- Oct 24, 2000
- 29,767
- 33
- 81
I just got back from the annual ATL Autoshow. Here are some comments...
Super cars not to miss:
Ford GT
Porsche Carrera GT
Ferrari 612
Ferrari Challenge Stradale
Lamborghini Gallardo
Lamborghini Murcielago
Lotus Elise
Maybach
The Ford area actually had the biggest crowds, attracting people with its GT and 2005 Mustang. The 2005 Mustang is not too bad, though not as nice as the concept. I'm not in the market for one, so it doesn't make much difference to me.
From Ford, I went to Mazda. The Mazda 3 certainly deserves the title, "Best Compact Car". It's solid and offers a lot of value for the money. I came away thinking that the sedan is a little too feminine, but the 5-door is more masculine in design. The RX-8's clutch feel was more Mazda 6 than Miata, and I found that disappointing.
From Mazda, I went to Subaru where I found the biggest surprise of the evening: a 2005 Legacy 2.5 GT in the flesh! And it was even unlocked! Needless to say, I spent at least 30-45 minutes sitting in or standing around it. It's a very attractive car, more so in person than in pictures. On paper, it has everything I want (250hp turbo-charged boxer 4, AWD, 5-speed, heated seats, moonroof) and nothing I don't need (excessive electronics like navigation). Unfortunately, the car at the show was a pre-production car and it certainly showed in terms of interior flaws. I can't wait to test drive a production version in May or June. I am thinking this will be my next car! (Oh, and the dash tilts towards the driver. Driver's car anyone?)
From Subaru to BMW: talk about a huge disappointment. The BMW area seemed to be full of ex-BMW loyalists complaining about Bangle and iDrive. How sad! A new 6-series convertible was on the turntable, and it looks like ass. Imagine a Camry Solara convertible, and you have a better-built BMW 6-series without iDrive (sans RWD and that V8). By comparison to other new cars, NO ONE was interested in the brand-new 5-series. I sat in the 545i with SMG, and everyone who got in it with me complained about how ugly the car is. As far as I am concerned, BMW has gone to complete sh!t. The only REAL BMWs there where the two untouched by the Banglestick: E46 BMW 330i with Performance Package and M3 convertible. The stock audio system (HK) in the 330i Performance is still one of the better ones.
From BMW, through Mercedes (slowing to glance at the ever-gorgeous SL500), and on to Audi. What is there to say about Audi that hasn't been said? Lots of people, standing around, drooling at the A8, but current owners complaining about reliability. Audi is another sad sad German story: the right mix, but what happened to fine German engineering? The A8 is truly THE MOST gorgeous sedan in its class bar none. The A4 is still bad-ass, and for 2005, FINALLY features color-matched underbodies on all models, not just the S4.
Next to Porsche. Carrera GT: drool. Cayenne: yuck. Carrera GT: drool. Boxster S: good job, but it's getting old. Carrera GT: drool. 911 Turbo convertible: drool some more. Carrera GT: finally got to touch a real carbon fibre bumper! Carrera GT: $450,000 MSRP. Carrera GT: 0-62mph in 3.9s, top-speed 205mph. Carrera GT: all 750 for the US have been sold. Carrera GT: you get the point.
From Porsche, through VW (glancing at the Phaeton), through MINI (at least one BMW brand is still doing well), to the exotics. Lambo Murcielago: ho-hum. Ferrari 612: I miss the 456M. Aston Martin DB7: give me a DB9! Lambo Gallardo: damn, I want one...I wonder how many chicks I could pick up in that?...the best car in the world?...is there now too much Audi in Lamborghini? Ferrari Challenge Stradale: blows my hair back just looking at it...to what ends would I go to drive that?...would I kill for it?...maybe. 2005 Lotus Elise: still possibly the perfect track car, second only to the Ferrari Challenge Stradale...the $38K price is very reasonable...maybe I don't need room for groceries after all?...they're already sold out for 18 months...oh well! Mercedes Maybach: wow, that's a lot of shiny wood and leather...but so what?
From the exotics to Lexus. Sat in a IS300 again. Very nice stock audio system, perhaps the best I heard at the show this year. Damn, Lexus is close to perfection with this car. Don't they know they could murder BMW's 3-series if they only made the IS a little bigger, did away with the rice-inspired interior and exterior and made it more 2005 GS-like, gave that I6 some torque, and installed a REAL manual transmission instead of that 5-speed POS? All of that is a very small task for the likes of Lexus! Maybe we'll see those improvements in 18 months when the next-gen IS debuts.
Off to Acura: sorry, but the TSX interior is kinda cheap. Damn the RL is ancient...and so is the NSX. The TL: simply offers more standard features and value than any other car at the show. BMW could learn a lot from Acura as Acura's command and control system actually work...in many differnt ways. Not only is there a small joystick below the LCD, you can also use the LCD as a touch screen. All the interior controls are logical and intuitive. The Acura rep demoed the DVD audio system for me: this sets the standard for all others to follow! The 6-speed manual TL has great pedal feel and linkage, much much better than Lexus' 5-speed and slightly better than Infiniti's 6-speed. The TL is of course another example how the Japanese could take over the luxury market if they just made one improvement: to RWD. The Acura rep dismissed that possibility but hinted at a AWD solution.
From Acura to...NOT into the GM Experience section...but BACK to the exotics for more drooling...and then back to Subrau to admire the Legacy 2.5 GT one last time...well, not the last time...I'll be seeing it again in May or June...with my checkbook?
Super cars not to miss:
Ford GT
Porsche Carrera GT
Ferrari 612
Ferrari Challenge Stradale
Lamborghini Gallardo
Lamborghini Murcielago
Lotus Elise
Maybach
The Ford area actually had the biggest crowds, attracting people with its GT and 2005 Mustang. The 2005 Mustang is not too bad, though not as nice as the concept. I'm not in the market for one, so it doesn't make much difference to me.
From Ford, I went to Mazda. The Mazda 3 certainly deserves the title, "Best Compact Car". It's solid and offers a lot of value for the money. I came away thinking that the sedan is a little too feminine, but the 5-door is more masculine in design. The RX-8's clutch feel was more Mazda 6 than Miata, and I found that disappointing.
From Mazda, I went to Subaru where I found the biggest surprise of the evening: a 2005 Legacy 2.5 GT in the flesh! And it was even unlocked! Needless to say, I spent at least 30-45 minutes sitting in or standing around it. It's a very attractive car, more so in person than in pictures. On paper, it has everything I want (250hp turbo-charged boxer 4, AWD, 5-speed, heated seats, moonroof) and nothing I don't need (excessive electronics like navigation). Unfortunately, the car at the show was a pre-production car and it certainly showed in terms of interior flaws. I can't wait to test drive a production version in May or June. I am thinking this will be my next car! (Oh, and the dash tilts towards the driver. Driver's car anyone?)
From Subaru to BMW: talk about a huge disappointment. The BMW area seemed to be full of ex-BMW loyalists complaining about Bangle and iDrive. How sad! A new 6-series convertible was on the turntable, and it looks like ass. Imagine a Camry Solara convertible, and you have a better-built BMW 6-series without iDrive (sans RWD and that V8). By comparison to other new cars, NO ONE was interested in the brand-new 5-series. I sat in the 545i with SMG, and everyone who got in it with me complained about how ugly the car is. As far as I am concerned, BMW has gone to complete sh!t. The only REAL BMWs there where the two untouched by the Banglestick: E46 BMW 330i with Performance Package and M3 convertible. The stock audio system (HK) in the 330i Performance is still one of the better ones.
From BMW, through Mercedes (slowing to glance at the ever-gorgeous SL500), and on to Audi. What is there to say about Audi that hasn't been said? Lots of people, standing around, drooling at the A8, but current owners complaining about reliability. Audi is another sad sad German story: the right mix, but what happened to fine German engineering? The A8 is truly THE MOST gorgeous sedan in its class bar none. The A4 is still bad-ass, and for 2005, FINALLY features color-matched underbodies on all models, not just the S4.
Next to Porsche. Carrera GT: drool. Cayenne: yuck. Carrera GT: drool. Boxster S: good job, but it's getting old. Carrera GT: drool. 911 Turbo convertible: drool some more. Carrera GT: finally got to touch a real carbon fibre bumper! Carrera GT: $450,000 MSRP. Carrera GT: 0-62mph in 3.9s, top-speed 205mph. Carrera GT: all 750 for the US have been sold. Carrera GT: you get the point.
From Porsche, through VW (glancing at the Phaeton), through MINI (at least one BMW brand is still doing well), to the exotics. Lambo Murcielago: ho-hum. Ferrari 612: I miss the 456M. Aston Martin DB7: give me a DB9! Lambo Gallardo: damn, I want one...I wonder how many chicks I could pick up in that?...the best car in the world?...is there now too much Audi in Lamborghini? Ferrari Challenge Stradale: blows my hair back just looking at it...to what ends would I go to drive that?...would I kill for it?...maybe. 2005 Lotus Elise: still possibly the perfect track car, second only to the Ferrari Challenge Stradale...the $38K price is very reasonable...maybe I don't need room for groceries after all?...they're already sold out for 18 months...oh well! Mercedes Maybach: wow, that's a lot of shiny wood and leather...but so what?
From the exotics to Lexus. Sat in a IS300 again. Very nice stock audio system, perhaps the best I heard at the show this year. Damn, Lexus is close to perfection with this car. Don't they know they could murder BMW's 3-series if they only made the IS a little bigger, did away with the rice-inspired interior and exterior and made it more 2005 GS-like, gave that I6 some torque, and installed a REAL manual transmission instead of that 5-speed POS? All of that is a very small task for the likes of Lexus! Maybe we'll see those improvements in 18 months when the next-gen IS debuts.
Off to Acura: sorry, but the TSX interior is kinda cheap. Damn the RL is ancient...and so is the NSX. The TL: simply offers more standard features and value than any other car at the show. BMW could learn a lot from Acura as Acura's command and control system actually work...in many differnt ways. Not only is there a small joystick below the LCD, you can also use the LCD as a touch screen. All the interior controls are logical and intuitive. The Acura rep demoed the DVD audio system for me: this sets the standard for all others to follow! The 6-speed manual TL has great pedal feel and linkage, much much better than Lexus' 5-speed and slightly better than Infiniti's 6-speed. The TL is of course another example how the Japanese could take over the luxury market if they just made one improvement: to RWD. The Acura rep dismissed that possibility but hinted at a AWD solution.
From Acura to...NOT into the GM Experience section...but BACK to the exotics for more drooling...and then back to Subrau to admire the Legacy 2.5 GT one last time...well, not the last time...I'll be seeing it again in May or June...with my checkbook?
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