TVSquad

Looking for a new car but you're too lazy to get off the couch? I know the feeling; having to endure the insincere smiles from dealership salesmen, driving around to see the cars you want, then test driving all of them. It's a big pain in the arse. But fear not, lazy one: you can now shop for your new car through the wonders of interactive digital cable. The Wall Street Journal has the details of a new service called driverTV, which not only allows viewers to see complete specs on many of the vehicle models out there, but also shows a three-minute "test drive." The video is shot as if the person was in the driver's seat of the car, and each drive is taken on the same stretch of road. Because of this, viewers find that they can get a very objective view the car and how it drives compared to others. Armed with this information, viewers then can go into dealerships with more of an idea of what they want to buy.

Many cable systems are either implementing this system or their own system; Cablevision, for instance, uses something called "Optimum Autos," which has a similar function. I still think you really need to be in the car to get a good feel for everything, like seat comfort, noise levels, suspension, steering feel, etc. But this isn't a bad way to help a person focus on one or two models to look at.