features a multi-function steering wheel, electronic shock control, advanced multi-media interface system (with a console terminal and dashboard display), lumbar adjustment, voice control, adaptive lights, electromechanical parking switch, DVD navigation system, and immobilizer alarm systems, among many other things.
The deal is even sweeter for Treo-clad geeks because in 2006, Palm and Audi partnered up to connect Palm smartphones to select Audi cars using special Bluetooth links. Treo hooks up to Audi’s multimedia interface, steering-wheel controls, and voice recognition interface to make receiving and making calls much easier. Treo can also source power from the car’s external antenna via a special cradle. Even more impressive is how Audi ‘understands’ Treo and displays the latter's signal strength, call history, and even roaming status. A basic Audi A4 starts at a little more than $28,000. The A8 starts at $68,000+, and the S8 starts at $92,000. If you cannot afford to fork over that much for a brand new Audi, check out Audi-certified used cars. These cars are so carefully chosen, inspected, and tested that they’re almost like new. Mercedes Benz S-Class Sedan Mercedes-Benz probably wasn’t thinking of the ‘rich geek’ demographic when it launched the 2007 S-Class line with 5.5L 36-valve biturbo V-12 engine (S350, S500 and S600). And yet there cars will likely appeal to geeks more than they would to executives. Why? Because the new Mercedes S-Class is packed with a boatload of electronics that executives may appreciate, but only geeks will understand.
Among the more interesting new features is the revamped cruise control. This Distronic system has 24-GHz radar sensors that kick off both the Benz’s acceleration and braking based on a predetermined (a) speed and (b) distance from the car in front of it. Distance control has been around for a while, but the new Mercedes is the first car to be able to maintain its distance from another car at a set speed until its automated control decelerates to 0 mph, or accelerates to 125 mph. What does this mean to the non-geek? The new Mercedes is so smart that you never have to step on anything even while you’re stuck in stop-and-go traffic. No brakes, no gas. The car does everything for you. And because Mercedes has always been criticized for not being ‘comfortable’ enough, the new S-Class promises personalize-able and ergonomic ‘pneumatic massage’ seats. The seat cushions have air chambers that shrink (light massage) and pump up (more vigorous massage) to your command. The seats are also safe, of course – they are hooked to Mercedes’ braking technology so that they automatically inflate their air pockets when the radars detect an impending crash. How rich a geek do you have to be to own this Benz? Be ready to pay at least $86,000. Of course, you can just wait a few years until this new Benz’s gadgetry trickles down to the cheaper car segment. Or, you can do what many penny-pinching, Mercedes-loving, rich geeks do – wait a few years and buy a certified used Mercedes at a significant discount.
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