The Washington DC Auto Show
Thread Starter
Fahrvergnügen'd
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 13,494
Likes: 1,569
From: Maryland
The Washington DC Auto Show
I went to the show today and they had some cars there I absolutely did not expect to see ... Namely the Cadillac ATS, the Focus ST, and the 2013 Ford Fusion.
I have some pictures but for some reason, Mr. Cellphone Blurrycam made his presence known. Sorry about that. Also some of the angles and such are less than ideal because of the mass of humanity. I think next year I'll bring a proper camera with me.
Highlights:
The Audi S6:
What a beautiful car. Even though it resembles a bigger S4, it's actually a better looking car. It just seems more muscular and the interior was the best of the show.
The Audi RS5:
It's officially my "I have a chance to own it in the not-distant future" dream car. I don't care if the M3 is faster around the track or the C63 Coupe is quicker. It has amazing presence and build quality. I'm hopelessly in love with it. It far exceeded my expectations.
The Jaguar XKR-S:
Another car with amazing presence in person. I thought it looked very aggressive. It looked like a 10%er's supercar instead of the 1%er's Vanquish.
The 2013 Buick Regal GS Interior:
I came away highly impressed with the car. It does not look cheap. The buttons are a curious ergonomic decision but the materials are IMO as good as the CTS. At $38k for a loaded GS, I found myself thinking that between this an a Audi A4 2.0T Premium Plus, I would be a fool not to drive this car and seriously consider it. Hat tip to GM. Really well done.
The 2013 Cadillac ATS:
It looks very nice in person. Should definitely compete with the Infiniti G, Lexus IS, Audi A4 ... Will the 3-series buyer consider it? I don't know. I didn't get to sit in it but from what I saw, there's no reason they shouldn't.
The 2013 Hyundai Genesis Coupe:
It looks very good in person. Makes the previous iteration look extremely dated. In this color everything flowed very well. Should do better than the previous car.
The 2013 Hyundai Veloster:
I think it is a hidden gem. My little brother really liked it. Said the seats were very good and the car did not look cheap. Plus it looks cool in person.
The Chevrolet 140S Concept:
I saw it in person and all I can say is, "Holy shit." It's like a Gallardo for the masses. It's an amazing design. Will it be cheapened by seeing dozens everywhere? Maybe. Should GM build it with a 200-230hp turbo-4? Absolu-freakin-lutley.
I have a couple more photos I might upload later.
The Lotus Evora looked great and the Aventador. What can I say other than it's probably the greatest looking supercar of all time.
No new Carrera S sadly as Porsche skipped the show entirely.
Biggest disappointment:
Had to be the Mustang. I watched a show on the development of the Boss 302 for 2012 and I really wanted to refresh my memory of the interior.
So I did. What a disappointing experience. If the Mustang had the interior of the Focus, I don't think I could find fault with anything. It's just too much hard plastic everywhere. There are some nice Alcantara bits and the seats are simply amazing but what you look at is just rental car awful. The door is one big panel of hard plastic. The dash is more of the same and the effect that they put on the dash to make it look like some sort of bad ass aluminum is just that: an effect. It's smooth to the touch. It comes off as cheesy.
Really, really disappointed me because the 302 keeps getting good reviews for how it drives and handles on the track. It's just too bad that the interior reminds me of the shitty 2005 Mustang rental I had.
Maybe I should get over it ... I wish I could. I just can't. I'd rather spend that $42k on something else.
I have some pictures but for some reason, Mr. Cellphone Blurrycam made his presence known. Sorry about that. Also some of the angles and such are less than ideal because of the mass of humanity. I think next year I'll bring a proper camera with me.
Highlights:
The Audi S6:
What a beautiful car. Even though it resembles a bigger S4, it's actually a better looking car. It just seems more muscular and the interior was the best of the show.
The Audi RS5:
It's officially my "I have a chance to own it in the not-distant future" dream car. I don't care if the M3 is faster around the track or the C63 Coupe is quicker. It has amazing presence and build quality. I'm hopelessly in love with it. It far exceeded my expectations.
The Jaguar XKR-S:
Another car with amazing presence in person. I thought it looked very aggressive. It looked like a 10%er's supercar instead of the 1%er's Vanquish.
The 2013 Buick Regal GS Interior:
I came away highly impressed with the car. It does not look cheap. The buttons are a curious ergonomic decision but the materials are IMO as good as the CTS. At $38k for a loaded GS, I found myself thinking that between this an a Audi A4 2.0T Premium Plus, I would be a fool not to drive this car and seriously consider it. Hat tip to GM. Really well done.
The 2013 Cadillac ATS:
It looks very nice in person. Should definitely compete with the Infiniti G, Lexus IS, Audi A4 ... Will the 3-series buyer consider it? I don't know. I didn't get to sit in it but from what I saw, there's no reason they shouldn't.
The 2013 Hyundai Genesis Coupe:
It looks very good in person. Makes the previous iteration look extremely dated. In this color everything flowed very well. Should do better than the previous car.
The 2013 Hyundai Veloster:
I think it is a hidden gem. My little brother really liked it. Said the seats were very good and the car did not look cheap. Plus it looks cool in person.
The Chevrolet 140S Concept:
I saw it in person and all I can say is, "Holy shit." It's like a Gallardo for the masses. It's an amazing design. Will it be cheapened by seeing dozens everywhere? Maybe. Should GM build it with a 200-230hp turbo-4? Absolu-freakin-lutley.
I have a couple more photos I might upload later.
The Lotus Evora looked great and the Aventador. What can I say other than it's probably the greatest looking supercar of all time.
No new Carrera S sadly as Porsche skipped the show entirely.
Biggest disappointment:
Had to be the Mustang. I watched a show on the development of the Boss 302 for 2012 and I really wanted to refresh my memory of the interior.
So I did. What a disappointing experience. If the Mustang had the interior of the Focus, I don't think I could find fault with anything. It's just too much hard plastic everywhere. There are some nice Alcantara bits and the seats are simply amazing but what you look at is just rental car awful. The door is one big panel of hard plastic. The dash is more of the same and the effect that they put on the dash to make it look like some sort of bad ass aluminum is just that: an effect. It's smooth to the touch. It comes off as cheesy.
Really, really disappointed me because the 302 keeps getting good reviews for how it drives and handles on the track. It's just too bad that the interior reminds me of the shitty 2005 Mustang rental I had.
Maybe I should get over it ... I wish I could. I just can't. I'd rather spend that $42k on something else.
Thread Starter
Fahrvergnügen'd
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 13,494
Likes: 1,569
From: Maryland
One more comment for now ... The 2013 Fusion is a big car. We all thought it might be from the pictures. It definitely is. It seems like it's more the size of an Accord than the previous car was. But it's very nice. The interior is basically a modern Ford interior and the exterior looks great too. It'll all be how it drives and really what it costs compared to the Camry/Accord/Optima/Sonata to see how well it does.
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