Wow, is all I have to say about the new Kias. Wow. Are they on a roll or what. Talk about throwing everything but the kitchen sink at your lineup. My gosh did they have it, and have it in spades. From the Optima to the hot little Coupe' to the Sportage (which was better looking and had more features than the new Acura RDX btw) to the awesome Trackster concept. I would say if Honda of the 90's, leadership-wise, was reborn in Korea, they would be where Kia is today. I still think Honda had a leg up in quality but the differences were minute.
Hyundai had a great array of product as well. The value is where both H/K excel, for instance a loaded Tuscon "Limited" (I think) was 26 grand and I see absolutely no reason other than the engine to spend 10 grand more on an Acura RDX. The Equus btw, was getting little attention which was surprising and not so surprising for me. It was a great value, but I think the Lexus saloon than it was targeting was just better built, more comfortable and had more tech. I think going after lexus is going to be a tough nut to crack for Hyundai, especially with Toyota getting back on stride.
Actually first, because the first display to greet my wife and I was Ford. And even when we got to McCormick at 10AM, it was crawling with show goers. And was easily the most popular display in the entire sho while we were there. There were probably a half dozen of each of their "standards" from the new Focus to the new Fusion, new Mustang, new Fiesta to the new Escape, Ford was there to impress and impress they did (Not with everything tho).
The new Fusion? Home Run. Looks fantastic, has a very nice interior, great feature content and they had one on a platform that caught me by surprise. an AWD model that was supposedly packing a 365hp V6. I need to learn more about this one...
The new Mustang was also crawling with showgoers and they had all flavors of Stang to drool over. Saleens, Cobras, Cobra R's, Steeda,s and even a vintage SVO which I wanted badly when I was a kid. For me though, I don't like the new Mustang, it's just such a whale of a car... No offense to Mustang enthusiasts, I just prefer smaller cars (like the previously mentioned MX-5 and BR-Z/FR-S if I want performance.
And unfortunately, it was the smaller cars at Ford that were kind of a letdown. Not bad per se, but the new Focus wqwas kind of meh on the inside and not great to look at either unless you were looking at top of the line trim packages. The Fiesta, same thing, but even cheaper feeling. btw, when is Ford paint jobs not going to look like cars that have seen 100 car washes before being put up for sale. Still swirl mark city...
The new Escape, also very popular, and will be a hit for them. Nice interior, although a little cold feeling, good seats, good features and a sharp (if not a little too big) exterior profile. I actually spoke with aone of the staff and she agreed with me that the out going one had more character and that truck like appearance was a big reason for it's success but the upcoming features and upgrades including what's under the hood should make up for it.
Anywyas, I know I was pretty brief in my overview of the show but unfortunately I am writing this from work and if I was to get into every nitty gritty detail I would never get any work done, lol. So if anyone has questions about anything or if I missed something, feel free to ask. Otherwise, great show, highly recommend checking it out.
Nice, I want. I'd take that over a sedan or even a CLS. Sales of the old one were microscopic - under 100 units per year. Maybe one of these with the less guzzling turbo engine will come my way in another 4 or 5 years.
The new Impreza is a solid contender in the class and for the price, 22 grand fro a loaded hatch that has AWD and gets 36mpg highway is unbeatable.
I was check these out alot too since I'm looking at trading my '06 Pilot EX-OR in. For the price and what you get, I feel Subaru hit the mark. I'm just hoping that the run on them doesn't make dealers up the price. Of the 3 Subaru dealers near me, none can seem to keep the Impreza 5-doors in stock.
This Sunday is the annual MBCA gathering/show for the PNW region. Always a few interesting cars there, I heard this year a 540K Special Roadster is going to be there - a ringer for an award.
Maybe this year my old thing will get to visit with its more elegant sibling again:
"The Woodward Dream Cruise on Saturday is the world's largest one-day celebration of car culture. The route begins on Woodward Avenue at Eight Mile and loops north to Pontiac and back."
Comments
Hyundai had a great array of product as well. The value is where both H/K excel, for instance a loaded Tuscon "Limited" (I think) was 26 grand and I see absolutely no reason other than the engine to spend 10 grand more on an Acura RDX. The Equus btw, was getting little attention which was surprising and not so surprising for me. It was a great value, but I think the Lexus saloon than it was targeting was just better built, more comfortable and had more tech. I think going after lexus is going to be a tough nut to crack for Hyundai, especially with Toyota getting back on stride.
The new Fusion? Home Run. Looks fantastic, has a very nice interior, great feature content and they had one on a platform that caught me by surprise. an AWD model that was supposedly packing a 365hp V6. I need to learn more about this one...
The new Mustang was also crawling with showgoers and they had all flavors of Stang to drool over. Saleens, Cobras, Cobra R's, Steeda,s and even a vintage SVO which I wanted badly when I was a kid. For me though, I don't like the new Mustang, it's just such a whale of a car... No offense to Mustang enthusiasts, I just prefer smaller cars (like the previously mentioned MX-5 and BR-Z/FR-S if I want performance.
And unfortunately, it was the smaller cars at Ford that were kind of a letdown. Not bad per se, but the new Focus wqwas kind of meh on the inside and not great to look at either unless you were looking at top of the line trim packages. The Fiesta, same thing, but even cheaper feeling. btw, when is Ford paint jobs not going to look like cars that have seen 100 car washes before being put up for sale. Still swirl mark city...
The new Escape, also very popular, and will be a hit for them. Nice interior, although a little cold feeling, good seats, good features and a sharp (if not a little too big) exterior profile. I actually spoke with aone of the staff and she agreed with me that the out going one had more character and that truck like appearance was a big reason for it's success but the upcoming features and upgrades including what's under the hood should make up for it.
Anywyas, I know I was pretty brief in my overview of the show but unfortunately I am writing this from work and if I was to get into every nitty gritty detail I would never get any work done, lol. So if anyone has questions about anything or if I missed something, feel free to ask. Otherwise, great show, highly recommend checking it out.
At the Vancouver show a few years ago, you could actually sit in the R8 and the full MB lineup...different world, though.
- The new Impreza is a solid contender in the class and for the price, 22 grand fro a loaded hatch that has AWD and gets 36mpg highway is unbeatable.
I was check these out alot too since I'm looking at trading my '06 Pilot EX-OR in. For the price and what you get, I feel Subaru hit the mark. I'm just hoping that the run on them doesn't make dealers up the price. Of the 3 Subaru dealers near me, none can seem to keep the Impreza 5-doors in stock.Odie
Maybe this year my old thing will get to visit with its more elegant sibling again:
"The Woodward Dream Cruise on Saturday is the world's largest one-day celebration of car culture. The route begins on Woodward Avenue at Eight Mile and loops north to Pontiac and back."
Momentum gathering for Saturday's classic car party (Detroit News)
Odie