Went to the New York Auto Show on Easter and here are a few random thoughts. Went alone, so I spent a lot of time at each maker to check every out.
Crowds: Ridiculous. I got there at 1130ish and didn't leave until around 5pm. I took a few pictures, but it's not even worth posting. I've come to the conclusion that people don't care about ours. Long lines to sit in cars, people destroying interiors (Lexus/MB/BMW/Audi all had missing knobs, trim pieces, etc), people getting in the way, when you OBVIOUSLY are trying to get a picture of something.
I never had a lot of trouble at the Chicago show, and Austin's whole show is kind of a ghost town.
Mitsubishi: Shocked they were even there. Ghost town.
They just ended production of their only car that mattered. It's so sad how bad Mitsubishi is.
Fiat: Gorgeous models at this stage. That's all I noticed 😀 The new 500x was cute though.
These cars don't make a ton of sense in the US, where the Civic is considered small, but in Italy these were everywhere on their small streets.
Scion: iA looks ridiculous IRL. The front is just awkward. The new Corolla hatchback (iM) was impressive. Needs better wheels. They should sell it to us with a Toyota badge.
The T badge needs so much more excitement at this point and three quarters of Scion is garbage. I would close up Scion altogether.
Subaru: Dime a dozen in my area, but never got to check out the new Legacy/Outback. Subie is getting their mojo back. The last gen Legacy/Outback were dreadful cars. The new Legacy feels high quality and is super spacious. Not to mention, it looks great! They teased us with the BRZ STI concept, which looked gorgeous... but of course, not for production. 😡
Subaru is developing a crazy following. I love our Forester as much if not more than my car. They're not particularly pretty, but Subie has the gall to make some fun models that may or may not sell (BRZ).
Mercedes vans: I sat in the new Metris work-van. If they actually sold us a passenger version with some leather in it, it might sell well.
They need to build a pickup truck with a three pointed star on it. I saw some weird crap in Europe with three stars on it.
Jeep: Saw the Renegade last year at the show too. Cute looking car. They're gonna sell a ton of these. Cheap interior though.
The interior comment is interesting, especially when the Cherokee has such a fantastic interior. It's going to sell, break a lot, and create more unhappy non-Wrangler Jeep customers.
Audi/BMW/Mercedes: All of these stands were a mad-house. Crazy crowds. Sat in the new TT. Gorgeous interior. I love how Audi has integrated the MMI into the gauge display. New Q7 was impressive as well. This was at the top of my list to see in person. Looks aren't bad, but the interior was class-leading. Too bad, the interior was destroyed. It was missing knobs/buttons/etc. No new R8 or I must have missed it in the crowds.
Audi's are so friggin pretty. All three of these marques know what they are and what they do well. BMW's recent brand dilution scares the crap out of me, though. FWD Bimmers are just not okay.
Lexus: Saw the new RX. I really liked it. That will be a hit. Finally sat in the new NX. Too small, but the interior is high quality too. Again, everything was broken. The seats in the RC-F were fantastic too!
The Top Gear guys hated the RC-F. I know it missed a bunch of performance marks. I like the looks of the NX, but I'd much rather get something a little less expensive.
Didn't spend too much time at MB. Too many people. The facelifted GLE (ML) is one ugly looking thing, especially the new coupé model. The AMG GT-S was unbelievable IRL. As was the S-Class Maybach. Skipped BMW.
I don't know that I would ever buy a Merc, but the specialty AMG models are absolutely stunning.
Porsche: All cars were locked. Boxster Spyder was my favorite car of the show!
That sucks the cars were locked. The Boxster looks kind of like a frog, but the Spyder looks awesome.
Maserati: They let us onto the stand to sit in the Quattroporte and Ghibli. I've driven the Ghibli before, but every time I sit in them, it makes me wonder why I'd ever buy one. Interiors and fit/finish are trash. So many MOPAR trim pieces all over the place. Come on guys.
McLaren: 570S was breath-taking IRL. Saw an F1 GTR for the first time.
Jealous!
Alfa Romeo: They had the 4c convertible there, but the models were even more gorgeous 🙂
I will own an Alfa some day.
Acura: Besides a small crowd at the NSX, it was a ghost-town. NSX looked alright in person. Didn't "wow" me. It's rather "narrow" in person. I sat in the 2016 updated MDX and facelifted RDX. Not impressed at all. Cheap, plasticky interiors on all of their models. Not befitting of a "luxury" brand at all. Infiniti, same boat. Ghost-town.
These brands don't know who they are. The NSX is a nice step for Acura, but Honda really needs to figure out what it wants to get out of the calipers at this point. My TSX is fun and reliable, but the TLX's and ILX's are ugly and the TLX is a drag. The MDX and RDX are fine, but I am weary of a car brand that relies so heavily on crossover sales. As far as Infiniti, they're Acura without the crossover sales. The Q50 is okay, but there's really nothing else to speak of from them.
Jaguar/LR: New XE and XF were stand-out products. Love the looks, but the interiors doesn't seem up to par of the Germans or Lexus.
I would shift the Jags a little further upmarket and focus on F Type cars.
Honda: New Civic is a winner! Also I rather liked the HRV. Interior was good quality. The new Pilot is HUGE, but I like the looks of the thing. They didn't have it unlocked though.
The H is where Honda's value is. The fact of the matter is, they're an S2000 away from doing something special.
Toyota: RAV4 Hybrid looked great. Facelifted Sienna's interior is leagues better than the old plastic junk of the 2011-2014 models. I've been in every other Toyota, so didn't spend much time there.
Did you see the FT-1? That's the only Toyota worth a second look, IMHO.
Kia: They pulled the new Optima from the show. Wasn't there for some reason. Checked out the new Sedona. Impressive leap forward, especially compared to the POS old model.
They do a really good job. I have actually never driven one, but I have heard mixed things about their build quality.
Hyundai: 2nd gen Genesis is an amazing car, inside and out. Good fit/finish and good looks. Better than anything Acura/Infiniti have out now.
The Genesis almost needs its own brand at this point. You can can see Hyundai toying with that in the styling, but they have yet to actually pull the trigger.
Mazda: CX3 looked cute. Didn't have a model unlocked. Facelifted Mazda6 is a fantastic looking sedan and the updated interior was impressive too.
I liked the Mazda6 a lot when I tested it. For whatever reason, they don't sell well.
Cadillac/Chevy/Lincoln: Sat in the CTS-V and ATS-V. No thanks. Not my cup of tea. Z06 Corvette was epic in person. CT6 was not impressive. It doesn't have the presence of the S Class or A8. Continental Concept looked amazing.
Cadillacs also don't sell. The CT6 looks like a pig even if it is light.
The Z06 is truly a feat for the price.
VW: Spent some time here. Golf AllTrak is going to be a great competitor for the Outback and will come in a stick. I sat it in the Golf R and it fit me like a glove. I could see myself buying one within the next 1-2 years as a DD. I miss my old GTIs.
Glad these exist, because Subaru's design leaves something to be desired. Hopefully some competition should help.
Nissan: New murano and Maxima are UGLY.
Even Renault can't save Nissan. So uninventive at this point.
Ford: The GT makes the NSX look like an economy car. Unbelievable looks. Focus RS looked a little over-done, but I'm sure it will be drive great. Quite liked the new Edge too.
Comparatively, the NSX is an economy car at almost a third of the price. I worry the Focus RS and the Honda Civic Type R will be so ridiculously expensive they'll price themselves out of drivability.
