K-A

I posted this last night in a half-awake state on another enthusiasts Site, and thought I'd share::

Sorry guys, no pics, but feel free to post any of the plethora of pics coming in from said show by other people. Just wanted to give an opinion of some of the cars I was looking forward to in my current tired state.... Random selections off the top of my head:

-6'er GC: BEAUTIFUL!! Very classic beauty. Much leaner and more classy than in the pictures (which look kind of bloated). WOW. But it seemed my friends didn't think much of it, and it didn't have all that much attention during my moments around it.

-Silver F10 with M-Pack: My first M-Pack F10 up close, and DAMN!! BEAUTIFUL!! I'm almost in a bit of "buyers remorse" for the moment. Very classy, elegant, and sporty with the kit. The interior is richer than rich, and very serene and plush. This car is designed for my tastes, while the W212 has challenged it (and beat it, hence my falling in love with it). Funnily enough, both of my friends (unsolicited) thought I was crazy, and thought the F10 looked a bit bland and full.... One thought the "pushed in"/flat front grille was so bad, it reminded him of a current gen Dodge Charger (not the first time I've heard that).....

-NEW Gen Dodge Charger: Very cool, still rough around the edges, but a big improvement, and tickles my very prominent Muscle-Car fancy.

-New CLS: Cool, but I was upset that they only had the Matte CLS63 on the rotating platform. It just isn't representing of what the "normal" CLS will look like. I really don't enjoy the nonsensical and fussy ascending character line, but from what I saw, the car looks like a winner all in all.... Even though I don't know if I could get past the side character line.

-W212 Blue E63: Beautiful, and very popular amongst the attendees (definitely one of the most popular Benzes on their display). All the W212's looked good, and having them so close to the F10, I kept walking back and forth to "compare". Seemed out of the 3 of us, I was oddly enough the only one who thought the F10 was of hard competition. One of my friends said: "If you want luxury and elegance, the Bimmer is the choice.... If you want something Sporty and dynamic, the Benz is the choice" (speaking solely in looks and aesthetic character, not driving).... He then paused, with a: "WOW!! I can't believe I just said that... How the roles have reversed". I'm a car enthusiast first, and a "My Car" enthusiast second, so I'll admit, if someone offered me a 535i with M-Pack as a direct swap for my W212, with the payments/term staying the same, I'd definitely give it a chance in terms of thinking long and hard before I make a decision.

-New Audi A7: Looks good, not really a bad angle, as the pics suggest. Not something I'd buy, or lust after, as the shape/character/hatchback isn't my thing, but a nice car. Even the A4's when equipped right were looking nice enough to me.

-New Porsche Cayenne: Underwhelming. A clean design, proportionally right, friendly on the eyes, better than the original, but a bit to "generic", I just don't get much of a specialty character from it, or the design, as I'd expect from Porsche. Interior is very nice, and well done though (LOTS of buttons though). I think they did a good job, as the clientele will love the understatedness, mixed with the Porsche brand and certain design elements. It'll also age well, as it is gimmick and fuss free.

-Rolls Royce Ghost: One of my favorite cars, but I have to admit, lacks a certain "something" in person. Sheetmetal work is a bit un-special, and it lacks a certain presence. All in all, it's a little "meh", for something that costs so much.

-Aston Martin Rapide: Very nice, superb sheetmetal and design work.... Yet something about it doesn't get me thinking "dream car" for some reason. Still super hot.

-Jaguar XJ: Been there before, and nice, but just not all toooo special up close IMO. The interior is the ONLY one at the show that got us "ooh/ahh"'ing, and had a "wow effect". However, we all agreed that all that bling is a bit gaudy, and the environment might get a bit old and tiresome after a while. This is why the German Teutonic balance is so quintessential for the ultimate Luxury Car living space.

-Side note: BMW 7'er and 5'er interiors are so similar, it's a laughing matter. Doing this will certainly hurt the F01 7-Series.

-They Dyno'd a specialty Mustang (I think "Boss") right in front of us.... Very cool, sounded wicked, and put down 444HP to the wheels!

-New Jeep Grand Cherokee: Getting such rave reviews, and seems to be a big favorite in its class. Funny thing is, its formula to such success is being a "Mercedes" through and through (underneath the Chryslerized interior and exterior), being based completely on the current, or upcoming ML Series.

-New Jetta: Clean, boring, nice, dull. Will age well, and be perfectly anonymous, yet retain its element of "prestige" in its class, due to the badge and German engineering. The interior is TERRIBLY cheap, TERRIBLE. I read about the decontenting, cost cutting, and cheap materials, but DAMN. The plastics in the Jetta were about the worst of any car in the show, incredibly hard, hollow, thin, and chintzy.

-Hyundai Sonata: Not my thing, but damn nice for its class (not saying much, but saying enough for Hyundai). The sheetmetal design work is very nu Mercedes-esque.... Very sculpted.

-Hyundai Equus: Ugly, but nice interior for its class (in actuality, insane upper-end interior gimmickery for its class). Lots of cheap areas where it doesn't stack up to the German attention to detail. Too many areas with chintzy/poor plastics, which you'd never find in even a Benz C-Class. To anyone who doesn't have these detail oriented capabilities, they'll see all the popping smoke, and they'll think of it as a "poor mans Maybach" (as some guy in the back seat said).

-Infinite M: VERY nice interior, I was very impressed. Comfy, well designed, cozy, luxurious. Good showing by them. Exterior isn't my personal thing all so much, but it's nice, and deserves to be rewarded with some attention.

-New BMW X3: Not of much interest to me, but I remember some bantering about the interior quality.... I will say, IMO, it felt a bit cheap, but for what it is, and what its price range I'm assuming is, and being a little SUV, maybe it's appropriate.

-Chevrolet Cruz: Great little car for the price, all around. I'd say best in class.

-New Land Rover Evoque's: Not my things, and they are clearly directed for ostentatious, gaudy, and trendy Pop Culture youth. They'll be annoying before I know it, and look like gussied up Fords, but they seem to be perhaps the most alluring in class, cute, and will probably have the best interior in class.

Can't think of anything else worth mentioning (plethora of SUV's, Green Cars, Pickups, Econ Cars, etc.), I'll add as I remember, and feel free to add to this long running stream of consciousness....

BPhillyBenz

Nice job Kevin - Thanks.

amdeutsch

What, no commentary on that puke green Porsche they had there?

hyperion667

visited the website: pretty cool.....

do you work for a magazine or something K-A?
do you work with cars??
ever consider it??

petee1997

A Porsche is a Porsche and they they are always beautiful no matter how ugly the color may be!!!

K-A

LOL! My brain must have given a "pass" to that color, because I can't even recall that green Porsche!

No, just fan.

Definitely don't plan on working with cars (as a job related thing) though, as when that happens, it usually ruins the escape.

El Cid

Haven't seen Equus in person, but from what I have read, it is very good if they can really sell it for $50K.
Having owned an Azera, I can say Hyundai customer care at dealer and national levels is far superior to M-B in my opinion & experience. Add in the much lower maintenance costs and much higher reliability and Hyundai becomes a tough competitor on many levels.
Nice report. Thanks,

K-A

No prob.

Like Hyundai or not, they are Cowboying their way into prominence. In 20-30 years, they could be in a very prestigious place, possibly.... Or maybe, even a lot less than that.

Whoever is in charge of that Company, should be the most sought after guy in the business world right now. Allan Mullaly has done wonders with Ford, and deserves whatever big pay I'm sure he's entitled to and/or getting, but the Hyundai head is just doing BIG things right now.

I'm too detail oriented to really love the Equus' interior. Although, for $50K (is that what is costs?), it's a ridiculous bargain. To me, even with all the glamour of those "baby Maybach" amenities, the interior doesn't compare to a $50K E-Class. Just too many chintzy, and poor areas that you wouldn't find in the sturdier M-B plastics/materials offerings. M-B's plastics have gotten more and more questionable over the years in some refinement senses, but they always keep their tactile quality (or improve on them), and their fit and finish is far superior to what you'll find in the Equus.

BenzE350

Yes, I would make this trade in a second.

Of course the 535i with M-Sport and similar options would be at least $5K more.

Nice review, but did you bring your cam to the show? Were are the pictures?

K-A

True that it would be a bit more. But me personally, I wouldn't even consider the F10 over the W212 AMG Sport pack without the M-Pack, so the price difference is negligible to me personally.... Of course, if I was cross shopping both, it would come into play, however I'm just speaking from a fans standpoint.

Actually it isn't one of those Shows where you bring your own car. It's all new cars from the manufacturers. I didn't take any pics, only reason being I figured they'd be all over the Web anyway! I'll see if I can find any links with pictures to various cars.

OceanView

Thanks for the reviews K-A.
Gonna try to stop by this week and take look myself.

By the way, what is a -6'er GC ?

K-A

Thanks! Definitely a more impressive showing than last years. Lots and lots of new and interesting (or uninteresting) models coming out, which makes for a good show.

It's the Concept Car of the new upcoming 6 Series. It's basically the finished product though apparently.