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So I e-mailed in sick today (“bad shellfish”) to play hooky and attend the NY auto show. First of all, if you are planning on attending the NY show, I strongly recommend purchasing an e-ticket at http://www.autoshowny.com I did and blew right past all of the long lines on the way in. Very spiffy. Here are my biased opinions regarding some of the rides that I sampled today:
-Dodge Magnum/Chrysler 300C: I think these are both beautiful machines. The guy standing outside the Magnum told me I looked like a gangster sitting in it. I took that as a compliment. The interiors left a lot to be desired, though. Acres of plastic, especially around the gauges. The steering wheel on the Magnum felt “loose” though I understand these are early production models.
-Chrysler PT convertible: Pretty cool as a second car, though when I got in and slammed the door there was a huge CLUNK. Not a good clunk either. I looked at the guy who was waiting to sit in it next and we both shrugged and had a laugh at Chrysler’s expense.
-Pontiac Bonneville GXP: Kinda nice, I love the Northstar V8 and give solid marks to the “excitement” division for finally removing the plastic cladding from the body. Looks nice and clean. The interior looked like a Bonne that I had recently rented, though, only with acres of carbon fiber. Yuk.
-I sat in a Pontiac Vibe for kicks and when I shut the drivers side door the power window controls fell out. Whoops.
-Cadillac CTS-V: Now this is a sweet ride IMO but a bit pricey at around 50-something. The shift linkage felt a bit loosey-goosey for my taste, esp in a 50k sedan. I didn’t like the suede inserts in the seats either (same goes for the Bonneville as well). I liked the new STS too.
-Audi S4: Nice interior, rubbery shifter too. Smallish for the price.
-Jetta GLI: Pretty cool, pushing it though for 25k. Nice grippy cloth Recaros.
-Volvo S60R: Man, I would buy this car for the Alcantra seats alone so I could drive around naked in em (sorry for that). It did feel a bit cramped.
Now, for the SUV portion of the show. Don’t worry, this will be short.
-Infiniti FX56 (aka “Canyonero”): The lady on the platform said that this monstrosity retails for “only” 56k! Such a deal, I think I’ll buy two.
-Infiniti FX45: I admit to liking this one but one of the things I always check is the blind spot over my right shoulder when sitting in a car. Well this thing has a blind spot the size of a Canyonero (see above). Not good.
-Saturn Vue Red Line: I actually like this, especially since it has a Honda powerplant. Wife doesn’t like it so I guess it’s out of contention. Also has a prop rod to hold up the hood. Unacceptable.
The SAABs at the show have been discussed already so I’ll spare you my thoughts. I spent some quality time in a 9-5 Aero, very nice. If they had to put clear taillight lenses on the 9-2 or 9-7 it should have been the 9-2. I wouldn’t want them on either one, though.
posted by 162.83.205...
, Wed, 14 Apr 2004 14:09:15, Fri, 16 Apr 2004 15:36:25
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