Doonesbury by Garry Trudeau for December 28, 2024

Hmm, I see that Mike’s glasses are under his schnozz in panel #3 (although in none of the other panels). How long has he had the habit of putting them there??

What is a “curb” on a soccer field? Anything like a speed bump??

It was a kerb which curbed their ability to access the football pitch.

I used my 4 wheel drive every time the roads got icy. It was much more stable than driving without it.

i am so glad that Mike wound up with this younger woman, she keeps him young!

If you just stayed in the parking lot…

I had a 79 Subaru wagon, I never had to use the 4-wheel drive ever, and I crossed streams and ran on miles of deer trails to supply remote hunting cabins on a set of almost bald tires. Never a complaint in the mud or heavy snow! Before that, I used a VW bus for the same job until it finally died from terminal rust. I don’t know why would anyone pay for and needlessly double the number of fail prone parts in their drivetrain and never use them.

When it comes to personal transport, I’m still hoping for teleportation.

I love Kim’s giggle in the last frame.

Most off-roading experience a SUV sees is going through a car wash.

SUV = Shopping Utility Vehicle

Now people think that if you have four-wheel drive, you can go as fast as you want on icy roads. It doesn’t take long for reality to set in for them- four wheels can spin as easily as two.

4×4 or AWD are the bee’s knees when there’s a foot of fresh snow. Front wheel drive is good, too, as long as you have winter tires and driving skills. Rear wheel drive is the least desirable unless you’re in the mood to do a bunch of drifting.

I’ve had to use my Jeep’s 4WD a few times. Better than my 2WD pickup which I could not get up my driveway which is about 40 degrees. Of course, brakes on both work the same which many don’t realize. I slid down the driveway the other day on about an inch of snow.

It’s about the tires. One expert says snow tires on a two wheel drive is better than all seasons on a four wheel drive.

I know this strip is a couple decades old. Back then when it was PC to hate SUV’s, it remeinded me of the late 70’s gas hysteria when luxury cars got all the blame. If you owned a Cadillac or Lincoln you were public enemy number one!

Sidewalks are for ordinary drivers

As I have gotten older, trying to get in and out of a lower to the ground vehicle has become a struggle.

I went through the White Mountains area of NH in a snowstorm in my front wheel drive 1976 AMC Pacer (voted #1 ugliest car by Car and Driver magazine). It might have been ugly, but it left most of the other vehicles stuck at the bottom of the hills while we went merrily over the hills without any trouble.

Volvos were all the thing in “D.C.” in the late 70s. Then people switched to big SUVs. I like my little Kia compact SUV.

Oooh Volvo, how 80’s yuppie of you! Baby on Board ??? ;-)

We have an all wheel drive car, our third. They’re wonderful on flat dry pavement not to mention snow and mud,

20 yrs ago we had to return a rental to SFO from Reno, and I-70 required chains due to heavy snow the night before. $70 to buy, but we had to make our flight. When we reached the checkpoint, the guy in the SUV in front of us was arguing with the officer, and I could imagine that he said that he is bullet proof… In a moment of perfect retribution, only 1-2 miles later he was deep in the snow-filled ditch, rear-end first. I heard that patrolling wreckers charged $300+ to pull cars out.

I prefer my trike’s one wheel drive.

My winter vehicle is a 2008 AWD Jeep Grand Cherokee. I tell friends that it is 5 wheel drive. Four on the ground and one in my head that tries to keep me out of trouble. My non winter vehicle is a 2009 Smart Car with its big 85 hp 3 cylinder engine.

These strips are so dated. My ’23 Honda CR-V gets better MPG than a Toyota Corolla did back then. Go after the monstrous trucks that can haul five tons, yet their owners never even allow them to get a splash of mud on them.

Flattop Jr.’s Wonder Car had 4-wheel drive