NOS2006

Interesting thoughts on the Winter Classic. It will either be Washington or Pittsburgh in the Finals, but they'll be playing the Red Wings. Chicago won't make the finals. It'll probably be Detroit vs. Vancouver in the semi-finals.

Heck, when I started at C&G, I was an Aquarius.. now I'm a Capricorn! How often can that be said? haha

Yeah, I think I'm going again tomorrow. Maybe I'll get the chance to take some more pictures and see Saab out there. This time I think I'm actually going to mostly relax and take a seat in some of the cars. It'll be even nicer this time since I'll be with two of my best friends and not wandering around like a lost puppy dog by myself. haha

Oh, and I tried uploading pictures last night. I'm not sure if it's just a slow upload for ~150MB or what, but it didn't seem to be loading. I'll try again tonight?

Was Saab even at the show? lol

I think that's the best part about this site is that there is such a large core group of guys that's been around for many years yet we're always very welcoming to new members. On other sites, it seems like new members just don't "fit in" like they do here.

Happy Birthday, man!

Whether or not you already have, please continue to vote and support this cause!

You can vote once per day per email address that you have or phone via text (105230 to 73774)

Thank you so much! We've climbed from 355 to 129 in less than a week, and I know we can do better!

That's funny, NYE marked 7 years of using Photoshop for me. haha

I wish we could edit the Join Date in the Admin CP, but it doesn't look like it's possible.

n00b.

Glad you had a good time.. now come back for the Woodward Dream Cruise!

I was just looking at my signature and realized I've been on this site for 8 years as of today. Time flies...

It's now been six consecutive years that I've attended the North American International Auto Show. Two years ago, not long after the start of the country-wide recession, I posted a review of the show which revealed the automotive depression running deep into the veins of all those in this industry. Last year, this disheartening feeling was so bad that I didn't even post a review. Although Ford was doing better, GM and Chrysler had just been bailed out by the government and their future existence still seemed to be somewhat up in the air. Porsche, Nissan, and others skipped out on the show completely, and the most expensive car at the show was tucked inconspicuously in a low-light corner of the floor. At this point, GM hardly had enough money to purchase one of these Bugatti Veyrons let alone the spectators walking around the show.

That being said, I encourage you to take a deep breath and relax. The neosporin and gauze have done their jobs. The scar tissue is there, but we have survived.

This year's show was an improvement over the last two. The Big Three is back. That's right, I said it, and so did many others at the show. It seemed brighter, both figuratively and literally, and it wasn't impossible to find a smile on a face here and there. If that doesn't show improvement, I don't know what does.

I walked through the doors at the Audi exhibit. I still cannot get past the fact that all of their models look so similar to each other. I feel like they really need more differentiation through their lineup, but that's obviously just my opinion since it seemed as though they had a solid crowd. Their interiors still aren't fully up to class standards in my opinion, although a few of them do have nice quite nice door panels.

BMW is BMW, they haven't changed and probably won't for awhile, though Cadillac is now giving them a good run for their money. There's something that I already subliminally, but it didn't really hit me until I actually saw one on the showroom floor: the X3 has much lower quality material on its interior than the SRX. The X5/X6 have a terrific interior, so it's surprising that this didn't at least partially make it into their little brother, the X3. Aside from that, not much has changed at the Bavarian performance company.

I skipped over MINI and noticed that VW, like Audi, had a good crowd around it. I didn't pay much attention to VW though. I was more interested in jumping over to the Porsche showcase. It felt good not only to see Porsche at the show, but to sit in a Panamera. This is what kind of upsets me though; I always go to the show to snap as many pictures as possible and show it off to everyone else, but I really don't enjoy it because of this. I wish that I would've sat in the Porsches and fallen in love with them since I finally had that opportunity, but I took a quick seat to snap some pictures, then moved on without even enjoying the car whatsoever. I should go back on one of the not-so-busy public days...

I intentionally avoided the Chrysler display and stuck to the perimeter of the floor. I wanted to see everything else first so I could really analyze Chrysler's models once I got there, so I found myself at Toyota. Oops, I yawned, and now I'm in Scion.. and Lexus.. Oh hey, an LFA. Oops, I yawned again. Suddenly I'm at Kia. It's not that Toyota had a small section. It's just that none of their models are particularly interesting in any way, which seemed to be the general consensus; there was hardly anybody in this section, and only slightly more people at the Lexus display. The LFA was nice though although I still think it's overpriced with a terrible rear end design.

Kia's display wasn't impressive and it didn't attract many people. I did expect more people to be looking at their models, but I was wrong. Just as I was discussing with Drew, Z-06, and BV the other night, the Forte is a nice little car, but its interior materials are eerily similar to the Civic Si while I still feel like the exterior looks like a better-looking Civic. Coincidence?

Cadillac's offerings were nice as usual. People were still gawking over the CTS selection which is always a welcome sight. I didn't pay much attention to the SRX, so I'm unsure of what the reaction was there. I will say this though: the XTS and ATS cannot come soon enough. I've got reason to have a ton of faith in Cadillac right now, so I know these will be huge hits and draw a very nice crowd from BMW and Audi.

GM's display wasn't too bad, but I don't think the scenery was as flashy as in the past. Then again, it didn't need to be; their models are better now than they have been in a significant amount of time. Buick got a bigger crowd around it than normal, and rightfully so. People really like the Regal, and the Verano had some onlookers as well. Sharp car, and I like it just as much in person as I did in pictures. For some reason or another, there was a Lucerne in the background. Such a dowdy looking vehicle in comparison to the others. I'm bewildered as to why GM brought it. Also, I must note that the Regal GS only had 2 holes in each of the ventiports...

The new GMC concept is sharp. I probably took more pictures of this than anything else at the show. GMTruckGuy is going to have a truckgasm. You're welcome.

Chevy's display wasn't terribly great, but that's alright. I felt very welcome. I had been around quite a few displays before this, but it wasn't until I got into the GM section that I got my first, "Hi, how are you?" from one of the models. The others seemed more snooty and didn't want anything to do with the people; they were just there for a job. Anyway, the Sonic isn't bad. I like its interior much more than others in the class; the two-tone decor most definitely does the job. The sedan looks much better in person than in pictures, but I was hoping that some of my pictures will do it justice. The Camaro and other vehicles were old news. Some guy sat in a Grand Sport and got out emphasizing, as if he were reading it straight out of a magazine, "The seats are so bad." I checked out the Cruze again and I like it, but everytime I see one, I find myself wishing it had more variety with an SS, coupe, and hatch/wagon.

I don't think I even looked at or noticed Subaru or Mazda. Perhaps if I go back again, I'll check them out. Meanwhile, Volvo had the same display as always. I really wish they would revamp their line-up like Buick has, but I guess we'll have to wait that out. Also, I don't think Lincoln had much of a crowd. Their models already look aged to me.

Ford was the story last year, but not so much this year. They had nice vehicles and I do like the Escape concept (is it safe to say that yet?) quite a bit; it's much nicer looking than the old model. I really wish they'd give the Ranger the same treatment, but I'm sure they're keeping to the old theory of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." There's no other competition, so why would they? Of all the cars at the show, I only did sit down to enjoy two vehicles. The first was the Mustang GT. The new 5.0 has got a soft spot in my heart ever since I drove a V6 Premium earlier this year. I'd love to lease a GT Premium for a few years, and I would if I weren't going to grad school next year. Maybe it'll work itself out in the end... That car is such a joy to be in.

I looked at Honda and Mercedes, but wasn't impressed too much by either. I've never been truly impressed by a Honda, with the exception of the S2000, so I wasn't shocked to basically walk right through their display once again. Mercedes had a nicely done older sportscar, I'm guessing a 300SL based on my memory and a little research. You'll be able to see it in the pictures once they're posted. I'm still not impressed by the new SLS, and they had it shown in a highlighter yellow/green color, so it was even less attractive. I do enjoy looking at the Mercedes vehicles though because something about them just gives me a classier feeling than the BMWs do.

I then sweeped into the inner circle of the floor to see Acura and Hyundai. Ahh, who am I kidding? Aside from taking a couple pictures of the Genesis coupe and probabaly another Hyundai, I walked right past these displays. There wasn't much to see, and there wasn't too significant of a crowd to convince me otherwise. I then passed on to Tesla. Again, not much to see. Then it was the exotics, and I was upset to only see the 458 Italia from Ferrari, but it's better than nothing I suppose.

And there it was. I held out on Chrysler hoping it would a be "best for last" scenario, and my accusations were correct. Model after refreshed model, I was thoroughly impressed. Chrysler stole the show, and I'm actually getting a warm feeling from deep down just writing this about them. Marchionne is the man.

I'm not sure where to start. First, let me reiterate something I would've said last year: I love the new Chrysler symbol. That being said, I guess I can start with Fiat. The 500 is just different, but I've already seen quite a few of them on the road, and it seemed that people were kind of interested in the little thing. They had a Mopar edition of the 500 there, and that was sharp. Then I moved on to the 200 and was absolutely delighted. I had seen a 200 on the lot, but I keep passing by it until I could see it at the autoshow with the other new Chrysler offerings, and I'm glad I did. It's far superior to anything the Sebring ever could've attempted to be. Very nice interior and exterior, but it's still a bump below the Regal, though the price tag agrees (and the 200 is a bit smaller, right?). The Challenger looks a lot better inside and out. The Avenger looks much nicer, and I really like its new LED taillights. On that note, the Journey's taillights and interior are far better this year. I was actually quite impressed by the "new" Journey. I even sat in a Town & Country to take a picture or two and said, "Why isn't this what my mom got when she bought a Caravan many moons ago?" All of the Jeep interiors were much better (I actually like the Wrangler now), and the face of the Compass looks much better in person, although the body still doesn't flow with the same design. The Durango is way better this year, and actually quite handsome. The Ram Longhorn's interior is too good for a truck. Overall, all I have to say is, "Damn!" Chrysler has done it, and the crowd most certainly agrees.

Now for my favorite two of the bunch: the 300 and Grand Cherokee. These two were downright impressive. If I could, and the CTS wasn't an option, I would take a 300C and Grand Cherokee Overland over anything on the market. Sitting in the Grand Cherokee, just the second model that I actually sat in for a second for the enjoyment of it, I fell in love. I almost felt as though I was behind the wheel of a Jeep Cayenne. The Overland edition ups the ante even more with stitching on the IP and door panels, leather seats, and just a cozy yet sporty feeling. I couldn't get a single good picture of any of the Grand Cherokees because it was just absolutely crowded with people always in and around it. The 300 was quite similar in those regards, but not as popular as the Jeep, though I'm not sure that anything at the entire show was. The 300 designers deserve props. This car is just classy, and there's no other way I would put it. I could've fallen asleep in the seats with how comfortable they were just while taking pictures. Its design makes the old 300 look childish. I don't like it much in pictures, but even the rear looks much better in person. It is such a nice vehicle this year, it's unbelievable.

Overall, I'd have to say that Chrysler won the show. I didn't hear one negative comment about any one of their new models and they were absolutely crowded the whole time that I was there. People were complimenting their vehicles left and right, and I felt real good about it. Congratulations to the new Chrysler!

Pictures located HERE

We'll see if I have time. Should've read the first post before doing this. I really don't know if I'll have time though.

haha I lose.

This is why I don't chop trucks, SUVs, or crossovers... lol

haha I completely forgot about the Suzuki. Damn you guys! lol

Oh boy, what is this "Verona" that Nos speaks of?

haha It's the new Oldsmobile concept!

BV, Z-06, NOS.... want to chime in on Reg's transmission comment?

Incorrect to say the least.

Also, 138 HP in anything short of a motorcycle or go kart won't feel zippy. FWIW, the Impala is ~15.5 lbs/HP. At 2700 lbs, the 1.4T Sonic would be about ~19.6 lbs/HP. Hell, even a Cobalt LS is ~18.8 lbs/HP. Zippy?

Yeah for sure, we'll see what happens.

Who else will be there Wednesday? Drew and BV will be there 'til tomorrow, but not Wednesday. Not sure about Z-06, but I doubt it since he's also there all day today and tomorrow.

I'd have to drive both to see for myself. I drove Drew's 1.4T Cruze rental yesterday and it didn't seem too quick at all, although there were 4 guys in the car. I couldn't imagine driving the 1.8L if it's noticeably slower quite honestly.

I'm interesting in driving both the 1.8 and 1.4T Sonic 5-doors though.

Depends on what time you get there. I'll be there from about noon to 4ish, then I'm hanging out with the girl since she lives downtown. Do you know when you'll be there approximately?

Looks like the appliques are real wood and plastic covered in a silver metallic film. Upper IP looks to be padded vinyl and lower IP looks to be nothing more than a soft-grained injection molded plastic substrate. How accurate does that sound?

I'll be there Wednesday and my goal is to get a good amount of pictures of all vehicles that are new to the market or yet to be released (concepts and just released vehicles). I typically get a few interior pictures as well as front, rear, and side pictures. I'm going to aim for all of the following:

• GM
  • Verano
    
  • Sierra HD Concept
    
  • Special Edition Corvettes
    
  • Camaro Convertible
    
  • Cruze
    
  • Sonic

  [*]Chrysler

  • 300
    
  • Charger
    
  • 200C
    
  • Journey interior
    
  • Grand Cherokee
    
  • Jeep interiors
    
  • Compass

  [*]Ford

  • Escape "concept"
    
  • What else is there?

3 HP and 23 ft-lbs (albeit at lower RPMs) is a significant enough upgrade in performance to warrant this choice in powertrain? You can get more power (though slightly less torque) than that if Chevy were to throw a performance intake and exhaust on the 1.8L or give it a slightly different tune and call it an RS.

How are the materials in the Verona's interior?