NY Auto Show

[equ]

Just back from the preview... Very tired but a few notes on what stood out:

- MB: SLS AMG. The gullwing was the star of the show, lots of interest. I got a brief sit-in. There were some folks who ordered it sight unseen who could not get away from it. MB has produced something that is cool and timeless.. Reminds me of the z8 a bit, total looker.

- BMW: Nothing new. The 135i felt the best to sit in, great shifter. The hottie was a blue Alpina B7 (I think it was also an L and an X-drive while at it). Incredible, having sat in the Rolls, I still prefer this. The new 7 is awesome for its class.

- Audi: I missed the new a8, not sure if it was there. They were all white, mine is white and there no new models anyway.

- Porsche: Boxster Spyder does have something big in person... The looks. Even with top up, it fixes (for me) the awkward look of the boxster rear (as seen from side profile). The weight saving and useless top are rather ridiculous, but I think the price tag is really for the somewhat hotter looks. New Cayenne has cuter, friendlier taillights.

- Honda: The CRZ is cool in person and manual is a plus

- Ford: Two hits for us: Fiesta (Yay!) and Mustang. Gf and I did not have access to the Fiesta in '09 as it was locked then. Well now that we got in it, the fiesta feels substantial with a nice interior, wins over the Fit in my book. More of a real car. The '11 Shelby 500 was quite cool, I did start thinking that I've not owned a real American muscle car. This one beats the camaro and challenger for me. Much better visibility, interior, dimensions, everything... The challenger shifter was highly annoying. Pistol grip, schmistol grip, it didn't point up in neutral, no idea where it was. Fail! The mustang is the one for me.

- Subaru: STI is now also a sedan with a big wing again. Woo hoo. Yawn. The 5-door is still the one that talks to me. Comfy seats and looks great in a dark blue metallic... Still wonder if I should have had one of these instead of the a4. Reason points to latter, but the heart is somewhere else.

- Jeep: The wranglers were nice to get into, airy and had very comfy seats. :thumbsup:. Door pulls were nasty and plasticky.. Even though I've had a soft spot for Toyota trucks and FJ's, the Fj in quick succession is a fail after the jeep. Odd interior, odd windscreen, horrible visibility.

[equ]

Chevy Volt looks decent in person, even with the front overhang. There were some Suzuki cars there, but we just didn't notice them next to the bikes.

[equ]

http://www.autoblog.com/2010/04/01/2011-bmw-alpina-b7-xdrive-new-york-2010-unveiled/

This car was teh AWESOME. When I looked at it, sat in it, I didn't know anything about it, no stats.. I've driven the previous Alpina B7 and had mixed feelings. This one just looks and feels epic. One of those rare moments you wished you were a CEO or something so you could afford it.

[lupinsea]

- Jeep: The wranglers were nice to get into, airy and had very comfy seats. :thumbsup:. Door pulls were nasty and plasticky.. Even though I've had a soft spot for Toyota trucks and FJ's, the Fj in quick succession is a fail after the jeep. Odd interior, odd windscreen, horrible visibility.

:cool:

Yeah, Not impressed with the FJ Cruiser when we had one on a trail run. In stock form there is ridiculously little ground clearance and the front skid plate has comically weak attachment points set far inboard leaving a ridiculous amount of skid plate canilevered with no support. Same day we had a stock TJ wrangler.... zero worries or problems all day long.

I'm still torn on the JK Wranglers. Lots about them I like. But some downsides. Not keen on the handles as I think they stick out too far and I can see them getting caught on trees and rubbed off, thus causing damage to a door. Much prefer the flush paddles on my TJ. Though I think Jeep was trying to save money as the JK's door handles look like they are fitted to a number of other vehicles. . . . parts bin part.

I actually like the interiors. Significantly better than my TJ's puffy plastic pillow look. I also like how the door panel plastic is minimized and how there is some body-colored steel exposed.

The JKs have significantly stronger frame and body than the already stout TJ chassis. And the mass distribution is much improved with engine, gas tank, and other major mass components sucked between the axle lines (vs. my Tj with everything hanging over the axles).

But the annoying part for me are the 5" wider width and the weight increase. Oh, and i would have preferred the 4-door sized more like a the '84-'01 Cherokee than than a Hummer H3.

My biggest complaints about the JK are

[rumatt]

Word on the street is that this auto show thing is somewhere near where I live.

Hmm.

[JST]

Word on the street is that this auto show thing is somewhere near where I live.

Hmm.

Just remember, don't buy chicken kebabs from the vendors on the street in front of the auto show, no matter how hungry you are. :ack:

[rumatt]

Just remember, don't buy chicken kebabs from the vendors on the street in front of the auto show, no matter how hungry you are. :ack:

Link? :eeps:

I have eaten them before, despite being scared to do so. I survived.