Dear John: How important is the test drive?

Don’t be afraid to spend time becoming familiar with a vehicle before buying

It’s never been easier for new car buyers to get all the information they need to make an informed and educated decision on their next new vehicle.

Prices, features, warranty information, reliability history, road tests, customer reviews, three-dimensional virtual buying tools — it’s almost as if new car dealers would rather buyers never entered a showroom.

However, as tempting as the thought of buying a new car without having to go to a dealer may be for many buyers, one of the most important yet overlooked parts of the new car buying process is the test drive.

As part of my six easy steps to buying a new vehicle, the testdrive step is arguably the secondmost important part of the new vehicle buying process after establishing a budget.

The first part of any test drive actually involves no driving at all.

Start by evaluating the interior of the vehicle. Begin with sitting in the driver’s seat. Questions to ask yourself are:

Is there enough leg, hip or headroom?

Do I feel comfortable in the vehicle?

Can I properly see and reach the pedals, steering wheel and other controls without having to stretch?

Can I tilt or telescope the wheel for a better fit?

Can I easily read the gauges and controls?

Can I properly set the exterior mirrors so I can eliminate blind spots?

Don’t stop at just the driver’s seat. Get up and check out the passenger side. And if there is a back seat sit there as well to check for the amount of comfort and space.

And don’t forget your cargo needs. If you are expecting your new vehicle to be able to house a couple of hockey bags, bring them to the dealership. Do they fit inside the trunk or hatch area? How high do you have to lift the bags to get them in?

As well, make sure you go through the process of setting up the car’s controls to your liking. That means adjusting the seats and mirrors, sorting out the climate controls, selecting a radio station and connecting your smartphone if the vehicle has Bluetooth capabilities.

If the prospective test vehicle has stood up to your evaluation so far, it’s time to hit the road!

First off, try and get the salesperson not to come along. Get them to save their sales pitch for when you’re back in the showroom, not distracted by the act of driving. As well, they will likely want to send you on a prescribed test-route, but instead, make sure you go on a route that will replicate as close as possible the type of driving you intend to do with your new car.

If that means stop-and-go traffic, then find a route that matches that. If you plan on long commutes on the open road, then take the car for a drive on a local four-lane highway.

I ask the following questions whenever I’m trying out a new vehicle:

Does the car accelerate as quickly as I would like or expect?

How do the brakes feel when stopping? Is the ride too firm or soft? Is there too much road noise? If it’s winter, how does the car handle slippery conditions?

Does the steering give me a decent amount of communication as to what’s going on at road level?

On a manual transmission, is the clutch take-up light or heavy?

On an automatic transmission that may allow me to shift on my own or have multiple gear modes, how does that work and behave?

And finally, I like to try out some of the car’s controls, like the infotainment system, while on the move to see how much that distracts me from driving.

This will take longer than the typical 20-minute dealer run. But you will be more comfortable that you are getting the bestsuited new vehicle possible for the long term.