MPLexus301

iTrader: (3)

The busiest displays in the entire show were easily those of BMW, Mercedes, Infiniti, and Lexus. I think I'd venture to say that the hottest models from each maker would be the 645ci, CLS 55 (line was unbelieveable just to sit in it), M35/45 and the new GS. I'm just going to add a few comments about each car or manufacturer so feel free to agree or disagree with me.

- Best in show: Cadillac STS-V: It takes a lot for me to really be completely "wowed" by a car now, especially with so many of them being so competitive and the overall gap getting slimmer and slimmer each model year but the Caddy STS-V absolutely blew me away. It was black with a black/red interior and sat up on this slanted platform that was about eye level and I came around the corner and was caught completely off guard. I was eye to eye with what is IMO, one of the sexiest, most aggressive, most powerful looking four doors ever produced. I cannot stress the fact that pictures do this car absolutely NO justice and it looks like a completely different vehicle in person. The entire front end was literally perfect. The mesh, the shapes and sizes, the headlights, the fenders...it's all nearly perfect. The car's stance is so mean and so aggressive that it just screams, "SPEED!" even while sitting still. The wheels complement the design perfectly, the rear end is smooth and sexy but the exhaust pipes and rear bumper really pull together the sense of subtle aggression. I could go on and on about it but I don't want to sound repetitious. The driver's door was open so I actually got a chance to touch the interior part of the door and the seat and steering wheel and it seems like Cadillac has completely reworked every facet of the standard STS with the V model because I was quite dissappointed with the standard car's interior but that of the V felt completely different. My only gripe would be the red portion of the interior which looks rather cheap IMO, and really doesn't complement what is overall an unbelieveably sexy, aggressive, and powerful looking and feeling car. It definitely stole the show for me.

- I went with my stepfather who was previously heavily considering buying the TL and we took a long hard look at the Avalon Limited while we were there. Considering the size, the features, the price, the interior quality, and the engine, I think the Toyota may have taken an edge over the Acura. The reclining rear seats, sequential shifter, wood and leather steering wheel, JBL Sound System, and price seemed to be the biggest selling points of the car which were all swarmed with people (they had all four models there- XL, Touring, XLS, and Limited). There had been some discussion on here about the interior quality in the Avalon so I paid specific attention to that in each of the Avalon models that I sat in and I don't think it's necessarily a matter of poor quality but the strip of wood/aluminum on the center dash sits a millimeter or two lower than the strip on the doors. Not like it wasn't assembled properly or didn't fit together...but it is there. It's not really that big of a deal but I'd probably expect them to fix the issue next year maybe. I think that the final buying decision will be between the TL 5AT and Avalon Limited, and will really come down to options and price. We'll see.

- The Lexus exhibit was next and was completely swarmed, mainly due to the LS, GS, GS 450h, and new IS. I had a chance to sit inside GS's with all three interior colors and was sure to push on everything, pull, feel, rub, elbow and whatever else you can do to an interior and I felt nothing cheap like some of you on here had been commenting. There is definitely nothing wrong with the interior of this car because while it's actually noticeably bigger than the old one, it feels more private and holds you in a way that the old car didn't. Like I said in another thread, it's more Germanic feeling to me, without being that stark. The woods, plastics, aluminum and everything were first rate and again I'm really enjoying the interior design. For some reason...I didn't instantly love the new IS. There is a long line that flows right into the front of the car and into the grille and it kind of gives it a sense of being swept forward...but not really. It's hard to explain but the front half of the car is nicely executed and flows nicely but the rear just..WHAM. Ends. The dropoff at the back seems too abrupt when the front of the car is so swept forward. It's just sort of odd but I'm sure that it will grow on me. The GS 450h really looks great in person, and those rims are killer.

- The Acura exhibit was almost dead except for the RL, which I took a good bit of time in. It was hard sitting in the GS and then plopping down in the RL. The seats in the Acura were incredibly comfortable but I do NOT care for the design of the center stack. The GS is so simple and easy to use while still being luxurious and the Acura seems almost like a techno array of buttons, *****, and switches that are arranged in no apparent order. It's not BMW- confusing but there's an element of elegance in the simplicity of the GS and the A6, while the RL's interior was quite busy. Also, the center stack looks similar to some of those cheaper stereos you see in target or walmart with the silver faces and the light wood surrounds. I know that's a far out analogy but I didn't care for the center stack to say the least and even the doors are busy. The seats are great, the gauges are cool, the materials were good but what's with the wood? That stuff can't be real. Other than the business of the interior I don't have any complaints about the car. It's undoubtable that a more exciting set of wheels would do wonders for the car but the design as a whole is somewhat muted and conservative but the details are attractive which makes up for it. I find the back end of the RL particularly attractive though.

- After the Acura exhibit I went over and checked out the Infiniti area, and particularly the M series. I have seen plenty of them on the road and I still hold my opinion that 1) the car really isn't that attractive without the Sport package and 2) it shares a little too much in common with the Altima and Maxima for my liking. Other than that, the M45 Sport that I tooled with was definitely attractive. Not as understated and elegant as the A6, GS, or E-Class but rather "cool" in that mean aggressive way that makes you quiver when you look up and see one in your rear view mirror. The rims are killer, the front end is awesome, the side profile is definitely Nissan/Infiniti but that rear end could use some refinement. The interior...yea...the interior. The M45 Sport that I sat in had black leather and the rosewood trim and the M35 that I later sat in had tan leather and again, the rosewood trim. I'm not so sure that the trim isn't the main flaw in the car's interior because to me, it looks and feels terribly cheap. There is no shine to it, it feels smooth but not polished and just...cheap. Traditional wood trim would suit the car better IMO. Aside from that, I find the center stack to be a bit busy, much like the RL's, but aside from that I have no complaints. The $59,000 sticker seems a bit higher than what I was envisioning, but I think that I'd be willing to pay that much for this car.

- The biggest surprise of the show for me was the Audi A6. My neighbor bought one in this very "dead" white with some rather uninspiring wheels but I sat in two of them at the show and pretty much fell in love. These cars, a 3.2 and 4.2, both had bigger wheels and richer exterior colors that I loved. The car is very, very attractive in person and exudes that same understated elegance and aggressiveness that the E Class and GS share. It looks very expensive and I loved the new Audi face on both cars, one was a darker silver and the other a deep olive color. I don't have anything bad to say about the A6: I loved the interior, the exterior, the details, and it's a pretty reasonably priced car too.

- The Mercedes exhibit was pretty busy as I said before and I got a chance to sit in the new ML350 and ML500. The interiors on both were rock solid and I even like the exteriors a good bit as well. My only gripe would be the two bars on either side of the console that just don't seem to make much sense, but it's not that big of a deal. There were a few people gathered around the new R-Class and they were ALL making Pacifica references, even saying to eachother how much it resembled the Pacifica and that they'd never pay $50,000 or whatever the base price was when the two looked so similar and shared many options. It looks odd in person...out of proportion a bit. The lines to get in the CLS 55 were longer than those to get into the show itself. The car is gorgeous in person, the interior is flawless...no complaints.

- One of the bigger dissappointments for me was the new 3er. They had a 2006 330i there, open to sit in, and the interior of that car was unbelieveably DEAD. Simply boring and drab. It was black with aluminum accents and some cars can pull that off but this looked bad. The design is very "flat" and doesn't really give off any warm vibes, not that many BMW interiors do in the first place, but from what I saw this interior looks like a step backwards. I don't doubt that a different color with some wood trim would have changed my opinion, but it really was dissappointing. The exterior of the car looks great however. Mean and aggressive, yet attractive and futuristic. The new 750i also looks wonderful.

- Another big disappointment was the STS. My fervor for the STS-V was nothing like it was for the base car. It's interesting that the STS and GS have a similar styled interior but the materials and execution are completely different. Granted this is still a big step in the right direction for Cadillac, it's also the worst interior I saw in it's class. The car I sat in was priced at $58,000 and lacked any warmth, sophistication, or interest. It's too simple and too "dead" for the price IMO. I sat in another one with tan interior (the other was grey with darker wood) and it didn't help. The material on the doors was sort of cheap and a bit spongy feeling, the wood was overly shiney, and again the whole design lacked any presence or aura, which I sort of expect in this class. XLR-V was also there, and kicked ***. Great looking car.

- Suzuki, Subaru, (the B9 Tribeca is an absolute abomination in person), and most of the GM exhibits were pretty dead. Isuzu will be gone soon...I don't think I saw a single person there and I walked by three times. Nissan had a pretty good bit of traffic going through their area, as did Honda, Ford, Hyundai, Mazda, and many others. I sat in the Altima SE-R and really liked it. Dodge was lifeless. There was a surprising amount of people moving through the Mercury setup, and same goes for Volvo. GM had a pretty big setup going for the Monte Carlo and Impala and there was not a SINGLE person near either, to the point that the presenter "woman" just sat inside the Impala and took a rest. I actually like the tame, conservative look of the Impala but the Monte Carlo is still as ugly as before. The Lucerne looks pretty darn good in person but again the interior looks like it came out of 1996...not 2006. I still liked it though.

...after sitting in all of the midsize V6/V8 luxury sport sedans at the show I'd have to rank them as such:

1. Tie- Lexus GS/Audi A6. I find them both perfect in about every way and they are within dollars of eachother when similarly equipped.
2. Infiniti M- fix the interior, refine the rear, and I'm sold.
3. BMW 5 series- I love the way the car looks and drives but the price and iDrive make the other three more appealing to me.
4. Mercedes E Class- Great looking, nice interior, Mercedes quality scares me, and so does the price.
5. Jaguar S Type- Much like Automobile's revent review, the car is holding it's own well even at this age. It's still a good car but not quite as competitive as the newer entries.
6. Acura RL- Throw on some better tires and wheels, tone down the interior, and drop the price $3-4K and I'd be willing to plunk down my change.
7. Cadillac STS- Scrap the interior and start over, plus, what makes you think the world is ready to fork over $65K for a loaded STS V8 when the similarly equipped models from Lexus, Infiniti, and Audi are so much better and yet cheaper?

Seize

Great write-up. I enjoyed reading it in it's entirety

T0ked

iTrader: (2)

I agree with a lot of your observations. At the NY auto show, I saw the STS-V. I personally think my next vehicle will be a Caddy V-series. I absolutly love the XLR and STS V models. The styling from th CTS is evolving very beautifully.

Ditto your feeling regarding MB. Although I have notten used to the new face of Audi plus I feel Mr. Bangle should be put to rest.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

EXCELLENT write-up, thanks for taking the time to do that!

Very informative, and sounds like I'd agree with a lot of what you have to say since it seems like interiors are important to you a lot (they are to me) in addition to exterior of course.

Cadillac as you say is improving but if both them and BMW think they can get away with CHEESY interiors then they're just insulting the intelligence of their potential customers. Still, as 1Sick posted, the 5 series is STILL outselling the E and GS in the U.S! Branding is a powerful thing, so many 'movers and shakers' want to own and be seen in a Bimmer no matter if it looks like a turd inside or out.

MPLexus301

iTrader: (3)

I think that the 5 Series' role at the top of the charts has more to do with the car's legacy as the icon of the group rather than it being a better vehicle than the competition. People think midsize luxury and they think 5 Series...it's like the Camry of it's class if you will. Those sorts of cars have tremendous staying power just because the general public immediately associates them with that specific class.

I don't think the 5 Series is a bad car by any means, but I just don't think it's reign at the top of the charts has anything to do with it being the best car in it's class.

LexFather

Wow, we should have hooked up. I got the hook up on tickets, not sure when I am going with SELOC.
Great write-up, I have a feeling I will agree when I get there.

And BTW, Clublexus/SELOC member JaimerCBR900 has his S/C GS 400 on display there for a company. Did you see it?

Neo

iTrader: (3)

Nice writeup. Thanks for sharing your experience.

nthach

Nice write up. Your experiences almost mirrored mine at the SF auto show, with the GM exhibits dead. I was probably the only person at the LaCrosse turntable.

Incendiary

Um, isn't this like the first or second month ever that the 5-series has outsold the E-class?

mmarshall

Thanks for the write-up. Is this the Atlanta or New York show?...they both were going on more or less the same time.
I haven't seen some of these cars yet in person....like the new IS.....so I will take your word for it.
Speaking of the new IS.......what is the latest word on the AWD model? Did the Lexus reps give any firm dates?

I'm surprised the Subaru display didn't generate more traffic....especially considering the popularity of Subarus right there in snowy New England. But....if this was the Atlanta show, however, I can understand it a little more. Subies are not that popular in GA. But...still....lot of people apparantly don't know what they are missing. Subaru has some of the best bargains on the road. The new STi, (and Mitsubishi Evo MR) at least, must have had some young people there.

Not surprising the Suzuki display was dead....it was the same thing at the D.C. Auto Show. Suzuki just has not done a good job recently of marketing their products, though they sell some relatively good and well-designed and well-assembled sedans now of Korean Daewoo vintage with good fit-and-finish, and good warranty, and bargain prices. And they are finally starting to address something they have ignored for years......the lack of a center-differential and AWD for the Vitara and Grand Vitara. I hope they are around for a while...they are good competition for Hyundai and Kia.


I respect your opinion on the STS interiors but I generally see the other way around. The warmer, richer-looking wood trim of the standard STS interior impresses me more than the colder-look of the STS-V....but that of course is a matter of taste. I agree that Cadillac interiors in general, regardless of how they LOOK, could use better-quality materials. This is not something new.....it has been an ongoing Cadillac problem for years, and was a significant factor in shifting Cadillac buyers away to foreign luxury-car brands instead. They are now only starting to come back.

You said you liked the Altima SE-R. I agree that Nissan has gone along way this year trying to remedy the chief complaint of recent Altimas...the unfinished, cheap look and feel of the interior.
The new SE-R is a big step forward here.....especially with that 350Z-style center instrument pod and and the better-finished materials in general.

Bitkahuna brought up a good point...and I agree with it. Some people will put up with almost anything just to have that blue-and-white BMW propeller on the hood.

Anyhow, Thanks again for the write-up. Well-done.