As a new mother, I just don’t feel as sexy, classy, or sophisticated as I use to. In the past, I dressed for the occasion. I find that the transition from always wearing the latest fashions to just trying to match the spit up rag is, needles to say, difficult. Like most moms out there, I have to constantly change clothes because I have “something” all over me.
I digress; where was I? Oh yes, back to the sweet sophistication of “the car.” As I walk up to the 2005 Lexus ES330, I begin to feel very classy and sophisticated – you know, like those Calgon commercials when all the troubles of the day just melt away. This ES330 really stands out to me saying “Hello? Yes, you there, momma – take me for a spin!” Yeah, something like that.
When I open the door to slide in, I find the perforated leather very nice, coupled with the wood grain interior. As my hands grip the steering wheel; oooh, wood grain surrounded by leather. Nice touch!
At that moment, I know what I have to do. I need to take the ES330 out on the town for some grocery getting and errand running. Once my husband “Latches” in the baby seat base, I cautiously place her in the car seat, and gently set her in the back seat. My husband notes that the baby seat base is rather simple to place in the back of the ES330, and there is still plenty of room to maneuver around.
Once in the car and loaded up with my water bottle, I place myself in the lap of luxury. Oops, as I place my very standardized water bottle in the cup holder, I noticed there is no way the bottle is going to stay put.
Coping with the water bottle debacle is tragic enough, or so I think. As every mom knows, one must have room to store “stuff.” What kind of stuff? You know your stuff. Typically, stuff can be stored in the console between the driver and passenger seat. However, in the ES330, the CD changer takes up most of the room in where my stuff is to go.
I turn the ignition, listen to the engine rev, put the ES330 in drive and zoom off for my first errand. What a smooth ride! I usually dread going over the potholes, and let me tell you, there are plenty to complain about, but this car feels somewhat like floating on air. Smoothness factor? So smooth in fact that my daughter is sleeping within a quarter-mile. Very impressive!
Now, I am not one to read manuals in full detail. I would much rather push the different buttons to see what they will do (ask my husband, I just love pushing buttons). There is this one button by the gearshift that I keep pushing to see what it does. Nothing. I finally look in the rearview mirror and catch a glance of a sunshade going up and down. Soon, this becomes my favorite feature, or my daughter’s favorite feature, as we all know how much babies love to have sun in their eyes.
After the first errand is complete, I decide to play with the navigation and voice-activated system. I love that when I touch the screen, it gives me the name of the business located there. It also shows me where all of the gas stations are, which is convenient for those of us who wait till the last minute to fill up. I won’t mention any names, of course.
Being that Mother Proof’s “global headquarters” is in Colorado, the weather changes on a dime without warning. So, true to description, in the middle of running around, the rain begins to fall. With the rain coming down, the rain-sensing windshield wipers begin to wish-wash without me so much as pushing or twisting a thing.
With the daily grind of groceries and errands complete, my daughter and I are off to spend the rest of the day at Grandma and Grandpa’s, which means that I have to pack everything into the trunk; the activity mat, stroller, baby bag and scrapbooking supplies. I must say the trunk holds everything very nicely. It’s not the easiest to get all of these items out, but they fit.
Since becoming a mom, so much has changed. Driving this car gives me the feeling of being a very classy mom. You have to love that!
*For more information on the Lexus ES330 and its safety features visit Cars.com.
LET’S TALK NUMBERS LATCH Connectors: 2 Seating Capacity (includes driver): 5
IT’S THE LITTLE THINGS THAT COUNT Storage Compartments (Puny, Fair, Ample, Galore): Fair Cargo/Trunk Space (Puny, Fair, Ample, Galore): Ample
SENSE AND STYLE Family Friendly (Not Really, Fair, Great, Excellent): Great Fun-Factor (None, Some, Good Times, Groove-On): Good Times
