Thanksgiving weekend in Southern California. More specifically, a car rental parking lot at LAX.
To my left was a dark gray 2017 Kia Optima, a 178-horsepower 4-door midsize sedan with knockout good looks and impressive highway fuel economy.
On the right was a blue 2017 Toyota Camry, promising plenty of comfort and reliability.
In the middle was a silver 2017 Ford Fusion, a car with sleek design and a high-quality interior.
If you had free access to the keys of each of these cars for a long weekend in Southern California, which would you take?
The Kia was my choice. How does the Infiniti work into this story? Read on, dear friends.
My wife and I cruised happily and enjoyed the Kia's smooth ride, comfortable seating, intuitive infotainment system, and great fuel economy (just over 30 mpg for the trip). Plus, it had plenty of power to hold its own in 80-mph LA traffic, even in Eco mode.
We even confused it for much more expensive cars. More than once.
After leaving a restaurant, I followed my wife to the Infiniti pictured above. I pressed the unlock button and tried to open the passenger door for her, but it didn't work. Only after two or three attempts did I realize we were trying to break into someone else's car.
It happened again a day later with a similar-colored BMW 5 Series. When the time came on Sunday night to return our Optima, I knew I'd miss it.
Until, that is, my father-in-law picked us up from the airport in a new-to-him Tesla Model S. Which, not surprisingly, looked at least a little bit like our beloved Kia.
Which everyday car do you think has a luxury look-alike?
You may remember the Mahindra brand from its plans to enter the U.S. late last decade with a small diesel-powered pickup. Thanks to the economy's simultaneous meltdown, those plans never materialized. This time the company is taking a more methodical approach that will very likely result in Mahindra vehicles coming to a dealership near you.
Would you be open to test-driving new cars from brands hailing from India and China? Sounds like they're on the way!