Seattle Auto Show (In)Action
Yesterday I made my second annual homage to the Seattle Auto Show with Scott and Nick. Lest you all get excited or jealous that you didn’t make it, let me cool your boots right now. The Seattle Auto show is a joke of a show when compared to the LA Auto Show I have been visiting for years now. I would liken it more to a place where all your local dealers come together to showcase the same cars you could see in the showroom; they just save you from driving lot to lot.
Besides the usual showroom floor equipment, we were treated to these throwback concept cars from the show circuit of the last couple of years: Dodge Rampage, Ford Bronco, and Ford Shelby GR-1. We were just enamored with these cars, really. Meanwhile we were left pining to see new cars like the beautiful Audi R8 or even the new Audi TT.
Speaking of Audi, of all the cars at the show we probably were most impressed with their lineup. The cars are beautiful from the outside and even more amazing on the inside. The sound that of the A8L’s door being shut got us excited it sounded so solid and well-built. I can’t say that has ever happened to me. Every surface looks good and feels even better to touch; the door panels, the dash, the seats, you name it. Audi really has no competition when it comes to interior design and quality.
Quick hits on other new cars I finally saw in person at the show:
- Acura MDX - Overbearing and ugly front fascia, interior seriously lacking in the luxury department
- Acura RDX - Nifty little premium SUV, if you’re into that sort of thing
- BMW M6 - Unpainted carbon fiber roof, V10 engine. I need not say more
- BMW 3 Coupe - Looks good in person from the outside, nearly identical on the inside. Will continue to sell ridiculously well even though it costs more than others
- Dodge Caliber - Looks good for a compact, hard pressed to find a cheaper interior though
- Honda CR-V - Looks like a fish with an underbite. And who designed that awkward D-pillar??
- Infiniti G35 - Looks like it got a bad facelift on the outside, inside is still overly busy with buttons and techno-gadgetry in a bad way
- Lexus - Zzzzz… sorry, I fell asleep while walking through the Lexus section
- VW Rabbit - Scotty keeps telling me what a great value this car is for under $15K. After sitting inside the new one I would have a hard time disagreeing with him.
Don’t get me wrong now, we still had a good time at the show. We just spent most of it riding our Euro-driving high horse, ripping on the cheap interiors of the domestics or the awkward exterior design of the Saab’s and Subaru’s of the world. And we topped it all off with a nice Oktoberfest meal at Gordon Biersch. I had been craving steak for a few days…