Today marked my annual trip to the Empire State Plaza for Albany’s fall auto show. Here are my observations in no particular order....
1. The new GM full-size pickups are quite nice, and their interiors were extremely well-finished. I had a few issues with the seats, though. First of all, the Chevy truck on hand had the front bench seat, which had neither a head restraint nor a shoulder belt for the front center position. What is this, 1995?! Also, neither truck had a rear seat with a center headrest and/or adequate comfort for my six-foot frame.
2. Actually, the number of vehicles with inhospitable rear seats for six-footers was astonishing. However, the new Toyota Tundra Double Cab’s rear seat was extremely accommodating for me, even in its center position. It made the rear of the GM pickups seem like the under-a-staircase closet in which Harry Potter spent his early years.
3. All of the Acuras were locked, as were the Mercedes-Benzes and the Porsches. Lame.
4. Out of approximately 150 vehicles on the show floor, only two that I saw had manual transmissions. One was the Audi S4, which presented itself as an all-around exceptional automobile, and one that I would love to own someday. The other was the Nissan Versa Note. It had crank windows, no cruise control, manual door locks, and a sticker price of approximately $15,000. The shifter felt like it was stirring a bucket of rocks, and speaking of rocks, the door armrests were rock hard, unlike those in my friend’s first-generation Versa SL hatchback, which were probably the softest, plushest door armrests I’d ever experienced. Also, while the rear seat was exceptionally comfortable and roomy (more so than that in the new Chevy Impala, to put things in perspective), it did not fold flush with the cargo floor, which seriously compromised its hatchback utility.
5. The Buick Verano knocked my socks off last year. It impressed me again this year, but not to the same extent given how many other new vehicles had been introduced between now and then.
6. The Cadillac CTS (2014 model) was nice, but the back seat was a joke. It also didn’t feel appreciably nicer than its many competitors that were on the show floor. And what is with General Motors’ newfound love of enormous front head restraints that shove people’s heads uncomfortably far forward?
7. With the exception of the new Jeep Cherokee (which was quite nice), the Chrysler products on display were disappointing. No new vehicle should have as much vertical play in the headliner as the new Dodge Journey. And no vehicle should have as poor seat comfort and build quality as either of the Chrysler minivans on display (a stripped Caravan and a loaded Town and Country). And no sedan should have rear headroom as abysmal as that in the Dodge Dart.
8. The new Corvette looked exceptional. I need to own one.
9. The refreshed Malibu wasn’t half bad. The new Impala was slightly better, though neither sedan had enough headroom in its rear seat to justify its exterior size.
10. The Kia Forte (new model) was surprisingly nice. So was the Honda Civic LX (the cheapest Civic available this year).
11. The new Toyota Corolla’s rear seat was not nearly as accommodating as several auto journalists have said it is. The car also wasn’t anything special, and not nearly as special as it should be given that it’s a new design.
12. The Prius V, on the other hand, was awesome. Huge interior. Very versatile. Hybrid fuel economy. If one vehicle could make me give up my manual transmission, it would either be this or the Acura RLX.
13. The Toyota Sienna was a nice minivan and the seats were better than those in most Toyotas (which usually stink). The Honda Odyssey was even nicer.
14. There were lots of compact crossovers with nice interiors and comfortable back seats. The Hyundai Tuscon and Chevy Equinox were probably the only exceptions. The most impressive to me were the VW Tiguan and the Honda CR-V. I would’ve loved to try the new Nissan Rogue but they only had the old model there.
15. The new Mazda3 is quite nice, and the back seat is a bit bigger than auto critics would lead someone to believe. However, the switchgear still feels a step below that of a comparable Honda product. The new 6 is awesome, though, and I would surely consider one if I was looking to replace my Accord.
16. The VW Jetta Sportwagen is an exceptional vehicle, and I can’t wait for the 2015 model. I’d consider trading both my vehicles on one of them if they offer the TDI motor, 6-speed stick, Fender stereo, and leather interior packaged together.
17. I wasn’t disappointed with any of the Subarus on hand (new Forester, new Impreza crosstrek, Outback). All were very well designed, comfortable, roomy, and versatile.
18. The Honda Accord EX-L has some of the best front seats I’ve ever sat in. These thrones are just sublime. Too bad they don’t offer the leather seats with the six-speed manual transmission in this country (they do in Canada, but that does me no good).
19. The Buick Encore has less space between the front seats than just about anything this side of a Smart car.
20. Anyone in the market for a car would be an idiot not to test everything in the segment he or she is considering; the market is so competitive and so many products are too genuinely good not to be considered.
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