2005 Car of the Year Award Winners; Ritz Carlton Hotel in Montreal Review : ROAD & TRAVEL Magazine

J A N U A R Y 2 0 0 5

CBS Airs ICOTY Awards
ROAD & TRAVEL Magazine's 9th Annual International Car of the Year Awards (ICOTY) will be televised by CBS Detroit as a one-hour TV special on January 14, 2005 at 6AM, January 15, 2005 at 11PM and January 16, 2005 at 12 Noon. [ICOTY]

Check Tire Condition
When it comes to our car, tires are the one thing that most of us take for granted. To prove the validity of this statement, I would like you to answer the following question. When is the last time you remember walking over to your car and bending down to check the condition of the tires? [TIRES]

Insure Your Trip
Snowflakes are already falling in parts of the United States. Snow, sleet, freezing rain and ice mean trouble for the nation's transportation providers, especially airlines. Access America, a leading provider of travel insurance and emergency assistance services, urges travelers to purchase travel insurance to protect themselves against potential travel delays and trip cancellations caused by winter weather. [GO]

Keep You Guessing
A new study by Consumer WebWatch looks at Priceline.com and Hotwire.com, “blind” travel sites promise great deals and savings but keep you guessing until the last minute about the airline, hotel, or car-rental company you’ll use. [BLIND]

Power in Numbers
After a three year battle fighting the dotcom crash, 9/11, and the hijacking of our URL by a Hong Kong company in 2002, from which we lost all our traffic and had to start over, RTM has emerged the victor. There really is power in numbers. [FROM THE ASHES]

Hot Vacation Ideas
Cold weather has crept into the Northern States bringing with it inches of snow, icy winds, chattering teeth and layers of clothes. Now is the time to drop your shovel, shed those thermal underwear and follow the birds South. [AH!]

Shell V-Power Survey
The "Shell V-Power Consumer Car Care Survey" was conducted to gauge consumers' behavior and attitudes toward routine car care. Even though the majority of Americans are interested in maintaining their cars to ensure they look and run their best, there are some areas for improvement.[SURVEY]

Online Travel Plans Soar
The Travel Industry Asso- ciation of America (TIAA) estimates that around 64 million Americans research their travel options online. This marks a dramatic rise from 1997 when just 12 million Americans planned and researched travel options via the Net. [PLAN]

Antigua-British Design
Antigua boasts that it has 365 beaches, one for every day of the year…unless you count Leap Year. All beaches are open to the public by law and much of the sand appears to have a pink tint. [ANTIGUA]

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For those living on the edge of new car excitement, 2005 became a very good year. An explosion of technology, of tantalizing design and multifaceted purpose met every seeming taste and need. The codeword for admission into the vehicle ranks was "variety," as everything from punchy little mini cars and multipurpose crossbreeds competed for turf with hulking heavyweights. In its annual quest for the best, RTM honored those that rose above the pack for their ability to capture the essence of purpose, style and performance. [2005 ICOTY AWARDS]

Jerry Flint has written prodigiously about the auto industry for the Wall Street Journal, New York times, Ward's, and Forbes Magazine, where he spent over thirty years. He's been called curmudgeonly, cantankerous and critical to outspoken, aggressive, and harassing. Some have said that when he quotes "a knowledgeable industry source," he's probably quoting himself. But nobody has said he doesn't know the business inside and out. [HONORED]

Don't view winter weather as an inconvenience to your routine but rather an invitation to the extreme. Immerse yourself in the true beauty of winter: the crunch of snow underfoot, the caress of an icy breeze against your cheek, the serenity of a nature covered caringly by a heavy blanket of white. [LET THE ADVENTURE BEGIN]

The timbre of a Boxster engine at idle is unlike anything else on the face of the planet. If you could capture it in a bottle, wrap it in a stylish box and sell it, the need for Viagra would disappear. Its music to ears of anyone who understands that driving is so much more than just getting from point A to point B. [VROOM]

The Ritz-Carlton Montréal is one of the few original hotels to be granted the rights to the use of his name by hotelier Cesar Ritz. The great depression, two world wars and many decades of change have had it's affect on this great hotel, but it has never wavered from the original commitment to first-class service. Considered "La Grande Dame" of Montréal, it basks in the glow of a rich history. [RITZ-CARLTON]

The line between sport sedan and family sedan has been blurred several times before. The difference here is that Toyota has taken one of the most practical and reliable cars sold in North America and turned it into a true performer. The Corolla XRS is just too good to pass up. [SPORT SEDAN]

One in every hundred people who develop DVT dies. Deep vein thrombosis is a problem that is caused by pooling of blood in the vein, which triggers blood-clotting mechanisms. Anyone who sits for long periods of time in a vehicle, movie theater, or even an office desk is at risk of developing DVT. [DVT RISK]

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OnStar: A Guardian Angel
While good tires, antilock brakes, and airbags are important things to consider when buying a new car, there's one thing equally important to ensure your safety and peace of mind on the road. At RTM, we feel so strongly about the importance of personal safety that we've created a newsletter dedicated to OnStar and all its unique safety features. Here, you'll find updates on the great services this amazing onboard 'guardian angel' offers. [ONSTAR]

HEART STRING Award
RTM presented its first annual HEART STRING Award on January 8, 2005 honoring an automaker and its agency for the most emotionally compelling car commercial than ran on national television in 2004. Find out who moved us the most? [HEART STRING]

Unique Vacations
TravelHistory.com showcases a range of special interest and hard-to-find travel tours from around the world. The focus is to provide a wide variety of one-of-a-kind vacation packages that people have always dreamed about but never knew existed. [HISTORY]

Grand Hotel St. Regis
A massive murano glass chandelier hangs from the ornate domed ceiling. Marble columns surround the sitting area of rich red and gold Empire style furniture, accented with palms and lavish floral arrangements. Thanks to a recent restoration, the room looks exactly as it did in 1894 when Caesar Ritz created a sensation by opening Rome's first luxury hotel. [GRAND]

Norwegian Coast Voyage
Making 67 port calls in just 12 days, the Norwegian Coastal Voyage is one of the most port intensive and culturally rich cruises available today. Known to Norwegians as the Hurtigruten, or Coastal Express, it remains a unique sea voyage, blending traditional cruiseship comforts with cargo ship purpose and aura. [VOYAGE]

Kids Copy Cat Parents
High school and middle school students over-whelmingly say their parents are or will be the biggest influence on how they drive, but the practices many teens say they are emulating represent some of the most risky driving behaviors, according to the 2004 Liberty Mutual/SADD Teen Driving Study. [TEENS]

Barging in the U.K.
Narrowboat life is good. Excellent, in fact. About three months of the year, it's paradise. I awake to squiggles of sunlight, bouncing off the canal onto the golden ceiling. Voles splash, swans glide and sapphire kingfishers dart under weeping willows outside the kitchen window. [NARROWBOAT]

Stability Control Helps
Electronic Stability Control (ESC) systems appear to be effective in reducing the number of single-vehicle crashes, including rollovers, according to a preliminary study by the U. S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. [ESC]