Well is been about 20 days of ownership of Serhilda Subaru and what a ride.
For a pair of near 70 year old old farts getting a vehicle with leading edge technology on board has been a real buzz
It took years to get my beloved to progress from a flip Nokia phone of the nineties to a iPhone 6s, as the family passed off old phones when one got a upgrade.
That was a step that equaled a moon walk, however after about a fortnight of total remorse of the dead Nokia one realised how much fun it was to learn to play with things like emoji and sounds and to her credit she has progressed dramatically since crossing the boundary of self imposed ignorance.
iPads once just electric newspapers now are a more a interactive challenge and now with the arrival of Serhilda the curve and interest is nearly vertical.
I have the feeling that friends and associates are a little apprehensive to put mildly of our/my decision to move into such a tech loaded machine but in my view as we get older we must embrace the available technology to assist us with the driving / travelling task as it does not take that much research that if you are a elderly you are immediately assumed to be at fault because of age and we have to prove innocence from a handicap of assumed incompetence.
This car will not and does not drive itself, make decisions, but it does make you more aware of you being in control of a vehicle.
Face eye cameras, lane departure, observation of head movement away from road and fatigue all thing we do naturally but sometimes we might just need a jog to remind us. Age is irrelevant with these tools but the fact it’s there reinforces the obligations of holding a licence.
Some younger find it objectionable, a imposition of accountability when you already know everything, the older are afraid they will be jolted into realism of how habits can develop into hazards and the fact that repetition and getting away with it does not make it right.
Personally I love driving with a passion, being fortunate via PMG, Telecom, TELSTRA to have some of the best training one could have in heavy vehicle and mechanical aids and I have never taken for granted that learning when upgrading vehicles and technologies across the board.
Serhilda has put me/us back in the classroom and both of us are loving the experience, and in saying that I enjoyed the Honda CRV but as a vehicle where corrigation and potholes are a daily occurrence was under the pump,but ideal in city and minor bumpy stuff. Long term for me was a unit that could fit stuff if and when needed with my issues and with the new platform Subaru is now delivering my wife is in the safest vehicle of its class in the world made our decision easy.
Last car ever so we now have a unit that compares with 15 years of Lauren Landrover TD5 in character and technology and I hope performance and reliability.
Serhilda means “Armoured Battle Women.”
The Lateral Hazard 