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A car writer's year in new vehicles [w/video]

Christmas is only a week away. The New Year is just around the corner. As 2014 draws to a close, I'm not the only one taking stock of the year that's we're almost shut of. Depending on who you are or what you do, the end of the year can bring to mind tax bills, school semesters or scheduling dental appointments. For me, for the last eight or nine years, at least a small part of this transitory time is occupied with recalling the cars I've driven over the preceding 12 months. Since I started writing about and reviewing cars in 2006, I've done an uneven job of tracking every vehicle I've been in, each year. Last year I made a resolution to be better about it, and the result is a spreadsheet with model names, dates, notes and some basic facts and figures. Armed with this basic data and a yen for year-end stories, I figured it would be interesting to parse the figures and quantify my year in cars in a way I'd never done before. The results are, well, they're a little bizarre, honestly. And I think they'll affect how I approach this gig in 2015. {C} My tally for the year is 68 cars, as of this writing. Before the calendar flips to 2015 it'll be as high as 73. Let me give you a tiny bit of background about how automotive journalists typically get cars to test. There are basically two pools of vehicles I drive on a regular basis: media fleet vehicles and those available on "first drive" programs. The latter group is pretty self-explanatory. Journalists are gathered in one location (sometimes local, sometimes far-flung) with a new model(s), there's usually a day of driving, then we report back to you with our impressions. Media fleet vehicles are different. These are distributed to publications and individual journalists far and wide, and the test period goes from a few days to a week or more. Whereas first drives almost always result in a piece of review content, fleet loans only sometimes do. Other times they serve to give context about brands, segments, technology and the like, to editors and writers. So, adding up the loans I've had out of the press fleet and things I've driven at events, my tally for the year is 68 cars, as of this writing. Before the calendar flips to 2015, it'll be as high as 73. At one of the buff books like Car and Driver or Motor Trend, reviewers might rotate through five cars a week, or more. I know that number sounds high, but as best I can tell, it's pretty average for the full-time professionals in this business.

2020 Lincoln Corsair revealed with baby Aviator looks

NEW YORK — Since Ford has unveiled the new Escape, it only makes sense that Lincoln would reveal its redesigned Escape-based luxury crossover, the 2020 Lincoln Corsair. The new crossover takes the place of the also-Escape-based MKC. Design-wise, the only real giveaway that the Corsair is built off the Escape's front-drive platform is the short stretch between the base of the A-pillars and the front wheels. Otherwise, the Corsair simply looks like a scaled-down Aviator. While not particularly groundbreaking, it's far from a bad choice, as it looks both broad-shouldered and sleek with a big front fascia and gently falling roofline. Even better, the interior clearly takes cues from the bigger Lincoln crossovers and SUVs with a horizontal layout, lots of chrome, and a bit of a midcentury modern feel. The Corsair does get unique touches such as a full-width air vent design, and a center stack that juts out unsupported from the dashboard. It's the inverse of the Aviator and Navigator control stacks. Lincoln's 24-way power adjustable front seats will be available as an option, while manual sliding and reclining rear seats are standard. Lincoln also touts sound-deadening features such as a dual-wall firewall panel and active noise canceling as standard features. Owners will also be able to use their cellphones as keys to access the car and to control functions from afar, storing settings for the infotainment, seats and climate control among other things. A key fob still comes with the car, and if a phone goes dead, the car can still be accessed and started using both the outside keypad and the infotainment touchscreen. Phones can be deactivated remotely, too, in case of it being stolen or lost. With Escape underpinnings come powertrains similar to that crossover. But the Corsair starts its line with the Escape's top-rung engine, a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four making 250 horsepower and 275 pound-feet of torque. It comes with front-wheel drive as standard, but all-wheel drive is available. According to the Corsair's lead engineer, John Jraiche, the all-wheel-drive system can shift 100% of power to the front or rear. It also disengages the rear wheels when not needed for improved efficiency. The other engine announced is a 2.3-liter turbocharged inline-four making 280 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque. This engine isn't available on the Escape, and it comes standard with all-wheel drive.

Submit your questions for Autoblog Podcast #311 LIVE

We record Autoblog Podcast #311 tonight, and you can drop us your questions and comments regarding the rest of the week's news via our Q&A module below. Also for episode #311, Dan, Zach and Autoblog Editor-in-Chief John Neff chatted with Dan Greenawalt, Creative Director of Turn 10 Studios, about Forza Horizon. Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes if you haven't already done so, and if you want to take it all in live, tune in to our UStream (audio only) channel at 10:00 PM Eastern tonight.
Discussion Topics for Autoblog Podcast Episode #311
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