Late Auto Show Update

Too much time has past for me to write about the best car I saw at the anemic Columbus Auto Show.

Or has it?

Duh dun duhhhhhh!

Now, this is just personal opinion, but I considered the Acura ZDX to be the best car there. But as you can see from the pictures, one stands out. The one with the awkward teen trying to get out of the back seat.

Design over function. I love it and I'll continue to love it as long as most auto makers avoid it.

On a side note... I really do like where Acura was trying to go with the ZDX only I've found that another auto company has taken it a step farther.

Local Motors.

Check them out with their Rally Fighter. A Marine running the group. Good stuff.

Also, Honda... and your ZDX. More power to ya. Keep going for it. It doesn't make sense to most people. But neither has any of any of the legendary cars. But I'm not calling the ZDX a legendary car. Just the idea of you selling a car to middle aged men that looks cool. We need more of that, cause, in the end... what the heck does it matter?

Make dem bills Honda. Or go for design over function. You'll get me everytime.

Fit and Finish Hyundai

Hyundai is a surprise. Say what you will about it's history, name or country of origin. To me it is becoming clear that there are reasons for its recent success. Some may say it's due to a slick marketing campaign but I say that it is because they are making quality cars and designing "American" looking cars better then Americans. I realize that this is part of Hyundai mission... just to rip design and power queues from larger companies... but they are doing it well.

This years auto show showed that both its marketing and its design are on the top of the heap. The Genesis Coupe is a near perfect American Pony Car. It is what the Camaro should be (save for the front end). Part of that statement makes me sad.

Looking around I see that one could pick up a Genesis for around $20k base, 2.0 L 4 cylinder that will give you 210 HP. Great car for the price of a Honda Civic. But the Genesis isn't done there. For an extra $6k you can take this puppy up to Camaro levels with a 306 HP 3.8 L, V6. 0-60 in under six seconds. A comparable Camaro starts at $27k. In a way this shows the dexterity of Hyundai. One car model can go from competing with an industry leader (Civic) directly to competing with an American icon in the Camaro.

I'm not stating that this car is better or worse then either the Civic or the Camaro. What I am saying is that Hyundai can just about custom a car into two strikingly different car classes. To me this is the future of mass manufactured automobiles. The days of a car fitting nicely into one certain class are dwindling. It's too expensive.

Fit and Finish Ford

The traveling auto show finally made it's way to Columbus, Ohio. It has become one of my favorite events of the year. Let's get to my highlights.

Technology has always been something that automakers have pushed. In the past it may have had a more mechanical lean, but over the past decade or so it is electrical. More specifically feature ridden computer gadgets. This year is no different. I picked up every printed brochure I could find because an auto show is a fit and finish thing. It's about look and advertising. The car makers have to make their point efficiently because of the environment; the world's coolest car lot. One note here: Hyundai had the best swag bag to carry all the swag.

That said, here's a list of from some of the most ridiculous techno-babble (from Ford):

- BLIS: Blind Spot Information System
- Cross-Traffic Alert
- Multi-Countour Active Motion massaging seats
- Regenerative Braking
- MyKey Intelligent Access
- EcoBoost
- MyFord Touch ("Color-coded menus are easy to change and centrally located to help keep your focus on the road")

I choose Ford because the brochure they had there was fatter then others and 50% of the ink and paper was used for the features above. "We're putting more surprising and innovative new features on the road than ever before. So many, we can't even cover them all here. Drive one. You'll understand." Funny.

Ford also has a depressing graphical feature in their EV's. That's "Electric Vehicles". Most of the dash in those cars are LCD. On the far right they have a cluster of leaves. "Watch your forest grow. Stomp on the gas: See it fade." To say Ford is throwing the most darts in regards to features is an understatement. I know that Ford, historically, does this their way but it doesn't make sense to me that an electric car is overloaded with electrical devices and features. Wouldn't you want less drawing from that battery?

Lots of picking on Ford here, which is unfair. I have great respect for Ford and its history. Including surviving the government bailout last year. One distinction that Ford can now officially put on its mantle is this; "Buttercup Approved Vehicle" or BAV. This distinction goes to the Ford Flex. 2nd year in a row for this car.