Vehicle Review: 2018 Mazda3 Grand Touring - More Disneyland Adventures!

It is time for another vehicle review and this time it is for the 2018 Mazda3 Grand Touring! This is my first time reviewing a Mazda3 and based off it's stunning good looks I knew it was going to be a great week of driving!

My best friend Brittney came down to visit me and all of her luggage easily fit in the trunk! It was off to drop off all of her luggage and then to spend our first night in Disneyland!

Reflecting on a magical night in Disneyland with my best friend!

This is what it looks like when you are literally the last car in the Toy Story parking lot! It was such a smooth drive both to and from the park and we would be heading back early the next morning!

And this is what it looks like when you are one of the first cars in the Disneyland parking lot the next morning! The 2018 Mazda3 Grand Touring made it such a joy to even drive in Southern California traffic. We zipped our way in comfort and style!

As many of you know one of my favorite things to do at Disneyland is to eat! Stopping at Redd Rocket's Pizza Port in Tomorrowland for lunch!

I am also always on the lookout for new food items to try at Disneyland! Here is the limited cherry vanilla cotton candy! Subtle in flavor but it was so good!

You get a powerful 2.5L 4-cylinder engine that produces 184 horsepower that gets 30 MPG combines and 27 MPG in the city and 36 MPG on the highway! This is just a purely fun vehicle to drive and it handles so well on the road! You will just want to hop in and drive, even if you have no particular place to go!

Take a 360 degree look inside the 2018 Mazda3 Grand Touring! You get heated leather seats, keyless entry, dual-zone climate control, a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system, a heads-up display, heated steering wheel and a moonroof. 

The 2018 Mazda3 Grand Touring comes with a huge amount of features outside of the vehicle as well! LED fog lights, LED headlights and running lights, blind spot monitoring, rain-sensing wipers, automatic headlights, adaptive front lighting and more!

It was a great week of driving around the Southern California area all week! A wonderful vehicle that will become your favorite as it did mine! Great looks, an interior that looks premium, and a fantastic driving vehicle that is very comfortable and stylish!

With all the premium packages the 2018 Mazda3 Grand Touring as tested came in at $28,370.

Vehicle Review: 2018 Toyota C-HR - Holiday Time at Disneyland and Food Adventures!

Here is my last vehicle review for 2017 and it is the 2018 Toyota C-HR. First off this vehicle is a head turner! Take a look at it's futuristic good looks! Let's find out if the inside matches the outside!

The seats are sporty and very comfortable bucket seats. They are also heated which could come in handy in certain parts of the country.

The cockpit, while nicely laid out, is missing not only navigation but Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Strange and sad to see these missing from such a futuristic looking vehicle.

The rear door handles are elevated near the roofline for a cool look but it is difficult for kids to reach. Also the rear windows are small and high up that kids won't be able to see out them.

Vehicle Review: 2018 Hyundai Sonata Limited - Titanic, a Wedding and a Food Adventure!

Hi everyone! It's Jason from Sasaki Time and it is time for another vehicle review! This time it is for the 2018 Hyundai Sonata Limited! The 2018 version has received a significant refresh. The lines were changed to give the Sonata a more family vehicle vibe.

There are large LED headlights and taillights, the headlights have dynamic bending light technology to light your way as the roads curve to help you to see around the bend, LED daytime running lights, large 17-inch alloy wheels, and heated side mirrors with turn signal indicators.

Time to hop into the driver's seat and meet a friend to see the 20th Anniversary re-release of Titanic.

Hard to believe that it has been 20 years since the movie Titanic hit theaters. For the 20th Anniversary release, Titanic was mastered for Dolby's premiere Dolby Cinema Theater. This is by far my favorite way to see a movie. Dolby partnered with AMC and has created the perfect way to watch a movie. The theater is a equipped with a floor to ceiling and wall to wall screen, a perfectly blacked out theater, Dolby Atmos speakers, a Dolby vision projector that produces the inkiest blacks, and perfectly aligned stadium seats that are angled at the edges to still provide the best view of the screen.

Watching Titanic in Dolby Cinema was like watching this movie for the very first time. The colors were sharp and breathtaking and you can feel the roar of the engines and feeling the rush of the flooding waters gave a bigger sense of urgency to get out of the ship. A truly amazing experience and hope that Dolby partners with more filmmakers to bring older films to this format for limit releases.



Take a 360 degree look at the interior. As you can see there is a lot of leg room for both the front and the rear passengers. There are power front seats with integrated memory seat for the driver's seat, heated and ventilated front seats, a heated steering wheel and a power tilt and slide sunroof.

Vehicle Review: 2018 Hyundai Elantra GT - Food and Adventures at Disneyland!

Time to check out the 2018 Hyundai Elantra GT! I love driving smaller vehicles and was excited to drive the Hyundai Elantra GT! The 2-18 Hyundai Elantra GT was beautifully redesigned and I love the cascading grille and the vertical LED running lights.

Took an early drive down to the San Diego area to pick up a friend. The drive was amazing! The 2.0L DOHC 4-cylinder engine supplied plenty of power to handle the Southern California freeways! You get good gas mileage with 24 MPG in the city and 32 MPG on the highway.  Put the 2018 Hyundai Elantra into Sports Mode and you may never get out of the car! The large 17-inch alloy wheels grip the curvy foothill roads on the way to my friends house.

The style package on the 2018 Hyundai Elantra GT gives you blind spot detection and rear cross-traffic alert, two of my favorite safety features on any vehicle. You also get the side mirror turn indicators, proximity key with push button start, leather wrapped steering wheel and gear shifter, power driver's seat and heated front seats.

Time to load up the trunk which is huge for a small car! So much room for all of your luggage and more!

The layout of the cockpit is surprisingly roomy and filled with tech that larger cars have.

Awesome to find a panoramic sunroof! One of the unexpected finds on the 2018 Hyundai Elantra GT! This comes in the Tech Package that also includes full LED headlights and taillights, leather seating surfaces, electronic parking brake, the Qi wireless charging pad for compatible smartphones, ventilated front seats, auto-dimming rearview mirror with BlueLink, HomeLink and Compass and carpeted floor mats.

Not that I need any navigation tool to help me find which way it is to Disneyland! But we are almost there! I love the large 8-inch infotainment touchscreen that has both Android Auto and Apple CarPlay across all trims.

We reached Disneyland and it was time to enjoy a Teddi Beara Lavender Sparkler which tasted like lychee and was absolutely delicious and refreshing!

We picked up some reading material as well! The second volume of Tales of The Haunted Mansion came out and was a must buy after reading the first one and how amazing it was!

Then it was time to eat and it was time to try a secret menu item, the Galactic Style burger from the Galactic Grill in Tomorrowland! Think of it as a tasty cross between an In N Out animal style burger and a McDonald's Big Mac! Amazing and delicious, a must have!

When you close down Disneyland you can get a cool photo like this in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle all by yourself!

And just as important is a photo on a nearly empty Main Street!

The 2018 Hyundai Elantra GT came in at $27, 460.00 as tested. A solid, fun-to-drive hatchback with great tech and safety features makes this a vehicle worth looking at!

Vehicle Review: Genesis G90 AWD 3.3T Premium

I have been really impressed with the Genesis line ever since I first drove one at a Hyundai Media Event in 2014. Since then, Hyundai has spun off the Genesis into its own brand much as Lexus is to Toyota, Acura is to Honda and Infiniti is to Nissan. The Genesis G90 is my favorite so far and once take a look at the "fluidic design" and then sit behind the wheel, you too will fall in love.

The gorgeous look of the Genesis G90 was created to take on the likes of other full-size luxury sedans such as the Lexus LS, the Mercedes S-Class, and the BMW 7- Series. The large grill announces the G90s arrival. The LED daytime running lights give the vehicle a cat-like look.

The large winged Genesis emblem looks great even with a little early morning rain.



The large 19-inch alloy wheels look like they were inspired by jet engine fans.

From the rear, the G90 looks like a Mercedes. I love the large rear tail lights as they accentuate the back of the vehicle. The angled tailpipes also add to the stylish look of the G90. The stylish exterior is both sophisticated and elegant.

The interior matches the exterior. The front seats are large and comfortable. The 22-way power seats also come with ventilation and heat for both the driver and the passenger.

The steering wheel is buttery soft in the hands and comes with power adjustment for tilt and telescoping. Crystal clear displays are supplemented with a HUD (heads-up display). The center console includes wireless charging for your smartphone which I absolutely loved.

The navigation system has a huge 12.3 HD widescreen. A Lexicon 7.1-channel surround sound system with 17 speakers comes standard. The sound is unbelievable in an already super quiet cabin.




Here is a 360 degree look at the interior of the G90. You can see how luxurious and spacious the interior truly is.

The rear seats offer an amazing amount of comfort. You will find a seemingly endless amount of leg room.  

The rear center armrest has climate and audio controls.

The Genesis G90 also comes with the latest safety features including lane assist, adaptive cruise control, high beam assist and more.

One of my favorite safety features is this overhead view of your vehicle as you park. There is no excuse for not parking perfectly in the space every single time.

Driving the G90, is a dream come true. The 3.3-Liter twin-turbo V6 engine has 365 hp is powerful and made it a pure joy to cruise the freeways in Orange County.  You also get a combined 20 mpg with 17 mpg in the city and 24 mpg on the highway.

The Genesis G90 AWD 3.3T Premium starts at $68,100 ($71,550 as tested). You also get a 3 year/36,000 mile Complimentary Scheduled Maintenance, Valet Services, Genesis Connected Services, SiriusXM Travel Link and Map Care.

To learn more, take a look at the official site:

Genesis G90

Vehicle Review: 2016 Mazda CX-9 Signature Edition

It's Jason from Sasaki Time and it is time for another vehicle review! This time it is the 2016 Mazda CX-9 Signature Edition! I took the gorgeous and stylish Mazda CX-9 on a trip to Northern California and some food adventures! Excited? Well, here we go!

Time to load up the luggage, a duffel bag and some snacks into the Mazda CX-9 Signature and hit the open road.

This is not your average soccer mom SUV. Powering this CX-9 is a turbocharged SkyActiv 2.5-Liter engine with four-cylinders. I averaged about 28 miles per gallon on the highway. Going up and over the Grapevine on my way to Sacramento was a breeze. It didn't even feel like the engine was working hard at all. The Sport version starts at $31,520 but the Signature edition that I tested with the real Napa leather, hand-carved Japanese rosewood interior, aluminum accents, a premium Bose audio system, solid technological and safety features is worth every penny of its $45,000 price tag.

The CX-9 Signature edition is a head turner. The long, sloping hood with that distinctly Mazda grill and smooth lines along the body and roofline make this one of the best looking SUVs on the market. I love the large 20-inch alloy wheels, heated mirrors, keyless entry, rain-sensing sensors and the power liftgate.

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Inside, the CX-9 Signature edition has a number of unique interior touches.  You get Napa leather, heated front power seats, real wood accents, even knee padding on the sides of the center console. The cabin is very comfortable as well as very quiet. You get two USB ports in the front and  a fantastic Bose audio system.

The interior continues with a well thought out dash layout. Gauges and controls are easy to read and to use. A central controller on the console helps you navigate the large infotainment display. You also get a Heads-up Display (HUD) with all the critical information floating right below my direct line of sight. Not only can I easily see my speed but all of my navigation information and even safety information such as blind-side monitoring. There are quite a few safety features as well including cross traffic alerts with backup sensors, variable cruise control, lane keep assistance, emergency braking and three rows of side curtain airbags. 

Now driving six hours to Northern California meant a few food adventures with my parents.

The first food adventure takes us to the Jackson Casino for this amazing dish of lobster claws for only $10. A delicious ginger black bean sauce and 10 lobster claws make this one of the best seafood dishes ever.

And no trip home would be complete without some spam musubi from my mom. As some of you know, my folks are from Hawaii and spam is the local favorite.

Back down in Southern California, I went to Cross Roast Eatery in Anaheim. They are trying to become the Asian Chipotle. You pick one of several Asian proteins such as the roast pork belly and roast duck that I chose for my dish above. You then pick the base, which I selected ginger rice, but you could pick ramen, or tacos or a baguette for instance. Then you get to pick your toppings and your sauce. An amazing experience and one I will go back to for sure. 

Halfsies is a new donut shop in Tustin. Here they specialize in amazing toppings for your donut. You get to customize your donut. The one on the right is dipped in maple glaze, then topped with granny smith apples and strawberries, cinnamon toast crunch, whipped cream, a nutella drizzle and finished with a sprinkling of cinnamon. The one on the left is dipped in a chocolate glaze, cocoa krispies, cookie crisp, the Grinch ice cream, a toasted marshmallow and a chocolate drizzle. Both of my creations were amazing!

So, after these food adventures, it was time to finish my week of driving the amazing Mazda CX-9 Signature edition. From the stunning good looks to the power of the turbocharged engine, the Mazda CX-9 is a winner. Add quality craftsmanship, a comfortable cabin layout and a bevy of safety options, the CX-9 deserves to be on your list of the top family SUV list this year.