As we veer off the smooth motorway on to the gravel Route 1, I scramble to set up an out-of-office message via my phone: "Hola!
And Sven Beiker, the director of Stanford University's CarLab, says automatic driving in some situations, such as stop-and-go traffic or smooth motorway driving, could be reliable enough for general use in a decade.
The kitchen has worked hard at refining the flavours – so hard, the result is like a too-smooth motorway without the bumps and potholes that keep you awake and alive.
A quick trip on the train with the same faffing over the lights and we were driving on the left on British roads again, which instantly reminded us of how smooth French motorways are compared to our pothole-ridden carriage ways.
Inside, the switches are just where you expect them to be, the driving position comfortable and the gear stick a lovely and light tool for a precise change, while on the motorway it's economical, smooth and quiet as it dominates the outside lane with ease.
Avoiding motorway tolls will lead you down the smooth, fast routes nationales (such the N7 that runs from Paris to Nice) and the prettier, more winding routes departmentales, which allow you to discover sights, towns and villages en route (on Michelin maps, the most scenic roads are marked with green shading).
I have been in a car with good drivers, and bad ones too: civilians who make smooth gearshifts and make three-steps-ahead-of-the-chess-board motorway overtakes, and people who clank it into reverse by accident and run down a low wall.
Singapore has led the way with using variable tolls to smooth traffic flows during rush-hours; Britain is pioneering "smart motorways", whose speed limits vary constantly to achieve a similar effect.
The state-run news agency said a master plan called for construction of "high-speed railways and motorway from the airport to the city center" to "ensure smooth traffic". North Korea is known for its paucity of buses, cars and other vehicles, not to mention a scarcity of fuel.
The big news from the state-of-the-city address was that a motorway lane would open a few months earlier than expected.Young, smooth and charming, the mayor is easy to like.
It behaves well on the road with a smooth ride and very little body roll, returns decent-enough fuel economy and its engine easily keeps pace on motorway runs.
