nostalgia

Some of my most enjoyable summer weekends started with a trip to my aunt's and uncle's and heading off to the Gwan-hwak mountain/park for an afternoon of hiking and picnicking. The 6 of us would pack into a bright red Kia Pride and make the short drive over. Check out the specs and an old commercial I dug up:

Condensed specs: 
engine displacement: 1138 cc
power: 60 hp @ 6000 rpm 
torque: 74 lb-ft  @ 3500 rpm 


Dimensions:
length: 140.4 in. 
wheelbase: 90.4 in 
standard tire size: 145 SR 12 
official base curb weight: 1609 lbs. 


Performance: 
top speed: 99 mph (theor.)
acceleration: 0- 60 mph 12 s (sim.); 0- 100 km/h 12.8 s (sim.); 0- 1/4 mile 18.5 s (sim.) 


Fuel consumption: official: , a-c pred. average: 7.4 l/100km / 38 mpg (imp.) / 31.7 mpg (U.S.) / 13.5 km/l






These weekend trips became a tradition for my family and we kept it up for maybe about 3-4 years before all of us moved to the US. The measly 1.1L engine struggled mightily under all that weight and my uncle would do all he can to keep the engine from stalling when trying to engage 1st gear going uphill (!). The lack of power steering meant my dad used to have to help my uncle pull into the parking lot down the street because it was very hard to maneuver at low speeds. Navigation, 17-speaker stereo with iPod integration, and all the gizmos were literally science fiction back then (check out the manually operated radio antenna on the driver side A-pillar!). Yet, despite all that, our Sundays were filled with laughter and joy, and I'm forever grateful for those memories. Although it is no secret that our cars impose some serious environmental, economical, and political hazards, we all love our cars because they take us to new and old places, and most importantly, help us connect to friends and family. Even those of us who are not car enthusiasts will always remember their long awkward family road trips, the first time driving, or the first car they bought, however new or old it may have been.

Driving the Genesis always serves as a reminder of just how rapidly our cars and technology have advanced in the past 20 years. However, one thing that never changes is just how our beloved automobiles continue to lend us the freedom to expand our lives and to create lasting memories. I hope the next 20 years will prove to be just as enjoyable as the last...