New York Auto Show - Part 3

A couple of final car comments -

1) The new Cadillac CTS is a great-looking car! They really improved it, and the new Coupe concept is really sharp - they should make it! The lines of the Coupe are so much better in person than in photos....













2) The new Jaguar XF - it's smaller than it looks in person, smaller than the XJ sedans. The styling is pretty nice - I'm not totally sure about the front end, seems a little blocky, but the rear with the sweeping roofline is really sharp and reminiscent of the XK coupe. I'm not crazy about the 'shifter' which is actually a round dial that rises out of the console when you start the car. You turn it to select Drive, Reverse, Park, etc. There are paddles behind the steering wheel to shift manually.


























3) Subaru WRX STI - very cool, pumped-up version of the Impreza WRX 5-door. I like hatchbacks anyways, and the new STI is very butch-looking. The interior is dramatically improved over the previous version, and the whole car looks less 'ricey' than the previous version.







































4) Mitsubishi Evolution 10 - we were very disappointed that they didn't have a car that was open. They had 2 there - the 5-speed manual and the MR with the manumatic. Hard to get a feel for the car without being able to sit in it or open the hood or trunk. A shame. But the cars looked nice. They had a Lancer GTS that was open and had a very nice interior. I still liked the STI better, I think.













So that's my overview of the show! As I noted, it was kind of an overload day but fun overall. Looking forward to next year's show already!

To view all of my pics from the show, go to -

http://s24.photobucket.com/albums/c30/ddibiase/New%20York%20Auto%20Show%202008/?start=0

New York Auto Show - Part 2

Ok, now on to some specific cars that I wanted to see.

1) BMW 1-Series - they had a red couple and a gold convertible, both 135i's. I like this car a lot! They also had a 2002 tii, and I can see the similarity - the 1-Series is an updated 2002 for sure, the same upright greenhouse, wide-open front end and flat tail. Too bad they couldn't do round taillights! I sat in the coupe - which had a 6-speed - for a few minutes and really liked it. It's a great size and great-looking, albeit a little heavy and probably a little too expensive.





















































2) Audi R8 - I have to admit to be a little disappointed - they had an R8 in white, which wasn't the most attractive look for the car. Hard to believe that they could not get a silver or black one. It's a beautiful car for sure, but the white doesn't really set the lines off that well. The also had an S5 in white, with a dark red interior, also a gorgeous car that really should have been in another color.






















































3) Dodge Challenger - a beautiful car - they had 3 production-appearing examples there - a couple of R/T Hemi's and a V6 base model. All were very nice, even the base version. I'd like to see a new one next to a classic Challener, just to compare the lines. But the new one is definitely retro but in a very nice way....














4) Chevy Camaro - by comparison, this was a concept car, not a production-ready version. It's also great-looking, but I am assuming that they will have to change some of the details (like raising the roof a bit) for production, so I'll withhold a judgement until then.














5) Nissan GT-R - an amazingly technologically advanced car, but pretty ugly, to be perfectly honest! It has a lot of strange curves and squared-off shapes on it, and that weird kink in the C-pillar is quite off-putting. The interior is very blocky, full of rectangular shapes. But it has a lot of 'presence' for sure, with huge wheels and tires and lots of scoops, ducts and strakes. Can't wait to hear one on the street!














6) smart fortwo - I love this car! We actually saw one on Canal Street on Thursday, the day before we went to the show. Yes, it is small, but has loads of room for 2 people inside. If I lived in an urban area and needed a car, this is what I would get. It makes a MINI look quite large. Too bad it only comes with the automanual trans.







































Part 3 to come.....


















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