Chicago Auto Show

Went to the Chicago Auto Show on Saturday with a former co-worker and his
sons, saw lots of new products.

I noticed that more and more vehicles are coming with low profile tires as
factory equipment, and many new vehicles have the C-pillar moved back behind
the rear strut perch, to about the middle of the deck lid. The result is a
more aerodynamic appearance but lower head clearance when getting into and
out of the back seat. Hard-top convertibles are becoming more common -
Volvo had a new one at the show, besides the Lexus, Mercedes, etc. ones
already available.

The 2007 Camry was on display, it has a more muscular appearance and the
rearward C-pillar. Otherwise roomy and nicely styled. Estimated mileage
for the hybrid Camry is 47 City/37 highway/40 combined.

The Yaris will come in a 2-door hatchback and 4 door sedan and is nicer
looking in person than in pictures. It is less quirky-looking than the Echo
or Scion xA and should be a decent seller.

The 2007 Tundra is completely re-styled and will have a 5.7 liter V-8
engine, assembled in Princeton, IN and at the new plant in Texas. The hood
dips down a little over the headlights, similar to past Dodge pickups. The
10,000 lb. towing capacity is a big improvement over the current Tundra.
While it is a nice truck, I do not think it will convert many buyers from
Ford, GM, and Dodge trucks. It may convert some Nissan Titan buyers.

The FJ Cruiser on display had an estimated MSRP <$23,000 and looks very
utilitarian, with rubber mats in the passenger and cargo compartments. The
dashboard has a retro appearance like the original Land Cruisers. The back
door is a suicide door and the C-pillar looks like it will cause a huge
blind spot. It will have the same 3.5 liter engine as the Tacoma, will have
available center and rear differential locks, and will be available with a
manual transmission. I think it will be a good seller.

The re-styled Rav4 has been available for a while.

The Camry NASCAR racer was on display but there was not a huge crowd around
it. I don't think many people recognized its significance.

The new Lexus LS will have the 4.6 liter engine and will be available in
regular and long wheelbase versions. The long wheelbase LS 460L has
reclining rear seats, footrests, and pop-up tables like the Maybach.

The New Lexus IS 350's engine is different from the 3.5 engine in the
Avalon, Camry, Highlander because it has direct injection. The AWD IS has a
hump protruding into the driver's footwell under the driver's calf. It
would annoy me. The old Camry All-Trac also has a hump protruding but was
not as annoying.

The New Lexus ES 350 is nicely done, it also has a more muscular appearance
and the difficulty dodging the lowered edge of the roofline when getting
into and out of the back seat.

The Dodge Challenger will be recognizable due to its resemblance to the
original Challenger.

The Jeep Commander's style looks out of proportion.

The Aston Martin Vantage and Vanquish; the Bentley Continental GT, and Ford
GT were probably the nicest styled vehicles at the show.

The Cadillac SRS coupe looks very well done although at $100,000, it will
probably have a tough time competing in the market with AMG Mercedes, BMW
M5, Porsche, etc.

The Buick Lucerne has come a long ways technically although IMO, those
technical advances will probably not factor into a typical Buick buyer's
decision.

The International truck would be a cool ride on my next campout with the
Scouts.

The appearance of the Subaru Tribeca has not grown on me and still looks
like someone tried to graft an Alfa grille on a Japanese SUV. My friend who
rented one in Denver thought that it was pretty gutless in the mountains.

The Infiniti, Acura, Honda, and Nissan displays were much less crowded than
they were last year. Toyota, VW, Chevy, and Ford displays were as crowded
as last year, Toyota ran out of bags to hand out (the last day of the show
is Sunday). Most of the crowds at the Honda displays were around the new
Civic.
--

Ray O
(correct punctuation to reply)

"Ray O" <rokigawa@tristarassociatesDOTcomn> wrote in message
news:4ad92$43f80f43$180fead6$19143@msgid.meganewsservers.com...[color=blue]
> Went to the Chicago Auto Show on Saturday with a former co-worker and his
> sons, saw lots of new products.
>
> I noticed that more and more vehicles are coming with low profile tires as
> factory equipment, and many new vehicles have the C-pillar moved back
> behind the rear strut perch, to about the middle of the deck lid. The
> result is a more aerodynamic appearance but lower head clearance when
> getting into and out of the back seat. Hard-top convertibles are becoming
> more common - Volvo had a new one at the show, besides the Lexus,
> Mercedes, etc. ones already available.
>
> The 2007 Camry was on display, it has a more muscular appearance and the
> rearward C-pillar. Otherwise roomy and nicely styled. Estimated mileage
> for the hybrid Camry is 47 City/37 highway/40 combined.
>[/color]

I'm tired of hearing these exaggerated mileage claims. I have NEVER, in my
life, no matter how ell I maintained a vehicle, no matter how new it was
even came REMOTELY close to the claimed mileage figure.




[color=blue]
> The Yaris will come in a 2-door hatchback and 4 door sedan and is nicer
> looking in person than in pictures. It is less quirky-looking than the
> Echo or Scion xA and should be a decent seller.
>
> The 2007 Tundra is completely re-styled and will have a 5.7 liter V-8
> engine, assembled in Princeton, IN and at the new plant in Texas. The
> hood dips down a little over the headlights, similar to past Dodge
> pickups. The 10,000 lb. towing capacity is a big improvement over the
> current Tundra. While it is a nice truck, I do not think it will convert
> many buyers from Ford, GM, and Dodge trucks. It may convert some Nissan
> Titan buyers.
>
> The FJ Cruiser on display had an estimated MSRP <$23,000 and looks very
> utilitarian, with rubber mats in the passenger and cargo compartments.
> The dashboard has a retro appearance like the original Land Cruisers. The
> back door is a suicide door and the C-pillar looks like it will cause a
> huge blind spot. It will have the same 3.5 liter engine as the Tacoma,
> will have available center and rear differential locks, and will be
> available with a manual transmission. I think it will be a good seller.
>
> The re-styled Rav4 has been available for a while.
>
> The Camry NASCAR racer was on display but there was not a huge crowd
> around it. I don't think many people recognized its significance.
>
> The new Lexus LS will have the 4.6 liter engine and will be available in
> regular and long wheelbase versions. The long wheelbase LS 460L has
> reclining rear seats, footrests, and pop-up tables like the Maybach.
>
> The New Lexus IS 350's engine is different from the 3.5 engine in the
> Avalon, Camry, Highlander because it has direct injection. The AWD IS has
> a hump protruding into the driver's footwell under the driver's calf. It
> would annoy me. The old Camry All-Trac also has a hump protruding but was
> not as annoying.
>
> The New Lexus ES 350 is nicely done, it also has a more muscular
> appearance and the difficulty dodging the lowered edge of the roofline
> when getting into and out of the back seat.
>
> The Dodge Challenger will be recognizable due to its resemblance to the
> original Challenger.
>
> The Jeep Commander's style looks out of proportion.
>
> The Aston Martin Vantage and Vanquish; the Bentley Continental GT, and
> Ford GT were probably the nicest styled vehicles at the show.
>
> The Cadillac SRS coupe looks very well done although at $100,000, it will
> probably have a tough time competing in the market with AMG Mercedes, BMW
> M5, Porsche, etc.
>
> The Buick Lucerne has come a long ways technically although IMO, those
> technical advances will probably not factor into a typical Buick buyer's
> decision.
>
> The International truck would be a cool ride on my next campout with the
> Scouts.
>
> The appearance of the Subaru Tribeca has not grown on me and still looks
> like someone tried to graft an Alfa grille on a Japanese SUV. My friend
> who rented one in Denver thought that it was pretty gutless in the
> mountains.
>
> The Infiniti, Acura, Honda, and Nissan displays were much less crowded
> than they were last year. Toyota, VW, Chevy, and Ford displays were as
> crowded as last year, Toyota ran out of bags to hand out (the last day of
> the show is Sunday). Most of the crowds at the Honda displays were around
> the new Civic.
> --
>
> Ray O
> (correct punctuation to reply)
>
>
>[/color]

On Sun, 19 Feb 2006 00:24:48 -0600, Ray O wrote:

1. Lucky Bast...
2. Thanks for the run-down. I guess I should have gone to the Boston show,
Eh?

[color=blue]
> Went to the Chicago Auto Show on Saturday with a former co-worker and his
> sons, saw lots of new products.
>
> I noticed that more and more vehicles are coming with low profile tires as
> factory equipment, and many new vehicles have the C-pillar moved back behind
> the rear strut perch, to about the middle of the deck lid. The result is a
> more aerodynamic appearance but lower head clearance when getting into and
> out of the back seat. Hard-top convertibles are becoming more common -
> Volvo had a new one at the show, besides the Lexus, Mercedes, etc. ones
> already available.
>
> The 2007 Camry was on display, it has a more muscular appearance and the
> rearward C-pillar. Otherwise roomy and nicely styled. Estimated mileage
> for the hybrid Camry is 47 City/37 highway/40 combined.
>
> The Yaris will come in a 2-door hatchback and 4 door sedan and is nicer
> looking in person than in pictures. It is less quirky-looking than the Echo
> or Scion xA and should be a decent seller.
>
> The 2007 Tundra is completely re-styled and will have a 5.7 liter V-8
> engine, assembled in Princeton, IN and at the new plant in Texas. The hood
> dips down a little over the headlights, similar to past Dodge pickups. The
> 10,000 lb. towing capacity is a big improvement over the current Tundra.
> While it is a nice truck, I do not think it will convert many buyers from
> Ford, GM, and Dodge trucks. It may convert some Nissan Titan buyers.
>
> The FJ Cruiser on display had an estimated MSRP <$23,000 and looks very
> utilitarian, with rubber mats in the passenger and cargo compartments. The
> dashboard has a retro appearance like the original Land Cruisers. The back
> door is a suicide door and the C-pillar looks like it will cause a huge
> blind spot. It will have the same 3.5 liter engine as the Tacoma, will have
> available center and rear differential locks, and will be available with a
> manual transmission. I think it will be a good seller.
>
> The re-styled Rav4 has been available for a while.
>
> The Camry NASCAR racer was on display but there was not a huge crowd around
> it. I don't think many people recognized its significance.
>
> The new Lexus LS will have the 4.6 liter engine and will be available in
> regular and long wheelbase versions. The long wheelbase LS 460L has
> reclining rear seats, footrests, and pop-up tables like the Maybach.
>
> The New Lexus IS 350's engine is different from the 3.5 engine in the
> Avalon, Camry, Highlander because it has direct injection. The AWD IS has a
> hump protruding into the driver's footwell under the driver's calf. It
> would annoy me. The old Camry All-Trac also has a hump protruding but was
> not as annoying.
>
> The New Lexus ES 350 is nicely done, it also has a more muscular appearance
> and the difficulty dodging the lowered edge of the roofline when getting
> into and out of the back seat.
>
> The Dodge Challenger will be recognizable due to its resemblance to the
> original Challenger.
>
> The Jeep Commander's style looks out of proportion.
>
> The Aston Martin Vantage and Vanquish; the Bentley Continental GT, and Ford
> GT were probably the nicest styled vehicles at the show.
>
> The Cadillac SRS coupe looks very well done although at $100,000, it will
> probably have a tough time competing in the market with AMG Mercedes, BMW
> M5, Porsche, etc.
>
> The Buick Lucerne has come a long ways technically although IMO, those
> technical advances will probably not factor into a typical Buick buyer's
> decision.
>
> The International truck would be a cool ride on my next campout with the
> Scouts.
>
> The appearance of the Subaru Tribeca has not grown on me and still looks
> like someone tried to graft an Alfa grille on a Japanese SUV. My friend who
> rented one in Denver thought that it was pretty gutless in the mountains.
>
> The Infiniti, Acura, Honda, and Nissan displays were much less crowded than
> they were last year. Toyota, VW, Chevy, and Ford displays were as crowded
> as last year, Toyota ran out of bags to hand out (the last day of the show
> is Sunday). Most of the crowds at the Honda displays were around the new
> Civic.[/color]

--
A young girl I know told me I drive like an old man

I told her, actually, I drive like Mario Andretti.
It's just that too many other people on the road
drive like Paul Tracy...

Thanks for the detailed post.



"Ray O" <rokigawa@tristarassociatesDOTcomn> wrote in message
news:4ad92$43f80f43$180fead6$19143@msgid.meganewsservers.com...[color=blue]
> Went to the Chicago Auto Show on Saturday with a former co-worker and his
> sons, saw lots of new products.
>
> I noticed that more and more vehicles are coming with low profile tires as
> factory equipment, and many new vehicles have the C-pillar moved back
> behind the rear strut perch, to about the middle of the deck lid. The
> result is a more aerodynamic appearance but lower head clearance when
> getting into and out of the back seat. Hard-top convertibles are becoming
> more common - Volvo had a new one at the show, besides the Lexus,
> Mercedes, etc. ones already available.
>
> The 2007 Camry was on display, it has a more muscular appearance and the
> rearward C-pillar. Otherwise roomy and nicely styled. Estimated mileage
> for the hybrid Camry is 47 City/37 highway/40 combined.
>
> The Yaris will come in a 2-door hatchback and 4 door sedan and is nicer
> looking in person than in pictures. It is less quirky-looking than the
> Echo or Scion xA and should be a decent seller.
>
> The 2007 Tundra is completely re-styled and will have a 5.7 liter V-8
> engine, assembled in Princeton, IN and at the new plant in Texas. The
> hood dips down a little over the headlights, similar to past Dodge
> pickups. The 10,000 lb. towing capacity is a big improvement over the
> current Tundra. While it is a nice truck, I do not think it will convert
> many buyers from Ford, GM, and Dodge trucks. It may convert some Nissan
> Titan buyers.
>
> The FJ Cruiser on display had an estimated MSRP <$23,000 and looks very
> utilitarian, with rubber mats in the passenger and cargo compartments.
> The dashboard has a retro appearance like the original Land Cruisers. The
> back door is a suicide door and the C-pillar looks like it will cause a
> huge blind spot. It will have the same 3.5 liter engine as the Tacoma,
> will have available center and rear differential locks, and will be
> available with a manual transmission. I think it will be a good seller.
>
> The re-styled Rav4 has been available for a while.
>
> The Camry NASCAR racer was on display but there was not a huge crowd
> around it. I don't think many people recognized its significance.
>
> The new Lexus LS will have the 4.6 liter engine and will be available in
> regular and long wheelbase versions. The long wheelbase LS 460L has
> reclining rear seats, footrests, and pop-up tables like the Maybach.
>
> The New Lexus IS 350's engine is different from the 3.5 engine in the
> Avalon, Camry, Highlander because it has direct injection. The AWD IS has
> a hump protruding into the driver's footwell under the driver's calf. It
> would annoy me. The old Camry All-Trac also has a hump protruding but was
> not as annoying.
>
> The New Lexus ES 350 is nicely done, it also has a more muscular
> appearance and the difficulty dodging the lowered edge of the roofline
> when getting into and out of the back seat.
>
> The Dodge Challenger will be recognizable due to its resemblance to the
> original Challenger.
>
> The Jeep Commander's style looks out of proportion.
>
> The Aston Martin Vantage and Vanquish; the Bentley Continental GT, and
> Ford GT were probably the nicest styled vehicles at the show.
>
> The Cadillac SRS coupe looks very well done although at $100,000, it will
> probably have a tough time competing in the market with AMG Mercedes, BMW
> M5, Porsche, etc.
>
> The Buick Lucerne has come a long ways technically although IMO, those
> technical advances will probably not factor into a typical Buick buyer's
> decision.
>
> The International truck would be a cool ride on my next campout with the
> Scouts.
>
> The appearance of the Subaru Tribeca has not grown on me and still looks
> like someone tried to graft an Alfa grille on a Japanese SUV. My friend
> who rented one in Denver thought that it was pretty gutless in the
> mountains.
>
> The Infiniti, Acura, Honda, and Nissan displays were much less crowded
> than they were last year. Toyota, VW, Chevy, and Ford displays were as
> crowded as last year, Toyota ran out of bags to hand out (the last day of
> the show is Sunday). Most of the crowds at the Honda displays were around
> the new Civic.
> --
>
> Ray O
> (correct punctuation to reply)
>
>
>[/color]

What this all goes to show is that Japan is as out of touch with what
American males want as Detroit is.... Give us a midsize pickup with a
350 cid pushrod V8.

"Hachiroku" <Trueno@ae86.GTS> wrote in message
news:pan.2006.02.19.13.06.25.486693@ae86.GTS...[color=blue]
> On Sun, 19 Feb 2006 00:24:48 -0600, Ray O wrote:
>
> 1. Lucky Bast...
> 2. Thanks for the run-down. I guess I should have gone to the Boston show,
> Eh?
>[/color]
Had you gone 15-20 years ago, you might have run into me handing out bags!
--

Ray O
(correct punctuation to reply)

"Art" <begunaNOSPAMPLEASE@mindspring.com> wrote in message
news:RN2Kf.1146$5M6.13@newsread2.news.atl.earthlink.net...[color=blue]
> Thanks for the detailed post.
>
>[/color]

My pleasure (really!)

--

Ray O
(correct punctuation to reply)

"Sharx35" <sharx35@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:OfUJf.3807$jh5.134@edtnps84...[color=blue]
>
> "Ray O" <rokigawa@tristarassociatesDOTcomn> wrote in message
> news:4ad92$43f80f43$180fead6$19143@msgid.meganewsservers.com...[color=green]
>> Went to the Chicago Auto Show on Saturday with a former co-worker and his
>> sons, saw lots of new products.
>>
>> I noticed that more and more vehicles are coming with low profile tires
>> as factory equipment, and many new vehicles have the C-pillar moved back
>> behind the rear strut perch, to about the middle of the deck lid. The
>> result is a more aerodynamic appearance but lower head clearance when
>> getting into and out of the back seat. Hard-top convertibles are
>> becoming more common - Volvo had a new one at the show, besides the
>> Lexus, Mercedes, etc. ones already available.
>>
>> The 2007 Camry was on display, it has a more muscular appearance and the
>> rearward C-pillar. Otherwise roomy and nicely styled. Estimated mileage
>> for the hybrid Camry is 47 City/37 highway/40 combined.
>>[/color]
>
> I'm tired of hearing these exaggerated mileage claims. I have NEVER, in my
> life, no matter how ell I maintained a vehicle, no matter how new it was
> even came REMOTELY close to the claimed mileage figure.
>[/color]

It is not maintenance that determines your mileage. It is payload, driving
conditions, and most importantly, driving technique. I have driven over 100
different Toyotas and I always get at or better than the EPA mileage
figures. I believe there are others in this group who routinely get equal
to or better than EPA figures in Toyotas.
--

Ray O
(correct punctuation to reply)

Ray O wrote:
[color=blue]
>Went to the Chicago Auto Show on Saturday with a former co-worker and his
>sons, saw lots of new products.[/color]

Good report.

Sharx35 wrote:
[color=blue][color=green]
>> The 2007 Camry was on display, it has a more muscular appearance and the
>> rearward C-pillar. Otherwise roomy and nicely styled. Estimated mileage
>> for the hybrid Camry is 47 City/37 highway/40 combined.
>>[/color]
>
>I'm tired of hearing these exaggerated mileage claims. I have NEVER, in my
>life, no matter how ell I maintained a vehicle, no matter how new it was
>even came REMOTELY close to the claimed mileage figure.[/color]

Have you ever stopped to think that you're too dull-witted to use a
calculator?

"Hachiroku" <Trueno@ae86.GTS> wrote in message
news:pan.2006.02.19.13.06.25.486693@ae86.GTS...[color=blue]
> On Sun, 19 Feb 2006 00:24:48 -0600, Ray O wrote:
>
> 1. Lucky Bast...
> 2. Thanks for the run-down. I guess I should have gone to the Boston show,
> Eh?
>
>[/color]
I forgot to mention that I was very impressed that Lincoln Mercury had a
sign language interpreter signing while the male model gave his pitch. It
is the first and only time I have seen this and thought that it was very
considerate.
--

Ray O
(correct punctuation to reply)

"dizzy" <dizzy@nospam.invalid> wrote in message
news:l7div15u2pitaqjfm8stjvhr5iesn92sml@4ax.com...[color=blue]
> Ray O wrote:
>[color=green]
>>Went to the Chicago Auto Show on Saturday with a former co-worker and his
>>sons, saw lots of new products.[/color]
>
> Good report.
>[/color]

thanks!
--

Ray O
(correct punctuation to reply)

"dizzy" <dizzy@nospam.invalid> wrote in message
news:a9div156j6me5o4gld02ml2lpc3itsjtoj@4ax.com...[color=blue]
> Sharx35 wrote:
>[color=green][color=darkred]
>>> The 2007 Camry was on display, it has a more muscular appearance and the
>>> rearward C-pillar. Otherwise roomy and nicely styled. Estimated
>>> mileage
>>> for the hybrid Camry is 47 City/37 highway/40 combined.
>>>[/color]
>>
>>I'm tired of hearing these exaggerated mileage claims. I have NEVER, in my
>>life, no matter how ell I maintained a vehicle, no matter how new it was
>>even came REMOTELY close to the claimed mileage figure.[/color]
>
> Have you ever stopped to think that you're too dull-witted to use a
> calculator?
>[/color]

THAT qualification would make me a LIEbrawl, a DEMONrat or both.

If DEMONrats used calculators they just might understand that one does NOT
cure poverty by throwing money at it.

"Ray O" <rokigawa@tristarassociatesDOTcomn> wrote:
[color=blue]
>Went to the Chicago Auto Show on Saturday with a former co-worker and his
>sons, saw lots of new products.
>[/color]

Most informative Ray thanks...
--

-Gord.
(use gordon in email)

On Sun, 19 Feb 2006 21:06:58 -0600, "Ray O"
<rokigawa@tristarassociatesDOTcomn> wrote:
[color=blue]
>
>"Hachiroku" <Trueno@ae86.GTS> wrote in message
>news:pan.2006.02.19.13.06.25.486693@ae86.GTS...[color=green]
>> On Sun, 19 Feb 2006 00:24:48 -0600, Ray O wrote:
>>
>> 1. Lucky Bast...
>> 2. Thanks for the run-down. I guess I should have gone to the Boston show,
>> Eh?
>>[/color]
>Had you gone 15-20 years ago, you might have run into me handing out bags![/color]

You, Middle-aged Asian-American Guy, were once a "Booth Babe"?!?
Who'da thunk it?... Must have /really/ good legs... That's a picture
that'll be seared on my retinas... ;-P

(I could take this a LOT further, but I'll be nice and stop here.
Not that you have to explain the maniacal laughter coming from your
office or anything - they already know...) ;-)

--<< Bruce >>--

--
Bruce L. Bergman, Woodland Hills (Los Angeles) CA - Desktop
Electrician for Westend Electric - CA726700
5737 Kanan Rd. #359, Agoura CA 91301 (818) 889-9545
Spamtrapped address: Remove the python and the invalid, and use a net.