09.07
Granted I’ve only tailgated once, the NFL and NCAA Football seasons are upon us and it’s got me thinking about tailgating. As a UCLA student from the Bay Area, I’ve already planned to watch the Bruins pound down on the Stanford Cardinal on October 18th at the Coliseum. My friends and I will be throwing down some beef and chicken and pack our bellies before the game. That being said, if I had my choice of cars to take tailgating, then i would pick one of these fine cars:
My beloved Bruins sport the Blue and Gold, and this blue Flex is truly golden. The 2009 Ford Flex is the new boxy, spacious vehicle to hit the streets. The 3.5L 262 horsepower V-6 engine will easily transport my pack of friends and the large cabin space will be able to hold all of our cold beverages, frozen meats, a small grill, and coal or propane. The Flex gets decent gas mileage of 16/22. Splitting fuel costs among 7 softens the blow. It offers a large, comfortable ride that will have heads turning with its unique styling.
The Mercury Mariner Hybrid is one of very few hybrid SUVs that I actually approve of, mainly because it still gets good gas mileage (34mpg highway) and still offers a large cabin. The Dodge Durango Hybrid and GMC Yukon Hybrid are nice, but anyone buying one of those cars is looking for some serious hauling power and not environmental conservation. I consider those SUVs to be more like performance hybrids, but their base models aren’t even performance cars. I say get rid of them. The Mercury Mariner might not be a Lexus or BMW, but it offers enough comfort for anyone going tailgating and offers the fuel economy anyone would appreciate from a real hybrid.
Who wouldn’t want to roll up to the big game in one of these? If your team is playing a decent opponent, You’re going to want to get to the stadium really early to reserve yourself a premium spot near the stadium’s grand entrance (but far enough that you can avoid massive traffic when exiting). If you show up at 8AM for a 1 o’ clock game, you’ll probably want to take a nap and what better ride to nap in than a luxuriously fitted Cadillac Escalade? Can’t forget about the atttention you’d get too. Bust out those burgers and fire up a grill and you’ll have youself a comfortable tailgate going in no time.
So the attention you’d get from a Cadillac Escalade might be enough to boost your pride for the day, but if I rolled up next to you in a Spyker D12, you’d might as well be driving a Ford Escape. Since this post isn’t about reality to begin with, I figured I might as well crank up my fantasies and request a D12 for tailgating. It might not be as big as an Escalade, but if you had enough money for a D12, you’d probably be able to find someone to carry the big cargo for you. I’ve yet to witness any tussles during a tailgate (right after a game is another story. Refer to UCLA vs CAL), but if you get yourself into some drama and you want to split, you’ll be out of sight in no time if you floor a D12 Spyker.
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