Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Motor Trend Show (cont.)
Still one of the most impressive lineups of vehicles still comes from Honda. They are not necessarily knwon for producing the most exciting vehicles in terms of looks, but their flawless ergonomics, clean and simple design parameters, great gas mileage, and seemingly infallible reliability onle serve to solidify it's place in my mind as one of the greatest car makers out there. I was skeptical of the new Civic at first because its design seems too polarizing for one of their best selling cars. However, once I had a chance to familiarize myself with some of the Civic's improvements over last generation's model, I was very impressed. By upping the engine displacement by one tenth of a liter, the horsepower climbed from 127 to a respectable (at least in the economy market) 140. In addition to adding much needed power, Honda engineers also reduced the emissions, extended the gas mileage, and created a wonderfully intuitive 5-speed automatic that combines with the new engine for 30 mpg city and 40 mpg highway. This is up from the previous manual trans./1.7 liter I-4 combo of 30/38 mpg. Say what you will about driving an automatic, but this auto is a gem. I used to hate the thought of having to drive an automatic. My newer car is an auto and I appreciate it in times when I would just rather do what I'm doing (e.g. listen to the radio, drink my drink, etc.) than have to row through the gears. I appreciate a good stick as much as the next guy, but the 5-speed auto on the new Civic is a very nice alternative to the stick-shift of the enthusiast. It is compact and smoothly driven, especially when asked to perform with a quick downshift or crisp upshifts while accelerating. My favorite feature is that, at highway speeds, the automatic holds the rpms in the quieter 2400-2600 range compared to the 3000+ range of the manual. This translates into an overall more serene driving environment, something that most economy cars lack or fall short of. The engineering in this department alone is reason enough to seriously consider the Civic over any other car in its class. Even the love it/hate it two-tier dash that so many editors can't decide on really becomes a nice addition when driving at night. It makes you feel like you're on Tron, but in a good way.
Friday, January 12, 2007
The Motor Trend Auto Expo
The Motor Trend International Auto Expo brings together most of the world's automakers into one huge arena once a year in Sandy, Utah. Personally, I have looked forward to this day for a long while. I have missed it the last two years because if friends talking me into going somewhere for the Martin Luther King Day long weekend. This time, I beat the system and did my round as the kid in the candy store. Nothing is quite like getting a hands-on look at virtually all of the cars on the market. Even the cars that you pretend aren't there even though someone keeps buying them (cough cough, GM). So here we go, a play by play of my own walk through the Auto Show.
We strolled into the expo center not twenty minutes after the doors had opened. I had convinced myself that it was because I didn't want to have to deal with the crowds, but really it was because I didn't want to wait any longer than I had to. After all, I had been counting down the days for the last three weeks at least to my family and girlfriend, who were probably just as relieved that I went as I was just so they would not hear about it anymore. The transition from the 18-degree winter chill outside to the blast of leather, rubber, and the noxious mix of adhesives that make up the automotive aphrodisiac "new car smell" was a welcome experience. There's nothing like the smell of a new car. Times that by a few hundred cars and you have veritable Cheech & Chong's basement of olfactory overload. And let me tell you, it rocks.
We started in the area of the lackluster carmakers, mainly just to get them out of the way. We walked from one Chevy to the next only to be reminded that no matter how mediocre they look now, their value in six months will be even worse. Not to mention that the American automakers are in a serious funk of quality, design, and reliability. The GMC Yukon Denali stuck out first off. With a $60k plus price tag, you still get the fake wood dash and garbage can plastic trim that the bottom of the line Cobalt gets. The only variation on that product line was the aptly nicknamed "3-ton Mullet" Cadillac Escalade EXT. Which adds a couple grand to the price, but deletes the garbage can plastic. The interior accents there were tasteful and soft to the touch, but the driving position is one of my biggest gripes. High seat, low dash, big steering wheel. Then it was on to Saturn. I was pleasantly surprised by the design of the new Aura and Sky, which were nicely adorned on their interiors compared their GM brothers. Higher quality leathers and plastics made their way into both models while the majority of the Saturn lineup remains static and rather boring.
This is where we took a brief journey into the Japanese segment with the Subaru models. While I'm still unimpressed by Subaru's combination of all-wheel-drive, boxer engines, bland interiors, sub-par materials, and inflated pricing, they still look pretty nice when they're new and on the showroom floor. This was most noticeable with the Impreza WRX STi. It has zing and some real rally flavor amidst the soccer mom crowd usually buying Subaru Legacies and Foresters. This is the one niche that Subaru has nailed. Everything else I could do without.
Upon entering the huge room of the expo center, one would be hard pressed to miss the Ford setup, which was next on the route. Not only did it have the loudest microphones attached to those neat little headsets that the product people wear, but they also had an interactive talking robot that was answering questions. It's a good thing they are spending their money on that down at Ford and not on say ... making a profit! Ford is beyond deep in the financial red and this was just stupid. It will be years before they ever make another dime and they are spending money on robots. This faux pa is evident in their lineup for this year. The most tasteful and well-made thing they have going is the Fusion. Everything else seems dated, cheap, and unrefined. Ford focused (no pun intended) on making a scene, not making a splash. The recent introduction of the Ford Edge was supposed to signal a turnaround for the company, a signal of bigger and better things to come. Surprisingly, the Edge did not make its way onto the floor at the show, but somehow the robot did.
Next up on the list was Lexus. I had been eyeing so many of the new Lexus models I almost didn't know where to begin. Ok, that's a lie. I went straight to the LS. Who couldn't? By now we've all heard about the car that parks itself or the 8-speed automatic. Me? I wanted to see the steering wheel leather that had been buffed hundreds of times more than any other wheel and the headlamps fashioned after glass tumblers and the 19-speaker Mark Levinson audio system. That was just the start. The last LS was a masterpiece in my book. It was beautiful, comfortable, elegant, and just oozed quality with everything you touched, smelled, or heard. The new LS did not disappoint. In fact it outdid the previous generation by a longshot. The gauges were ultra-precise, the plastics were soft and formed perfectly around every edge. The seats were a new standard in comfort and the semi-aniline leather were as smooth as butter. The shifter, the radio controls, the HVAc controls, and the console placement seemed to be in perfect harmony with one another. I was particularly impressed with the 19-speaker audio system that had me counting again and again to really see all 19 of them. Apparently, the rear seat is the place to be. With separate midrange and tweeters in the doors, woofers behind your head and another component speaker directly above your head, there is no way to miss any of the music pumping out of them. And with an interior noise level of 63 db at 70 m.p.h., you could barely miss a pin drop let alone your favorite CD.
This attention to detail and almost overwrought sense of luxury goes well beyond the inside of the LS and extends to almost every car in the Lexus line. The cherry red pearl on the ES was striking in its depth and color as was the fit and finish of the RX, GS, IS, LX, GX, and SC.
We strolled into the expo center not twenty minutes after the doors had opened. I had convinced myself that it was because I didn't want to have to deal with the crowds, but really it was because I didn't want to wait any longer than I had to. After all, I had been counting down the days for the last three weeks at least to my family and girlfriend, who were probably just as relieved that I went as I was just so they would not hear about it anymore. The transition from the 18-degree winter chill outside to the blast of leather, rubber, and the noxious mix of adhesives that make up the automotive aphrodisiac "new car smell" was a welcome experience. There's nothing like the smell of a new car. Times that by a few hundred cars and you have veritable Cheech & Chong's basement of olfactory overload. And let me tell you, it rocks.
We started in the area of the lackluster carmakers, mainly just to get them out of the way. We walked from one Chevy to the next only to be reminded that no matter how mediocre they look now, their value in six months will be even worse. Not to mention that the American automakers are in a serious funk of quality, design, and reliability. The GMC Yukon Denali stuck out first off. With a $60k plus price tag, you still get the fake wood dash and garbage can plastic trim that the bottom of the line Cobalt gets. The only variation on that product line was the aptly nicknamed "3-ton Mullet" Cadillac Escalade EXT. Which adds a couple grand to the price, but deletes the garbage can plastic. The interior accents there were tasteful and soft to the touch, but the driving position is one of my biggest gripes. High seat, low dash, big steering wheel. Then it was on to Saturn. I was pleasantly surprised by the design of the new Aura and Sky, which were nicely adorned on their interiors compared their GM brothers. Higher quality leathers and plastics made their way into both models while the majority of the Saturn lineup remains static and rather boring.
This is where we took a brief journey into the Japanese segment with the Subaru models. While I'm still unimpressed by Subaru's combination of all-wheel-drive, boxer engines, bland interiors, sub-par materials, and inflated pricing, they still look pretty nice when they're new and on the showroom floor. This was most noticeable with the Impreza WRX STi. It has zing and some real rally flavor amidst the soccer mom crowd usually buying Subaru Legacies and Foresters. This is the one niche that Subaru has nailed. Everything else I could do without.
Upon entering the huge room of the expo center, one would be hard pressed to miss the Ford setup, which was next on the route. Not only did it have the loudest microphones attached to those neat little headsets that the product people wear, but they also had an interactive talking robot that was answering questions. It's a good thing they are spending their money on that down at Ford and not on say ... making a profit! Ford is beyond deep in the financial red and this was just stupid. It will be years before they ever make another dime and they are spending money on robots. This faux pa is evident in their lineup for this year. The most tasteful and well-made thing they have going is the Fusion. Everything else seems dated, cheap, and unrefined. Ford focused (no pun intended) on making a scene, not making a splash. The recent introduction of the Ford Edge was supposed to signal a turnaround for the company, a signal of bigger and better things to come. Surprisingly, the Edge did not make its way onto the floor at the show, but somehow the robot did.
Next up on the list was Lexus. I had been eyeing so many of the new Lexus models I almost didn't know where to begin. Ok, that's a lie. I went straight to the LS. Who couldn't? By now we've all heard about the car that parks itself or the 8-speed automatic. Me? I wanted to see the steering wheel leather that had been buffed hundreds of times more than any other wheel and the headlamps fashioned after glass tumblers and the 19-speaker Mark Levinson audio system. That was just the start. The last LS was a masterpiece in my book. It was beautiful, comfortable, elegant, and just oozed quality with everything you touched, smelled, or heard. The new LS did not disappoint. In fact it outdid the previous generation by a longshot. The gauges were ultra-precise, the plastics were soft and formed perfectly around every edge. The seats were a new standard in comfort and the semi-aniline leather were as smooth as butter. The shifter, the radio controls, the HVAc controls, and the console placement seemed to be in perfect harmony with one another. I was particularly impressed with the 19-speaker audio system that had me counting again and again to really see all 19 of them. Apparently, the rear seat is the place to be. With separate midrange and tweeters in the doors, woofers behind your head and another component speaker directly above your head, there is no way to miss any of the music pumping out of them. And with an interior noise level of 63 db at 70 m.p.h., you could barely miss a pin drop let alone your favorite CD.
This attention to detail and almost overwrought sense of luxury goes well beyond the inside of the LS and extends to almost every car in the Lexus line. The cherry red pearl on the ES was striking in its depth and color as was the fit and finish of the RX, GS, IS, LX, GX, and SC.
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