Here are some pics I took from the show.
It was a bit of a let down this year, but at least the Mazda booth was busy.

Here you go...

 

thats it?

 

more

 

yet more..

 

some more

 

almost there..

 

Finally some Mazda pics..

 

More...

 

2nd last batch..

 

last batch.

 

Great pics!

 

Thanks for sharing, CTS coupe looks interesting.

 

Nice!

Of the cars you were seeing in the flesh for the first time - any thoughts as to how different they are up close as opposed to in print?

Did dodge bring the Challenger?

 

The new GTR looks killer!

 

Nice pics! Did you happen to get any of the CTS-V? That thing is going to be insane!!!! Stats that I have seen are...

6.2L Supercharged V8
550 HP, 550 ft-lbs of torque
six-speed manual or a six-speed automatic with paddle shifters

 

nice pics. that furai look crazy, love the sound of it too. the LF-A roadster is a pretty nice looking, i think that toyota is making the coupe version the new supra or so ive heard.

 

I've always been a fan of Lambo's. I think that colour of blue is killer. A neighbour down the street has a Gallardo Convertable in that colour.




Strange that theres no Challanger, so close to the eve of its launch in its home town. At least, no evidence here of one.

 

Hey everyone. Thanks for the compliments.

Lawyer's Spirit,
I'm sorry I couldn't catch any pics of the front end. I wanted to wait around and get at least 1 good shot, but there were alot of people and they were all pushing and shoving. The GM section was really populated.
I do have to admit this is probably the most interesting Caddy I've seen so far. I hope they don't butcher it too much from its concept form.

Nick86,
There are very few cars that give you a different perspective than what is already published. By far the one that really took me by surprise was the Taiki. I know its a concept but it has more of a punch in person. Which is probably why I took so many pics of it.
The Furai also impressed me alot! It felt like someone could simply jump in and drive it away. Then again, it's a race car with concept body panels.
By far the biggest let down was seeing the facelift of the RX-8 in person. In print or in other photos on the internet you can't get the same perspective regarding the front bumper. To put it plainly, it is awful. It obligates you to seriously think about getting the Mazdaspeed bumper. Although, with the few pics I've seen of the new Mazdaspeed bumper, I'm not so sure anymore.

Another "concept" that was a bit of a let down was the new V12 R8. I know the engine will make production, I just hope they don't "uglify" the body the way they did with the "concept". It lost alot of its finesse and went too far into "tuner" ville.

I try not to visit the American car makers because you enter a totally different environment. You basically have to be a redneck to understand what's going on. LOL
I tried searching all over Dodge/Chrysler for the new Challenger. Unfortunately nothing. Their biggest attraction was of course the Viper ACR. It didn't hurt that they had a pretty blonde doing the "presentation".

The new LF-A aka the new Supra, was also a very impressive vehicle in the flesh. I hope Lexus doesn't do anything too drastic to the body.

I conducted a test while I was there. I know this is something I would never get in my life simply because it will never suit my personality. But I went ahead with it anyways.
Everyone knows not every 4 door sedan is built with comfort in mind. Meaning, you are normally the driver so you don't really care about the passengers. So I went ahead and became the passenger instead. I didn't bother with entry 4 doors or even "midlevel" sedans because lets face it. The rear leg room becomes non-existent whenever someone above average height sits in the front. For this I basically went to the top level sedans from the major German/Japanese manufacturers (The Americans will never qualify for this.).
I made the huge mistake with starting with the best. Although, in my defense, I wasn't aware how much of an impact this was going to have on me. I started with the Audi A8L W12. Simply put, this is the best 4 door sedan on the market! Not only do you have loads of room in the back, but everything is catered to everyone as if you were the driver. Meaning, you have control of climate, radio, seat position, and even some things that you would never have thought. The interior is just spectacular! Everything has a vault like feel and is built with alot of elegance. Not bad for a 4 door sedan that isn't really considered super luxurious.
I quickly jumped into the front just to check out what the driver would be facing. A very elegant and purposeful dash. You can have alot of fun driving that vehicle.
I went ahead and asked for the price for the comparison. For all you get $140G's is not too shabby.

So onto what I thought would put up a good fight. The Mercedes Benz S-class. I knew the rear wasn't going to have no where near as much room as the Audi because the S-class doesn't come in Long version. For that you would basically have to go to a Maybach. Which isn't fair, price wise.
The Mercedes was no where near as well finished. The rear didn't have as many controls, nor were they arranged in the proper fashion. The finish left alot to be desired. I actually had to tell a few people if they were seriously considering such a vehicle, they should seriously look at the Audi.
The Mercedes failed immensely. I asked what the price was for the floor model and it came to $120G's. It was only the S550, but the S600 wasn't going to do any better. Forget about the AMG cars because those guys are just "performance" sedans. They don't really cater too well to passengers.

On to the next big competitor, and one I thought would do better. The BMW 7 series. Already it has one big strike going for it. Its design is hideous!! No where near as pretty as the Audi or the Mercedes for that matter.
No matter, onto the interior. This was their top model, the 760iL. So it was suppose to be the most luxurious of the 7 series. Clearly, this car must drive extremely well, because it fails tremendously interior wise. There is plastic everywhere!!! No where near the same amenities as the S class. Don't even bring up the Audi!
I double checked everything just to be absolutely sure about the model and what features you were getting. The floor model came to a staggering $145G's. It might even be a bit higher because the rep was missing a few "features" the car came with.

That was a huge blow to the perspective I had about BMW. Those guys have clearly lost the race and they need some major restructuring if they're ever going to get back in the race.

Last, but not least, was the Lexus L600H.
Again, off the bat, it gets 1 strike for its design. It's not as awful as the 7 series, but it's close.
Interior wise it is leagues ahead of the S-class and the 7 series. It had all the features of the Audi, but it didn't have that elegance factor about it. Plus, some of the controls are not thought out properly. For example, the rear vanity mirrors are in the middle of the rear compartment. You would have to basically stretch to the edge of the seat to see yourself upclose. It also didn't come with a light.
The controls for the seats were hidden within the center armrest. Which makes absolutely no sense. The other controls that controlled the climate and your seat position had to be shared with the person beside you. Meaning, you couldn't adjust any settings yourself at the same time as the other person.
It was the little things that were sending this car down the list. Still well ahead of the BMW and Mercedes, but not quite at the level of the Audi.
Show room price was $135G's.

So there you have it. It was a small experiment but one that alot of people go through when purchasing a 4 door vehicle.
Again, this is not your average person. Most people who have to get a lift are happy to go in the back without their own controls.
Everyone has experienced this 1 time or another. And everyone knows being stuck in the back is basically like riding like a criminal. You don't have a say in anything. So you can be freezing your *** off or your legs would lose circulation because of the lack of room.
If you're set on getting a 4 door sedan, and you know you'll be taking 3-4 passengers routinely, you might as well give them a hell of a ride. Get the Audi A8L W12!

Now, back to sports cars.... lol

Actually, there is a favorite I have right now. If I didn't have an FD, and I only needed 1 car for all time use, I would try to obtain an Audi R8.
Thanks to Laurence, I was able to get a bit of time in the car. Audi is certainly getting everyone's attention. What a fantastic vehicle!

But of course, this will never happen. I love the FD way too much. So I'm forced to get a 2nd "winter" beater. lol