Went to the LA Auto show today

[Sixt9coug]

The Ford display was rather busy. that was refreshing to see.

 

I dont have any pics of the MKZ, i guess i forgot to snap some. It was a good looking car but yeah, the rear bumper looks tacked on. I like the tail lights and the front end looks great on it.

 

TIM - i didnt see ya there. im hard to miss being a fat mexican guy with a Mooneyes work shirt and all :D.

 

I DID get a pic of the Milan. Its more rounded off than before but... meh. still not feeling it. very underwhelmed compared to the Fusion. Also found a pic of the Sport model i sat in. The pic of the blue one i think tells me why im feeling it so much. It reminds me of the Aussie Falcon in that pic. I know its not the same, but it reminds me of it in the lower grille and the other parts of the bumper.

 

 

 

Edited November 24, 2008 by Sixt9coug

[Versa-Tech]

The Ford display was rather busy. that was refreshing to see.

 

I dont have any pics of the MKZ, i guess i forgot to snap some. It was a good looking car but yeah, the rear bumper looks tacked on. I like the tail lights and the front end looks great on it.

 

TIM - i didnt see ya there. im hard to miss being a fat mexican guy with a Mooneyes work shirt and all :D.

 

I DID get a pic of the Milan. Its more rounded off than before but... meh. still not feeling it. very underwhelmed compared to the Fusion. Also found a pic of the Sport model i sat in. The pic of the blue one i think tells me why im feeling it so much. It reminds me of the Aussie Falcon in that pic. I know its not the same, but it reminds me of it in the lower grille and the other parts of the bumper.

 

 

 

More evidence to support my belief that mercury is a useless brand at this point. They're simply ugly compared to their Ford counterparts. Who in their right mind would actually buy one?

[timmm55]

Actually I thought the Milan looked very good in person, the upper grill detail is satin finished. They should have their own Milan Sport version (4 cylinder/manual) but different than the Fusion Sport (3.5/6 spd auto)....which was one of my personal favorites.

 

A few thoughts:

The Verve doesn't look that small, it's very well proportioned.

Love the Mustang interior....not so much the exterior (tail lights look lumpy). For some reason the plastic paint around the door locks was chipping off on all of them and the door panels are not soft touch. But the console and dash were very well done.

 

My friends liked the MKZ rear, different they thought, but thought it looked good. They loved the MKS...but was a bit too big.

 

We hated the Kias, the Soul is trying too hard to be a cult car especially with the houndstooth trim......and they reeked of cheap plastic to the point of nausea.

 

My friend has a 2007 Corvette, and thinks the Camaro is pointless.......and the intro is absurdly drawn out. We all liked the Malibu and Cadillac CTS. I kinda liked the Challenger and SRT4 Caliber.

 

The Toyotas were utterly boring.

 

Nissan 370Z was nice. The GTR is fugly IMHO. The other Nissans are a little cheesy.

 

We all want an Aston Martin!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

We drove up in my other friend's Edge....it rides like a LIMO! It was so smooth! "when are we going to Vegas????" I asked.

[NickF1011]

Awesome job! Thanks for posting the pics. It's always hard to get good auto show pictures because of all the overhead lights reflecting off of everything. Love that Fusion grille in a more "natural" pose though compared to the press photos. And yeah, that TL looks ungainly from any angle.

[fordmantpw]

So many new Ford cars...so little money to purchase them with. Why couldn't I have been born rich!

 

It is great to see a good showing of Ford cars and so many positive responses. I think they really have good times ahead of them when the economy finally recovers.

[blazerdude20]

I have to wait until next weekend. I have family and such coming into town and they want to go. Thanks for the heads up on the Fusion t-shirts (I'll have to snatch one up).

 

me too, going on friday. hopefully it wont be to busy since its black friday and all.

 

for anyone thats gone, are the fusion tail lights led?

[goingincirclez]

Great pics!

 

There seems to be far more differentiation between the Milan and Fusion... which itself is a good thing and something people here have been clamoring for.

 

However, this particular interpretation, in the new Milan's case, IMO, is hideous. I've always liked the classic, more subdued touches on the Mercury rebadges, and prefer the current Milan over Fusion... but that front end is just awful. Not Acura awful, but still bad. It looks like it's half asleep, and that big metal hood bar is a unibrow.

 

Don't care much for the colored console trim in the Fusion either... it looks very cheap and out of place, like a teenage "I got this +5hp paint on sale at Pep Boys" projects. At least they're trying... but hopefully they are optional.

 

Aside from those nitpicks, the Fusion is a very slick ride. And that dark blue mustang is HOT.

 

My redneck side loves the G8 truck. And my idiot side loves the Soul.

 

But my normal, sane side wants to improve the Acura with many liberal applications of a sledgehammer. Repeatedly.

[timmm55]

I like the headlight details in the Fusion. And the Milan looks better in person.

I got creative with the Aston Martin (white cars in bright lights...not a good combo!)

 

BTW who owns AM now?

[simplesituations]

I was there yesterday too!

MKZ tail lights look kinda cougar like

[chiefstang]

I like the headlight details in the Fusion. And the Milan looks better in person.

I got creative with the Aston Martin (white cars in bright lights...not a good combo!)

 

BTW who owns AM now?

 

After seeing the Mercury from multiple angles, and in multiple colors, I can really say I don't like it. Not one bit.

 

I was giving it some favoritism because I'm a cheerleader, but if that thing had Kia badges on it, I would set it on fire.

 

Love the Fusion, but can't stand the Merc, IMO.

[Versa-Tech]

BTW who owns AM now?

Prodrive.

[rmc523]

I realize it's functional, but it's a design deficiency IMO, seems too much like a workaround that simply doesn't look intentional.

 

I really like the new MKZ the more I see it, but the single row of LEDs looks bad in every photo I've seen.

 

A lot of companies are doing that now though (the couple side LED lights), so it's not just Ford.

 

Yeah, I agree, the single-row LED strip does look a little odd. A better way could've been like the MKX rear panel, or using neon like many of the 02-06 Lincoln concepts, including Zephyr, had (or at least I think they did). I'll wait to see it in person before making judgment though.

[rmc523]

The pic of the blue one i think tells me why im feeling it so much. It reminds me of the Aussie Falcon in that pic. I know its not the same, but it reminds me of it in the lower grille and the other parts of the bumper.

 

It does have a little Falcon in there.

 

Don't care much for the colored console trim in the Fusion either... it looks very cheap and out of place, like a teenage "I got this +5hp paint on sale at Pep Boys" projects. At least they're trying... but hopefully they are optional.

 

But my normal, sane side wants to improve the Acura with many liberal applications of a sledgehammer. Repeatedly.

 

I don't really like the colored console trim either. I'd stick with a "aluminum" look or something.

 

And that sounds fun (sledgehammering the TL), can I help? :beatdeadhorse: :chairshot: :slug: (I included the "beating" smilies I found appropriate).

Edited November 25, 2008 by rmc523

[blazerdude20]

A lot of companies are doing that now though (the couple side LED lights), so it's not just Ford.

 

Yeah, I agree, the single-row LED strip does look a little odd. A better way could've been like the MKX rear panel, or using neon like many of the 02-06 Lincoln concepts, including Zephyr, had (or at least I think they did). I'll wait to see it in person before making judgment though.

 

it actually looks very classy. i saw a picture of the back dead on yesterday. i would post it but cant remember where i found it.

[rmc523]

it actually looks very classy. i saw a picture of the back dead on yesterday. i would post it but cant remember where i found it.

 

:reading: Hmm, I'd be interested to see it if you can find it.

[timmm55]

I don't really like the colored console trim either. I'd stick with a "aluminum" look or something.

 

It's soft touch/rubberized, so I don't think aluminum would be right either. Better in just gray/black or tan/beige to match the interior.

[NickF1011]

I was giving it some favoritism because I'm a cheerleader, but if that thing had Kia badges on it, I would set it on fire.

 

 

[waymondospiff]

Dead thread resurrected - yes!

 

I went to the show on Saturday (the rental car: 2008 Ford Fusion SE V6 - still a nice car.) and here are my impressions:

 

-What the hell is a Gumpert? And why do I want one so much?

-Unlike Detroit, this show doesn't get going until noon. I've stood in the waiting lines at 10am in the Cobo lobby for many years now - I waltzed straight in with virtually no one else around within 20 minutes of opening yesterday. Very nice.

-The 370Z is rather boring - it looks like the old one with new head & tail lamps. However, smaller & more power? That's always good.

-The GT-R is a huge car. But still cool - and a performance bargain at $75K roughly.

-The Kia Soul is kinda fun. Very compromised rear cargo area though (very high floor - solid rear axle, I'm guessing?) But the design is funky without trying too hard, the interior is appropriately cheap, I can see it doing well.

-Chrysler is DOA. NOTHING there. Nothing. And you could tell by the visitors. Not good, not good at all.

-Audi's interiors are looking more and more the same. They're very, very nice, but they're in danger of becoming a "been there, done that" proposition for their owners. But no subluxury/luxury brand had a better or more crowded display than Audi - well done there.

-Hyundai had a cool concept: some kind of people-mover type thing. The Genesis is nice, but why spend that kind of money on a Hyundai? The refreshed Sonata is a nice change. The "protoype" Elantra 5-Door isn't bad.

-The CTS Wagon is nice. The CTS-V is very nice. A CTS-V Wagon would be very, very nice.

-The Escalade Hybrid starts at $72,000. Wow.

-GM had very poorly laid out displays - the Chevy display was one long row with the Camaro and Corvette hidden in the back. The Saturn display had the Sky right up front - right across from the Pontiac Solstice. Bad idea.

-The Saturn Astra - I know why it isn't selling - it's got a terrible interior. Grey-on-grey for control labeling - I can hear the Germans "Das ist da best way to show tings!" The interior is dour - and surprisingly cheap. Add that to the underwhelming fuel economy (24c/30h) from the lowly 1.8L 4cyl and it's easy to see why it isn't the sales hit as expected.

-The Aveo surprisingly beat expectations. My expectations were low, but the Aveo wasn't bad.

-The Malibu continues to underwhelm.

-The G8 & G8 Truck are fun, but cheap. Maybe the cheapness is what makes it fun.

-The Buick Riveria concept (the one from China, last year) was the only thing with a crowd at the Buick display. I think it shows that Buick could once again be relevant, people might even WANT it to be relevant - and the Lucernes & Lacrosses on display simply AREN'T relevant.

-BMW is running out of ideas.

-The Toyota display was SWAMPED! It was also the last area we went to - and there were some Lakers players there, but you couldn't move through half of the exhibit. The Venza has a very nice interior. Very nice as in, Edge vs. Venza is not a good comparion for Ford.

-Scion is so over. Seriously - been there, done that, threw out the T-Shirt.

-The Subaru Forester is eh. The interior is pretty nice on the $28K model, pretty blah on the $22K model. And the Imprezza is a snore.

-Lamborghini's display was nicely executed.

-The Ferrari California is dangerously close to jumping the shark. Unimpressive (for a Ferrari, it's all relative.)

 

And now the "Ford and Ford-related" stuff:

-Aston Martin. 10 years ago, who in America wanted an Aston? Very, very few. And yet Ford was able to transform Aston into a relevant supercar manufacturer. Good stuff. The lines around the Aston display were not short.

-In SUV-hating, earth-hugging California, it was hard to walk through the Land Rover display due to the crowds.

-I'm warming to the new Mazda6. I still think it's too big, but the interior is nice (even the bizzare black/gray "animated stick" plastic trim.

-The new Mazda3 is weird. The sides & back end aren't bad (the front fender line transition to the upward-sloping bodyline is not nice though. However, it's all about the face. Nothing flows, nothing makes sense, nothing looks good. All they need to do is fix the openings - the grille & fog lamp openings, and they'd be there. The interior is kinda neat though - lights and flashes everywhere.

-Surprisingly few people looking at the other Mazda products.

-Volvo still makes the best car seats - hands down.

-The XC60 is nice in a different sort-of-way. Small interior for its size though.

-The Milan, which I haven't liked in any pictures, is better in person.

-The MKZ looks nice.

-The MKS is big. Very big. But in a good way big. And the interior isn't too bad - but the steering wheel controls (on ALL fords) need to be redone and the center stack buttons are way too numerous and poorly laid out.

-The Escape interior is disappointing. Very, very cheap.

-The Verve concept had a small crowd looking at it. Ford needs the Fiesta ASAP.

-The Focus models on the floor were overlooked by most.

-Surprisngly few F-Series, considering the new launch.

-The Mustang is...well, my jury is still out on this one. It looks good, but it's still awfully familiar. The interior hasn't changed much, but what has changed is good. I sat in a V6 convertible (where's the convertible top operation button? for the life of me I couldn't find it!) and the textures and surfaces are much better. It's looks good. I'll be interested in the much-touted improved ride-and-handling - the solid rear axle makes me wary however.

-Finally, Ford's best vehicle - the Flex. The Flexes on the floor had crowds around them, poking and prodding everything. The interior screams class (despite the best efforts of that cheesy silver-plated center console cover) from the door panels to the seats, to the fit-and-finish, to the feature content. I hope sales continue to climb - this needs to be an important vehicle for Ford. (When can we expect a Flex-style interior in the Edge? Please say soon!)

 

So, there are my thoughts from the show. This is my second year going to LA and while Detroit (17 years in a row...) is the arguably more important show, the LA convention center is nicer, the weather is better (60s and smog vs. 20s and grey), the crowds more "important", the manufacturers more diverse (especially this year with so many pulling out of Detroit)...so much about LA makes it a better showcase for cars than Detroit. I hope Detroit can maintain its relevancy because Detroit needs it, but after going to a show like LA it really puts the "road ahead" for the Detroit autoshow in perspective. And with the number of problems the City of Detroit faces, it's going to be tough for them to maintain a world-class autoshow.

 

Scott

[Sixt9coug]

Good to hear your thoughts, and glad to hear i wasnt the only one that thought the Kia Soul was kinda cool ha ha. I also agree with you on the MKS, i sat in the backseat and it was HUGE back there. im 6'0 tall and fat yet i fit in there without much of an issue. The only car i sat in there with a back seat just as big was the G8. Both of them were very room and comfy in the back. In fact, the G8 front seatback was 4 inches or so from my knees with the seat in its rearmost position! very cool.

 

No thoughts on the Fusion though?

[StevenCaylor]

Went on Sunday and was the first in at 9AM. They had the 2009 and 2010 Fusions next to each other. The newer model looked so much better than the old. People here complain that Ford does just enough and is never class leading. The new Fusion Hybrid will be rated at 39/37. It will be the most fuel efficient mid-size car.

[theoldwizard]

...

-Finally, Ford's best vehicle - the Flex. The Flexes on the floor had crowds around them, poking and prodding everything...

I heard last week that Flex is selling well over projected volumes in CA !

 

That's the only good news in all of Ford's sales !

[theoldwizard]

...

- Transit Connect - Was nice to see it in person and get an idea of its size. Very spartan interior with obvious commercial use in mind when designing it...

I am surprised they had one there ! Still a long way until it will be introduce in the US (2011MY?) Maybe they are looking for feedback.

 

The only gasoline engine offered in Europe is an old 2.0L coupled to a 4 speed automatic. If that's what shows up here it it will be DOA !

Edited November 30, 2008 by theoldwizard

[Edstock]

I heard last week that Flex is selling well over projected volumes in CA !

That's excellent! Any growth in ricerland is way important.

[Michael Reynolds]

I went Saturday night, decent crowd but nothing like NAIAS (as mentioned above). All of the pics that folks care about have been posted, but I can post them anyhow if anyone wants to see em.

 

I really don't have anything to note, other than the fact that GM annoys me to NO end with the drawn out intro of the Camaro. The thing was on a display roped off, as if it was some all new design that GM just rolled out a month ago. I also didn't see a Volt.

 

I find it funny that the mention of Audi interiors was made. IMO, and this is just mine, they seem to be cheaper than the ones that they have replaced in some regard. The plastics are less cushy and the rubberized tactile feel of the buttons is basically gone. The designs are nice, but like most German cars overpriced.

 

.......speaking of overpriced the other half has been harping about a Cayman S, an idea I wasn't opposed to when we turn in the G35. That is until I saw the window sticker somewhere around 80K optioned fairly well. I dunno where automotive manufacturers come up with their pricing ideas, but for that type of money I'd much rather drive an M3 sedan and pocket the additional 20K almost.

 

And as far as BMW is concerned, the 3 update is pretty decent. The new iDrive console is a lot more intuitive and actually tolerable. The display also has better resolution. The 1 series has a cheesy interior, with a center console storage box that looks as if it belongs in a Focus not a 30K BMW. The new 7 has to grow on me.

 

I'm tired of looking at the interior of our G, and the convertible sported the same without any new interior color options.

 

As far as Ford is concerned. The new dark green and tuxedo black are phenomenal looking. It really adds a touch of class and elegance. Now if Ford could mix it up a little and add a saddle brown interior, that would be all the better. The 2010 Fusion has basically addressed almost everything I thought was wrong with the car. It is solid, and if folks miss this over an Accord or Camry then I don't think Ford can do anything to appeal to the consumer as a whole. I definitely see a Sport AWD in our future.

[rmc523]

It's soft touch/rubberized, so I don't think aluminum would be right either. Better in just gray/black or tan/beige to match the interior.

 

You're talking about the colored portion on the center stack? That's rubberized/soft touch? Hmmm, that's interesting.