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November 08, 2006

Boston International Auto Show, Post 1

Last night, a crew of us made our way over to the always lovely Bayside Expo Center for the Boston International Auto Show.  Overall, I was pretty underwhelmed with what I saw, and while a few pictures will be posted soon, here are some initial thoughts:

• What I liked:  The Mazdaspeed 3 (sigh), all/most of the Acuras (the TL...so sweet, and not only because it share my initials), and the Mercedes-Benz(es?), which are the most solid, ludicrously-appointed things I have ever sat in.  Sitting in a new S600 510-hp sedan, I felt...hmm...like the world could blow-up around me and...everything would be ok.  The Porsche Cayman is really sweet-looking.
  
• What I didn't like:  alot (see below)
• I can't fathom how anyone can listen to or deal with salespeople.  Why is it that painfully insincere marketing speak (ragged-looking blonde spokeswoman on the rotating Chrysler Sebring dias, daintilly holding a Price-is-Right-esque micropohone:  "...comes with an info-tainment module where you can save maps and datapoints...") is viewed as a good way to sell anything?  Ugh.  Every time one of the brand-centric on-the-floor salespeople approached me with a simpering "Noticed you looking at the ..." I wanted to crawl out of my skin and slap them around with it.  Though, the faux "rough and tumble american worker dude" (outfitted with crisp new tool belt, pre-rumpled jeans, scuffed workboots, and accompanied by some hard-hatted guy outfitted like Comcast lineman...?) pitching the Toyota Tacoma was...laughable.  "Go ahead, you try it...feel how east it is to work the rear hatch with one hand."  It was like I was on the set at a Ronco Juice-Dehydrator informercial.
  
• Almost $40,000 for the VW Eos?  Wha...?
• The Chrysler Sebring has to be the crappiest cars i've ever sat in (outside of a 2004 Kia Rio).  The interior is abyssmal, complete with hard unfinished plastics you can file your nails on, flat foam (?) seats that feel like those lousy $15 "video-game chairs" you can buy at Target (but the Sebring's seats don't rock), crummy guages, unsatisfying "play" on all moving parts, and...more plastic.  Lots more plastic.  Worst car ever.  Why would anyone trade in their Accord, Camry, Altima, or even the clear-cornered nightmare Fusion for this?  David writes this morning:  "I think I had a nightmare about the plastic interior of the Sebring."  Following the lead of a lame quote about the upcoming Ford Fairlane, I wrote:  "The Sebring captures the whole aura of Dollar General,
  reduced-for-quick-sale-thriftiness, and that's what resonated with
  people."
• Jaguars are depressing.  One model (David pointed out) had an XM Radio install that looked like your off-the-shelf Radioshack XM "headunit" Dremel'd into a shiny piece of plastic.  Jaguars are now assembled at BestBuy.  So sad.
• I was pleased that, as has been the case the past, oh, 15-some-odd years, the "exotics room" is still occupied by not only Porsche and Aston-Martin, but the "miracle shoe-shine" guy, the "leather-wallet" people, and the frazzled and ragey incredible wax-rag-man.
• The base Passat, the Mazda 5 and CX-7, and most Fords/Mercurys are depressingly bland inside.  The Dodge Nitro is shockingly hideous outside.
  

Clampants | November 8, 2006 09:29 AM