That said, walking around this years show with a 2 year old didn't give me a chance to put together a full report but here are a few that stood out for me:
I've never given the GRAND CHEROKEE a second look and thought, what the heck I'm here so why not sit inside. This SUV has the most comfortable seats I've ever sat in! It feels like you're sitting in a racecar and while I think the exterior styling is a little dated, it's obvious it was designed around the driver. Granted the model I sat in was 60k which is way too much for a trip to Farm Boy.
This is the Pontiac G8 which replaces the Grand Prix. Why do car execs always mess with what works. The Grand Prix has a long tradition and the G8 name badge might as well be on a Mazda. I wanted to sit inside the car and get a better look but the doors were locked! Hello car companies, the point of going to the show is to sit IN the vehicle. The car people will tell you that this is clever marketing because you'll want to go to the dealership for more information....
Remember the car company that gave us the Pony and Stellar back in the 80's?
Well Hyundai has grown up and has produced some decent vehicles in the last few years. The latest creation is the Genesis which might as well have a BMW or Lexus badge on the front but at much less. The only question is will a luxury car buyer go for one of these given the
name Hyundai on the front grill?
The folks at Volkswagen have entered the mid range crossover market with the Tiguan and if your wife won't drive a minivan (like mine) this could be an option. Look for prices in the 27-35k range.
Finally the one car I really wanted to see was the new Jaguar XF which (in my opinion) beats all of the North American cars when it comes to styling (with exception to the Cadillac CTS). Sadly the Jag was nowhere to be found. That said, if you're a car buff regardless if you're in the market for a new vehicle head down with the digital camera and dare to dream.
