Downshift
by Jenna Schnuer
THE VERDICT: While Yaris doesn't get abunch
of style points - it lacks the pizzazz ofthe Fit and the cute
factor of the Smart Fortwo- it is the most comfortable, and
somehowit inspired me to feel that I would get awhole lot done if I
owned it. It doesn't say"go out and have fun," but it does say
"yourlife will be easier." Not such a bad thing.
THE VEHICLE: SEGWAY PERSONALTRANSPORTER
THE LENGTH:
19 INCHES
THE PERSONALITY: A STAND-UP GUY WHOLOVES
SUNSHINE
MSRP: $5,145
I named my Segway "Zeb." Yes, of all thewheeled things I
tested, this was the onlyone that inspired me to give it a name.
Ihave yet to figure out why I chose a namebetter suited to a
Mennonite farmer than toa piece of technology, but so be it.
And I'm pleased to report that Zebproved my initial fears wrong - I
did notin any way feel foolish standing tall and zippingthrough the
neighborhood in search ofthe best price on tofu. Instead, I ended
uptalking to more people in the course of thethree days I had the
thing than I had in thetwo years I lived in there pre-Segway. Both
young and old -and just about everybody I passed - had a comment
about good old Zeb: "I love that thing!" "I want one!" I felt the
same way. To be fair, there was one naysayer - a cranky lady who
chided me for riding it on the incredibly wide sidewalks down the
main street of my neighborhood. (I took to the streets when traffic
wouldn't threaten my life.) But the Segway stopped and turned so
fluidly that I didn't get in anybody's way. Take that, cranky lady!
The only problem: the cold. In winter, traveling at 12.5 mph can be
a chilly ride. The
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