Fizzboy7

First off, had a nice time with the family. But when leaving, something didn't feel right. Had to stop for a second and think about it. Then it hit me. No Nissan or Infiniti! What is up with that!? One of the biggest markets and shows in the US and one of the larger automakers can't send a few cars and people over? Just about everyone else was there except them. I think that was a very poor move on Nissans part.
Anyway, here are some other general thoughts and reviews:
1) New Sienna is absolutely stunning. It's everything a minivan should be and is styled pefectly. Could easily be wearing a Lexus badge. Toyota keeps proving it's in touch with current market trends.
2) New GX is a dud. Boxy, blah, not cohesive, and not luxurious.
3) New 4Runner is so-so. I know they returned to their truck roots, but it just looks too much like a boxy toy.
4) New Prius is such a value for the package! Very imrpessed with this car and would consider it in the future. The plug-in version sounds even more amazing. Glad to see Toyota out in the lead and creating the market.
5) Facelifted LS hybrid didn't look as bad in person. New RX is sleek, clean, and modern. New HS looked slabbed-sided but has impressive numbers.
6) BMW X6 looks just as bad in person as in pictures. New 7 has drooping taillights and is overal uninteresting.
7) Acura is a sad sad situation. Just about all of their products are ruined with the beak. New ZDX looks like it got rear-ended by a steam roller or appears as if it's a turd flying in the sky. Facelifted MDX looks worse with the new grille and cheap silver lower intake. 2009 model is cleaner. RL appeared like a mistake. TL looks just as bad in person. TSX has some nasty overstyled door handles and teeny tiny wheels. RDX's facelift looks cheap with the silver foglight surrounds and beak grille. Another step backward. Left the display very sad for what was once a good company.
8) Honda- pretty much see #7. Accord Crosstour is a rolling turd. Dash has craters and holes. Civic is looking long in the tooth. CRV is weak and overly feminine. Also walked away sad from their display.
9) New CTS coupe is so-so. Needs a slight trunk and not a bobtail. CTS interior is glitzy with chrome and cheeze details. GM still trying to inflict bad taste on America.
10) New Hyundai Tuscon rocked! Very modern, sporty, and comfortable. Should sell well.
11) New Hyundai Sonata is a winner. Sporty lines, clean and modern dash, and great value.
12) Actually liked the cockpit of the Genesis Coupe. Pretty modern and high-tech.
13) New GMC Terrain was cool. Had a mini Hummer look to it (boxy with low roof). Interior is an improvement, but still has some cheesy GM details. Ditto with the Equinox, which ripped the ML's body.
14) Didn't care for the new Caddy SRX. Too angular, choppy, and had a horrid dash and gauges. Everything looked sectioned, tacked-on, and not integrated.
15) New Buick Lacrosse was a very nice surprise. Looks better in person, with a sleek body, no exterior gimmicks, and proper proportions. Only drawback again was the dash. Looked tacked-on, not integrated, and old-fashioned.
16) New Lincoln MKT was an insult to the auto industry. Overblown, overstyle, overweight, ant-eater nose with a nostril grille, rear end resembles a 1949 Buick rump ***, and dash and gauges are step toward the 70's. Supremely dissapointed.
17) Mazda 3. Has to have one of the worst front ends going today. The happy smile reduces the car to a ride at Disneyland. Whever passed it should be fired and slapped silly. Also, give the car a trunk. Looks like they ran out of sheetmetal and forced it to be a wannabe hatchback.
18) Ford Fiesta- wasn't impressed. Huge front overhang, botox headlights pulled up and back way too far, and dinky wheels. This car appeared no better than a Saturn Astra, which was a complete US failure. I don't see this hatch selling well- just like most hatches don't.
18) Ford Taurus looked HUGE. Too tall, too slab-sided, too long, and retro dash. Not a bad car, but it could be today's Crown Victoria.
19) Fusion facelift= blah. Can't believe this made car of the year. Plain styling, plain interior, and droopy rear taillights that melted next to a dumpster fire.
20) Toyota Venza was freakin awesome! Saw this last year but for some reason, didn't realize how sleek, clean, and modern it's design was. Visibilty looked limited in the rear though.
21) Chrysler had nothing worthy stopping at. Skip/fail.
22) New Camaro is a piece of junk. Bathtub syling, awful, cheap, concave interior detailing. One of the worst dash designs in the last twenty years.
23) New Chevy Cruze looked decent, but anything is better than the Cobalt. Hope this helps GM, but wish they'd ditch the silly corporate bar grille design. All their models would look far cleaner without this uneccessary scaffolding piece.
24) Audi- truly a design leader. A4, A5, and S5 combine sport, luxury, art, and restraint in the finest way. I'd say they are up there with Lexus in leadership.
25) New Kia Sorrento. This was probably one of the most improved vehicles. Loved the clean and gimmick-free body, modern dash, and good price. Kia and Hyundai are on a roll.
26) Hyundai Equus- What a cool limo! I had to laugh at the hood ornament, but the cockpit was modern, everything was plush with wood all over the joint, and I thought the whole package was outfitted nicely. Thumbs up.

Well, that's about it. Was very happy with the Toyota/Lexus/Hyundai/Kia products and walked away sad over Honda/Acura. Wasn't too surprised with the typical GM things, and disappointed that Nissan/Infiniti cheaped out of the show.
BTW, a Lexus employee signed me up for an upcoming Taste of Lexus. I mentioned to him they announced no more of those, but he said they are back with the GX debut. Now, aren't you glad you read all the way through? =)

Thanks for reading!

LexBob2

Great write up. Interesting reading, concise and to the point. Thanks.

The G Man

Fizzboy7, you are batting a 100%, right on with your opinion of each and everyone of those cars

montgb

iTrader: (7)

How 'bout some pics to go along with that write-up?

(Cj)

Good write up. Honda and Acura are in a really bad state. I was with a cousin who was getting work done on her Pilot. I saw the Crosstour in person and it's just really bad. I can't say I like the Venza's front end, but the Crosstour takes ugly frontend/grille to another level...

The Mazda3 looks ok. Someone in my neighborhood got their kid one, and it's a dark grey color. You can't really see the smile too much and it looks nice sporty and tasteful. Now if it were white, then I'd have much different sentiments toward it.

I haven't seen the new GX in person of course, but I wouldn't call it a dud. Yeah, it's boxy, but it's a truck based SUV so I don't see a problem with the boxiness. It just needs some extra luxury touches I guess, but even so it'll sell.

PhilipMSPT

iTrader: (5)

I agree with a bunch of your comments.

I'm glad you enjoyed yourself.

mmarshall

Nice write-up, but I got some questions/comments.

You said you liked the Prius. You didn't notice its thinner, lighter-weight sheet metal/intrior materials? Compared to the old 2Gen model, the new 3Gen Prius, IMO, feels like something out of a box of Cracker-Jack.

The Camaro's dash and styling is not SUPPOSED to look like that of most modern vehicles. Like its rival Dodge Challenger, it was purposely-done as a late-60's retro design.

I wouldn't say that anything is better than the Cobalt....I'd still take one over a POS Dodge Caliber or Jeep Compass. The Cobalt itself, don't foget, was a major improvement over the Cavalier, which (trust me) WAS a piece of junk.

Your comments about the Lincoln MKT are extremely negative (as mine, of course, are about the old Cavalier). Do you really feel it is THAT poorly-done? The reason I ask is that I may soon be reviewing one myself.......I have review requests for both that and the Suzuki Kizashi.

Also, did you see the Kizashi itself? Suzuki didn't have a public display last year at the D.C. Auto Show (it is a small company in the American market), but the L.A. show, of course, is somewhat larger.

Anyhow, Thanks for your extensive comments.

rominl

iTrader: (4)

awesome, agree with most of what you said. i didn't even spend a minute at the acura booth, and i spent a good 5 mins at hyundai. the equus is something huh, some part might look weird, but hey, i give them credit coz' they made it happen

awesome about the taste of lexus, wonder what they have going on this yr

PhilipMSPT

iTrader: (5)

Sat in it, and I liked it.

Took only a few moments with it, but the doors were substantial, the textiles appropriate for an entry-level car, and the layout quite spacious and thoughtful. We squeezed in five adults pretty tightly, but we fit in.

The feel of the car is similar to the current Corolla: you can tell it's very plastic, but it will get the job done.

mmarshall

Thanks, Phillip. After I posted that, I noticed that Fizzboy had indeed seen the Fiesta at the show, so I revised my post.

Consumer Reports has alrady had some preliminary experience with the Fiesta, and, while not publishing their whole test-article yet, are favorably impressed with it.

speedflex

Can't argue with your viewpoints, though I don't agree is half of them.

Fizzboy7

LOL. It's funny because I've never really been big on Toyota/Lexus until recently. But with so many brands going downhill in the styling department, it's caused me to take notice. I like clean, progressive, modern yet conservative designs with a touch of sport and luxury. Automakers that use gimmicks and off the wall styling turn me off fast.

Fizzboy7

You are right about the GX. I think what took place was my expectations were too high. It's certainly not a bad vehicle, but I was just hoping it would stand out like how other Lexus models lead. One problem with being a great car company is having to live up to the high standard you set. No easy task indeed.

mmarshall

One of the ways that auto companies are cutting back on costs during the recession is to cut back or eliminate some auto show displays.....but I can't imagine them skipping the L.A. show.

We'll see if they have any displays at the Detroit or Washington D.C. shows coming up. Porsche skipped Detroit last year, and Suzuki and Isuzu both skipped D.C. Isuzu, of course, is now gone.

BTW.....I had a few questions for you above, in post #8.

Fizzboy7

Great questions.

As for the Pruis, I haven't had much experience with the Gen 2 to make the comparison you asked. You could have a point though. I was studying the sticker, mileage figures, styling, and overall package, which impressed me.

I'm aware the Camaro's role is to be retro. But even some retro cars (current Mustang) can pull off an old-school dash better. To my eye, the curves, lines, materials, and textures just did not work- even for the retro look.

The Cruze's on display were locked, so I didn't get a chance to sit in them. But they do look like a major step above the Cobalt. I recall reading similar comments when the Cavalier and Cobalt debuted, only to be let down after a few years of sales and comparisons. So it's going to take a lot to break this old mindset.

Yes, I felt the Lincoln MKT (Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railway!) was that bad. It's a behommeth in every sense of the word. The jag in the window line is harsh and uneccessary, the grille is over the top, the front has an overbite, and the back end looks like the 40's Buick I mentioned. Just about everything that could tarnish the styling was accurately presented.

Glad you brought up the Kizashi because I totally forgot to mention it in my late night ramblings. I was disappointed. The car is small and does not appear to fit into any particular class (Accord/Camry/Altima crowd, etc). But I think what really got me was the fact the drawings and sketches all made it look like a totally slick and sporty piece that would shake up the segment. Not so with the production car. It's just a standard sedan with nothing special going for it. Could have been a good chance for Suzuki to step ahead and make a splash but they skipped out.

Thanks for your comments on all the cars too.