iDriveSoCal

2018 Volkswagen Atlas

The 2018 Volkswagen Atlas is a new entry into VW’s line-up.  And you can refer to it as a midsize or a full-size.

But either way, I refer to it as great overall value and a big win for VW’s newest edition to its lineup.

We picked up a loaded version from our friends at Ontario Volkswagen for a test drive and were seriously impressed.

The mid-sized SUV is extremely versatile and packed with technology.  Get all the details in this iDriveSoCal Podcast.

***Transcript Notes***

Recorded May 17, 2018, in Los Angeles, CA

Welcome to iDriveSoCal, the podcast all about mobility from the automotive capital of the United States – Southern California!

Tom Smith here and today we’re reviewing the 2018 Volkswagen Atlas from our friends in the Los Angeles suburb of Ontario, California – Ontario Volkswagen.

2018 Volkswagen Atlas driver profile

2018 is the first year for the Atlas and VW definitely did this mid-sized SUV right!

I recently took one for a half-day test drive and was seriously impressed by many aspects of the vehicle.

When it comes to trim levels the Volkswagen Atlas really offers something for everyone with many different options.  But the main trim levels include the S, Launch Edition, SE and the SEL.

Plus on most trims, you have the option to include Volkswagen’s all-wheel-drive 4MOTION and it’s well-rounded Technology package.

And manufacturers suggested retail pricing is going to begin around $30,000 and go up to roughly $46,000 fully loaded.

As always, the prices we quote are just estimates.  You need to select the Atlas that’s equipped to your liking and your price will reflect that.

But you definitely want to go Ontario Volkswagen to do so.  Ask for our friends Randy Halcomb or Scott Reed and they’ll hook you up.

Lucky for me, I got to drive the top of the line Atlas.  The V6 SEL Premium with 4-Motion.

Now there’s one option that my test-driver didn’t have and that’s the R-Line Appearance Package.

The Atlas is a great looking SUV as is.  But if you’re looking for something just a little sportier – or bolder – looking the R-Line dances it up nicely.

The R-Line gives you 20-inch alloy rims, a grill that’s a bit bolder looking and some nice accents on both the interior and exterior.  Not a big price increase but like I said – definitely dances up the appearance nicely.

2018 Volkswagen Atlas cockpit

The first time I spotted the Atlas on the road was somewhere on La Cienega near Culver City.  I remember the situation vividly because at first glance I swore I was looking at an Audi.

I also recall the situation vividly because we had just started the iDriveSoCal Podcast and I immediately called Professor Quan to tell him about my first road-sighting of the new VW offering.

Of course, Professor excitedly rattled off all kinds of stats about the vehicle right off the top of his head.  Including:

Anyway, at first sight I thought the Atlas looked fantastic.  Bold and rugged yet classy and refined with great, clean lines.

The Atlas I drove looked even better – as again, I drove the top of the line.

Now it’s technically a mid-size SUV but as we’ve discussed in many podcasts – everything is getting bigger lately.  And the Atlas follows suit.

From the outside it looks a bit bigger than a mid-sized SUV.  And inside it’s huge – which is awesome and we’ll get into that in just a second.

But what I loved about the Atlas is that while it looked and felt bigger it definitely drove like a mid-size SUV.

It was highly maneuverable.  I swung by the Bass Pro Shop during my test drive and navigating the parking lot was not only a breeze but fun.  I was surprised how easily I slid into and out of parking spaces.

The Atlas offers a great drive.  Maneuverability was awesome whether I was at parking lot, neighborhood or highway speeds.

I was very impressed at how sure-footed the vehicle felt.  Very, very stable underneath while delivering plenty of power getting on the highway and passing other vehicles.

The Atlas offers a ton of optional safety features including:

All these safety features are great options with your family in mind.  And not only is there plenty of space for your family but that space is very well thought-out and designed for ease of use functionality.

The Atlas offers a highly versatile second and third row of seating for you to carry up to 7-passengers.

And this third row is not just for kids – even adult-bodies fit comfortably in the Atlas’s back row.

Plus, VW has solved the problem of getting adult bodies into the back row with the brilliant design of the Atlas’s easy to move 2nd-row seats.

2018 Volkswagen Atlas digital cockpit instrumentation

Even better, that second row of seats is designed to move just as easily with, not only a child safety seat attached, but without adjusting the child safety seat at all!

One more aspect of the Atlas’s second row of seats.  It fits not just one or two – but three child safety seats!  And you don’t have to use seatbelts to secure any of them.  There’s three different pairs of child safety seat anchors which I absolutely love!

If you’ve ever had to secure a child safety seat with a seatbelt instead of the anchors you know what I mean.

So, let me lay out a scenario.  I’m driving, my wife is in the passenger seat.  We have added a couple of kids to the one we have already so we have our Atlas’s second-row loaded with a total of three kids and they’re all in their safety seats.

But that third row is still back there and easy for adults to access.  What a perfect location to put the in-laws!  Great design Volkswagen!  I really love the way you think!

One more really cool thing about the Volkswagen Atlas is the optional second-row captain’s chairs.  So if you don’t have a family or the need for the full second row of seats, then the captain’s chairs can add a great and completely different dimension to the vehicle’s use and passenger comfort.

And all the space the Atlas offers isn’t just for people.  When you fold down seats you are left with a flat surface and huge 96-point-eight feet of cargo space!

The Atlas really delivers with optional creature comfort technology too.  The top of the line that I drove had it all and man it was fun and easy to use.

I love Volkswagen’s new Digital Cockpit.  Instead of the traditional instrument cluster, the digital cockpit displays information in digital high-resolution.

Plus, you can customize and save up to 4-different digital cockpit displays.

And between the digital cockpit and the design of the touch screen on the center stack – the Atlas technology was just super-easy and intuitive to use.  I was able to hop right in, drive and use everything without much introduction.

2018 Volkswagen Atlas driver rear

Other elements of the top of the line Atlas that I drove that I have to mention:

Okay, with all that it’s tough to pick a top three but here goes.

Overall, the 2018 Volkswagen Atlas is a great addition to the VW lineup.  It’s perfect for around town, a family road trip or even a buddies road trip for say a weekend in Vegas.  (And boy, am I overdue for one of those.)

And a special thanks to our buddies at Ontario Volkswagen!  Earl and Scott Reed, Randy Halcomb, Jim Straley in service and the whole crew.  Thanks fellas.

Be sure to stop out, say hi to all the guys and test drive an Atlas.  They’re just off the 15 in Ontario and at OntarioVW-dot-com.

For iDriveSoCal, I’m Tom Smith, thank you for listening!

The Latest Volkswagen News HERE.

The National Safety Council has designated May as Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month.  And whether you’re a rider of 2-wheels (or one of those strange 3-wheel contraptions) or a driver of 4-wheels, it’s everyone’s responsibility to stay safe on the roads – and aware of motorcycles.

And nowhere in the United States is that more important than in California which has the most registered motorcycles in the country.  In this iDriveSoCal Podcast we’re joined by Motorcycle Officer Darren Wybenga of the California Highway Patrol for tips during Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month.  (Including the mind-blowing concept of motorcycle lane-splitting… which is legal in California… for some reason.  Why?  I don’t know – I guess, because it’s California.)

California Highway Patrol, Motorcycle Educational Resources:

***Transcript***

Recorded May 4, 2018 in Torrance, CA

Darren Wybenga: It’s more about safety, seeing my fellow riders ride safety than it is important for me to write that person a ticket. When there’s a fatality it doesn’t generally occur from the initial impact, it typically happens as a secondary impact once you’ve been ejected onto the road and then a car doesn’t even see you and you end up in their path and then you’re struck again, it’s from a secondary impact like that that’ll end up resulting in serious injury or potentially fatality.

Tom Smith: Welcome to iDriveSoCal, the podcast all about mobility from the automotive capital of the United States, Southern California. I’m Tom Smith and today I’m at the California highway patrol, south office, yet again. With me is California highway patrol officer Darren Wybenga. Officer Wybenga thank you so much for what you do and thank you for joining me for this podcast.

Darren Wybenga: You’re welcome, it’s my pleasure.

Tom Smith: Okay, so officer Wybenga is a motorcycle officer, he has been for a very long time and today’s podcast is on motorcycle safety awareness. As those of you know listening to the podcast, I’m not from California, I’m from Chicago and our laws for riding bikes are very different. Personally, let me just get this out there, I had a bike when I was a teenager, the second I was old enough to defy my parents I got a bike, scared the daylights out of myself and although I really love the idea, romanticize the idea of having a bike I don’t think I’m ever going to own one again the state of California, perhaps maybe if I lived in Paso or something like that. Officer Wybenga rides professional for work and rode personally to get there, meaning rode personally to start riding professionally but now just writes professionally for work, correct?

Darren Wybenga: Correct.

Tom Smith: Okay. I swear I’m going to let you talk in just a second here but I wanted to rattle off some  statistics that officer Wybenga shared.  In 2016 there were 476 motorcycle fatalities and over 14,000 injuries. This is a very serious topic everybody, you really want to take note and if you’re not a motorcycle rider, we’re all impacted by it because we’re also driving. So Officer Wybenga, as a motorcycle rider or non motorcycle rider, what kind of high level points do you have to share with us for safety awareness month?

Darren Wybenga:  California is home to the largest number of motorcycle riders so it’s a reality when you’re on the road you’re gonna see many, many, many motorcycles pass you on either side, infront, behind.

Darren Wybenga: One of the most common locations of accident occurrence is near the car pool lane. Many motorcyclists are splitting lanes on the double yellow lines between the car pool and the fast lane and it’s just really important to reiterate the fact that you absolutely cannot cross in and out of that car pool lane unless it’s a dotted white line section which is usually signified by an overhead sign indicating that you can safely pass in and out of the carpool lane at that location.

Tom Smith: So one solid white you can cross anytime?

Darren Wybenga: Correct.

Tom Smith: A dotted white, what do you call it, it’s not dotted…

Darren Wybenga: A broken white line.

Tom Smith: A broken white, you can cross that?

Darren Wybenga: Correct.

Tom Smith: But if you have two whites next to each other or two yellows next to each other or any combination there of, no crossing?

Darren Wybenga: Correct. You may see on the 105 freeway in this particular area, there’s four yellow lines. That freeway was built more recently.was built more recently.

Tom Smith: Four yellow lines, don’t cross!

Darren Wybenga: It’s almost like a designated motorcycle lane people will say, but they put in those lines to allow them some variance if they need to move lanes because of the wearing of the path of vehicles, they have a little leeway, they have some extra space to work with, they can kind of shift the lines in theory, they just created a larger space there with four double yellow lines.

Tom Smith:  This one I mean I told you I wanted to hold this for a little bit deeper into the podcast but the lane splitting just blows my mind. I don’t think I’m alone, I think a whole lot of people breathe deep like why, only in California. Is there any other states that allow lane splitting.

Darren Wybenga: There are.

Tom Smith: Really?

Darren Wybenga: Very few like California-

Tom Smith: States that have no population, so like Montana?

Darren Wybenga: Probably.

Tom Smith: Go ahead do 150, who cares? Might hit a cow.

Darren Wybenga: Exactly. California is kind of the leader in that whole category just because of the congestion that we have here and weather that works in our favor for riding motorcycles basically year round.

Tom Smith: While we’re on that topic right now, you mentioned off mic that of all California highway patrolmen there are 400 motorcycle officers?

Darren Wybenga: Correct, under 400.

Tom Smith: Under 400, of that 50 are the training officers who train the other under 400 officers. You happen to be one of those?

Darren Wybenga: Yes. One of the training officers.

Tom Smith: So you’re very highly trained, highly skilled and have been doing it for how many years?

Darren Wybenga: 17 years.

Tom Smith: Let’s get a little bit more into lane splitting in a minute but helmet laws. I mentioned that I rode in the Chicago area in Illinois and almost never wore a helmet which is absolutely moronic I think on my part, thankfully I made it through that stage of my life but helmets have been mandated in the state of California since the early 90s I believe?

Darren Wybenga: Yes I believe so. The non-use of a helmet is rarely seen unless we maybe encounter it in a neighborhood where you have pocket bikes or small little self made motorcycles, typically youth will drive around the neighborhood on those without helmets on but as far as on the actual roadways and on the highways it’s not something that we’re encountering, someone not wearing a helmet and it seems as though the trend is now that people are wearing helmets that actually meet DOT requirements and they’re considering their safety when they’re buying a helmet.

Tom Smith:  So, that’s helmets. Lane positioning and then we’ll slide into, pun intended, lane splitting. As it pertains to motorcycle safety, what do you tell your fellow officers?

Darren Wybenga: So, how I was trained was you want to typically travel towards the left side of the road way, so if you’re on a highway you’ want to stay towards the carpool lane or the fast line, if you’re traveling in the right hand lanes, the only time you should do that is in anticipation of taking an exit.

Tom Smith: Okay.

Darren Wybenga: That’s where cars are making typically more lane changes because you’ve got vehicles coming on the freeway, moving to exit the freeway, there’s generally a lot more movement going on on the right side of the roadway.

Tom Smith: Okay.

Darren Wybenga: Not to mention that if you’re on a city street or road, the chances of a pedestrian running off the sidewalk into the street, the chances of someone opening their door unexpectedly to exit a vehicle that was parallel parked is very common, you want to give yourself a little bit of reaction distance by being, if there were two lanes on a city street being in the left lane versus the right.

Tom Smith: I got my motorcycle license in Illinois and we were encouraged to not ride the middle of the lane because that’s where the oil slick is, you have that same thing here in California too right?

Darren Wybenga: Absolutely.

Tom Smith: So that even makes more sense because as a motorcyclist you’re to the left of the left lane, there in is the right on the line of the express lane. So, anything else to touch on lane positioning before we go to lane splitting?

Darren Wybenga: And as far as lane positioning it was a good point that you brought up. I commonly see riders just riding straight down the middle of the lane and that tends to be where debris gathers, that tends to be where there’s oil, there’s diesel fuel, any of those things tend to fall in the center of the lane obviously from the location of a motor on a vehicle.

Tom Smith: Right.

Darren Wybenga: Then there’s kind of two different thoughts if you’re traveling down for example the furthest most left lane which would be a carpool lane on most freeways here in California, some people prefer to ride in the right wheel track because if a car does come over, their reaction is going to be to swerve to get away from that vehicle so that gives themself

Tom Smith: They got the left cushion.

Darren Wybenga: Yeah the left half of the lane is a cushion. Some people prefer to give themselves the most amount of distance by traveling in the left wheel track, which would create the biggest buffer zone between them and a potential vehicle coming into their path.

Tom Smith: Right.

Darren Wybenga: Whichever you do there’s not a right or wrong, I tend to ride in the right wheel track because reactionary is going to be for me to swerve left and either accelerate or reduce my speed to avoid that hazard.

Tom Smith:  So lane splitting. My mind is blown on this one, as I mentioned where I come from you don’t do it, here it happens and I guess as off mic you mentioned, Governor Jerry Brown made it a, what is it technically? It’s not legal right, or it is legal, it’s not illegal?

Darren Wybenga: That made it legal.

Tom Smith: Okay, so there’s a section in the motor vehicle code now that makes lane splitting legal under certain parameters, what’re those parameters again?

Darren Wybenga: Well those parameters are basically suggestions, there’s no hard fast guidelines for it, essentially it allows to share a lane with another vehicle proceeding in the same direction. Some of our departmental recommendations and just general safety recommendations are that you don’t lane share or split at speeds greater than 30MPH and with that in mind that when you are splitting, you’re not splitting at a speed that’s more than 10 miles an hour greater than what the flow of traffic is doing. So for example traffic is basically bumper to bumper, 10 to 20MPH stop and go, your speeds shouldn’t be greater than 20 to 30 miles an hour.

Tom Smith: As a lane splitter?

Darren Wybenga: Right. Which as we discussed off mic, that’s far from common practice, it seems as though traffic here, speeds average during commute 10 to 20 miles an hour stop and go, it’s not uncommon to see several motorcycles pass you at speeds greater than 40MPH if not 50, 60MPH.

Tom Smith: If you as a motorcycle officer see someone do that, another motorcyclist driving significantly over the suggested 10 mile an hour guideline, you’re more than likely not going to risk your life to go track this person down and cite them because they’re gonna be way down the road, I mean, for lots of reasons right?

Darren Wybenga: Right. For me personally as a rider, and I would hope for motorcyclists, it’s kind of a fraternity, it’s a smaller number of people. Most of those that ride are passionate about it, to the point where they’re willing to take risks to do it. It’s more about safety, seeing my fellow riders ride safety than it is important for me to write that person a ticket. It’s just that I know being on the road enough, being exposed enough, those kinds of practices, it’s just a matter of time before someone like that’s going to be involved in an accident. That’s my main concern, the chance of walking away from a motorcycle accident uninjured at those kinds of speeds are very unlikely.

Tom Smith: The majority of motorcycle accidents that you come across are under what circumstance?

Darren Wybenga: Typically they’re under lane sharing or lane splitting and generally they are in the car pool fast lane because that’s typically where motorcyclists are choosing to split traffic. The problem here in addition to that, it’s not just the initial impact, it’s the fact that you’re surrounded by vehicles, and the chances are you’re going to get thrown off the bike, the bike is gonna go down or you’re gonna get ejected or both and you’re gonna end up in the roadway of another car. Typically when there’s a fatality it doesn’t generally occur from the initial impact, it typically happens as a secondary impact once you’ve been ejected onto the road and then a car doesn’t even see you and you end up in their path and then you’re struck again, typically it’s from a secondary impact like that that’ll end up resulting in serious injury or potentially fatality.

Tom Smith: Okay, Officer Wybenga thank you so much, this is good stuff for motorcycle safety awareness month which is the entire month of May, every May right?

Darren Wybenga: Yep.

Tom Smith: Anything else that you’d like to share with iDriveSoCal listeners? Whether they’re riding their motorcycles or beyond, where you can’t lane split.

Darren Wybenga: When I’m splitting lanes I’m covering my clutch, I’m covering my break, I’m covering my foot break, I’m taking that extra precaution to be one step ahead of the potential driver hazard that’s gonna come in my path.

Tom Smith: You’re ready for everything.

Darren Wybenga: I’m assuming the worst and that way hoping for the best and if the worst happens, at very least I can reduce my speeds enough to wear it’s gonna be minimal or I can reduce my speed and then take an evasive swerve or move to avoid whatever the hazard might be. Just as a reminder the California highway patrol does recommend, we have a motorcycle training course that we recommend which is CMSP, it’s a motorcycle course and their number is 1877-RIDE-411 or they have a website at www.CaliforniaMotorcyclist.Com Many of these safety courses are taught by former riders, departmental riders, officers who have had extensive training and want to impart that on new riders.

Tom Smith: Awesome, Officer Wybenga thank you again, so much for joining me and thank you for doing what you do, keeping us safe there on the highways and for everyone out there listening, be safe, keep an eye out for the motorcyclists and you motorcyclists be careful, for iDriveSoCal, I’m Tom Smith, thanks for listening.

Jetta Review – Real Test-Driver From Loma Linda, California

Bert Chancellor from Loma Linda, California test-drove the all-new Volkswagen Jetta.

He was among a handful of lucky drivers who attended Ontario Volkswagen’s Jetta Launch party.

“I love the experience that it’s truly centered towards the driver.”

And Bert’s family has owned many Jettas.  Plus other VW’s too.  Even so, Bert had quite a bit of praise for the all-new 2019 Volkswagen Jetta.

Continue reading or click play below to listen to the podcast versions of this Jetta review from a real Southern California commuter in Loma Linda.

***Transcript***

Recorded @ Ontario Volkswagen

Bert: We’ve owned several Jettas, I love the experience that it’s truly centered towards the driver. And it’s obvious when you set down in the car that it’s about the experience of the driver.

I love the customized, having it to the fob, and you move in and out from the seats, etc, you can set there and use that. I love the fact that they went a little bigger with the car.

“…first of all, I’m really jealous. I liked the test drive.”

Tom: Welcome to iDriveSoCal, the podcast all about mobility from the automotive capital of the United States, Southern California.

Tom Smith here and we are at the Jetta launch party, the 2019 Jetta launch party at Ontario Volkswagen in the Los Angeles suburb of Ontario, California.

I am joined by Bert from Loma Linda who just got back from a test drive of the 2019 Jetta. Bert, what’d you think?

Bert: Well, first of all, I’m really jealous. I liked the test drive.

It’s a wonderful car. We’ve owned several Jettas, I also own an eGolf, and just really enjoyed the drive. More than anything, I loved how the experience of driving the car was centered towards the driver.

Center Stack Angled Toward the Driver

From the dash, from the controls, from the way even the center console sort of leaned in, that was my favorite thing about it.

“I love the fact that they went a little bigger with the car.”

Tom: Feels like the cockpit kinda feeling to it.

Bert: It did, it did.

We had a 2014 Jetta, we have a 2016 Jetta, and I have a 2017 eGolf.

And the controls, the, in the eGolf, they haven’t really brought, until this Jetta model, that technology and that look and feel back down to the Jetta line. Wonderful.

I love the interaction, the UI’s great, and I love the customized way you can tie everything back to a key fob. It’s very helpful.

Tom: So the key fob, I agree with you 100%.

It’s a lot of car for the money.

And I was just chatting with your wife.  I mentioned that I have a six-month-old son.  And you guys have a nine-month-old daughter.

But, getting in and out of the vehicle, the way me and my wife experience, I’m sure it’s the same with you…

Multi-Profile Digital Cockpit

It’s like, ‘okay, I’ve gotta readjust this, readjust that, whatever.’ So the key fob thing, where we have customization for both, is fantastic. I love that.

It’s a lot of car for the money.

Bert: It is a lot of car.

Tom: One of the things that we do on iDriveSoCal when we review vehicles is top three things.

And it sounds like you’re a big enough car guy that you might be able to pull off the top three things just off the top of your head here. What are your top three things for the 2019 Jetta?

Bert: Yeah, top three things…

Driver-Focused Cockpit: I love the experience that it’s truly centered towards the driver. And it’s obvious when you set down in the car that it’s about the experience of the driver. That’s the first thing.

Multi-Driver Profiles: The second thing I love, again, the customized, having it to the fob, and you move in and out from the seats, etc, you can set there and use that.

New Bigger Design: And third, I love the fact that they went a little bigger with the car.

Tom: Alright, top three things on the 2019 Volkswagen Jetta from Bert, from Bert Chancellor from Loma Linda.

Bert: Loma Linda.

Tom: Loma Linda. And thank you for joining me.

Bert: Yeah, pleasure.

Tom: And the 2019 Jetta launch party here at Ontario Volkswagen. That’s Bert’s little daughter.

Jetta Courtesy Of Ontario Volkswagen

Bert: Yeah, that’s my daughter saying hi. Hi sweetheart!

She’s got my wife’s check card, I don’t think this is a good idea.

Tom: Uh oh. Alright, for iDriveSoCal I’m Tom Smith. Thanks for listening.

The Latest Volkswagen News HERE.

Jetta Review – Real Test-Driver from Riverside, California 

Ian Duarte came from Riverside, CA to test drive the all-new 2019 VW Jetta at Ontario Volkswagen.

And he was so impressed, that after doing so, he sat down to share his thoughts on the iDriveSoCal Podcast.

Technically, Ian rode along with his friend Michelle Bentley.  And, the two diehard Volkswagen fans had nothing but high marks for the latest innovation from their favorite automaker.

Continue reading or click play below to hear Ian’s Jetta review – from a Riverside commuter.

***Transcript***

Recorded  @ Ontario Volkswagen

Ian: I think the MQB platform has actually given the interior of the car more space, basically, without making the car bigger.

Virtual cockpit, really cool. A lot of nice little things to mess with.

Center Stack Angled Toward the Driver

I definitely love the taillights and the headlights on these cars.

Tom: Welcome to iDriveSoCal, a podcast all about mobility from the automotive capital of the United States, southern California.

I’m Tom Smith and we’re at the Ontario Volkswagen 2019 Jetta launch party, and joining me is Ian Duarte from-

Ian: Riverside, California.

Tom: Okay, Ian’s Jetta Review from Riverside, California.

Ian just got back with Michelle from a 2019 Jetta test drive. So, tell me what you thought.

2019 VW Jetta

Ian: Well I can give you a different point of view over here, ’cause I was sitting in the back seat as she was driving, yeah.

Tom: So Michelle, did she let you drive?

Ian: I let her drive, yeah.

Tom: Ah.

Ian: You’ll see you get a different perspective here.

Tom: Absolutely. We need that perspective. I’m just putting the relationship together. Like, all right, Michelle’s the driver, Ian’s in the backseat.

The all-new VW Jetta has gotten bigger!

Ian: Back seat driver.

Tom: So, how was the trunk, Ian?

Ian: The trunk is actually pretty roomy.

Tom: It is. I was just kidding. How was the back seat? Tell me about the ride.

Ian: It was actually pretty roomy, honestly, because like I’ve said, I’ve sat in the back of her GLI.

And, I think the MQB platform has actually given the interior of the car more space, basically, without making the car bigger.

Smoother All-New 2019 Jetta

Tom: I love all the technology, innovation, including how they’re innovating with engineering the interior of the car. What else do you think?

Ian: I really like the virtual cockpit.

Tom: So, did you get to drive, or you just got to see the virtual cockpit?

Ian: I just got to see it.

Tom: All right, yeah. It is pretty cool. What else?

Ian: Well, I like the way the leather felt.

Jetta Digital Cockpit

Tom: Yeah.

Ian: Because hers, SEL, being leather seats as well, I feel like they did a little nice update on their leather, as well.

Tom: Very high quality.

Ian: Yeah.

“…I think the MQB platform has actually given the interior of the car more space, basically, without making the car bigger.”

Tom: With the pinhole and everything.

Ian: Oh, yeah.

Tom: It was like, all right, I’m getting into a quality car. To me, it felt like a lot more car than the price point.

Ian: Oh, yeah, of course. If you’re gonna look at the competitors, obviously, you have a way nice interior, exterior, and performance, versus the competitors.

Tom: Okay. All right, so, it sounds like you’re a bit of a car guy, as well as Michelle’s car girl.

“…you have a way nice interior, exterior, and performance, versus the competitors.”

Ian: Oh, yeah, of course, oh yeah.

Tom: All right, so then, I’m gonna throw this at you as well. What are your top three things with the 2019 Jetta?

Ian: Top three is…

Tom: Man, you guys are both there with those lights, huh?

Ian: The lighting-

Tom: It does look good. It looks really good.

I’m looking forward to seeing one down the road when it’s like dusk, and at night.

Ian: At night, oh yeah.

Tom: Yeah, yeah, definitely. Well, all right. Ian Duarte from Riverside, thank you so much for your Jetta Review. I really appreciate it.

Thanks for coming out to the 2019 launch party here at Ontario Volkswagen.

2019 Volkswagen Jetta Courtesy of Ontario VW

Ian: Yeah, thanks for having us.

Tom: Yeah, absolutely. For I Drive So Cal, I’m Tom Smith. Thank you for listening.

The Latest Volkswagen News HERE.

If you live in Southern California you have much to brag about when it comes to the advantages our region has to offer.  However, traffic congestion is definitely not one of them.  By (far too) many measures, SoCal delivers the worst traffic on planet earth.  And one of the lead organizations in addressing the issue is the Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation.  We sat down with the non-profit’s head of Aerospace & Advanced Transportation, Judy Kruger, to discuss the economic portion of the mobility equation here in Los Angeles County and its surrounding area of influence.  Find out how autonomous parcel delivery will play a role in alleviating traffic in this iDriveSoCal Podcast.

***Transcript***

Recorded April 17, 2018, Los Angeles, CA

Judy Kruger: whether they have a new technology that will go on a cube satellite or a flying car or a new data collecting technology for vehicles. It’s just all converging, whether it’s aerospace or advanced transportation, all the platforms that are around it. We’ve got the perfect setting with our 11 million people in one small, tight spot.

Tom Smith: Driving each other nuts on the 405.

Judy Kruger: Exactly. We’ve got the right setting to move this technology forward, and it’s going to be very exciting to see it.

Tom Smith: Welcome to iDriveSoCal, the podcast all about mobility from the automotive capital of the United States, Southern California. I’m Tom Smith, and today I’m downtown Los Angeles at the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation. Joining me is the director of the industry cluster development … long title here … of aerospace and advanced transportation. Judy Kruger is with me. Judy, thank you for joining me.

Judy Kruger: Thank you, Tom. It’s a pleasure to be here.

Tom Smith: Judy is in charge of basically the portion of the LA County Economic Development Corporation that we here at iDriveSoCal, in our mobility interest … Judy’s in charge of that whole space. Anything that has to do with mobility, transportation, as it pertains to the county of Los Angeles, which I’d imagine also impacts greater than just the county of Los Angeles, Judy’s in charge of that development. Very excited to be sitting with you, Judy. Tell us a little bit about just high-level what your organization does, and what you do within it.

Judy Kruger: Certainly. At the LAEDC, we are focused on driving growth with these industry clusters. Advanced transportation could be, as you know, anything related to mobility, electric, autonomous, infrastructure, charging stations, alternative fuels, design studios. What we’re trying to do with our industries is grow them organically, and grow them in innovation.

Tom Smith: It’s a little bit of everything, and with that in mind I’d kind of like to focus on maybe the top kind of three-ish things, if we can right now, that you have on your plate.

Judy Kruger: If I were to pick the top three, what’s unique to Southern California in addition to our innovative culture is, Southern California by policy and environment was way ahead of the game in electric vehicles. Some of the spinoff of that is, unlike any other place in the US, we have six bus manufacturers in LA County. Actually, eight bus manufacturers in the region, electric bus manufacturers.

Judy Kruger: We are targeting assisting that industry grow, because it has a ripple effect to driving growth with an industry like that, that will additionally play into autonomous. That’s our second area. We’re looking at, how can we add urban planning to industry planning, and where can we help roll out projects on the autonomous side?

Judy Kruger: Then thirdly, we’re helping with infrastructure and charging stations, rolling out what the county needs. We have charging manufacturers in the region and designers in the region as well.

Tom Smith: Electric vehicles, electric buses. I know you’re very proud of the electric bus manufacturers that are here. I’m going to play devil’s advocate here. The total percentage of electric vehicles anywhere, including LA County, is quite small, comparatively speaking, right? And that’s expected to grow, hands down.

Judy Kruger: Right.

Tom Smith: I want you to talk a little bit about that, because I’m sure you have some good insight. But then the other component is electric buses. We are in the traffic capital of the world by many metrics, if you look at INRIX, which is a company that monitors such metrics. But with that in mind, and I’ve been here personally for 13 years, maybe 14, once actually my wife and I took the train. Parked our cars, took the train to Staples Center, once. What I’m getting to is, not a lot of electric cars on the road right now currently. Not a lot of people taking the bus right now currently. Can you speak to both of those elements?

Judy Kruger: I would agree that our statistics show that bus ridership is down. However, that doesn’t match what’s actually happening on the ground in LA. In leadership roles and in conversations around the county, that’s the question. How do we innovate in shared mobility? What should the buses do, whether it’s revamping what their mapping grid work looks like in the county, or changing over the fleet to all electric, which has been on the state’s mandate for quite a while now. We’re looking at a combination of environmental issues that are driving electric buses, because we’ve got to have, especially in disadvantaged communities, we’ve got to mitigate the environmental issues for those regions with electric, and then on top of it, handle the shared mobility and rolling out what really needs to happen as a solution for the congestion.

Tom Smith: If people aren’t riding a bus, and maybe this isn’t under your jurisdiction in any capacity, and just tell me if it’s not, but if people aren’t riding a bus, it doesn’t matter if it’s pulled by horses or run on gas engine or natural gas or electric, right?

Judy Kruger: Right. We’re trying to wrap everything into one conversation when it’s separate issues. Shared mobility, whether it’s a bus or Uber or Lyft, or shared biking. That’s issue. Environmental issues are a second issue. Where buses are currently mapped, and maybe more strategically where they need to be remapped, those are separate issues. But they all kind of wrap together, because one thing we do know is that LA can’t stay the way it is.

Tom Smith: That’s part of the reason why I started iDriveSoCal, is because … countless hours of mind-numbing frustration in traffic. I don’t mean to put you on a hot seat here, but that’s part of the … just a true conundrum. I mean, we all sit in it, we all loathe, hate it, but yet we continue. And more and more people come here to Southern California because it’s fantastic living, right? Except for traffic. That’s the one thing that everybody says. But yet, what are we really doing? I guess you being on the front lines, you’re bringing industry in to the county to develop solutions for that pain point.

Judy Kruger: Right. There’s the urban mobility piece, and unlike probably any other region, we wrap it together with industry growth. Both of those are hot issues for us at LAEDC. We want to grow the electric bus industry. At the same time, we’ve got the urban planning piece, of how to convince people to think ride share as a solution to congestion. And you know, it may be, and I’m not the only one saying this, but it may be that policy has to drive that more, just like policy drove the mitigation of environmental issues related to electric vehicles a couple decades ago. California was ahead of the game when it enforced policy that drove electric vehicles to mitigate the pollution issue. In the same way, we’re going to probably see policy that will drive the congestion issue, like other cities have done. Maybe there’ll be zones where you don’t get to drive your car.

Tom Smith: We talked about this a little bit off-mic. The councilman who … with a lot of citizens in the Playa Vista, Playa del Rey, Marina del Rey, Venice area, where the councilman had the big push. Was it Bonin, or Mike Bonin, or something like that? He had the big push for driving traffic down to one lane, and then all of a sudden that hugely backfired, and now that traffic is being put back to the way that it was. That’s the other weird thing, is that we all know there’s a problem, but then when solutions are proposed or actions taken to solve the problem, we’re all freaking out about it.

Judy Kruger: It’s a mindset change.

Tom Smith: Right?

Judy Kruger: You know, I drive in from Santa Monica on 10, inching my way along. I could take the Metro train in, and I have in the past, but I like my vehicle. That’s a mindset change I have to overcome, and a lot of Angelenos do as well, because we know we can’t stay where we’re at. That’s a little psychological, sociological change that is in process.

Tom Smith: It’s here first because we have the biggest problems, the biggest pain points, and because of that we have the most innovative companies and technologies, is there anything else you want to touch on on that topic before we move on to autonomous?

Judy Kruger: We’re focused on industry growth. A hot topic right now that relates to industry growth is jobs. We’re an ever-shifting economy, probably at an accelerated rate just because of the demographics of LA. As we assist the six bus manufacturers in the region and we look at what the workforce needs are, that’s a hot topic on all leadership levels across the county, because if we then move on to the next topic, autonomous vehicles, that’s going to be a shift, and a big shift, in who’s hired and where. But even for engineers and line workers on our manufacturing for the electric bus manufacturers, that’s a agenda we’re looking at carefully and working with the local community colleges.

Tom Smith: On to autonomous. Huge topic. Followed it pretty closely here on iDriveSoCal. The accident just outside of Phoenix, Arizona, about a month ago now, kind of tapped the brakes on the progress. But I don’t think that’s slowing down, really. I think it’s just kind of like a minor reset. Very, very, very interesting topic overall, the concept of a car coming and picking me up and there not even being a driver in it. Then I know that package delivery is something that’s on the front burner. But tell me about autonomous driving as it pertains to the LAEDC.

Judy Kruger: Well, that certainly is one of the agendas we’re looking at. How can we assist in autonomous rollout? I think what should happen, and is probably currently happening, and that is advancements in parcel delivery, because there’s so many innovative companies that are autonomous, don’t hold passengers, and are lightweight and small moving. The technology for autonomous can continue to accelerate while all of the mapping and the glitches related to autonomy can continue to roll out without the danger of killing a pedestrian or a passenger. At LAEDC, we’d like to have a couple of pilot projects that are pilot to commercial roll out in the region for small, lightweight, slow-moving autonomous parcel delivery.

Tom Smith: What does that look like?

Judy Kruger: It could be as small as a small sidewalk drone that rolls along and delivers parcels that a business owner or someone in a home has to step out to the sidewalk and then open the drone or the vehicle and take their parcel in. It could be as-

Tom Smith: So this is, I’m at the office and I ran out of legal pads, and oh, I need some staples, and the little drone from Amazon or Staples or Office Depot, whatever, comes boogieing over …

Judy Kruger: Exactly, yeah.

Tom Smith: … and I take a break from my desk and go out when I’m alerted on my app and tap in the code or whatever, the thing opens, I grab my legal pads and staples, and I’m on my way and the autonomous package delivery vehicle is on its way to its next stop as well.

Judy Kruger: Yes. There you have continual rollout of the mapping and the testing of autonomous that’s going to help the passenger autonomous vehicles as well. I think the bigger picture is, we’d like to get some pilot projects on the ground going in California. The DMV regulations don’t allow for parcel delivery commercial application yet, and so we’re talking to a couple of companies about where they could roll out a parcel delivery that’s both business as well as residential in one pilot project area. That’s really where we should be at. I just think it’s going to be an interesting platform to see roll out. We’re seeing it roll out across the US in different pockets, and I think LA’s just prime for seeing, like I said, some parcel delivery pilots roll out in the region.

Tom Smith: Do we have an ETA on any of those?

Judy Kruger: Well, I’d like to see some parcel delivery rollout this year, and we are talking with some companies that are looking at pilot projects. But again, we’ve got regulatory hurdles that need to be moved in order to move this ahead.

Tom Smith: Let’s touch base on what you had in mind, on mind there, for infrastructure, charging stations.

Judy Kruger: Well, there’s multiple organizations that are coordinating efforts. We can start with actual charging manufacturers in the region, and others that are doing the slow charger and fast charger manufacturing. There’s plenty of companies that are setting up for distribution of chargers. There’s additional county and city organizations and nonprofit organizations that are mapping out areas that need chargers, like desert areas.

Tom Smith: As it pertains to the next 12 months, 24 months, and 36 months, what are the most exciting, three most exciting things that Southern Californians are going to see in LA County as a consumer rolling around?

Judy Kruger: We definitely should see autonomous parcel delivery in the region. We have some, quietly and privately, testing of autonomous vehicles in the region as well. We’re not understanding necessarily how quickly this is rolling out because this is behind private fences. But also we’re going to continually see the innovative side of LA, and whether that’s shared mobility and … You know, I live in Santa Monica, so I see the Bird being rolled out, and I think it’s just fantastic. We even have another scooter called URB-E actually being manufactured in Pasadena. Very cool technology because it’s collapsible and you can easily put it on the Metro. That’s a very nice first mile/last mile solution. If we were all to ride buses and really embrace shared mobility, whether it’s the Metro train or the Metro buses, the URB-E fits nicely into a compartment or in front of you folded, and it’s all electric.

Tom Smith: Well, it’s an exciting space and it’s an exciting time. It’s an exciting time to be here in Los Angeles. I thank you for your time, unless there’s anything else that you’d like to add.

Judy Kruger: No. I think this is always an interesting conversation because we’re tying in urban planning, and how quickly can we do it, and growing the industry. It’s just a very exciting region to be a part of. You know, we weekly meet with companies, whether they have a new technology that will go on a cube satellite or a flying car or a new data collecting technology for vehicles. It’s just all converging, whether it’s aerospace or advanced transportation, whether it’s clean fuel or alternative fuel, and all the platforms that are around it. We’ve got the perfect setting with our 11 million people in one small, tight spot.

Tom Smith: Driving each other nuts on the 405.

Judy Kruger: Exactly. We’ve got the right setting to move this technology forward, and it’s going to be very exciting to see it.

Tom Smith: Judy Kruger of the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation, director of the industry cluster development, aerospace and advanced transportation. Thank you so much for being with me. I’m Tom Smith. This is iDriveSoCal. We’re going to reconnect with Judy in the future for sure, but until next time, thanks for listening.