Auto shows – where little boys come to stare at big cars and big boys come with their significant others to stare at big sticker prices. And kick some tires without being hassled. The Denver Auto Show is this week, and while the flavor is definitely regional without any big reveals I figured there were some new cars out there that I hadn’t seen yet, so why not take a look and share them with you.
After picking up my media credential about forty minutes before the doors opened, I realized that I didn’t need to wait for the huddled masses waiting in line to purchase tickets and join me as the man at the door waved me in onto the floor. A short distance inside the main door was the VW stand, devoid of anything diesel-related and front and center was the VW Beetle Dune.
Apparently this will be produced and for sale shortly, it’s basically a trim package with a small lift kit and some plastic on the fenders. You won’t be crossing any dunes in this thing though, as it’s strictly for the road. Equipped with a turbo, it should be decently quick I suppose, but the Beetle is getting squished in the marketplace overall.
As you may recall, I recently had a Subaru Outback in my fleet and have also had a recent VW. This Golf Sportwagen Alltrack is pretty much right up my alley with a small lift, all-wheel-drive and bit of fender cladding. A year ago I would have said these will be all over the place but with VW’s current troubles, all bets are off.
While I took these shots before the doors opened, even when I returned to the VW stand a couple of hours later, it was BY FAR the least attended display area in the room. It was not tucked away in a corner or anything, but people seemed to actively walk around it instead of through it. The next couple of years will be very interesting to watch as regards VW.
Over at Buick was the new Cascada convertible. It’s about the size of the old VW Eos (not sure if that helps anyone picture it) and is quite attractive. As another rebadged Opel, hopefully this will see some success outside of rental fleets.
Overall the styling works, and there is a definite family resemblance to the Regal and the Verano as well.
It’s not huge inside, but has room for “+2” in relative comfort. Material quality seemed on par or a little better than the Regal.
Tucked next to the Range Rover / Land Rover stand where pretty much everything looks almost the same to me (is it just me?), I came across the new Jaguar F-Pace. I was looking at this online the other day and was quite impressed with it and its pricing as well as warranty and service package. In person it is much longer than I had envisioned. I thought it was more like the Porsche Macan but it actually almost looks like it has a third row (it does not). I don’t think the blue color suits it that well, but there are plenty of other colors to choose from including a great dark green.
Here it is from the front and it’s fairly aggressive looking. I prefer my Jaguars to be a bit more “club room” rather than “gymnasium” but I’m getting older and I assume they are trying for a younger buyer.
My main interior shot didn’t come out but this one of the houndstooth pattern in various areas (here on the door panel) sort of did. I haven’t seen houndstooth used before in a car interior but it kind of works here and was definitely different. Other than that it was comfortable and felt good. I think they will end up selling a lot of these and cannibalizing some of RR/LR’s sales.
I don’t know, the Evoque as a drop-top? Really? I guess they figure they’ll have better luck with it than Nissan with its ridiculous Murano Cross Cabriolet but much like Mini and BMW, Land Rover is trying to mine every niche and sub-niche these days.
It doesn’t work any better from this angle (at least for me). I’ll freely admit that I’m not a fan of the regular Evoque either so maybe that’s the problem.
Sorry for the shaky camera, I’m holding it over my head, but the interior isn’t too bad. There were tons of convertibles at this show which I found interesting as you really don’t see that many convertibles here. It’s too easy to sunburn at the altitudes here and the sun beating down on you gets HOT even when the ambient temperature isn’t necessarily so.
The next stand over belonged to Mercedes. This new thing is the GLE450 with an AMG appearance package. Basically the size of the regular ML (now also called GLE, confusingly) but with much less practicality due to its fastback shape this is a direct competitor to the BMW X6.
I don’t have much to say about it, really. It’s big and brash and makes a statement, I’ll leave it at that.
Tucked way into the back corner near the emergency exit was the Mitsubishi stand. Three versions of the Outlander in different lengths, a couple of Lancers and a lone Mirage at the end. There was no electric i-Miev even though it’s on their website. It could be they don’t sell it in Colorado although we get many of the others and have extremely generous incentives for electrics at the state level. Like VW, Mitsu wasn’t getting any love at this show (or in the current marketplace I suppose).
This was interesting and obvious although I had never thought about it before. According to AAA (our dominant road service company for those of us elsewhere) the electric vehicle charging truck can charge all current EVs at Level II (240 volts @ 30 amps) as well as provide an 80 amps charge – the first mobile unit in the nation capable of doing so. AAA will provide members with discharged electric vehicles a quick charge in as little as 15 minutes, which will allow the vehicle to be driven up to 10 miles (depending on the vehicle).
At Audi they had the new A4 but without any fanfare or special signage it took me a walkaround to be sure it was new, it looks extremely similar (too similar) to the current model.
I rented one of the current models last year and really enjoyed it. I used to be a huge Audi fan and a quick apologist for any issues anyone saw with them, but these days they kind of leave me cold. Superbly capable but maybe a bit too clinical, Audi’s image has changed quite a bit over the years. Obviously it’s been successful for them, and I have no doubt they will sell a ton of these but there is very little charm.
Inside it has been significantly updated as well with the now all-too-common “iPad glued on top of the dash” screen. It’s amazing how within just a couple of years, a huge number of makers have embraced this style.
Next door at BMW was this pretty little 228i convertible. Similar in size to the 3-series of just a few generations ago I see this as doing quite well, natural competitors are the Audi A3 and maybe even the Buick Cascada. They are all about the same size.
The rear isn’t bad either, it works better in real life, here it looks a little bulbous. By the way, the lighting was funky in the Convention Center, my camera didn’t like it, as a result some of the colors look different here than they really do even on the same car from different angles. I played around with the settings a bit but nothing really worked as well as I would have wanted. It may be time to sell some of my Curbside Classic stock options and invest in a better camera…
Typical BMW inside, if you’ve seen one you’ve pretty much seen them all. The color contrast is nice, and those seats look VERY comfortable (the front ones, not so much the rear…)
Yes, the $39,645 number is the starting price. That gets you the small dish of vanilla. The nuts, fudge, cherry, and whipped cream? All extra. Click to enlarge and see the option prices. Maybe the Buick Cascada isn’t really a competitor after all, I don’t know.
Oh, baby, is this the new Cadillac CT6? Yes, yes it is! I was excited to see this as even though I’ve pretty much sworn off sedans in my stable I really wanted to like this. I’m looking forward to seeing what you guys think about it, I was underwhelmed to be honest.
I thought it would be bigger. Now, it’s not small but it doesn’t have much more presence than the Cadillac XTS does/did which was nearby. Actually this may be one of the few cars that looks better in pictures than in real life.
I climbed into a TON of cars today and overall this was midpack. It is amazing how good the interiors have become on machines costing half the price of this. This isn’t horrible (far from it) but it’s not really “special”, either. An interesting touch was the rear view mirror which was actually a high-def camera display. It can also function as a regular mirror if the camera is blocked due to dirt, snow etc. I can’t really see the advantage over a regular mirror, our back-up cameras are constantly blocked by dirt and snow from driving around here and if the rear window itself is blocked with fallen snow you shouldn’t be driving like that anyway.
Some of our readers demand the “console intrusion factor” shot, so here it is. It’s good, not a problem. But the wheel and the instruments aren’t really better than in an Impala as far as I am concerned.
Right above the badge was this flaw in the paint (dead center in the photo). I did not go looking for it, it kind of jumped out at me. This is not “Standard of the World” type of stuff. On one production model, okay, things happen, but on the floor of an auto show where the cars were from the manufacturer and not a local dealer, this should not happen. It wasn’t isolated either, I found a larger blemish on the tailgate of a $90,000 Cadillac Escalade. I fear for Cadillac, it’s not really able to compete against who it wants to compete against with this kind of stuff.
Here’s the front. Clean? Or Blah? I think it needs something else and a more ornate badge isn’t that something else either. I really was excited to see this Caddy but now I’m pretty ambivalent about it.
I’m not really sure what Nissan is going for here. There was no signage, no explanatory placard, nothing. I guess they took a Nissan Rogue and added tracks to it.
Maybe they were concerned that it would be overrun with crowds, so they brought TWO! But there were no crowds after all…Actually I just realized that the front one is a Pathfinder as opposed to the Rogue in the back (and above). There is info online about them, if interested look for “Nissan Winter Warrior”. These will not be in the showroom at your local Nissan dealer.
Nissan did bring a couple of their new Titan XD pickup trucks. Yes, they are big. These have the Cummins TurboDiesel engine in them, which may be what they need to compete. Then again, everyone else seems so firmly entrenched, the pickup market is very tough to break into or get people to switch brands.
It’s no smaller from this angle. It does have some interesting integrated storage boxes in the rear but you need to be in the bed to really access them.
Inside is on par with the competition. At first I thought I was actually a little cramped between the door and the center console but it’s about the same as in all the others (Yes, I tried them all). The door just seemed awfully close at first. Anyway, material quality is similar to the competition, all of which seem to be about a generation behind that of their better non-truck interiors.
This is the new Hyundai Tucson, which fits in the range of RAV4, CR-V, Rogue, Escape etc. I really like Hyundai and Kia’s styling these days and this one looks like a slightly smaller SantaFe (which itself comes in two sizes/lengths). Powered by a 1.6l turbo engine, this should do well in the market.
Alright, I’ll be honest, I cannot stand the black and machined look on wheels that is so prevalent these days. Hopefully in a couple of years it will pass. These are better than some, but overall this little CUV is very appealing. I’m probably another decade away from fully getting over my ingrained dislike of H/K based on their old/original offerings but fully realize these new offerings are completely different. My kids won’t look at Hyundai/Kia as anything but a complete competitor to the Japanese (having never known any different) and that is when Japan, Inc. really needs to be careful and/or up their game. I would not hesitate to purchase a Hyundai or Kia for them…
At first I thought this was the new Lincoln Continental so I took a pic, then I realized it was just the 2017 Zephyr (or is it MKZ?), the current 2016 model with the “old” grille is in the background. Basically this has the new Continental nose grafted onto it. Great color though!
This, on the other hand, IS the new Continental. It looks about the size of the Chrysler 300, but lower.
While modern, it looks a lot more traditional than the Cadillac CT6. I don’t know if that will help it or hurt it. Either way, new product in a Lincoln showroom that is not just a tarted-up Ford is a good thing.
Check this out – actual COLORS! And from Lincoln, to boot. Surprisingly, overall I saw a lot more color at this show than in general, even on larger cars which was nice to see. I wonder if any dealers will take a chance though and actually stock some of the more interesting ones. The bottom row shows all of the available paint colors, the top row has four different leather colors (yeah, still not really anything interesting there), and three woods on the right.
Inside looks fairly normal, I first spoke with the booth professional who didn’t know much, but then saw a guy in a suit on a laptop in the corner who said hello to me. He was apparently from Ford HQ and explained that the doors are soft-close (like trunk lids on 90’s Cadillacs), I’m not sure if people will figure out not to slam the doors. He was also proud of the seat controls on the door panel a la Mercedes, which is a definite nice feature that should be more widespread and we discussed the exterior door handles, which are all touch sensitive with no moving parts and very nicely integrated into the brightwork on the side.
For the full-frontal fans, here you go. Very nice grillework. And the headlights aren’t too shabby either.
For those of you more into, uh, the rear, here’s that as well. The Lincoln lettering looks great all splayed out, and the tail lights, while looking similar to Dodge’s “racetrack” motif, works better on this somehow. American cars should have full-width rear lighting in my opinion, it’s one of the things that I loved seeing on older (then more or less current) iron when I was a kid and it stuck with me.
Changing gear a little bit, this is the new Malibu. Looking a little like a shrunken Impala but without the exaggerated rear fenders, this is (to my eyes) a beautiful design and probably my favorite Malibu design of the recent generations, and possibly the best looking current Chevrolet.
I don’t think it has a bad angle. The wheels work well too, and if they’d only de-brass the Chevy bowtie in favor of a simple chrome outline or something I wouldn’t have anything to complain about.
The engine is a 2-liter turbo, which is the way the world is moving these days. Turbo technology isn’t even remotely exotic anymore, and frankly the technology is very reliable these days. This car should (in theory) have nothing to worry about from an engine perspective.
The camera distorted the hues a bit, to my eyes it all worked very well while inside. As a result of the shape, the head room in the back seat could be better though. It’s better than in the Fusion (for me) but nowhere near as good as in more traditional shapes such as the Camry. If this is a family car it’s great, it it’s for the carpool to work and everyone is over 6 feet tall, maybe a test fit is in order.
It may start at $22,500 but this one was about $14,000 more than that, which is a staggering percentage increase more on par with what Mercedes and Porsche do, click on the sticker to see all of the info. I liked that quite a few of the makers had the actual stickers on hand for perusal.
As you’ll recall from above, I wasn’t all that enamored with the Cadillac CT6. On the other hand, I was bowled over by this Hyundai Genesis. It’s not completely new anymore, in fact I saw two right in front of me driving down here, but the shape is wonderful and very modern without being over the top.
This is the interior the Cadillac should have had. Gorgeous leather, magnificent wood (or is it fake, I don’t know, I don’t care, it looks great). Everything looked like it just belonged where it was, nothing looked lifted from anything else, and it was a really, really nice place to spend some time.
This thing is SO much nicer than the first generation and easily as good (on the surface at least) as what Lexus and some of the Germans are doing. It’s one of those cars that, to me at least, you look back at when walking away from.
VW should take note of Hyundai’s warranty. It could help them. They did offer that in the Touareg I had (but not the rest of the line) but they didn’t make a big deal about it, and I learned about it by accident when buying, having expected the usual coverage. But there is no reason not to offer a great warranty if you need something to differentiate yourself, if your reputation is somewhat tarnished, and if you are confident in your own product. I fear perhaps that last one may be the issue…Anyway, good on Hyundai, they definitely get it. This car’s cross to bear is that is shares showroom space (and staff) with much more pedestrian offerings, and it deserves so much better.
This appears to be the new 2017 Buick LaCrosse, available this summer, not that you’d know it by the signage. The only clue that it wasn’t the current model is the fact that you weren’t allowed to touch it. And thus couldn’t fall in love with it on the spot, which is kind of the point here, isn’t it?
It’s probably a great car, but will probably not do much for Buick. The man in the plaid cap seemed very interested though.
While I was sampling pickups to compare to the Nissan Titan XD, I came across this one. It was the largest pickup at the show with a sticker to match.
Biggest logo, too. No wallflower, this.
RAM 3500 Limited Crew Cab 4×4 Long Box Diesel. $75,950. Wow. At least you saved $500 by deleting the 20″wheels and tires in favor of the 17’s which I’m guessing is probably required in order to get the dually rear end.
According to some, it wouldn’t be Curbside Classic if we didn’t slobber all over a Toyota Corolla, so I found an appropriately Beige (metallic) one to sample for you.
I’ve never owned a Corolla myself but do find this generation’s styling very attractive, if conservative. Sometimes conservative works.
Millions of people just need and want something to get them through the daily slog to work and back and this is perfect for that. Totally inoffensive, meticulously assembled (in Mississippi now!), and ready to start every time for, well, pretty much forever.
Check this out. Soft-ish black plastic at top, beige plastic for the doorhandle insert, with an alu-look trim strip at top and then a dainty orangy-woody-looking trim strip set just below. This went all around the cabin and looked very rich. There was no need to do this, nobody would miss it, but it adds a lot to the perception of quality and style.
And they start at $17,230. I’ve bought a lot worse cars that I’ve spent a lot more on. People may hate on them but they are good value for money. (In my opinion).
Hey, check it out, it’s Marty McFly’s truck! This one’s been on the show circuit for a while now, but is based on the new Tacoma with a lot of ’80’s accessories.
I’m surprised Toyota doesn’t offer a “McFly” accessory package or that more dealers don’t put something together, I think they would sell at least a few of them. Shifting gears, a common refrain in criticism of the new Tacoma is that you sit with your legs straight out in front of you. I tried a couple and that’s not really true. In a 1971 Porsche 914 you sit with your legs straight out in front of you, in a Tacoma it’s not like you are on your kitchen chair, but it’s really not horrible at all. What is horrible is how intrusive the sunroof was in every single one they had, there was not one without a sunroof for my 6’1″ frame to get cozy in.
Speaking of the Tacoma, here is its biggest competitor these days, the Chevrolet Colorado with the most pathetic little wheels I have seen one of these with, ever. I decided to shoot it as I do not believe that any of us will ever see one in the wild equipped like this, except maybe in Jason Shafer’s work fleet if they downsize to this model.
It’s not even a total stripper, it has the 4×4. Those little foot-cubby steps in the rear bumper are a nice touch though.
They make this in a crew-cab configuration, but this is the extended cab with the jump seats. Doesn’t look so fad even with the front seat adjusted for me (6’1″, 32″ inseam).
Your humble author donating his body to science.
Dude, get me out! This would not work even for a quick trip to lunch, there is nowhere for the door to go if I don’t want my knee shattered and I’m so wedged in, there wouldn’t be much point in wearing a seatbelt, I’m not going anywhere. (A big thank you to a bemused random show-goer that was passing by at the right moment)
I don’t know, at $29,000 and change for this Colorado, this makes that $75,000 RAM from earlier look like a better and better value.
Like many of you, I found a little vomit in my mouth after seeing the first pictures of the new Prius a few months ago. Fear not, it looks a lot better in real life. Really, it’s not bad at all and you will get used to it quickly. Except for the wheel covers. These were the saddest wheel covers at this show, by far, and would have taken the cake at the wheel cover QOTD last week.
Really, it’s ok. There will be thousands of these in Eugene, Berkeley, Boulder, soon enough. And the red color is pretty.
The interior is better in real life as well, with more dimension, that light colored dash is not just a vertical cliff, it flows very nicely. What is weird though is how some of the plastics are kind of a pearly white color (I don’t mean the dash in this picture), in this one it’s where the gear selector is below the center screen, but with the beige interior it was used in the cupholder between the seats. I guess sort of futuristic but I’d have to spend some time with a brochure to figure out which is most acceptable.
After all that Prius-ness, I need something a little meatier and this is just the ticket. The 2016 Porsche 911 Turbo S, in all of its glory.
I’ve been a good boy (mostly), really, I deserve this. This is the one picture where the camera did in fact nail the color.
$207,840 seems entirely reasonable. Almost. I could probably do without the Rear Center Tunnel Stitching in Deviated Thread to save $80 and maybe do without a few other bagatelles, but look, it gets 17/24 mpg city/hwy. Probably not while doing 0-60 in 2.9 seconds though.
I was more than a little surprised to find the fine folks at Porsche encouraging showgoers to go on, have a try…Don’t need to ask me twice. I could get used to this, simply perfection. And there are even two cupholders that unfold majestically from that trim strip above the glovebox.
More man-splaying opportunities for Mr. Shafer…no problems with the center console.
Alright, enough hedonism. Coming back down to Earth I was surprised that Scion had its own display area. This may be the last show that features Scion, the NY show is next week, someone please let us know if you go. There were only four models on hand; the FR-S and the tC I didn’t bother with as they are familiar, but the other two are sort of new.
This is the “iM”, which is familiar to our non-American readers as the Toyota Auris, pretty much a Corolla 5-door hatchback that is obviously a great and desirable car to us because it was forbidden fruit here in North America.
It’s not bad-looking at all, and sort of takes up where Mazda’s 3 left off after its first generation looks-wise.
Just over $20k for something assembled in Aichi, Japan which is the same assembly plant that the the Lexus LS460 is built in is not a bad deal at all. This will shortly be available as a Toyota, so get your Scion iM now and it may end up being a rare and desirable one-year wonder.
For an even better deal look over here at this slightly more dour-looking car. Yes, that is basically a Mazda 2 (which is no longer available in the US) 4-door sedan (a variant which we never had), but with a different front end and Scion iA badging.
$17,500 and hecho en Mexico. I don’t know, I’d probably just choose the regular Corolla over this.
The interior isn’t bad and it even has the new iPad-like screen feature. Still, it’s surprising that Toyota found it advantageous to buy cars from Mazda instead of finding something else of their own somewhere.
I consider the Kia Sedona to be one of the best-looking minivans on the market today. Of course it’s newer than all of the others so that helps but it does look nice without offending.
JD Power gave (or sold) it an award for something, anyway, here’s the front. The color is more accurate in the first picture.
The interior is quite stylish as well, but that off-white interior would have no place in my garage. This one was wearing fine, but the Optima with the same color interior was starting to stain blue from everyone’s jeans on the driver seat.
At first glance, this seat looks to be quite the party piece…
However, after climbing aboard with a similarly sized individual in the driver seat and the second row seat backed literally all the way to hitting the third row seat, I realized that only a ten year old would be able to enjoy the full recliner function and that isn’t going to get me to pull my wallet out for it. It is not possible for an adult with more than maybe a 25″ inseam to stretch their legs out in this. Better to just use the seat as normal, it folds up like a regular seat. Or just skip that option entirely.
This one was pretty much the top of the line for around $43k.
Let’s head back to Audi to check out the new Q7. Like other Audi products it’s gotten a little more recti-linear and now looks more like a station wagon that’s raised up a little bit.
There was a target-market mid-30’s couple all over this thing while I was looking at it. He wanted it SO BAD, but she kept pointing out that the third row was a joke (it was), he was trying to see if the second row center seat could be removed while she argued that it wouldn’t make a difference, the third row was still a joke. He was crouched in the back trying to make it work, and she was having none of it. Half an hour later I came by again and they were still there, he had convinced her into the passenger seat, but she still looked dubious while he was in the driver seat pretending to drive.
Anyway, it was nice, and a worthwhile update over the old one, I’m sure they’ll sell every one that can build at full sticker, but again left me kind of cold.
This particular Q7 may have been an auto show hack for the last three months for all I know but I still don’t think I should have been able to find a driver seat that had worn through. If Mrs. ThirdRow’sAJoke would have seen that, I’m pretty sure it would have turned into an instant no-sale.
Here’s the new Kia Sportage which is most likely basically the same as the Hyundai Tucson underneath. Again, attractive styling with nice detailing but those blasted black/machined wheels.
The Sportage has come a very long way from the very rough and tumble first generation that we got over here.
That’s quite an impressive-looking headlamp cluster. I know the first thing we at CC think is how much would that cost to replace in five years when we clip a fence post but for now, it’s as nice and intricate looking as units on cars twice as expensive.
Actually it is different than the Tucson in that the one we saw earlier had the 1.6T and this one has the 2.4 naturally aspirated engine. $32 large isn’t cheap but this seems to have pretty much all the toys on it as well.
Acura had exactly one of each of its sedans on hand and five or six of each of its SUV/CUV’s so I guess we know where their focus and sales are these days. This is the RLX which is rare enough that I don’t know if I’ve seen one before today even though I believe it’s been on the market for a few years.
The $67,000 price of this hybrid version probably has a lot to do with that. I remember back when this car’s first generation, the Acura Legend, was the first Japanese car to break the $25,000 barrier and that was a big deal back in the day. Of course that day was thirty years ago but on average it seems cars have been getting less expensive compared to everything else. This price seems like a big ask, no matter how nice the car is.
Sedans aren’t selling these days, but this would be a nice ride to pick up in five years for thirty cents on the dollar. But for $67k, I think a lot of sedan buyers are looking at E-Classes and 5-Series’.
Hey, a Miata! Unlike many people, this is the first time I’ve found myself liking the new styling of this generation Miata. Something about this color. It was weird and reminded me of wet drywall mud with metal flake of all things but I found it very attractive and better than the usual pearl whites which it is kind of similar to but different (the car next to it was pearl and markedly different). This is more gray as opposed to yellow/tan.
It’s called Ceramic Metallic and also available on the new CX-3, apparently.
I think it’s the slightly wider wheels/tires and the black lower body accessory that make this look better to me. The regular model looks a little knock-kneed from the direct rear view.
I climbed inside it and was instantly transported back to the first-generation Miata that I used to own. It’s a very similar fit with enough legroom that I didn’t have to put the seat all the way back. Less room than in my 911 but pretty much perfect for a fun run through the canyons in the morning for instance.
This is the replacement for the Cadillac SRX, now named the XT5. It looks to be the same size as the old model but the styling clearly is in line with the CT6 sedan.
To my eyes, it needs something, I’m just not sure what. There’s nothing wrong with it, but it doesn’t stand out either.
But let’s consider its most obvious competitor and coming to an upscale elementary school parking lot near you any day now, the new Lexus RX350 (or 450hybrid as seen here). The RX went super-angular this time around and it’s another of those that looks bad in pictures but in real life works well.
I originally though that black piece between the rear passenger and the rear window was opaque and just a plastic filler to make the roof “float” but you can see it (part of it at least) is a window with some function to reduce what might otherwise be the mother of all blond spots. I think these will be all over the place very soon. The last couple of generation of RX were almost indistinguishable from each other, I think now people will be tripping over themselves to trade the old in for the obviously new.
The interior is very well done, with one of the larger (much wider) screens than the norm. The wood looks great and the overall ambiance is beyond reproach.
The same grille works a little less well on this, the new Lexus LX570. Starting around $90,000, this is of course very similar to the Toyota Land Cruiser on which it’s based (which was not present at the show, strangely enough).
I’m really falling in love with the Mercedes GL I’m driving these days but this (or the Land Cruiser) is something that I could see replacing it one day, especially if gas remains at or near its current price level.
Speaking of Mercedes, this is the new GLC300, which is replacing the very angular old GLK. It’s a little bland, and if you removed the badges seems to have more than a few hints of Hyundai SantaFe, but was impeccably finished.
It’s attractive but does not have much ornamentation at all, less than usual for a Mercedes. Maybe they are heading in this direction, the C-Class sedan looks a bit in this vein as well.
The cabin is a superb place to be, that large slab of wood that flows down the center console is very rich-looking for this size class. The screen isn’t as intrusive when in the driver seat but looks awfully tacked on here.
Jaguar’s new XE looks quite sharp but sadly was all locked up. It seems to be sized like a previous generation A4 or 3-series and will probably count the Alfa Guilia as a competitor as well if that ever arrives here.
It fits perfectly well within Jaguar’s current design language. As with the Jaguar F-Pace CUV above, the warranty and service plan may make a big difference here. I know my wife still raves (positively!) about the dealer service when we had an X-type a long time ago.
After looking at the Corolla earlier, I decided to look at its competitors as well. I had heard good things about the new Sentra and it certainly competes against Corolla.
It looks a lot like a shrunken Altima but otherwise doesn’t really have a lot of personality.
The inside wasn’t as nice as the Corolla either. I’m sure it’s not a bad car (what is these days?) but don’t see it competing except maybe on price which is an unfortunate situation to be in.
Of course the Civic is the other natural competitor to Corolla and having owned a couple I was intrigued. Corolla and Civic used to be fairly similar (superficially at least) for about a decade in the 90’s, but now they couldn’t be further apart stylistically.
The Civic is huge now, and feels larger outside than the Corolla. I think both will do very well but will sell to very different people this time around. The last couple of generations of Civic were very modern-looking, this one takes that even further. My interior picture didn’t come out, but the inside is much busier than the Corolla as well, although it no longer has the two-tiered dash that I found brilliant and everyone who had never used it hated.
This is the Chevrolet City Express, which is actually a badge-engineered Nissan. Nissan didn’t have theirs at the show so I looked at this instead. Tall but small, this competes against the Ford Transit Connect and the small Ram ProMaster City.
I suppose people don’t buy utility vehicles like this for their looks (or lack thereof) but this pretty much defines boring. I heartily prefer the Transit Connect over this. Dual sliders are a great feature on these little trucklets and while the cabin was very plasticky (and doubtlessly hard wearing) it was still comfortable.
Two doors and lots of cargo space, what more could a small delivery service or florist etc need.
I’d forgotten that this would probably be present, the new Chrysler Pacifica which will be replacing the old Town & Country. While looking at this, there was a T&C just behind me, I actually overheard someone saying that the old van seemed like a great deal at just over $40k as it seemed to have “everything”. It took a lot of self-control to keep myself from laughing out loud. At $25k in its basic configurations that old van may be okay, but no way is it worth anywhere near $40k these days, especially around here where that 6-speed transmission hunts like a rabid dog going up the mountains.
The new Pacifica is certainly boldly styled in a very “organic” way. I didn’t find it to be quite as interesting as I did when I saw pictures of it the first time a few months ago though. Maybe color or trim level has a lot to do with it on this van.
Big hatch, folding seats, typical minivan formula. Supposedly this generation will have a hybrid option, I am not sure where the space for the batteries will come from although a thin layer under the floor would presumably work.
Again, another roped off vehicle; I had to use the zoom to get this picture and it’s hard to see a lot of detail. From what I could see, it seemed on par with the competition. Of course, both the Sienna and the Odyssey are due for refreshes in the next few years which will reset the clock again. In the meantime I think this will trade on its styling for a while as well as being “American” even though it is assembled north of the border while the competition is built here.
The new Honda Ridgeline is based on the Pilot (as before) but with much more mainstream styling this time around. It’ll be interesting to see if it’s better received this time around, especially since smaller pickups are coming back into favor.
It’s funny, it’s innocuous to the point of being bland, the Chevy Colorado that was right next to it looks much more “truckish”. This one may appeal to a very different market segment, perhaps one that was not previously interested in a truck.
Staying with Honda for the moment, this is the new HR-V, appearing on our shores for the first time. This size class has exploded over the last couple of years with tons of new entrants.
As the CR-V moves a bit upmarket, there is room for this, which is sort of a Fit on a raised platform, which is what all the kids seem to want…
The interior was okay, plenty of headroom and enough legroom front and rear. As is expected, shoulder room is a bit tighter. I find it interesting that the touchscreens seem to be getting closer to the passenger, our Highlander is the same way, some of the functions on the right side of the screen are almost a bit of a stretch away.
Audi’s new R8 mid-engine sports car is attractive and while very similar to the older model, different enough that I wasn’t confused as to whether it was the old or the new model.
Besides a Porsche 911 variant, the R8 is probably the most everyday usable sports or supercar with generally great reliability and usability, even if it is limited to two people.
For some reason, even though there were some Lamborghinis, Ferraris, a McLaren, and even a Koenigsegg at the show, this one still seems to me the one that is a real car, and not just some super exotic toy to be discarded as soon as a newer, shinier one comes along. Audi has come a long way over the last couple of decades and this is one of their most shining accomplishments.
In the department that covers things that I’m not sure anyone has been clamoring for, we have this BMW X4 M40i. According to BMW this is what you need to “Boldly conquer the road.”
Basically it’s a smaller version of the X6 but based on the 3-series platform and endowed with a twin turbo 3.5 liter inline six putting out 355hp. Starting price is $58,795 with lots of opportunities to increase that number.
That’s a lot of badging…With that, I will leave you to ponder all that is new and marvel at the state of the automotive universe. Hopefully Paul (or Will?) will rerun this in twenty or so years and we can all be amazed at the old photos with perfect versions of the beaters we see as we walk to work or the store…
The organizers of the Denver Auto Show graciously provided me with complimentary entry. My parking fee was all on me.
Delightfully comprehensive!
Consoles are funny things, aren’t they? Some of the most benign looking ones can be vicious and vice versa. About two weeks ago I rode in a 2014 or 2015 Stingray convertible with a 7 speed manual. Getting in, I thought the console might go after my knee like a piranha would red meat. Nope, it wafted away into the mist.
Speaking of splayed shots, I have another console observation this coming week. I think my opinion of them may have softened a bit.
About the Colorado….back in ’08 or ’09 I advocated the purchase of a few Colorados. Nobody drove them as people preferred the full-sizers, saying full-sized people need a full-sized pickup. The picture of you stuffed in the back does emphasize that thought. We’ve been downsizing pickups in a sense; instead of getting 5.0 Fords or 5.3 Chevrolets we are buying 2.7 Ecoboost Fords and 4.3 liter Chevrolets. Power output has come a long way in ten years.
$67 large for an Acura vs. $75k for a one-ton Dodge, I mean Ram. Hmm, I think I know which one can accomplish more for its owner.
As for the Civic…I got behind one the other night near St. Louis. The sideways “V” of the tail lights really got me to wondering what in the world I was following. A street light lit things up just enough to determine, but it was the first time in a very long time I was intrigued with the tail lights on a car.
This looks like a pretty darn good show.
I like the “full-size people need full-size trucks”. These days it’s more like “plus-size people”. But I’d probably say the same if it weren’t my money or my fuel. 🙂 The current Colorado isn’t really any smaller than a full-size from a couple of decades ago, it’s not like it’s a 1986 Mitsubishi Mighty Max… I wonder if in your case the argument of keeping local people employed and keeping dollars local would have any sway seeing as how it’s built in Wentzville, MO.
Upon reflection it WAS a good show, I guess it’s the biggest show within 1000miles or so (Chicago and LA being the closest “real” shows.). I attended the Anaheim (Orange County) auto show a decade or so ago and was bored out of my mind since it was pretty much all local dealer supply and less than an hour away from the LA Auto Show.
We’ve covered this issue before, but today’s full-size trucks really aren’t any bigger in their basic external dimensions than pickups in the 60s and 70s other than height. The designers have gotten good at making them look bigger, and of course most of them are double cab now, but fundamentally, there’s no significant difference between a basic regular cab 8′ bed truck like my ’66 F100 and a new F150.
And the same applies to the Colorado/Canyon: except for their height, they’re about the same compact size as their predecessors and other compact trucks. Looks can be deceptive, especially when looking up. 🙂
You took the words right out of my mouth! Excepting height (which can be variable based on what’s in the bed, 4×2 vs. 4×4, stock height vs. lifted or lowered, etc.), the biggest difference in size between older pickups and newer pickups is in OAL/WB, and most of that is in the cab space or because the rear axle got pushed farther back. I don’t think anyone is complaining that a modern cab has “too much” legroom or behind-the-seat storage space.
Well I will complain. My ’06 F-150 Crew has plenty of cab space for 5 adults. Yet in ’09 they stretched the cab by 8 inches. I’d rather not have that extra length…or the extra long front doors from the Supercab they used. If they had stretched the box it would be a different story.
The stretch was 6″. It was done mostly to put the SuperCrew/5.5′ bed on the same 145″ WB as the SuperCab/6.5′ and the regular cab/8′ models. From 2004-08, the SuperCrew model was still on the 139″ WB from 2003.
Have you sat in the back of an 09+ SuperCrew? It’s like going from “great” to “amazing” in terms of legroom.
Yes, I have sat in back and while it’s roomy, I’d rather not have the extra length or the long doors because even at 6’3″ I don’t see much need for it. Those doors make a difference in tight parking lots on an already wide vehicle.
An additional 8″ in the bed would be nice. But the point is that they have grown.
Not a dealbreaker, just not what I’d prefer.
That’s perfectly understandable. Parking can be a problem in any wide vehicle. The SuperCrew is available with a 6.5′ bed, which wouldn’t help in the length department but would be more useful (IMO, a crew cab/6.5′ bed is the second most useful config after extended cab/8′ bed as long as length isn’t an issue).
Yeah, that extra 8″ in the new trucks, plus another 12″ in the bed, is really getting long for a 1/2 ton.
No, it’s not just “plus-size people”. I’m 6’3″ with a 37″ inseam and about 175 pounds. That’s not overly tall and certainly not plus size. Full size trucks are about the only vehicles left today that I feel truly comfortable in. Even minivans have gotten more cramped since the last generation.
The current Colorado in crew cab, with bumper, is within about 6″ of the length of my ’06 F-150 Crew. The long box Colorado, with similar but still a bit smaller cargo volume (narrower and shallower) is longer in length and wheelbase. The new F-150s are 8″ longer than mine. So, there has been some growth.
The new F-150s are 8″ longer than an ’06 (232″ vs. 224″), but 6″ of that is in the cab. An increase in 2″ of front overhang is less than that of going from a ’91 to a ’92 F-150.
Very comprehensive tour of the Denver show; thanks.
I saw very, very little to like here. The noses of modern cars generally seem offensive – big, open mouths of bizarre shapes. The sedans have so little to distinguish them that I don’t even care to look (exception – the Fusion, which I did not see here).
The only car that interested me at all here was the red Volkswagen wagon. It is boxy and looks like a VW Golf from any decade. I recognize it and appreciate the design and appreciate a wagon.
The Buick convertible is a disappointment. Its Opel heritage is quite clear in the side sheet metal.
Where are the coupes?
I can relate to your comment on the noses/mouths. The Ram hits a new high in ostentatiousness and obnoxiousness – it’s all snout and badge.
I liked the VW wagon too, but it’s a dated design. Even Subarus have abandoned the wagon shape for crossovers and more traditional SUV styling. Looks like the wagon is going the way of the dinosaur.
Very comprehensive indeed, and lots of good commentary.
I’ve been wondering for years why VW didn’t sell a slightly jacked up AWD version of their wagons here as competition to the omnipresent Subarus. I think they missed out on an opportunity, as image-wise, VW fits in a similar sort of segment.
The CT6 is just a new CTS with a bit of a stretch, which means that there are now 3 Caddy sedans that are all very close in size and price. I find it confusing and surprising. I had assumed the CT6 was going to be a genuine S Class competitor. And yes, its interior reminds me of the Impala too.
Thanks again; you’ve saved me from any further need/desire to go to an auto show this year. 🙂
The CT6 is a new body design, not an extension of the CTS body. There is a CT8? CT7? CT9? in the works for later on (2018 or 2019?). The car magazines have had test write up’s in their recent publications where the consensus seems to be that the CT6 is more of a sports sedan than a luxury sedan. However to address the issue of size: (inches)
Chrysler 300: width 75 length 198.6 height 58.4 wheelbase 120.2 weight 4029 lbs
XTS: width 72.9 L 202 H 59.4 WB 111.7 weight 4006
ATS: W 71.1 L 182.8 H 55.9 WB 109.3 weight 3550 AWD
CTS: W 72.2 L 195.5 H 57.2 WB 114.6 weight 3913 V6 AWD
CT6: W 74 L 204 H 57.9 WB 122.4 weight 3926 V6 AWD
The Impala is about the same size as the XTS. The CTS is about 1 foot longer than the ATS. The CT6 is another 8 or so inches longer than the CTS. But not much longer than the XTS. Wheelbase is a lot different.
The Chrysler 300 is the heaviest of all these. The CT6 is about the same weight as the CTS even though it is longer and wider.
I think the three RWD/AWD Cadillac sedans are quite a bit different is size, but the styling is very similar (which is neither good or bad) which makes them look about the same. I don’t know what the XTS’s future is, I would think it may be discontinued.
I meant the platform, not the body specifically. The CT6’s Omega platform is a variation of the Alpha platform that underpins the CTA and CTS. It seems to me that there is not quite enough differentiation between the CTS and CT6.
Yes, the XTS shares its FWD architecture with the Impala.
I’m thinking that about the Lincoln. The Continental is Fusion based, as is the MkZ(are they really going back to Zephyr?) and now I’m a bit surprised to see the noses are virtually identical.
Me too.
I wasn’t kidding when I thought the Z was the Continental. I saw the Continental on the platform, then saw the blue car to the left and thought “Cool, there is one on the floor”, I took the front pic and then walked around it and thought it looked much more angular than I remembered and then realized it was not the Continental after all. It was doubly confusing as there was a 2016 Z with the current front end right behind it to reinforce my first impression. I had to look at the signage to figure out what I was looking at (a 2017 pre-production model with the new grille)
The casual observer on the street next year will be hard pressed to tell the difference from the front. The headlights are a bit different but the grille is the same or at least extremely similar.
I didn’t realize the Continental is Fusion based until I saw the comment above and had to go and confirm it. The rear roofline should give more space than the Z but other than that they seem to be competing with themselves. Since the Continental replaces the MKS I think I assumed it was a new larger platform.
They are not going back to Zephyr, it stays MKZ. I wasn’t sure when I wrote it in the original text and it was getting very late and had taken a while to write everything up. Sorry for any confusion!
JK: In the recent Automobile Cumberford looks at the Continental critically and is not impressed with the overall style.
It seems like all the automakers have embraced the idea that they must have a single grille/nose shape that must be used on all models to create brand identity, presumably on the grounds that, “Well, it’s worked for the high-end Germans.”
I wish they would back off because not only does it make it hard to tell the models apart (which I fear is part of the object), it results in some really weird, jarring combinations where the nose treatment just doesn’t fit the size or character of the vehicle it’s on.
The Omega platform has a lot of cast aluminum bits to reduce weight. Body shops that need to repair fender benders have to be approved to do the work. This is not required for the ATS or CTS fender benders.
Subaru ads are getting weird of late, depicting dogs driving the cars, one having them even slobbering all over the windows.
Ah! My reign of exclusive auto show coverage is over! Curse you Jim!
Anyway, I will most definitely be going to the NY auto show next week, so look for my coverage soon. I suppose I can try and cover things that weren’t mentioned here, or at least offer my own opinion on the stuff you photographed.
Great coverage and thanks for going!
Oh, you’ll find tons of good stuff at NY, I wonder if they’ll have Scion. Also we didn’t have any Tesla even though there are tons on the streets, Acura NSX, Chevy Bolt, Ford GT, Land Cruiser and more.
I missed at least the Mazda CX-3, new Chevy Volt, Audi Q3, and a bunch of others. You just won’t have the low-hanging fruit… 🙂 I’ll be interested in hearing your opinions overall, cars are so subjective.
On the subject of seating leather…
1. I’m amazed at the torn bolster on a show car…although I’ve seen plenty of badly wrinkled/worn/torn leather in relatively new vehicles. When it became possible to get leather in a Saturn or Corolla in the 90s, I wondered where the supply was going to come from…looks like quality may have suffered when everybody and their brother could get leather.
2. really light colored leather will get blue stains from denim, and I doubt it can be removed. Saw a Nissan Maxima in the showroom with light beige seats with the beginnings of blue stains on the seats. That would be enough to get me into a darker seat color.
3. How many tanneries serve the auto industry? I understand that Eagle Ottawa sells to GM, but where, for instance, does Ford get hides? My old Saab has Bridge of Weir hides that didn’t hold up at all, my 20 year old Volvo has beautiful tan leather, no telling who Volvo sourced it from.
I was reading about Bridge of Weir recently, and they claimed to supply Volvo, along with Jag, Aston Martin and a few others. Whether they did 20 years ago is obviously another matter.
Well Jim, I suppose you had to change the battery in your camera, halfway your stroll.
Good to see them all in one article, especially the midsized and big sedans which I will never get to see in real life. Or maybe in exceptional cases, at best. Chances are much bigger I’ll see one of those new Ram trucks with a big Cummins pretty soon.
Now about Toyota. I was searching for some info on Toyota’s website here, and then I saw a pre-introduction of their new C-HR. So much for bland styling….
A bit too small for the US market I guess ? So far no specs or interior pictures, no idea on which markets this will be available (soon).
Ha, that’s the one thing I love about my camera, it lasts forever on a charge. It wasn’t full when I got there and it didn’t run out. Panasonic DMC-FH20, my second one now.
I was thinking you guys from far afield might enjoy the stuff that is “forbidden fruit” to you, trust me, not all of it is that drool-worthy just because you can’t have it. It’s only your stuff over there that is the really exciting stuff. 🙂
I’ll bet we will see a Toyota C-HR or equivalent soon. We are getting big into the small segment over here. Honda HR-V, Mazda CX-3, BMW X-1, Audi Q3 (and maybe Q1) are all pretty new to our market and doing ok so far. While looking at the RAV-4 at the show I was thinking that it is actually pretty large and there is absolutely room in their showroom for something smaller.
Edward may see it (or the concept I guess) at the NY Show next week.
My favorite of the sedan collection is the new Lincoln Continental, looking very good ! We still have a few Cadillac dealerships, although it has been years since I saw a new one.
I drive an identically configured Colorado at work as the one you shot. It’s a 4 cylinder model and is very sluggish. The six speed transmission shifts with even the slightest throttle input with little to nothing to show for it. When accelerating onto the highway it is not unusual for it to down shift 3 times.
For whatever reason when I see the Cascada it seems like an “Any Car” meaning it looks like something that would come up if you searched Clip Art for a picture of a convertible.
You could put any badge from a middle range brand on it and I wouldn’t bat an eye.
+1, you put it very precisely.
Great tour, thank you! Regarding the video rear-view mirror of the CT6: reviewers have said that it can give a wide-angle view of the world behind you, so you can see a lot more than normal. They seem to like it a lot.
Wow that was a lot to digest. Great job, but it may work better to break these up a bit.
The new Pacifica Hybrid’s batteries will take the place of the Stow and Go. Even with the old model, the interior is Chrysler’s strong point. The Sedona looks nice but the interior was a disappointment, it’s like an oversized CUV.
Before you snicker at somebody saying the old Town and Country is a great value, you should compare the street prices between it and everything else. It’s a lot of vehicle for the money. Yeah it isn’t the most refined but it’s plenty capable and comfortable.
One can get the Touring version, which is 1 step up from base LX town and country, including all the normal upgrades one would expect, auto climate, dvd screens etc, for $27 100 after incentives, currently.
Dont see which other car offers that much for about that price.
Well, there you go, I don’t see any major issues with a Chrysler minivan at $27000 or so (discounted from $40k, right?), but do not think it is any kind of “value” at $40k as the showgoer seemed to be saying. The offerings from Honda and Toyota top out at a bit over that (as does the Kia as mentioned in the text) and all three should have incentives and room to move, if nowhere near the level of a Chrysler. As an aside, Nissan did not have their Quest at the show, I had to check to see if it was still available, it is. There was plenty of floor space for it. Of course everyone has their favorites, Honda used to have tranny issues that appear to be resolved (of course Chrysler did as well), but unless a buyer plans to literally drive them into the ground, there is no doubt as to which will have better resale value at the two, five, and seven year marks.
You may be surprised on the resale. You have to remember the difference between retail and street price. I ran the numbers on depreciation and fuel new and used before I bought, Chrysler came out ahead on actual cost over 5 years because they were so much cheaper to start with when comparably equipped.
That said, I wanted an Odyssey, but just couldn’t fit my 37″ inseam in the cockpit comfortably with their terribly intrusive dead pedal. And my wife preferred the more intuitive infotainment on the Chrysler.
I think the latest Prius will ultimately be remembered as the 59 Cadillac of this decade, it’s THAT overstyled. It’s even got tailfins!
No comment on so many of the rest, they’ve got me too depressed at the prospect of seeing them everywhere for the next 10 years.
Definitely the 59 Cadillac of this decade. Chris Bangle’s “Flame Surfacing” has just about ran its course after finding its way into every car design of the last few years, and 2017 may just be that design language’s 1959. I’m not entirely sure if anyone has thought up the next best thing, though.
I’m consistently surprised at how successful Toyota has been channeling early 60s Chrysler products and selling them like hotcakes. First, Lexus goes full 1961 Plymouth with their hourglass grille, now the Prius has gone full 1962 Dodge Polara weird. William Newberg must be rolling in his grave… or maybe his spirit is feeling belatedly vindicated?
I couldn’t help but laugh when I first saw the Prius at a local show. It is that ugly. Well, at least it’s different! But different doesn’t always mean good.
I think the styling of the current Prius really risks doing some shark-jumping so far as its audience is concerned. I’m pretty sure that part of the reason the Prius has become such a sales success in the U.S. to date is styling — the second generation made it look like a science fiction shuttle craft and the third generation managed to keep that vibe while making the details a little sharper. The new car has so many conflicting graphics at once that you really have to squint to find the actual shape (which isn’t that different). That starts seeming an awful lot like “messing with success.”
The Toyota Mirai the new model seems to be aping is not an attractive car and the Prius application of the same themes looks like the sort of thing you get in a video game character design module if you start pushing the sliders as far as they’ll go just to see what happens.
I always think the shape of Prius is the result of nuclear radiation.
The new A4 has a very well hidden hood-to-fender cut line.
Good catch, that is quite the elegant detail. I suspect it will be more susceptible to damage, not that anyone buying (leasing!) a car like that will care.
Great coverage of the show, it’s been a long time since I’ve gone to a new car show. The Predator front ends, sharp angles and strange taillamp designs remind me of origami shapes. Not a good look in my opinion.
Probably will not plan to attend a new car show any time soon.
Thanks for the great post, you covered a lot of ground. You walked the floor so I didn’t have to. I was curious to see the new big Cadillac. I liked it’s looks better than the Lincoln but to be honest all of these new cars are just too overstyled and busy for my tastes. The prices are way too high for a poor guy like me. Oh, I liked the new Jaguar XE. Of course it’s nothing like the older Jags, but that is “progress”. That new Cad looks a bit like the current Jag XK especially from the rear. The tail lights are very similar. Thanks again for the tour.
I’m a Certified Honda Hater® after the disastrous experience I had with my first car (a ’99 Accord Coupe) but I had the same experience following a new Civic at night- WHAT THE HECK IS THAT? Had to speed up a bit on the expressway to see. It’s certainly the best-looking Honda of the last 15 years or so IMO.
Thanks for the article- I missed the Chicago show this year so it’s nice to see these photos.
Your coverage of 2016 was excellent, Jim. Probably the most interesting car to me was the Lincoln which for some reason had me thinking it was a car James Bond would drive. The most breathtaking aspect of the show were the price tags (must be that mile high air!). Personally, I thought the sheet metal that Robert showed recently in his retro car show photos (it’s 1958!) were much more appealing. Back in the day when Cadillac was the Standard of the World.
Excellent coverage! I just wanted to say that Jaguar is not the first to use houndstooth pattern in an interior; the 1969 Camaro could be had with houndstooth. Anyone else know of others?
Yes – ’70s vintage Mercedes, when they did not have velour, MBTex or leather. Not as common here as in Europe though where cloth interiors were preferred.
70 Cougars, they took it to an extreme.
Cuda/Challenger E bodies had a houndstooth option as well, I think the one in Vanishing point even had it.
Holden used houndstooth trim for their Monaro GTS and also some Toranas from memory in the same period.
Mk I Ford Fiesta Ghia trim (US Spec). When I bought an ’80 base model, there was a ’79 on the lot in bright green with a black and white houndstooth interior.
As others have commented, thanks for a very comprehensive coverage Jim!
I couldn’t agree with you more about the CT6, or any modern Cadillac for that matter. They’ve come a long way, but they really just don’t do anything for me, and there’s still a sense of relation to lower Chevy products.
Speaking of Chevy products, “and if they’d only de-brass the Chevy bowtie in favor of a simple chrome outline or something I wouldn’t have anything to complain about” – I’ve been saying this for years. The brass color Chevy bowtie looks outdated and contrasts horribly with just about every color exterior. The new Malibu is very nice though. I just wish they’d go with some more interesting taillights.
Haven’t seen the new LaCrosse in person, but from the pictures I’m really liking its exterior styling.
The new Civic really wowed me though when I sat in it at the Boston Auto Show back in January. The top-spec Touring model really was up to luxury car standards inside.
The Mercedes GLC, on the other hand disappointed me a lot. I get that they’re following the pack and going for maximum compact CUV appeal, but its looks are way too generic, especially compared to its predecessor. I was also letdown by the interior, which didn’t feel as high quality as the GLK. Hopefully it was a preproduction version, but when I sat in it at the auto show, I could press the hollow door panel in with my hand.
I had the opportunity to test drive a number of cars back at the IMPA Press Days event last fall. Among them was the new Genesis. I’ll go even further along what you were saying that the interior should be what a Cadillac is – the Genesis drives like what a modern Cadillac should, and how the CTS doesn’t. Both have plenty of power and good acceleration, but I found the Genesis’ ride far more forgiving, and handling was much more agile, despite the similar dimensions.
I am a sucker for the Acura RLX though. The $67,000 price tag is a bit ridiculous, and they’d sure sell a lot more if it were a more appropriately $20,000 lower, but having driven the Sport Hybrid, out of any new car I’ve driven recently, I’d describe it as the best balance between everything I look for in a car. Quick acceleration, a blast to take through the twists and turns, a luxurious but not pretentious interior with every luxury feature necessary, supremely comfortable seats that required no effort to find my “sweet spot”. I was very surprised how much I loved such an innocuous looking large sedan.
I’m a fan of the yellow Chevy bowtie. IMO it adds a bit of interest and when people black out the center as a personal touch (common enough) it just looks “off” somehow.
People don’t complain about the blue Ford bowtie or BMW roundel…
People don’t complain about the blue Ford bowtie or BMW roundel…
Ford and BMW stuck with the basic design much more consistently over the years. Granted there were many years Ford didn’t use it on cars, but it was always there at dealers, in brochures, and owners manuals in current form. The Bowtie on the other hand has been black, blue, chrome, gold, solid, outlined, ect.
The current one personally reminds me of the cheesetastic gold kits available on cars in the 90s, only paler as if the plating was wearing down to the nickel finish. On one hand I’d applaud them for sticking with it so long for once, but this is the LAST one of their historical designs I feel deserves it.
Yes, if the Chevy logo was gold since the 1910’s then it would be “iconic”, but it’s been blue, red, whatever. The current yellow one is too ‘rental’ spec.
The best was the blue bow tie used in 1969.
I have to agree. I suspect the reason that version hasn’t been brought back is the inevitable comments from people not necessarily familiar with the old version accusing them of copying the blue oval. That’s probably why owners who do take the initiative to paint them now a days just go black.
Nice writing! A real pleasure to scroll through.
– Not sure whether the Golf Alltrack will succeed. Most people who buy Golf wagons buy them because they are not CUVish in any way and as such are the last of their kind. VW’s attempts at selling to the mainstream rather than Europhiles tend to fall flat after a good first year or so, and I don’t know if this’ll even get that in the wake of Dieselgate.
– I’m surprised Mitsubishi didn’t have the facelifted Mirage. It’s been a surprise hit for them, and the new one’s said to have some handling improvements.
– IMO the machined-and-black wheel look is better than all-black wheels which look junky and unfinished unless pristine and viewed in bright sunlight.
– I like the Continental better than the Caddy. I’ve seen a pic of a production Continental with a blue interior but don’t see it on the display you show.
– Seems odd that the Colorado isn’t available as a true shorty (6′ box w/ regular cab) when the Silverado is.
– I agree the new Prius looks better in person, but only in light or bright colors. Dark colors hide the black C-pillar accents that used to be windows. Although black would be tempting – To the Bat-Prius!
-It’s already announced that next year the Scion iM will be the Toyota Corolla iM. I wonder if they plan to abandon Scion’s “Pure Price” strategy entirely and offer a wider selection of trim levels (one sans Fast-and-Furious bodykit, one with a sunroof)?
-Between the Civic, Corolla and Sentra I’d go Civic. But not this year. A 5-door hatchback and a 1.5T/6MT combo are coming in 2017.
-The Pacifica seems impressive and reminiscent of the ’96-00 Chrysler minivans all at the same time.
-IMO Honda should offer a regular cab/longbed version of the new Ridgeline. It wouldn’t sell well, but it would burnish the “real-truck” cred of the rest of the lineup. Kind of a halo model/loss leader all in one.
– I can’t respect the Honda HR-V. All I can think of is how it’s just a little bit worse than a Fit in almost every way, for more money, which adds up to giving up a lot to be seen in a “CUV” instead of a “hatchback”.
– You’re right about the R8 being one of those cars that exists on the line between bedroom-poster car and usable daily driver. So’s the 911 for that matter.
– Seems odd that the Colorado isn’t available as a true shorty (6′ box w/ regular cab) when the Silverado is.
Probably because of the MPG regs based on footprint (WB x track). At 119″, a RCSB Silverado can still meet requirements even with the 5.3 (and similarly, a RCSB F-150 5.0 or RCSB Ram 1500 Hemi). With that said, I wouldn’t be surprised if the fullsize RCSBs leave us soon too. Toyota stopped making a RCSB Tundra in about 2014, I think, and Nissan has never made one. They’ve not made a RCLB yet, but the upcoming non-XD Titan has been confirmed to have a RCLB variant (mostly for fleet sales).
And really, apart from being “sporty,” good off-road, easy to park in the city, and/or interesting to look at, RCSBs don’t make much sense. Their short WB in comparison to width makes them more jittery at speed and limits their towing abilities. Most buyers, if they’re limiting themselves to a three-passenger-max vehicle, would like to at least have a long bed to make up for it.
Also, a regular cab on anything less than a full-size pickup has essentially no storage space behind the seats, and only room for two passengers. The percentage of 2015 Tacoma RCSBs (the last smaller-than-fullsize RCSB) was somewhere in the single digits.
-IMO Honda should offer a regular cab/longbed version of the new Ridgeline. It wouldn’t sell well, but it would burnish the “real-truck” cred of the rest of the lineup. Kind of a halo model/loss leader all in one.
That’d be really neat to see, but I can’t see many fleet buyers wanting to leave their tried-and-tested F-150s or Silverados for a new brand. Plus the full unibody would make it like the ’61 F-100, but even worse.
If you hadn’t said the Audi A4 and Q7 were new, I would not have had any idea, and I see the existing models all the time around these parts. Neither is bad-looking, so given the general “change for the worse” trend of current auto styling, I guess that’s not disastrous, but if Audi was expecting people to be able to recognize the newness at a glance, oops.
I cannot tell any of the current Cadillac sedans apart except that the XT and I am really and truly done with Art & Science as a theme. Interestingly, it seems to play a good deal better on the XT5 than on any of the sedans — perhaps because on a crossover or SUV, the hardness of the lines seems more appropriate.
The new Lincoln Continental — oh dear. I *do* like the new Lincoln grille, which looks more Jaguar-like than most current Jaguars, and I liked the taillight treatment … on the Zephyr. But the rear deck’s Bangle butt seems dated (as well as ugly) and the greenhouse seems determined to repeat the aesthetic mistakes of the last-generation Town Car.
I saw one of the new Civics the other night and I really like the taillight treatment. I’m undecided about the nose, which seems a bit too cluttered and a bit too snout-like. However, the 2006 generation’s angry-Cylon nose eventually grew on me, so I don’t know.
The new Nissan Sentra looks like a current Corolla with one of those headaches that can’t be fixed except by lying down in the dark and waiting for it to pass.
I have mixed feelings about the new Chevrolet Malibu. It looks great in rear three-quarters view and it’s really a pretty good shape overall. However, the grille-in-the-bumper thing bothers me and this is not even one of the better treatments of the idea. Is the bumper grille functional or is it mostly blanked out like on the Ford Focus? (If it’s the latter, I’d be really annoyed.) The frustrating part of it is that the above-the-bumper grille slot does work aesthetically and if they had left it at that, it would have given the Malibu a pleasant degree of family resemblance with the Camaro — a sense of Chevrolet brand flavor without making the owners of either model uncomfortable.
Is it just me, or do the new Buicks look a lot like Chryslers of a few years ago? The Cascada’s tail looks a lot like the that of a Chrysler 200 convertible.
I remain generally wary of the industry fondness for metal or ‘metal-look’ door trim (e.g., Jaguar F-Pace, although that’s only one example). If the metal is fake — that awful satin silver plastic — it looks cheap and shoddy. If it’s real, I start to worry that I’d have to wear a heavy jacket even in the summer so as not to risk second-degree burns every time the vehicle was parked in the hot sun for a few hours. I don’t deny that strategically placed strips of chrome or aluminum can add a classy look to the door trim, but I don’t have asbestos elbows!
Oh, I almost forgot: I am impressed by the new Hyundai Genesis and can’t help feeling that this is the direction Toyota should have gone with Lexus rather than the incongruous, hyper-aggressive cruciform thing.
Oops, something got cut off — it was supposed to be “I can’t tell any of the current Cadillac sedans apart except that the CT6 has particularly ugly taillights.”
How can you be sure which taillights are ugly if you can’t tell them apart?
Well, in this case, I know it was the CT6 because Jim’s text clearly identifies it and I find the taillight treatment disagreeable enough that in the future, if I saw a CT6 from the rear or rear three-quarters, I might conceivably remember my distaste enough to say, “Oh, this is the one with the ugly macaroni taillights.” Whether I remembered which model that was (assuming I couldn’t see the badge) is another matter, and if I saw it from another angle, all bets are off. Likewise if Cadillac applies this cue to subsequent restylings of other models — reviewing Jim’s photos, I see that the XT5 has a variation on the same theme.
To be clear, what I find disagreeable about the CT6’s taillights is not so much the lights themselves (although that’s a convenient mental shorthand), but the heavy-handed way in which they’re used to emphasize the visual separation of the sail panel and the lower part of the rear fender at the body-side crease. That area is visually ungraceful — I’m not sure if they were trying to evoke Bangle butt or 1980 Seville and either way, I don’t know why they’d want to — and the effect of taillight is to circle that spot with a red pen.
This analysis is based on peering at Jim’s photo trying to put my finger on what was bothering me about the shape, and interrupted by having to do an image search to see how Cadillac’s existing models handled their respective taillight treatments. (For the record, while I don’t find any of the cars attractive, the earlier models’ taillights don’t stand out to me as a particularly egregious element.)
Cadillac’s taillights are more or less the same as the 2003 CTS. Styling is something that you either like or dislike or are indifferent about. The Art and Science style has evolved since the Evoq. The 2003 CTS was OK but I think the current cars are better. I would not object to a new theme though. The newer cars have developed the BMW Bangle look to some degree I think. This helps the trunk volume some.
The earlier cars’ vertical taillights don’t particularly bother me — it’s a ‘heritage’ cue that Cadillac used for years pre-Art & Science. My objection is to the ones on the CT6, which as mentioned literally go a different direction.
(As I explained, it’s not really the shape or the fact that it’s different that’s troublesome — the XT5’s taillights have a similar shape, but their relationship to the surrounding panels is quite different.)
Love that Beetle but I feel that line is becoming increasingly irrelevant in the VW lineup. I liked they “masculinized” it at the last revision, though. Still, I would buy a Golf.
Enthusiasts always want what the European market gets. Well, now we have the Cascada. Looks nice although not my type of car. I hope it does well.
Love the F-Pace’s rear styling, not so much the front. It has similar weird bumper-area cut-outs to all the new Mercedes products.
Evoque Convertible is answering a question no one asked. Watch sales take off and the Germans react. I still wish Mercedes made a production version of the Ocean Drive concept. I want a four-door convertible!
GLC Coupe, blech. I hated the X6 and I hate this. Pointless.
So incredibly tired of Audi’s design language. The Q7 is bland and hardly premium looking. I can barely tell any of them apart from their predecessors. A shame because I loved where Audi was going, design-wise, in the late 1990s/early 2000s.
The 2-Series coupe is one of the most appealing German designs of recent years.
I love the CT6! Sure, the rear end could be a bit more expressive – I have a similar objection with the CTS – but these have great presence and a really tasteful front end. I love Art & Science and I must respectfully disagree with Aaron Severson: it’s a design language that I think has evolved nicely, although I do love some of the more aggressive A&S Caddys of the past (eg XLR)
The 2017 MKZ is an interesting update. Also, the turbo 3.0 will come in a FWD version… How will they tame the torque steer?
The Continental, as much as it resembles the concept, just seems to be missing something. I can’t place it. The concept wowed, the production version elicits a much tamer reaction. I’m glad Lincoln is getting attention, though. The new MKX is very, very attractive and this will be the best lineup they’ve had in years.
The Malibu is very shapely. I like it. Design-wise, the interior isn’t quite on par with the striking dual-pod interior of the 2008 but the feature content is great. I hope sales take off.
The Genesis indeed has a lot of presence, more so than the Equus/G90. My only objection is how close the taillights resemble that of the Elantra. The Genesis I sat in at NYIAS had beautiful open-pore wood trim, very nice.
I’m curious to see the Civic, Lacrosse and Malibu in the metal. I like all of their designs. The new Corolla is very handsome, the first Corolla I think I’ve ever said that about. Just some hints of aggression without going over-the-top.
I thought the Sedona was so amazing when I saw it in photos but in the metal it is just… meh. Speaking of meh, the RLX design is very dull. Handsome but dull. The HR-V is a very nice design, looks good in the metal.
Thanks for the photo tour! Wish I could go to NYIAS this year 🙁
I wonder if the 3.0 turbo MKZ will adopt Ford’s RevoKnuckle front struts, introduced on the old Focus RS. The technology is there and it seems like the MKZ’s price point would allow it.
As for Art & Science, obviously some people (including decision-makers at GM) like it. I feel like it’s produced some interesting concept vehicles, but just looks awkward on production cars — even the XLR, which one would assume to be the least-compromised iteration. To each their own.
The new Civic looks bigger than it actually is. I sat in one at Auto Show and it is still a compact C class size. It does look like it’s trying hard to stand out, like a kid from 15 years ago, with a ‘modded’ 1995 DX and all kinds of “body kits” added on.
The HR-V is not all that much taller than a Focus hatchback. And can they get through deep snow as well as a true SUV? To me, it’s the “image” that people are buying. Why not get a compact hatch?
I’ll give my take on “why not get a compact hatch” as one of the the vehicles on the shortlist for replacing our Forte Koup (whenever that happens) is the Mazda CX-3. Why not just get a hatchback 3? In our case it comes down, primarily, to AWD. You can’t get an AWD 3, it doesn’t exist. In fact, with the proliferation of the CUV, passenger cars with AWD have become less and less common. Staying away from the luxury marques, what are even the options? Subaru, of course. You can ostensibly get an AWD Fusion, but they seem hard to find. Beyond that I can’t think of any, all of them have been replaced by CUVs.
Add me to the list commending you on the comprehensive coverage Jim – even more interesting to those of us who live in the Other Hemisphere where some fo the featured vehicles aren’t available. Thank you!
After my ’06 Caravan was destroyed a couple of weeks ago (t-boned), I am in the market for another car. The ones that interested me were the minivans because frankly nothing has that level of utility. Nothing has that size interior room, comfort, seating for 7, or you can put things in it, like dirt or furniture or lawnmowers and everything is locked and covered.
I had a really good experience with the Caravan so I’m very interested in the Pacifica. With rebates and such, a base Caravan is around 19 while a base Odyssey is around 26 and a base Sienna is around 29. Adding rear power windows and rear air vents makes the Caravan around 21. So the prices for the Toyota and Honda are much higher. The Caravan and town and country really are stupendous values, particularly for minivan buyers who do tend to drive them into the ground. 40K nowadays, especially with incentives, is an incredible value for a vehicle which fits 7 people comfortably plus stuff.
Ma thought the Sedona looked like a hearse and refused to consider it further. In a base model, the interior is very cheap looking and the seat fabric is awful. Seat fabric does make a difference when you spend 8-10 hours a day in the car like I do.
Thus far I’ve driven the Odyssey and the Caravan. At 29, the Sienna is too expensive. The odyssey was noticeably quieter than the Caravan. I’ll wait for the Pacifica to see how much of an improvement it is over the Caravan; if it’s a noticeable improvement; I’ll buy that, if not, I expect the Caravan to be even more discounted.
Regarding the Cascada, this car is a huge disappointment. I love convertibles, and had an Aries Convertible and a ’93 Cutlass Convertible and the problem with modern convertibles is YOU CANNOT FIT ADULT HUMANS IN THE BACK SEAT. Solaras and earlier Sebrings sacrificed handling and power for comfort INCLUDING IN THE BACK SEAT. The Cascada is ugly inside, all unrelieved coal black, and weak sauce to boot? It’s much cheaper and tackier looking than a mustang convertible and then offers no additional room? And it’s built in (no kidding) Poland? NO. THANKS.
Sorry to hear of your wreck, hopefully you yourself are ok. The cost factor is obviously a huge one between the vans. I think since you are waiting for the Pacifica to be available if you are not that thrilled with it the fact that it is new and fairly attractive will put some downward price pressure on Honda and Toyota, after all, their vans are nearing the ends of their cycle as well but will most likely not be renewed until after the Pacifica release.
We’ve had a Sienna and an Odyssey and I have driven all kinds of Caravans and T&C’s as rentals over the years. Each time I generally found myself happy to be back in our own van afterwards, even if it often was older or had more miles on it. The Chrysler product seems to be built to its eventual transaction price, not to its sticker price as the others seem to be, it does become noticeable after a while. I’m not saying it’s a bad van but I think there is a reason the others cost more.
There is another option to traditional minivans – the Ford Transit Connect (the small one, not the huge van) comes in a 7-seat version with sliding doors. Depending on the driving you do, the smaller engine and potentially better fuel economy could be of interest to you. Offhand I am not so sure of the pricing though.
I thought it was interesting that Lincoln showed both the old and new MKZ’s, I suppose that is the sign it is a dealer-driven show and they still have stock to clear?
The Chevy van looks like they asked the Nissan designers to do the styling! Ouch. The Cadillacs seem to lose some of the styling personality from the show cars, for example the CT6 suffers in comparison to the El Miraj (just looking at the front and rear treatments). The smaller BMWs look like they have been squashed lengthwise slightly in a vise to me. I think the Mercedes GLC is rather unfortunate-looking, with the ugly SL-style headlights and too many generic shapes to the bumper vents, tail lights and so on.
The two views of the Chevy Malibu are interesting, the front three-quarter shows the chrome window surround as a continuous curve down to the rear corner, while the rear three-quarter view shows an awkward bend that I don’t think flatters the line of the C pillar at all. Like many others, such as the Civic, the trunk lid is so short that they really should be sold as a liftback like the Mazda6 used to be.
I think the last motor show I went to was in Sydney when they had the Alfa 8C on display, because the local shows have been dropped now – leaving only things like Motorclassica!
You should see if Motorclassica will give you press entry before the show. Great way to get shots of the cars without people getting in the way.
The Chevy van looks like they asked the Nissan designers to do the styling!
They didn’t have to. From the text right below the Chevy van:
This is the Chevrolet City Express, which is actually a badge-engineered Nissan
The new MKZ is the 2017, I do not believe they are in inventory as of yet. I guess it’s close enough to the published summer 2016 release date that they have some to show but are really still building/moving the 2016’s.
A few thoughts.
The new nose on the MKZ is an improvement over the old baleen whale look.
I am surprised Toyota would bring a Corolla with steel rims and plastic hub caps to a car show.
There is a certain amount of irony that the Mitsubishi booth was positioned near the exit.
Jim, great job and coverage. I’m just wondering why the Denver show had so much more of the new iron displayed than the Houston show just a few weeks ago. Did Manning do that too?
Some brief thoughts –
1. I actually like Cadillac’s new front end designs – seem much more settled than Art & Science. The only Caddy that interests me though is the SRX…
2. The Conti is awesome and I hope becomes the at least minor hit that Lincoln so desperately needs.
3. The Genesis looks like one of the classier offerings at the show, both inside and out. I think once Hyundai separates out the full Genesis brand they’ll get a little more deserved love.
4. I saw a new Prius at night on the highway. The rear end scared the hell out of me. I wish I was kidding.
5. The Ridgeline is definitely geared towards the urban/suburban cowboys who need light hauling space for Lowe’s, etc. It’s sort of like a better looking Subaru Baja that can actually do some light towing. Certainly better looking than Gen 1.
6. Don’t know why new Lexi look so pissed off all the time but once we caught a glimpse of the 2016 RX350 we ran out and bought a 2015. Sorry, but the front end is atrocious, and I think the “style” per se (angular, surfaces) is going to tire quickly.
7. However the Chrysler Pacifica front end is too subdued. It reminds me of the 1996 minivan restyle – but not in a good way. Remember the too-small, ineffective head lights? Despite going into it’s 6th year of the design, Honda is still the one to beat, even with that hideous rear door kink.
8. The Ram grille is beyond hideous on an already overstyled truck. I’d love to take the RAM letters from the tailgate and make a rapper necklace except it would snap my neck.
9. The (bland?) Corolla is one of the outstanding pieces of kit for the money currently on the market. You know it will run forever. Interior details are not bad for a sub-$20k car. The Scion iM is a great deal too; hopefully when they transition the line to Toyota the options list will open a little so you can get a sunroof and some other basic necessities currently not available.
10. In person I was actually impressed with the Cascada (despite the dumb name). My friend and I both have 9-3 convertibles; he is looking to replace his since he apparently expects reliability with his automobiles. Test driving one we certainly saw the Opel heritage. Great car overall, and priced reasonably. Haven’t actually seen any on the road though. Still not sure why Buick exists.
The SRX is the best seller. It is being replaced by the XT5.
Interesting and thorough report. That new Lincoln is perhaps my pick of those cars I can’t buy here.
I read with interest your comment on the VW stand. Part of me asks if this is an (understandable) over reaction, given that the VW scandal refers as far as we know to diesel only, which I understand to be a minority choice in the US, and in other respects they are sound if perhaps unexciting choice.
A view on the VW scandal as it is now from Autocar in the UK, though, suggests this caution may be more understandable.
http://www.autocar.co.uk/blogs/industry/six-months-vws-state-post-dieselgate
Great coverage, Jim–it was just like being there. A few random thoughts:
-The Cascada seems to be getting a lot of flak, but I find it a nice-looking car. No, it doesn’t have much Buick style, but I’m not entirely sure what Buick style is at the moment. I’ve never liked the current Lacrosse, so I was wondering what they’d do with the new model, and to me it looks too much like an Impala (particularly in the rear 3/4 view). More attractive than the current one but it brings back bad badge-engineering memories.
-Who exactly is asking for more “coupe SUV” models on the market? I rarely see the X6, to say nothing of the total flop ZDX. And yet, here we have the X4 and the coupe GLE. Maybe people are buying them elsewhere, but not here.
-Big fan of the new Malibu and that interior looks fantastic in the two-tone finish.
-CT6 is a bit of a disappointment, I was hoping for more. Maybe that CT9 will fill that role. It does have a very clean nose design, but overall it’s not the massive ugpgrade from the XTS that it was touted as.
-The Continental is similarly underwhelming, but I prefer it of the two. I like the more traditional roofline in an age of universal semi-fastbacks, and the continuous shoulder line of the body. But…no mechanical door handles? What??? If you have a dead battery, now you can’t even get into your car? No thanks, I’d prefer those to stay analog (though it makes for a clean flank).
-There is an RLX? That’s news to me.
-The new GLC is pleasantly devoid of doodads and geegaws, but the old one was distinctive and a bit agressive with its taut lines. The new one’s overall shape is just boring.
-Given Civic versus Corolla, I’m firmly in the Civic camp. It’s a looker, compared to the frumpy Corolla. But that interior detail on the Corolla looks befitting of a much nicer car, and is a leap forward from recent generations.
-Looking forward to seeing some of the new Sportages on the road. The ’17 is also going to get a serious look since we’ve had good luck with our current Kia. My wife loves the design in photos, hopefully it translates well to the real world.