Last post talked about the cars on my shortlist and my impressions of them from the brief time I spent checking them out at the Auto Show. Today, it’s on to the cars that already didn’t make the cut – those which have been eliminated or drastically demoted on the shortlist, or were never on it to begin with and I just feel like ranting about them.
I sat in a new BMW 3 series, because I thought that perhaps a 335i or a Diesel might be a good mix of fun to drive and economical, but I don’t love the most recent exterior redesign, and the console interferes with my shin. Plus, it’d be nearly as expensive as the S4 which I like a lot better, so I guess that’s out.
A postscript on Volvo – the S60 R had a place on my list (near the bottom), but I discovered that unlike in the C30, their lovely floating center console is placed such that my knee/shin rubs against it in an uncomfortable way, so it’s officially off the list too. Sensing a theme here?
I’m so disappointed with Honda. They used to be the leaders when it came to using efficiency and technology to make cars that were fun to drive and still economical, but it’s as if someone pressed the Pause button on their drivetrain development for the last ten years. We went from the NSX and its ground-breaking VTEC engine to the S2000 and its motorcycle-like 9500 RPM redline, both among the first normally aspirated engines to break the 100 hp/L barrier, to the Acura TL and its great V6 + manual transmission combo to… nothing. Those engines are all still making about the same power output as they were 5+ years ago. In the meantime, the cars have gotten heavier, meaning that fuel economy has suffered, and all of their competitors have embraced direct injection, continuously variable valve timing, forced induction, etc, and are getting more HP out of their four cylinder engines than Honda is getting from six. It makes me sad that there’s nothing from Honda’s product line that I care about, especially since I used to own an Acura RSX Type-S. Even then, it felt underpowered, but it handled great, and had second-to-none driver ergonomics – easily the best manual transmission and steering wheel that I’ve ever used. The Acura TSX is interesting, especially the wagon, but the only way I can get one of Honda’s fantastic manual transmissions is to get it with their underwhelming four cylinder. The V6 is only available with an automatic. The least they could do is add the turbo four from the RDX, but that got pretty abysmal fuel economy for not too much better output. All of that aside, the console in the TSX interferes with my leg, which makes it a no-op anyway. I also really wanted to like the TL, which is interesting on account of the SH-AWD, but it’s an expensive car, the mileage isn’t great, and it’s underpowered compared with its competitors.
Toyota is trying really hard to pretend that they don’t just build driving appliances, but other than the Lexus LFA, they’ve got a long way to go when they bring out commercials like this “…the rush of 200 hp…”
I also was looking at a Nissan Maxima. I think with this version, Nissan finally got the styling right, as I think that it’s a very handsome car again, but the decision to have the CVT as the only available transmission makes it a deal-breaker. The VQ engine has gotten sort of thrashy on the top end of the rev range as they continue increasing the displacement, and having it ramp up to 4500 or 5500 RPM and stay there when I bury my foot does not sound like a recipe for aural enjoyment. To confirm that this wasn’t the right car for me, I found the seats uncomfortable – not enough padding on the cushions.
Scion didn’t bring their FR-S (the closest thing they make to an enthusiast car), but Subaru did bring their BRZ. They’re both mildly different versions of the co-designed FT-86. It was locked, so I couldn’t sit in it, but I’m not really seriously considering the car anyway, at least not yet. Currently it’s only available with a 200 hp NA flat four, so the performance is a bit below my threshold for “interesting.” Maybe if/when they bring it out with a Turbo I might be more interested, but for now, Toyota still remains an appliance maker in my book, at least ever since they discontinued the MR2, Celica, and Supra.
For whatever it's worth, it seems that I'm not the only one a bit disillusioned with HonTossan and their exceedingly boring cars.
I sat in both a Chrysler 300 SRT8 and a Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8, and I looked at the Dodge Dart (on the turntable). I don’t understand the decision to resurrect the Dart nameplate. All I know of that car is that it has been made fun of for 20+ years by Click and Clack, and I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone fondly remembering them. This one has nice styling, but the performance specs are such that it’s not really on my radar. I’ll have to say that the new interiors in the 300 and the new GC make a big difference, but they’re still not really on my consideration list. If I’m going to buy another car that gets gas mileage in the teens, I’m going whole-hog and buying a Cadillac CTS-V wagon.
In addition to looking at cars I might want to purchase, the auto show is also a great way to sit in and ogle cars that I’m unlikely to ever own, either because of their impracticality, their expense, or both. So when automakers choose not to participate or not to bring certain models, they deserve to be called out. For the second year in a row, Nissan didn’t bring a GT-R to the show. Last year, they said it was because they didn’t have any of the new ones after the redesign. This year, I didn’t even bother asking why. If I had the money burning a hole in my pocket, I would very seriously consider a GT-R before a Porsche, but I haven’t even been able to *sit* in one yet to see if I can fit (and equally important, if my kids even sort of fit in those tiny back seats). I guess I should have harassed the dealer in Manassas when we drove past and they had one sitting in the showroom last year. Since I mention Porsche, as much as of a Porschephile as I am, I have to take Porsche to task for being a complete no-show for the second year in a row at the auto show that is in their new corporate owner’s (VAG) US HQ’s backyard. I can just hear some stuffy Porsche exec saying “ze auto show in Vashington iss not vorth ze expense. Zose who are interested in our cars are velcome to come to our dealership to sit in ze vehicles.” C’mon guys, there’s no good reason for this. While some cosmetics may suffer, the show cars take less abuse than your press fleet, and you’re missing a huge opportunity to have a little kid (or a big kid) who isn’t likely to go anywhere near a Porsche dealership sit in one and say, “I’m going to own one of these someday.” Meanwhile, your competitors over at the Audi, BMW and Mercedes booths are happily letting the unwashed masses crawl all over their similarly-priced wares. I’m also sad that Mitsubishi has so utterly given up on the US car market that they also pulled a no-show for the second or third year. The Evo is on my list, but I’m starting to be hesitant to consider a carmaker that’s doing so poorly. It’d be just my luck that I’d buy one, and then they’d exit the US car market and leave me with no warranty to cover all of the magic technology that makes the car so amazing.
So if you actually stuck through all of this, congratulations. I’ll likely be posting driving impressions as I start to do test drives later in the year.
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