Car Show Report
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Joined: May 2002
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Car Show Report
Spent some time at the car show last night, which had virtually every manufacturer represented except the likes of the ultra-exotics (Bugatti, for instance). Ferrari, Lambo, Porsche, Aston Martin were all there. Got to see a lot of the new concepts from all the manufacturers and figured I would put my thoughts down regarding the new significant vehicles (mostly sports cars).
1. BMW M3 / M4 - I preferred the looks of the M4 (two-door) over the M3 (four-door), though my wife preferred the M3. Big brakes, interiors were great and the stance was very provocative. With 991S-like numbers for weight / power and better torque, at way less money, it's certainly a compelling argument. I don't think it's as nice looking as a 991S but it's definitely a great bargain. I'd consider it more of a C7 fighter than a 991S fighter.
2. New Mustang - absolutely gorgeous in person. This car looks so much better than the current model, to me. Granted, it's not necessarily production spec so we'll see what wheel/fender gaps are like and all that but overall, it was very nice to the eye. Interior looks somewhat similar in general layout but the quality is way better than the current model. This car is going to sell even better than the last one, I think. The back end is fantastic and the overall lines are very, very slinky for a car that size. I still don't think I'll be interested in a car that heavy but it's definitely a looker.
3. Camaro Z28 - amazing that they can put tires that "bald" on a street car. Overall stance looked amazing and the car was very purposeful. That said, wheel/fender gap was big and looked a little off to me (wheel/tire height looked small). Car looks amazing and definitely pulls off the "down to business" look. Was not allowed to sit in it, of course - was on a rotating stand behind a barrier.
4. Jag F-Type - best looking "reasonably" priced car in the show. Exterior is absolutely amazing. That said, the interior left me cold - I didn't like it all that much, quite honestly - I was expecting more quality, overall, and honestly didn't see much difference between it and a C7 for overall quality. Great seats, though!
5. C7 - sort of fell in love with this car all over again. I loved the overall feel of the interior - snug but decently roomy. My wife hated the tighter interior (the old one felt much more open). That said, the car felt HUGE from inside - horrible visibility all around and I had no idea where the nose ended. Definitely didn't feel like the car was a mere extension of me - more like a fat suit, quite honestly. Still, I continue to really, really like the car and it is definitely on my short list.
6. 981 Boxster S / Cayman S - these cars just felt so right to me. The seating position, pedal position, shifter position, visibility, roominess, seat fitment - it was all perfect. I got in and immediately felt at home. Made the F-Type feel like it was horribly set up. Just reconfirmed my thought that these are the cars I really consider to be the best replacement for my dearly departed S2000. More power, more amenities, more comfort, more capability. I did find the interiors a little stark, though, as most were all black. While the QUALITY was there, I actually found the C7 interior to be more pleasing to me overall, even in black. Weird but true. Still, these cars just "fit" me, in every sense. If they drive remotely as well as I hope, they will almost certainly be my next vehicle.
7. 991S - honestly, I wasn't sold on this car after I got out of the Cayman/Boxster twins. Virtually identical interior felt lacking compared to other luxury cars (Audi, Lexus, Mercedes and BMW all felt and looked nicer to me), despite it having a well-built quality interior. Exterior looks great, obviously, but the car felt and looked big from inside, though not nearly as bad as the C7 in that regard. I love the car but it just felt a little big overall. Wouldn't keep me from buying one if I could afford it, though!
8. Lexus IS - best interior of all the luxury cars in that segment, in my opinion. Beautifully stitched leather, amazing materials throughout, great ergonomics, etc, etc - Lexus really knows how to do it.
9. Entire Audi lineup - wow, what a great standard interior Audi does. I find the outside of their cars pleasing but a little repetitive. Still, amazingly built cars and excellent details. They had an RS7 there that had me drooling over the interior - beautiful seats, especially!
10. Lotus Evora - looks better in person and I loved the seats. Rest of the car is pretty spartan/bare but if it drives as well as they say, the looks and fun-to-drive factor could make it a reasonable purchase. Tough to find a service center - closest for me is 3 hrs away....
11. Mercedes CLA - liked the seats and general interior but felt it was cheap, once you started looking/touching closely. Looked okay but not great, even in AMG guise. I'd take the BMW M235i over the CLA AMG, I think.
12. BMW M235i - better looking in person though it's still a bit frumpy in a few details. Decent interior, fairly purposeful exterior. I can see them selling a lot of these!
1. BMW M3 / M4 - I preferred the looks of the M4 (two-door) over the M3 (four-door), though my wife preferred the M3. Big brakes, interiors were great and the stance was very provocative. With 991S-like numbers for weight / power and better torque, at way less money, it's certainly a compelling argument. I don't think it's as nice looking as a 991S but it's definitely a great bargain. I'd consider it more of a C7 fighter than a 991S fighter.
2. New Mustang - absolutely gorgeous in person. This car looks so much better than the current model, to me. Granted, it's not necessarily production spec so we'll see what wheel/fender gaps are like and all that but overall, it was very nice to the eye. Interior looks somewhat similar in general layout but the quality is way better than the current model. This car is going to sell even better than the last one, I think. The back end is fantastic and the overall lines are very, very slinky for a car that size. I still don't think I'll be interested in a car that heavy but it's definitely a looker.
3. Camaro Z28 - amazing that they can put tires that "bald" on a street car. Overall stance looked amazing and the car was very purposeful. That said, wheel/fender gap was big and looked a little off to me (wheel/tire height looked small). Car looks amazing and definitely pulls off the "down to business" look. Was not allowed to sit in it, of course - was on a rotating stand behind a barrier.
4. Jag F-Type - best looking "reasonably" priced car in the show. Exterior is absolutely amazing. That said, the interior left me cold - I didn't like it all that much, quite honestly - I was expecting more quality, overall, and honestly didn't see much difference between it and a C7 for overall quality. Great seats, though!
5. C7 - sort of fell in love with this car all over again. I loved the overall feel of the interior - snug but decently roomy. My wife hated the tighter interior (the old one felt much more open). That said, the car felt HUGE from inside - horrible visibility all around and I had no idea where the nose ended. Definitely didn't feel like the car was a mere extension of me - more like a fat suit, quite honestly. Still, I continue to really, really like the car and it is definitely on my short list.
6. 981 Boxster S / Cayman S - these cars just felt so right to me. The seating position, pedal position, shifter position, visibility, roominess, seat fitment - it was all perfect. I got in and immediately felt at home. Made the F-Type feel like it was horribly set up. Just reconfirmed my thought that these are the cars I really consider to be the best replacement for my dearly departed S2000. More power, more amenities, more comfort, more capability. I did find the interiors a little stark, though, as most were all black. While the QUALITY was there, I actually found the C7 interior to be more pleasing to me overall, even in black. Weird but true. Still, these cars just "fit" me, in every sense. If they drive remotely as well as I hope, they will almost certainly be my next vehicle.
7. 991S - honestly, I wasn't sold on this car after I got out of the Cayman/Boxster twins. Virtually identical interior felt lacking compared to other luxury cars (Audi, Lexus, Mercedes and BMW all felt and looked nicer to me), despite it having a well-built quality interior. Exterior looks great, obviously, but the car felt and looked big from inside, though not nearly as bad as the C7 in that regard. I love the car but it just felt a little big overall. Wouldn't keep me from buying one if I could afford it, though!
8. Lexus IS - best interior of all the luxury cars in that segment, in my opinion. Beautifully stitched leather, amazing materials throughout, great ergonomics, etc, etc - Lexus really knows how to do it.
9. Entire Audi lineup - wow, what a great standard interior Audi does. I find the outside of their cars pleasing but a little repetitive. Still, amazingly built cars and excellent details. They had an RS7 there that had me drooling over the interior - beautiful seats, especially!
10. Lotus Evora - looks better in person and I loved the seats. Rest of the car is pretty spartan/bare but if it drives as well as they say, the looks and fun-to-drive factor could make it a reasonable purchase. Tough to find a service center - closest for me is 3 hrs away....
11. Mercedes CLA - liked the seats and general interior but felt it was cheap, once you started looking/touching closely. Looked okay but not great, even in AMG guise. I'd take the BMW M235i over the CLA AMG, I think.
12. BMW M235i - better looking in person though it's still a bit frumpy in a few details. Decent interior, fairly purposeful exterior. I can see them selling a lot of these!
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From: Arizona
Did you sit in the new Mustang GT?
I'm very interested to get into a 2015 Mustang GT. Lowered hood line, better visibility, better handling. Lets drive!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySz5GWMWRuE
start at about 11:15 for some good words
question on leaving room for huge FMIC was asked
reply: "designed in protection for future enhancements"
I estimate that there might be a Mustang ST in the future. I don't really care though. I'd have to have the V8.
I'm very interested to get into a 2015 Mustang GT. Lowered hood line, better visibility, better handling. Lets drive!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySz5GWMWRuE
start at about 11:15 for some good words
question on leaving room for huge FMIC was asked
reply: "designed in protection for future enhancements"
I estimate that there might be a Mustang ST in the future. I don't really care though. I'd have to have the V8.
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Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 2,094
Likes: 18
From: Sacramento, CA
5. C7 - sort of fell in love with this car all over again. I loved the overall feel of the interior - snug but decently roomy. My wife hated the tighter interior (the old one felt much more open). That said, the car felt HUGE from inside - horrible visibility all around and I had no idea where the nose ended. Definitely didn't feel like the car was a mere extension of me - more like a fat suit, quite honestly. Still, I continue to really, really like the car and it is definitely on my short list.
Registered User
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 2,094
Likes: 18
From: Sacramento, CA
I test drove the last gen Cayman, didn't seem like anything special, but everything has bad visibility compared to top down S2000
Is the new one very different?
Joined: Apr 2006
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Told you so about the vette interior vs. the f type.
I know what you mean about the porsche interior vs. the vette, I think it's more because of the value aspect. The porsche interiors wow me in the same way the s2000 wowed me way back when, but the s2000 in reality costs about half as much and I think that's the hangup with me about porsche interiors. They're nice enough, but not enough to warrant the premium, especially since now that the C7 is out. It's also because of the hype from porsche people. Same could be said about BMWs and Mercs. Audis on the other hand, yum. And the IS with the F sport package, probably best interior for its segment, which makes me keep checking in on progress on the RC.
So the back of the mustang looks nice in person huh? It's the one side that I'm not sure about, can't wait to see it in person. Did you see any news on the weight? I mean considering the last generation was 3600(?)ish, an this one promising to be lighter, I mean if it's even in the ballpark of the 4 series I think it's going to be awesome. Especially so since the new camaro is going to be based on the ATS platform which is relatively light, so we shall see.
I know what you mean about the porsche interior vs. the vette, I think it's more because of the value aspect. The porsche interiors wow me in the same way the s2000 wowed me way back when, but the s2000 in reality costs about half as much and I think that's the hangup with me about porsche interiors. They're nice enough, but not enough to warrant the premium, especially since now that the C7 is out. It's also because of the hype from porsche people. Same could be said about BMWs and Mercs. Audis on the other hand, yum. And the IS with the F sport package, probably best interior for its segment, which makes me keep checking in on progress on the RC.
So the back of the mustang looks nice in person huh? It's the one side that I'm not sure about, can't wait to see it in person. Did you see any news on the weight? I mean considering the last generation was 3600(?)ish, an this one promising to be lighter, I mean if it's even in the ballpark of the 4 series I think it's going to be awesome. Especially so since the new camaro is going to be based on the ATS platform which is relatively light, so we shall see.
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Joined: May 2002
Posts: 19,735
Likes: 247
Told you so about the vette interior vs. the f type.
I know what you mean about the porsche interior vs. the vette, I think it's more because of the value aspect. The porsche interiors wow me in the same way the s2000 wowed me way back when, but the s2000 in reality costs about half as much and I think that's the hangup with me about porsche interiors. They're nice enough, but not enough to warrant the premium, especially since now that the C7 is out. It's also because of the hype from porsche people. Same could be said about BMWs and Mercs. Audis on the other hand, yum. And the IS with the F sport package, probably best interior for its segment, which makes me keep checking in on progress on the RC.
So the back of the mustang looks nice in person huh? It's the one side that I'm not sure about, can't wait to see it in person. Did you see any news on the weight? I mean considering the last generation was 3600(?)ish, an this one promising to be lighter, I mean if it's even in the ballpark of the 4 series I think it's going to be awesome. Especially so since the new camaro is going to be based on the ATS platform which is relatively light, so we shall see.
I know what you mean about the porsche interior vs. the vette, I think it's more because of the value aspect. The porsche interiors wow me in the same way the s2000 wowed me way back when, but the s2000 in reality costs about half as much and I think that's the hangup with me about porsche interiors. They're nice enough, but not enough to warrant the premium, especially since now that the C7 is out. It's also because of the hype from porsche people. Same could be said about BMWs and Mercs. Audis on the other hand, yum. And the IS with the F sport package, probably best interior for its segment, which makes me keep checking in on progress on the RC.
So the back of the mustang looks nice in person huh? It's the one side that I'm not sure about, can't wait to see it in person. Did you see any news on the weight? I mean considering the last generation was 3600(?)ish, an this one promising to be lighter, I mean if it's even in the ballpark of the 4 series I think it's going to be awesome. Especially so since the new camaro is going to be based on the ATS platform which is relatively light, so we shall see.
No mention of weight for the new Mustang but my personal belief is that the GT will actually end up HEAVIER. They initially said lighter but they've gotten really quiet over the last six months about weight so I think it'll be the same or possibly heavier. It's lower but wider...
The back end of the Mustang, looking at it from the rear, is fine - better than the current car. The rear end, in profile (looking from the side), looks excellent. Really nice detailing and the slope of the back works perfectly with the car's proportions.