Residents in our western suburbs are suffering from an endemic problem: Too many Range Rovers that can't be told apart.

Imagine taking your 11-mpg Range Rover Sport to the Chestnut Hill mall, only to lose it next to a row of other Range Rover Sports. Or picture weaving in rush hour traffic along Route 9 with your clear, towering view of the road, and then some other Range Rover cuts in front of you, blocking everything. Suddenly, your mind blanks. You can't tell if that's your wife's Range Rover, or whether the Range Rover you're driving is the one you borrowed from your teenage son.

This is not any way to live.

(Clifford Atiyeh for Boston.com; Interior: Chrysler)

You won't see the 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee at the New England International Auto Show. It was here for a few hours during the Thursday media preview, and then Chrysler shipped it back to Detroit where it debuted Tuesday at the North American International Auto Show. The black 2013 model, at right, is on display.

We love the Grand Cherokee so much that the New England Motor Press Association awarded it -- twice -- as its official Winter Vehicle of New England. This refreshed model makes a lot of improvements that make the Mercedes ML-Class (which shares its basic chassis) appear very overpriced.

Beyond new dressings at the front and rear -- including body-colored grill surrounds, more chrome, and LED accent lighting on the loaded Overland Summit pictured above -- is a big Jeep that's very serious on saving fuel. That has never happened in the company's history.

Nine times out of ten, car furniture will ruin a room.

Not this time. This slate pool table fashioned like a flattened Ford Mustang has me wishing I had a basement. Is it overwrought? Too tacky? Maybe so. But like the fishnet leg lamp from "A Christmas Story," it's just perfect. That's why it's officially licensed by Ford.

At the New England International Auto Show, you can walk over to the Ford stand and play a round on this 1965 replica, which comes equipped with original wheels, working lights and the full assortment of factory chrome trim pieces. It's the actual width and height of the genuine car, almost as if a real Mustang was packed in the dry cycle and squished and chopped by hand.

As you sit and complain about how cold it's gotten, wondering when the next snowfall will arrive and how much it will wreck your commute, I could not care less.

It's not that I don't care about you, even though I don't know you. We're fellow New Englanders, after all. I'm just in a much warmer, happier place.

Above is Cape Town's Kalk Bay from atop the hills that surround the turquoise seas below. You could be driving on these roads, some of the windiest and most thrilling roads in all of Africa, and indeed, the world. You could be tackling elevation changes and watching the earth curve nearly 270 degrees at the Cape of Good Hope.

All I had was a tinny Nissan Versa, but hey, great roads are great roads no matter what you're driving.

Pack your bags and get on the 20-hour flight. Everyone speaks English. You can eat fresh fruits and vegetables. You won't complain anymore. Just get here -- and grab the best-handling car you can.

I love the Audi S4. The reason has something to do with it being: a) German, b) fast, and c) able to plow through a New England snowstorm. It's tough to get all three together in the same car.

The supercharged six-cylinder engine is velvety smooth and full of torque, the quattro all-wheel-drive keeps the the chassis stable and safe at high limits, and both 6-speed manual and 7-speed dual-clutch gearboxes are flawless. Combine that with decent fuel economy (18 city/28 highway) and a crisply tailored, high-quality design in and out, decent room, great steering ... gosh, the only things I don't like about the S4 are the tricky HVAC knobs and silly radio controls. Give me the rest.

Or rather, give me the station wagon. Drop 19-inch rims off the hot-and-heavy RS5 coupe and paint it Ferrari red. God almighty Father, give it to me.

Since I can't order an S4 like that in America, I had to drive one in South Africa some 9,000 miles away. (That's not why I came here, of course, but it ended up being a good bonus.)

The Tesla store in the Natick Mall the night before its opening on Sept. 28.

(Tesla)

Despite a Superior Court judge denying an injunction against Tesla Motors, the Massachusetts State Automobile Dealers Association says it will not drop its month-old lawsuit against the electric automaker.

At issue is Tesla's small store in the Natick Mall. Well before it opened next to Victoria's Secret in late September, MSADA and its national arm, the National Automobile Dealers Association, had threatened to sue Tesla for running company-owned dealerships, rather than using independently-owned franchises. Massachusetts law, for example, outright bans automakers from owning their own dealerships.

MSADA and NADA both contend that Tesla is deliberately skirting dealership franchise laws, which require dealerships to hold special licenses and guarantee repair work for the cars they sell, among other rules. Tesla, by opening showrooms in shopping malls and other traditional retail areas, says it is merely doing what Apple has done. Since the company doesn't have the production capacity to stock any of its 22 U.S. stores with inventory, customers can only get on a wait list. They can't buy a Tesla on the spot and drive off like at a regular dealership.

None of that has satisfied the dealer associations. In mid-October, MSADA filed suit against Tesla for illegal trade practices. The Natick store backed off, refusing customers reservations or test drives like at some of its other stores.

Ken Elmore, dean of students at Boston University, poses with Zipcar on campus. (Zipcar)

As marketing campaigns go, we're not sure why Zipcar is halving its rental prices on Election Day, but hey -- if you can get around town faster and cheaper than the T, we'll take it.

Zipcar customers can rent hybrids, the company's cheapest rate, for $4 per hour anytime Tuesday from 5 a.m. through 9 p.m., right about when the polls close. It's worth noting that a round-trip T fare, minus all the waiting, now costs $5. When you factor in the superpower of legally parking in Boston's wide-open commercial zones (Zipcars all have commercial plates), the day gets even sweeter. Of course, if the T's cash tiller is broken -- not uncommon on most Green Line trains -- you ride for free and beat Zipcar hands down.

All of Zipcar's models are available at half price during the same times, including its big Econoline vans (now $7.88) and luxury cars like the Audi A3 ($6.75). Full-day rentals are not included. As another downside, Zipcar customers must first pay up to $60 per year to use the service, although many discounts are available that knock the price down to as little as $15.

However, we should say this: If you absolutely need a car to get to a polling center, then your town probably doesn't offer Zipcar in the first place.

Racing drivers Todd Kelly (left) and Rick Kelly (at right) flank Nissan Australia CEO William Peffer Jr., beside the most ridiculous Altima that will never be sold.

We've already been wowed by the 2013 Nissan Altima, which has been thoroughly redesigned as a more comfortable, stylish, and fuel-efficient midsize sedan. Bill Griffith found the Altima's 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine to be more than adequate, and on Seattle highways last week, I couldn't agree more. It's quiet, quick, and all-around competent.

That said, wouldn't the new Altima be fantastic with a 400-horsepower V-8?

Nissan's Australian division agrees. They've skipped past the V-6 and built a race-spec Altima V-8 for the Australian V-8 Supercars series, the first time in two decades that a non-American car has entered the competitive field of rear-wheel-drive, four-door V-8 sedans. It's very much the Australian version of NASCAR, except Supercars race cars can actually be identified as stock. Until now, only the Holden ClubSport and Ford Falcon sedans -- both of which can be purchased in Australia with massive V-8 engines -- have been in the mix.

Nissan hopes to make a big splash -- much in the way Toyota did when it entered an American-dominated NASCAR in 2007 -- especially when the race series arrives to the brand-new Circuit of the Americas course in Austin, Texas next May.

We just wish Nissan's ultimate family sledgehammer was a production Altima. What kind of praise must we spew to make that happen?

In a friendly corporate gesture to victims of Hurricane Sandy, Chevrolet said it would donate 50 pickup trucks and vans to the American Red Cross to help with relief efforts.

Consider it a donation worth at least $1.25 million, or roughly $25,000 per Silverado pickup and Express van. That's on top of an earlier $250,000 donation that General Motors made to the Red Cross prior to the storm. All of the vehicles will be pulled off dealer lots to speed delivery.

Viewed as a marketing effort, GM's donation may not put anyone in the mood to buy a Chevy -- or any car, for that matter. New and used car sales are expected to face a noticeable drop this month and into November as storm cleanup continues and billions in potential damages mount.

As of Tuesday evening, 8.2 million people across the Northeast were without power, with New York City and New Jersey residents left without any mass transit. Many parts of the region's shoreline remains under water, and 39 people have died.

Had I entered accounting or some other traditional office career, I'd have rented an exotic car right after my 25th birthday. I'd have blown a thousand or two to drive a Ferrari or a Porsche for a few days, and then weep when it went away.

Instead, I became an automotive journalist, in which I sometimes see astronomically expensive cars dropped off at my feet, for free, each week. Now I will never rent a Porsche or a Ferrari because I've already had them, minus the price of gas, without any rental fees, security deposits, mileage restrictions, or annoying insurance requirements. Because of this, many people hate me.

For everyone else, renting has been the only option -- and it hasn't been a great deal.

This is not the Charles River, but you get the crazy idea nonetheless.

In one of those "just because" moments, a motorboat in the shape of a Mini Cooper convertible will patrol the Charles River during this weekend's Head of the Charles Regatta.

At first glance, the boat appears to be a real Mini supported by an invisible barge, as the tires just skim the water's surface. A closer inspection reveals the truth: the entire body is a fiberglass mockup, complete with real tires, wheels, headlamps, and other factory parts. Real or not, rowing coaches would agree it's far more stylish than their own motor boats, but they don't need a Mini to bark at their athletes during practice.

Instead of the Mini's zippy four-cylinder engines -- some of which produce more than 200 horsepower, all this Mini has is a dinky 6-horsepower outboard. Speed won't matter, however, as the Mini boat only needs to ferry safety officials alongside hundreds of rowing teams. The Regatta typically attracts more than 9,000 teams and 300,000 spectators lining the three-mile route from the Boston University Boathouse to Christian Herter Park (heading west right after the river curves left).

In April, Mini grafted the bow of a DUKW-style vessel on the front of a blue Cooper hatch, dubbing its creation the "Yachtsman." This concept, which was "endorsed" by the Royal Navy, had a pirate flag and eye patch stuffed in the glovebox, an exhaust snorkel, and a "shark-resistant undercoating." "Simply downshift, grab a life vest, and let the Mini Yachtsman take care of the rest," the company said.

Just wait what these folks dream up for the next April Fool's day.

It might be getting cooler, but the season for open-air car shows is not over. Summer tires, convertibles, exotics, classics -- all of them should be out until the first snowflake hits. At least that's how I see it.

Here's a list of upcoming car shows in October (and only in October). If you have information on more, send me an email at clifford.atiyeh [at] globe dot com. Or, go to calendar.boston.com and add your car show to our site.

Herb Chambers Lexus in Sharon:

Cars & Coffee - Saturday, Oct. 13, 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. (with guest Wayne Carini from "Chasing Classic Cars"

Larz Anderson Auto Museum in Brookline:

VW Day/Transporterfest – Sunday, Oct. 7, 2012, 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Tutto Lite – Sunday, Oct. 14, 2012, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Cars and Coffee - Saturday, Oct. 20, 2012, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Extinct Car Day – Saturday, Oct. 27, 2012, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Studebaker Day - Sunday, Oct. 28, 2012, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

More:
Patriot Energy Charity Car Show - Saturday, Oct. 6 in Burlington
British Legends Weekend - Friday, Oct. 5 to Sunday, Oct. 7 in Falmouth
Amvets Post 147 Car Show - Sunday, Oct. 7 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Haverhill
BearskinNeck.net's Annual Fall Classic Car Show and Cruise Day - Sunday, Oct. 7 from 10 a.m. to at least 4 p.m. in Rockport

(Dominic Casserly for Boston Magazine)

Over the summer, I drove 2,138 miles on some of New England's greatest roads, hitting every state except Rhode Island.

I can't recall a more perfect summer on four wheels, and if you pick up the latest issue of Boston Magazine, you'll have a brilliant reason to get away next weekend as the leaves reach their peak spectrum of fall color.

Have a look, break out the maps, and get driving (and eating...there's plenty of time for that, too, along these routes).

Over the summer, I'd grown tired of the produce at my local Whole Foods. I wanted even fresher vegetables and fruit, but without having to trek to Haymarket or wait an entire week for the Allston Farmer's Market, open just hours at a time.

Allandale Farms in Brookline, the last working farm in the Boston metro area, is now my go-to shop for most everything delicious in season. First, it was the blood-red tomatoes. Then, the crisp, sweet cucumbers and squash. Now, it's the half-dozen varieties of apples I don't ever see at Whole Foods.

Allandale is open all week, has ample parking, and sits just 15 pretty minutes away from my home. Last week, I drove there in a 2013 Aston Martin V8 Vantage, a rare British sports car that makes the similar-looking Jaguar XK feel as common as farm equipment.

Thing is, it's not as fast as it looks. That could be good, since if I owned one, I'd be less likely to wreck it than if I had a Jaguar XKR-S, which has another 130 horsepower above the 420 found in the Aston's 4.7-liter V8. It's manly little car, too, with a heavy, spring-loaded racing clutch, heavy steering, a chunky shifter, and a stiff suspension. It's a workout to drive this car smoothly. And when you do, that XKR-S, for the same price, can beat your tail at a stop light. I'm not sure I'm OK with that.

Aston Martin offers a quicker fix: the 510-horsepower V12 Vantage. But that's even more expensive, and it's undoubtedly heavier and likely less nimble. For veggie runs, the V8 Vantage is all anyone really needs.

Check back later for a full review in the Sunday Globe.

(Jaguar)

A Jaguar XK coupe speeds on the autocross loop at Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, Conn.

Whether or not you're able to buy an $80,000 car makes no difference on how well you can hammer it in a parking lot.

Starting Friday, Jaguar will bring all of its sedans and coupes to Gillette Stadium, set up an autocross course, and let anyone over 21 years old smoke the tires (sorry, kids). It's part of Jaguar's "Alive" driving tour, which heads to 18 cities across the U.S. in an effort to sway people from the more popular German and Japanese competition.

The XF, XJ, and the limited XKR-S -- the most powerful Jaguar ever made -- will be on hand alongside professional racing instructors. A skid pad, acceleration and braking tests, and opportunities to crank stereos and order massages in the XJ's leather seats should provide easy entertainment for several hours.

They're here all weekend from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. More information is at Jaguar's site here. And be smart about the fine print -- do you really want to own an $80,000 car if you do something dumb?

West Boylston borders the Wachusett Reservoir, just 15 minutes north of Worcester and about an hour from Boston. It's a town next to many other towns that we hardly cover in the Globe or on Boston.com, save for the occasional Home of the Week.

That's exactly the reason I drove out there for a photo shoot, with my fuzzy friend Jack, in the 2013 Mercedes SL550. Summer may be fading in New England, but so have the humidity and thunderstorms. That makes the season ripe for convertibles like the SL, which come prepared for cool September nights with heated, massaging seats and the "Air Scarf," which blows hot air on your neck from under the two headrests. Combine that with a 429-horsepower V8, semi-decent fuel economy (24 mpg), and a folding hardtop with a dimming glass roof, and you'll feel relaxed enough to drive to Canada.

That's where I'm headed next.

(Jaguar)

Tracy Morgan and Jane Krawkowski, of NBC's "30 Rock," and figure skater Johnny Weir at Jaguar's "Chill NY" event on Aug. 16.

I'm not one to rush the seasons and push Christmas when it's August, but for New Englanders, this is huge: We can finally buy a Jaguar with all-wheel-drive.

Jaguar, however, couldn't wait for December. Last week, the company placed a giant snow globe on Manhattan's High Line Park to demonstrate its new-found traction (and free ice skating for New Yorkers, all on top of an old elevated railway).

Clever marketing aside, this isn't the first time we've seen an all-wheel-drive Jag. From 2002 to 2008, the X-Type came with standard all-wheel-drive, although the compact sedan was quickly brushed off for its mediocre quality. However, these new all-wheel-drive Jags are undeniably two of the best luxury cars in the business, the midsize XF and full-size XJ.

Until this point, Jaguar's entire U.S. lineup had been rear-wheel-drive. Combine that drivetrain with big V8s and wide, aggressive "all-season" tires, and you got a recipe for constant winter failure. Three years ago, I couldn't get an XF up a driveway with two inches of snow. Then, last year, a steeper, freshly plowed driveway (with maybe a quarter-inch of packed snow) sent the XJ's rear wheels into a tizzy.

Jaguar's best solution for winter driving had been a button with a snowflake icon, which when pressed, did absolutely nothing. If these had been my own cars, I'd have immediately switched the tires to winter treads before the first real snowflake fell.

That might not be necessary on these 2013 XF and XJ models equipped with optional all-wheel-drive. For now, it's only available paired to the new 3.0-liter six-cylinder engine, another first for Jaguar in a long time. This supercharged six puts out 340 horsepower, 45 less than the big 5.0-liter V8, and returns better mileage (25 mpg on both the XF and XJ all-wheel-drive models). A new 8-speed automatic and an available automatic start/stop system also help fuel economy -- which, like winter, had never been a strong suit for Jaguar. Pricing hasn't been announced.

We're very excited to try Jag's new all-wheel-drive system -- and maybe, if driveways don't get the best of it -- a Jaguar will make NEMPA's annual list of top winter vehicles.

Mitsubishi will race a prototype electric car with no less than three motors at this Sunday's Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, the most tire-smoking, altitude-sickening rally stage in the world.

The i-MiEV Evolution, a winged, bare-bones race car with a tube-frame chassis and carbon fiber body, uses three electric motors from the production i-MiEV, a tiny electric hatchback. That means there's a maximum of 198 horsepower and 435 pound-feet of torque, all zapping through a torque-vectoring all-wheel-drive system. In other words, it's going to be quick.

When it comes to tallish, van-like hybrids, the Toyota Prius V has been the only choice since its debut last year. Now, there’s a competitor in this exact vein (high stubby body, big hatch) with better fuel economy: the Ford C-MAX Hybrid with 47 mpg city and 47 mpg highway. That beats the Prius V’s 44 mpg city and 40 mpg highway.

While it’s rare for a hybrid to achieve equal city and highway numbers, Honda has done that already with the Civic Hybrid, which gets 44 mpg at both ends. Typically, hybrids score higher in the city since they can coast at slow electric-only speeds. Ford has sold the five-passenger C-MAX in Europe for years, yet it’s coming to the U.S. solely as a hybrid model (this fall) and a plug-in hybrid called the C-MAX Energi (early 2013).

As for base price, the C-MAX Hybrid beats the Prius V by $1,315 (including destination for both cars). We don’t know yet what’s standard on the C-MAX Hybrid versus the Prius V, nor can we say anything for how it drives, except that Ford claims a 62 mph top speed in electric-only mode, more than double what any Prius can reach. As for the regular Prius and smaller Prius c, no oil-burning car on the market – gas, gas-electric, or diesel – has been able to beat them in an EPA test.

On Tuesday, I finished an 800-mile New England trek in a black-on-black BRZ, Subaru's first-ever rear-wheel-drive sports car. I hopped out on the side of Route 107 in Gilmanton just long enough to snap a few photos, and not a moment more.

That's because Route 107 is brilliant. Route 107 makes your ears compress and pop. Route 107 is the reason lightweight cars like the Subaru BRZ exist. And it goes on for miles upon miles, where the entire road was seemingly all mine.

The BRZ, when it's not on the road side, is a man-magnet. Teenage boys and 40-something fathers couldn't take their eyes off the little Subaru. I stopped counting the amount of caveman-like head nods and open mouths along my drive. As one boy told me while I left a gas station in Holderness, the BRZ is "f$#$ng sweet." Apparently, this car completely sells itself.

I like how it looks, too. It's simple and pure. It's under $30,000 and not at all fast. It feels fast, thanks to a high-revving flat-four with a slightly lumpy idle that's like nothing else on the market. The steering and brakes are Porsche-worthy in their response (and dare I say, the BRZ has a more responsive electric steering rack than the new 911, which now is a little numb on-center).

As I write this after hiking for three hours and spending another three hours behind the wheel, I don't feel tired or sore, which says a lot about the BRZ's comfortable driving position and supportive seats.

Check this space again for more "Overdrives," where I'll occasionally post what I'm driving and where I'm driving it. This time, I admit, I got lucky.

Can a $100,000 electric sports car really save the Sudanese people from another all-out civil war? George Clooney would like to think so.

The actor is auctioning his 2008 Tesla Roadster – the first production all-electric car since the GM EV1 and Honda EV Plus – to benefit his nonprofit Satellite Sentinel Project, which uses satellite imagery to monitor the borders of Sudan. The group apparently can pinpoint atrocities and other aggressions, to which it then notifies other world organizations. Auction house Gooding & Company estimates the car will fetch up to $125,000. Clooney’s car is one of the first 100 cars sold from California-based Tesla Motors. The Roadster is no longer sold in the US and a new one won’t debut until at least 2014, when Lotus (Tesla’s manufacturing partner) redesigns its mid-engine Elise.

The auctions will take place on Aug. 18 and 19 as part of the annual Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, a California gathering of the world’s wealthiest car connoisseurs and their rare motors. Jay Leno is also auctioning off his Fiat 500 “Prima Edizione,” one of the first 500 Fiats made for the US last year. The money will benefit the Fisher House Foundation, which helps the families of wounded American soldiers.

Correction: An earlier version of this story stated that Jay Leno was not donating the proceeds to charity. He is, as stated above.

The last Lexus model to receive the company’s new “spindle grill,” the flagship LS sedan takes a meaner face and actual performance upgrades for 2013.

We say “actual” because the LS has never hinted at purveying speed or enjoyment for the driver. It has always been a Japanese Mercedes S-Class, an ultra-quiet, tech-laden cocoon with some of the best customer service in the automotive industry. The refreshed 2013 LS gets quieter, of course, with aerodynamic tweaks and noise-reducing wheels with “resonator holes.” But a new F Sport model packs bolstered seats, paddle shifters, Brembo brakes, limited slip differential, and a lowered air suspension on summer tires. The F Sport, in addition to waking up the sleepy, conservative types who buy a big Lexus, is here to grab more share from the sportier Audi A8s and BMW 7-Series.

Inside, the big 12.3-inch LCD display that debuted in the midsize GS is also here, along with an optional wood package that looks dipped in golden honey (it’s apparently a mix of dark and light woods that takes Japanese craftsman 38 hours to put together).

Other new features include blind spot monitoring with cross-traffic alert and an auto-braking feature that stops the car under 24 mph should the driver not respond. Everything else – size, weight, engines, the six-figure hybrid model – carries over unchanged.

Pricing has not been announced, although we wouldn’t expect it to crest $70,000. The current LS 460 starts just over $68,000. Don’t worry about fuel economy. Even the hybrid – which we tested (and loved) in 2009 – makes no difference for a car this plush and heavy.

“There are no more bad cars.”

That’s the phrase I keep overhearing at auto shows and press events, from both the press and the PR folks. Now, in a grand sense of things, this is true. Modern cars built in the last five years are more reliable, better built, safer, and offer such a huge array of features formerly unseen on anything costing less than $80,000. Even expensive European sports cars (barring flammable Ferraris) are more reliable and easier to live with than ever before. But as we’ve raised our standards for what a “good” new car must deliver, that means automakers must improve their cars at a more significant pace.

And believe it or not, there are more than a few cars that haven’t been able to keep up. In fact, there are four. They’re not bad to the level of the 1985 Hyundai Excel, but they're cars I'd go out of my way to say to someone “Wait, you’re making a mistake!” Can you think of more?

On Saturday, the Chevrolet Corvette turns exactly 60 years old, and with models packing 638 horsepower, it's plenty far from a cushy retirement in Fort Lauderdale.

The latest Corvettes, now in their sixth generation, use the same basic formula as the first creamy, tail-finned car that came off the assembly line on June 30, 1953: a fiberglass body with two seats and rear-wheel-drive. Since then, more than 1.5 million Corvettes have been built and sold across the world. It is unmistakably one of the world's most iconic cars, a huge symbol of American pride, and able to tackle much more expensive cars for mere fractions of the price.

First shown as a concept at the New York Waldorf-Astoria as part of the traveling "Motorama" shows, the Corvette didn't become the knockout, performance car hit we know today. General Motors only planned to build 150 in the first year, and the original "Blue Flame" engine was just a small, 160-horsepower six-cylinder. Demand later doubled that amount, and by 1954, Chevrolet produced just 3,640 cars (a V8 came in 1955). The famous assembly plant in Bowling Green, Ky., wasn't opened until 1981. Since then, every Corvette -- from the emissions-choked models of the early 1980s to the 205-mph ZR1 of today -- has started life there.

Even more incredible is the fact that the Corvette still lives on, despite decades of poor management and financial decisions by GM executives. Here's hoping the Corvette can last another 60.

(Eliana Monteforte for Boston.com)

That's me smiling, because now I don't have cold sweats worrying about the city's nearest charging station.

In April last year, my neighbors thought I'd burn the building down while charging one of the first Nissan Leaf electric cars. Outside of the Charles Hotel parking garage in Cambridge, there were exactly zero public charging stations in the Boston area. It was cold, which meant the batteries had even less capacity than they normally do. I almost got stranded on my way to work. It was bad.

Now, after a week with a 2012 Nissan Leaf (base price $36,050), it's comparatively peachy to drive an EV here. Boston installed three public stations outside City Hall a month after my first test drive, and in October, Brookline placed two charging stations in Coolidge Corner, less than a mile away from my condo. The Boston Globe even has a high-voltage charging station, though it's not for public use. Thankfully, due to the recent 95-degree weather we've had, I didn't have to worry about the battery losing charge (in more extreme heat, it can).

Ordinarily, the Leaf and other electric cars like it have a range of up to 100 miles. It varies widely based on temperature, whether you're blasting the A/C or heat, and if you're on the highway or just putting around the city. Do a combination of all these things and you'll most likely see about 80 or so miles before the car begs you to recharge.

So how was it? Well, it's still a little frustrating, but all of the stress I had before was gone.