By John LeBlanc for MSN Autos Canada

BMW revealed images and details of its forthcoming all-new, third-generation X5 mid-size crossover that will arrive in Canadian showrooms this fall. As an already very successful (and profitable) model for the German automaker, most of the changes can be filed under “evolutionary”. But a new feature called Traffic Jam Assistant brings the BMW one step closer to automated driving.

By Mark Atkinson for MSN Autos

The general trend towards rising beltlines in new car designs has taken its toll. My daughter, who turns four this July, finds seeing out the rear windows while strapped into her car seat extremely challenging. She's not the biggest child at her age, but eight times out of ten, she won't be able to see things off to the side that we're pointing at from the front seat.

Excuse my poor skills at photo editing and cropping, but you get the general idea. The top photo is of the current Kia Rondo, a design that's been out since 2007 or so, while the bottom shows the new Rondo that'll be coming as a 2014 model. Much less glass in the new one, a higher window line, all in the name of following Kia's corporate design themes.

(Watch for a first-drive of the new Rondo coming early May...)

Don't get me wrong - I like the styling of the new Rondo much more than the old, so I understand why Kia's doing it. But it's once more a case of function following form and one less car that kids are more able to see their surroundings. I suppose it's safer in a collision, putting more body structure between them and whatever's trying to invade the passenger compartment, but surely there are better ways of accomplishing that goal?

When I was younger, staring out the window and watching the world go by was one of my favourite things to do. Sure, I'd read a book if I got bored, but otherwise just feeling curious about seeing new places to visit or the cars on the road. Maybe because kids can't see what's going on outside the vehicle is why all these in-car entertainment systems are becoming so popular. I'd imagine I'd get cranky if all I could see was the interior door trim, a little bit of sky and not much else for hours on end.

And don't think I'm picking on Kia. Other recent comments in a Mazda CX-5, a new Lexus ES 350, Hyundai Sonata, and plenty more, show it's an industry-wide phenomenon. The only two I can think of off the top of my head where she had nice things to say include the aforementioned original Rondo, and a pair of Fords: a Flex and F-150. But Ford's not excused either since a recent Fusion rental while on vacation suffered the same fate.

What do you think? Is it better to have the children more protected and cocooned by new vehicles or should they try and accommodate rear passengers as nicely as those up front? Let us know in the comments.

By Mark Atkinson for MSN Autos

This is the kind of story that should warm the hearts of any driver who's ever been caught behind a left-lane bandit and wished the police were around to see. A woman in Maryland was given a ticket by police for doing 63 mph in a 65 mph zone, but as you might have guessed, she'd been in the far left lane - i.e. the passing lane - at the time. 

The woman, who hasn't been named, said that she'd slowed down because it was very windy at the time, which the NBC affiliate who reported the story confirmed. There were apparently wind gusts up to 40 mph at during the day.

Both a retired police officer and a spokesman from the local AAA affiliate both support the woman's case that the ticket probably won't stand up in court and that it sends the wrong message.

However, if the woman had simply moved over to the right lane to slow down, there wouldn't have been a problem. The left lane is the passing lane, plain and simple. It's not there to cruise in, to travel in. It's there to help pass other drivers. Sure, if you're driving in bumper-to-bumper rush-hour traffic, that fills up pretty quickly, but in normal conditions, get out of there.

I'm guessing the judge will probably throw it out in court since apparently the law in Maryland says that you can drive in the left lane provided you're doing the limit or not impeding people by doing 10 mph under. That seems like legislation designed to breed left-lane hogs since there's no real incentive for a driver to move back over. Regardless of how it plays out, I'd love to shake the initial police officer's hand for acting in the first place.

What do you think? Do you agree with the police officer's actions in ticketing the driver? Should he have been more sympathetic given the conditions? Let us know in the comments.

By Mark Atkinson for MSN Autos

The standard to obtain a drivers licence in North America is generally pretty low and inexpensive, which is why far too many people have poor skills and judgement behind the wheel. In Europe, however, the bar is set significantly higher. Getting your full licence in, say, Germany runs about $2,000 and includes between 20-40 hours of intense study and practice. And the standards are so high that most people fail at least once along the way. That's kind of the gold standard, but even places like Great Britain are generally more intense than those found on this side of the pond.

By Mark Atkinson for MSN Autos

Well, isn't this interesting. According to a study done by the Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF) and Toyota Canada, the number of Canadian drivers who are familiar with the modern auto safety systems is less than one-third. Somehow, that's not much of a surprise.

The study asked more than 2,500 people across Canada 120 different questions on the topic, and compiled some fascinating insights.

First, safety ranked as the second most important factor when considering a new vehicle (behind price, of course), even ahead of fuel efficiency and reliability.

Second, that most people are familiar with anti-lock brakes (ABS) and some form of traction control... as well they should since both those features are officially mandated in every new vehicle sold in Canada. It's the features like radar-based adaptive cruise control, or blind-spot monitoring, or lane-keep assists and all those other three-letter-acronyms that are added every year. 

Third, most drivers agreed that if they had and knew how to use the 'extra' safety features, they certainly would. 

(As a funny aside, the majority also rated their own driving skill as 8/10 and others at only 5/10... obviously perception and overconfidence are playing a big role in poor behaviour. Maybe we should lobby for retests, both in-car and written, after every 10 years of holding a licence?)

Toyota and TIRF have created a new site called Brain on Board that aims to tackle all kinds of these issues, including plain-language explanations of new safety technology, driving tips, and more. We'd give it a hearty thumbs-up too.

By Steve Mertl for MSN Autos

There’s always a little schadenfreude east of the Coast Mountains whenever a skiff of snow creates Mel Lastman-esque levels of panic in Metro Vancouver.

It happened again this week, creating the predictable chaos among us chronically unprepared West Coasters: Power outages, ice-rink roads, snarled transit.

And something new. Ice bombs.

By Steve Mertl for MSN Autos

Chances are you wouldn’t buy a car if you knew it’d had a brief, involuntary stint as a submarine, but a warning is out that someone might soon try to sell you one.

The Insurance Corp. of British Columbia (ICBC), the province’s publicly-owned auto insurer, is warning Canada could see a flood of vehicles for sale that were submerged in the storm surge created by Hurricane Sandy in October.

ICBC is piggybacking on an alert issued by the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators, which put out an announcement this week warning buyers to expect flood-damaged vehicles from the U.S. East Coast to start showing up for sale in other states for sale, titling and registration.

By Mark Atkinson for MSN Autos

If you're involved in the public relations, promotions or journalism side of the car business in Canada, chances are you've met Garry Sowerby. The humble Haligonian (by way of Moncton, NB) made his name by breaking four world records for endurance driving in the 1980s and '90s, including two successful around-the-world odysseys. His first record came with co-driver Ken Langley in the 1980 Volvo 245 DL Wagon above nicknamed Red Cloud, the last as part of a three-member team based out of England that broke the record again using a 1997 Vauxhall Frontera (what we got as an Isuzu Rodeo.)

Perhaps Sowerby's most famous, though, is record set for the Fastest Transit of the Americas, travelling from Tierra del Fuego in Argentina to Prudhoe Bay, Alaska in a 1988 GMC Sierra. Tim Cahill, a US-based writer for Rolling Stone magazine penned a book afterward called Road Fever that should be on every car-nut's reading list.

Anyway, Sowerby's getting some recognition for his efforts 25 years after his adventures with Cahill by being inducted into the Maritime Motorsports Hall of Fame in Petitcodiac, NB under the Road Challenge category, something very fitting for this true gentleman.

Congrats, Garry!

Story and photo by Mark Atkinson for MSN Autos

The slick and slushy storm now hitting the eastern part of Canada is yet another reminder for those who still haven't thought about it to start thinking about switching over to winter tires.

CAA Quebec released its 'best practices' about choosing and buying winter tires, which is even more important there because their use has been mandated by the provincial government. The CAA suggests being careful about the many second- or third-tier tire manufacturers: "While these tires are not of poor quality, in some cases their performance is still not completely proven—and that could mean issues with after-sales service."

Of course, you need to run four identical winter tires of the correct size and speed rating, but if in doubt, always put those with the most grip in the rear. Yes, that goes for front-drive vehicles too; the extra grip helps keep the car more stable when braking and turning.

CAA Quebec also suggests rolling the cost of an extra set of winter tires and wheels into the overall lease or finance payment of a new vehicle to avoid the sizable chunk of change required otherwise.

The association also has this excellent checklist of questions you can use to vet any potential tire seller to see if they know their stuff or not. Things like asking whether winter tires should be the same size as summers, whether you should consider studded tires, etc.

MSN Autos Canada has plenty of winter tire information too, including our latest suggestions on which tires to check out. And our special Winter Driving section has driving tips, buying advice and tons more information on staying safe when the white stuff flies.

By Mark Atkinson for MSN Autos

I've written before about my love of roundabouts and how local governments around where I live in New Brunswick are embracing them too. Recently, city planners in Fredericton kept my hopes alive by turning a sometimes challenging intersection into a roundabout and not adding stoplights instead. The new roundabout on Bishop Drive will serve a growing subdivision and new businesses that currently have to wait for traffic to clear before turning.

Chatting with some friends and family recently, some are all for the move, others less so. One recent 'arrival' from Toronto couldn't figure out why they wouldn't just put traffic lights there instead? Having spent most of my life in that city before moving to New Brunswick, I understand his conclusion. No one in Toronto understands or embraces traffic circles; it's always stop signs or lights.

Some admitted being uncomfortable with traffic circles simply because they'd never/rarely used them, and didn't want to cause a collision with another motorist who did know the rules.

So here we go: how to use a simple roundabout, in a nutshell.

First and foremost, whoever is 'inside' or using the roundabout has the right of way. There are always yeild signs by the entrances to remind incoming traffic of that fact. When there's a sufficient gap for you to get up to speed, you can enter. When it comes time to 'exit' just signal like you would leaving a highway, and get off. And this is the best part: if you miss your turnoff, don't panic. Just keep going around the roundabout and you'll get a second (and third, and fourth) chance at exiting again.

More complex roundabouts with two or three lanes do exist, but the same rules still apply. The major difference being that sometimes the middle or inside lanes can exit if traffic's clear.

Keep your eyes up, remember to signal and yield when appropriate.

The City of Fredericton has a great explanation too. 

Are you willing to embrace roundabouts? Tell us about your experiences - good or bad - in the comments below.