I was at the Chicago auto show this past weekend and just thought I'd post some thoughts. Sorry, no pics. I'm not too handy with cameras and I hate being that guy trying to brush people away from cars as he tries to snap a good picture. But autospies has a pretty damn good gallery:
http://gallery.dealerrater.com/gallery/shows.asp?galleryid=15
First off, I thought it was kind of "interesting" how the luxury/performance cars (Lexus, BMW, Mercedes, Infinti, Acura, Audi, Porsche, Ferrari) had their own wing this year. It's appropriate I guess, but it added a sense of eliticism to the auto show that I hadn't noticed before. Seems like this area was funneling a little more traffic than others, though its fitting I realize. Nonetheless, the show was fun overall and I thought the Jeep and Chrysler indoor test tracks were cool (the wait to drive through Jeep's obstacle course was over three hours!!).
Anyway, the meat of the matter is that I got a good look (I was there late) at some of BMWs competitors: Lexus' GS, Infiniti's M45, and Mercedes' ML. The M5 was there as well. It looks great in person, but was surprised to find that not as many people were oogling over it as I expected (tough crowd, I imagine). But there was a ton of people around the 745Li and the two X5s they had. The M5 was raised on a platform so I couldn't see the interior but the exterior is quite pleasing to the eye and will definitely stick out in a crowd. I sat in the 5er (again) and was dissapointed (again). Got into a short one-liner argument with the fellow who sat next to me when I remarked that the interior was subpar--ergonomically and quality-wise. The fellow exclaimed, in a surprised and spiteful tone, that it was the best interior in a mid-size luxury car out there and the best BMW interior he's seen so far, to which I replied, "This is crap; the E39 was way better. Oh, and have you seen the new GS yet"?
Speaking of which, Lexus' GS is impeccable inside and out. The fit and finish in the interior is second to none--absolutly no gaps between panels; leather stiched floor console; and the plastics feel like they came from the LS. The large C pillar in back doesn't look as overbearing as in the pictures, but the steep, rear roofline makes for pretty low headroom in the rear. Other than that no complaints; can't wait to drive one. The difference between the GS and 5er is quite startling as I was able to hop back and forth relatively quickly.
The M45 was also quite well done. The interior is also top-notch, but the exterior is somewhat staid and boring--the profile is too 1990s Nissan. It didn't impress me as much as I was expecting, but will have to drive one nonetheless. Of additional note was Mercedes ML. They were two one the floor (V6 and V8) but were both closed. But I got a good peak and must admit that Benz did a good job. It looks pretty impressive on the outside, and the interior design looked fairly well-executed. Didn't care for the steering column mounted shifter (e.g. 7 series), but otherwise it looked like a nice place to spend a commute. Overall, it's a nice, smooth, not-too-radical improvement over the current ML. BMW should take a cue from M-B with with the X5.
Anybody else been to the show?? Thoughts???
http://gallery.dealerrater.com/gallery/shows.asp?galleryid=15
First off, I thought it was kind of "interesting" how the luxury/performance cars (Lexus, BMW, Mercedes, Infinti, Acura, Audi, Porsche, Ferrari) had their own wing this year. It's appropriate I guess, but it added a sense of eliticism to the auto show that I hadn't noticed before. Seems like this area was funneling a little more traffic than others, though its fitting I realize. Nonetheless, the show was fun overall and I thought the Jeep and Chrysler indoor test tracks were cool (the wait to drive through Jeep's obstacle course was over three hours!!).
Anyway, the meat of the matter is that I got a good look (I was there late) at some of BMWs competitors: Lexus' GS, Infiniti's M45, and Mercedes' ML. The M5 was there as well. It looks great in person, but was surprised to find that not as many people were oogling over it as I expected (tough crowd, I imagine). But there was a ton of people around the 745Li and the two X5s they had. The M5 was raised on a platform so I couldn't see the interior but the exterior is quite pleasing to the eye and will definitely stick out in a crowd. I sat in the 5er (again) and was dissapointed (again). Got into a short one-liner argument with the fellow who sat next to me when I remarked that the interior was subpar--ergonomically and quality-wise. The fellow exclaimed, in a surprised and spiteful tone, that it was the best interior in a mid-size luxury car out there and the best BMW interior he's seen so far, to which I replied, "This is crap; the E39 was way better. Oh, and have you seen the new GS yet"?
Speaking of which, Lexus' GS is impeccable inside and out. The fit and finish in the interior is second to none--absolutly no gaps between panels; leather stiched floor console; and the plastics feel like they came from the LS. The large C pillar in back doesn't look as overbearing as in the pictures, but the steep, rear roofline makes for pretty low headroom in the rear. Other than that no complaints; can't wait to drive one. The difference between the GS and 5er is quite startling as I was able to hop back and forth relatively quickly.
The M45 was also quite well done. The interior is also top-notch, but the exterior is somewhat staid and boring--the profile is too 1990s Nissan. It didn't impress me as much as I was expecting, but will have to drive one nonetheless. Of additional note was Mercedes ML. They were two one the floor (V6 and V8) but were both closed. But I got a good peak and must admit that Benz did a good job. It looks pretty impressive on the outside, and the interior design looked fairly well-executed. Didn't care for the steering column mounted shifter (e.g. 7 series), but otherwise it looked like a nice place to spend a commute. Overall, it's a nice, smooth, not-too-radical improvement over the current ML. BMW should take a cue from M-B with with the X5.
Anybody else been to the show?? Thoughts???
