2007 L.A. Auto Show Winners and Losers: Production Cars
While there weren’t a lot of new concept cars for us to check out in L.A., there were plenty of production cars making their North American debuts. Cars.com’s David Thomas, Joe Wiesenfelder and Mike Hanley scoured the floor to sort out which of them earned a green nod and which got a red head shake.
DT: Winner
The 1 Series gets my nod because the proportions and design, especially the back end, are the best I’ve seen out of BMW’s new school of design. I can’t wait to test one. However, I’m hung up on the near-$30,000 starting price among such affordable sports-car and entry-level-luxury competition. I don’t know if I’d ever buy one.
JW: Winner
To my eye, the 1 takes a half-step back in time, design-wise, but I don’t think that’s a drawback at all. It looks like a small 3 Series. The 135i is — foremost — the 300-hp twin-turbo inline-six we loved in the 335i in a smaller and lighter car. How is that not a good thing? I sat in it and found it plenty roomy. It isn’t cheap, but I suspect it will be more fun than the 3 Series for the same reason the 3 is more fun than the 5 Series: smaller, lighter, more nimble.
MH: Loser
For the enthusiast driver in me, the performance potential of the new 1 Series is incredibly appealing — especially with the available twin-turbo inline-six-cylinder that makes the 335i so engaging. That said, I’m not sold on the car’s ungainly looks; its upright grille and angular C-pillars lack the smooth styling of the 3 Series. I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised, as BMW says the 1 Series was inspired by the blocky BMW 2002. Many designs find a way to grow on you with time, but I’ve been looking at this car for months and it has yet to look attractive to me.
DT: Winner
Duh. This was definitely the car that got the most attention. Nissan got the prime spot on the floor for its display, and the GT-R handled the spotlight a lot better than a young celebrity. The interior wasn’t worthy of a $70,000 price tag, but as a package with the monster engine it will get a lot of folks on waiting lists, checkbooks in hand, tongues wagging.
JW: Winner
The interior is only so-so, but the same could be said of the Chevy Corvette and Dodge Viper, which are the closest in terms of performance and price for the remarkable 0-60 mph time of 3.5 seconds (according to Nissan). What struck me is that you don’t have to be a car nut who has heard about the Skyline forever, and wished Nissan would import it, to appreciate it. It’s impressive enough to draw a huge, uninitiated crowd.
MH: Winner
Both the exterior and interior styling of the car seem a bit jumbled to me, but I can overlook that because I know those who are going to buy it care most about its performance credentials, which are impressive. If we’re to be tormented by yet another “Fast and the Furious” movie, let’s hope this car is in it.
DT: Winner
Nissan whooped up on everybody in L.A. The GT-R stunned the car-guy crowd, while the new Murano won over the practical folks looking for an SUV. The interior had Infiniti-level luxury, the power flip-down rear seats were practical, and the styling up front was crazy, but in a good way.
JW: Winner
Excellent job on the interior; it’s rich and comfortable. (If it seems like we’re fixated on interior quality, it’s because you shoppers have proved to be, too.) I still don’t like knob interfaces for audio/climate control/navigation systems, and when they are employed, they really ought to be closer to the driver than is the one on the Murano, which, like other Nissans and Infinitis, is right in front of the LCD screen. I think the rear end is an improvement over the more bulbous look of the first generation. The Murano is one of a handful of vehicles with continuously variable automatic transmissions that have stood the test of time. Considering how long this crossover SUV has been on the market, the Murano deserves to be better known.
MH: Winner
The Murano’s unique face is contrasted by a rather pedestrian rear end, but the inside of the car can have some nice touches, like a two-tone dashboard and Infiniti-style navigation system. Crossovers are king in the car market today, and the new Murano looks re-energized to make a run at models like the Ford Edge.
DT: Loser
The exterior was terrific-looking. Inside … not so much. The leather was well-executed, but all the buttons — even taking into account this is a pre-production version — were on the cheap side, especially for a $40,000 car. It really came down to the door pull. Opening and closing the door felt no more solid than that of a Ford Fusion.
JW: Winner
Its exterior neither excites nor offends me, but because its interior quality varied — and what’s important to one shopper isn’t to another — I’m giving this one the nod. I won’t give an absolute rating to the quality, but it’s better than its existing sister models, the Ford Taurus and Mercury Sable (formerly Five Hundred and Montego). Like those, this car’s spaciousness and tall stance are enough to recommend it. I keep rooting for this platform in its many guises, hoping one will catch on. Maybe it’s this one…
MH: Conflicted
I’m with Dave on the shape of the MKS — Lincoln did a great job bringing the spirit of the MKR concept to the face of the MKS. I like the leather dashboard detailing, too, but the cabin’s wood trim is unconvincing and overly shiny. It’s even more troubling due to the fact that it’s real wood and not simulated stuff.
DT: Winner
In person I thought the XF’s front end looked much more menacing than it did in pictures, and I didn’t even mind the headlights’ strange shape. Inside there are some amazing materials around the pop-up shift lever, but then some cheapos right above them for the A/C controls. Overall, though, this could be a terrific alternative to the 5 Series, with a great engine and transmission that I’ve had plenty of time with in the XKR.
JW: Loser
You know how we often say a car looks better in person than it does in photos? I can’t say that about the Jaguar XF. I’m a huge fan of the XK, and if this is Jaguar’s new design direction, I think its navigation system is on the fritz. I’m a proponent of real metal trim in car cabins — over wood and definitely over plastic trying to imitate metal. But somehow the auto show car, which seems to have real metal trim, manages to have too much. The big panel on the passenger’s side is overkill. Then there’s the grille, which has the same problem as the XK and XKR — it’s chromed plastic and it just looks cheap. As many of our visitors have echoed, Jaguar has no idea how much it’s hurting itself by cutting costs in this area.
MH: Winner
I agree with Dave. The XF’s round headlight elements look better in person than in the photos I’d seen of the car, which is a good thing because that was one of the few issues I had with the car’s styling; otherwise, it’s a sleek four-door that should attract buyers in search of a stylish luxury car.
DT: Winner
I don’t get the fascination some folks have with Minis, but if you take into account that there are tons of folks who do love these little runabouts, then the Clubman sure wins. The execution of the larger cargo area with dual doors is nearly flawless, the suicide door is well-done and the interior and exterior color combinations are unique. Can’t beat that … if you dig Minis.
JW: Winner
I dig Minis, mainly because of how they drive. In that respect, the longer Clubman is likely to be less fun, but we won’t know until we test it. I think the Clubman is quite well-executed, and I like it, but on visual inspection it’s simply a stretched Cooper and nothing more — not to say that’s a crime.
MH: Winner
With the Clubman, you get a backseat that you can actually use to carry people comfortably. The rear cargo doors are a nice touch, too. I’m hoping the car drives like a regular-length Cooper, which is what makes that car so appealing to me, more so than its retro styling.
DT: Loser
I like the exterior design, but I was surprised at how cheap the interior remains; everything felt flimsy, though I liked the controls. The Corolla should perform better, but inside I don’t see how anyone could pick it over a Honda Civic. Even the Ford Focus and Hyundai Elantra could eat into this segment leader’s sales. Seriously.
JW: Loser
What he said. I suspect the Corolla will continue to be a good, well-rounded car for all the reasons it has been to date, but as long as there’s a Civic out there providing the quality it does, it’s hard for others to compete. Remember, these total redesigns are the manufacturers’ chance to leapfrog the competition. In this case, the Corolla doesn’t even match its main competitor, so it could fall even further behind.
MH: Loser
The 2009 Corolla will probably prove to be a fine car, like its predecessor, but I agree with Joe that Toyota missed an opportunity here to do something new and different with its small sedan.
DT: Winners
Like the Corolla, neither one of these hatchbacks seem to up the ante in quality. Don’t get me wrong, they’re worlds better than the cars they replace, but again the competition is stiff.
JW: Winners
The styling doesn’t knock me out in either case, but it never has, and that’s a determination you can make on your own. I have appreciated these models, and the redesign doesn’t change that. The hatchback body style seems to keep people out of larger cars, and between today’s high fuel prices and disproportionate attention to hybrids, conventional fuel-sippers like these are what we need. Toyota and Pontiac wisely brought back all-wheel drive, which is also good to have at a modest price. My hope is that they’ve improved the in-cabin noise, which has always been a shortcoming. As for the Civic … there’s no four-door hatchback.
MH: Winners
An infusion of style into both of these models’ exteriors and interiors should give a boost to their appeal, and with hatchbacks gaining renewed interest in the market, these two are poised to take a bigger piece of that pie.
DT: Winner
This was one cool-looking car. It seemed to be from the future, but real people will be rolling in it soon. If Honda made one into a regular gasoline hybrid instead of this limited-production hydrogen fuel cell, it might sell more than the Toyota Prius.
JW: Winner
I’m giving Honda a pass on my fuel-cell fatigue because it’s made great strides in shrinking components and increasing efficiency in the first vehicle ever conceptualized from the beginning as a fuel-cell car. (For that reason, I don’t think Honda could make it a hybrid if it chose to, unless that was part of a secret plan all along.) One hundred of these things will be leased to people in the Los Angeles area soon in what is basically a grand-scale beta test, but that doesn’t change the fact that each one costs a small fortune — less than $1 million apiece, but probably not by much.
MH: Winner
The technology behind the FCX Clarity and the results it provides are impressive. I’m sure it’ll be an interesting experience for the fortunate few who’ll be able to drive one of these, but anyone in mainstream America hoping for their shot behind the wheel of a fuel-cell vehicle still has a long wait ahead.
DT: Winner
It’s big. The grille is definitely bold. It wins only because it easily swallows people — the second row slides up very simply — and can tow 10,000 pounds when properly optioned out. And I love that 5.7-liter V-8 borrowed from the new Tundra. Green it ain’t, though.
JW: Loser
It has a huge second-row seat like that in the Tundra CrewMax pickup on which it’s based. The seats are well-executed, in that they slide forward and back, their backrests recline and they ease entry to the third row, which is so-so in terms of legroom but also has reclining backrests. The model I checked out had power-folding seats, too. My problem is that its interior is too much like the Tundra’s, and that means the quality doesn’t befit Toyota and, in my opinion, doesn’t stand up to the Chevy Tahoe and Suburban and their sister models. I guess it’s good to have a giant center storage console between the front seats, but it makes for an enormous lid. Good god, man, is that an armrest or a diaper-changing table?
MH: Conflicted
The Sequoia really got the third-row seat right, which isn’t the case with all big SUVs. The available power-folding feature is nice, but the additional power recline really enhances third-row comfort. However, with the company’s green credentials getting more and more scrutiny, I can’t understand why Toyota brought this big rig out at the LA show. Bad PR move.
DT: Winner
It wasn’t that exciting because it looks just like the normal Silverado. Still, 40% better city mileage is impressive for GM’s first stab at this new hybrid system in a truck. With “green building” all the rage, contractors may snap these up so they can walk the walk, too.
JW: Winner
Just like the full-size SUV hybrids, this one’s a milestone and well worthwhile. Even if GM’s stated goal of hybridizing the vehicles that need it most was just spin to rationalize its late arrival at the parallel-hybrid party, it’s hard to argue with the logic now that it’s come true.
MH: Winner
The Silverado is a class-leading truck in its own right thanks to good powertrains, a decent ride and quality interior, and if the 2-Mode Hybrid system proves relatively seamless, then the fuel economy gains it provides will be well appreciated by drivers who really need a truck on a daily basis.
DT: Losers
I’m all for hybrid SUVs, and Chrysler should have something in its lineup to combat GM’s duo of hybrid SUVs. But because I like the models that GM’s are built off of worlds more than the Chrysler versions, I will give these guys the big red no.
JW: Winners
I’m not a fan of these models in conventional form either, but if they deliver the mileage gains promised, they’re more than welcome to the fold. Like the GMs, they preserve most of the conventional model’s towing capability, making them an attractive alternative to a gas-only model – and to the GM vehicles. Where price is at a premium, competition is always good to have. Competition aside, the sharing of this jointly developed 2-Mode system will increase economies of scale and potentially make hybrids more viable.
MH: Winners
There are better large SUVs out there for sure, but these ones come out winners because the hybrid systems under their hoods manage to reduce fuel consumption while retaining capabilities, like towing, that SUVs of this type are know for and expected to have. That’s no small feat.
DT: Winner
Hubba hubba. I don’t like the looks of the standard Impreza hatchback, but in STI trim the little hatch looks menacing, especially in dark colors. Add the fact that the newly redesigned Impreza steps up the interior, and the STI snazzes it up even more with Alcantara, and I’m sold.
JW: Winner
The styling doesn’t set my hair on fire — especially the silver taillights. Why do some fads take so long to die? But I’m glad to see the tall, vibrating hood scoop replaced by a more subtle and integrated one, and also the improved interior and the solid sound of the door slamming. Without driving it, any other commentary is moot.
MH: Winner
It’s interesting to see Subaru’s burliest Impreza shift from a sedan to a hatchback body style for 2008, but the change looks good to me. Even though it has largely flared fenders and a gaping hood scoop, I wouldn’t call the STI gaudy. I’m still not sold on the Impreza interior in general, but here it has a purposefulness that seems fitting for a performance car.
DT: Loser
Driving the new Evo may be awesome — I can’t wait to test it — but the huge wing reverts an otherwise nice redesign of the Lancer back to boy-racer town. I don’t want to be seen in that. Somehow, the STI seems more acceptable, though I can’t really explain why.
JW: Winner
Even from the auto-show perspective, I can’t deem a model like this one a loser. It has much more aggressive styling, and it looks badass; the spoiler isn’t the worst I’ve seen by a long shot. Beyond that, I can’t wait to drive it.
MH: Winner
The previous version of this car was a blast to drive on a track, and I look forward to seeing how the new model performs. The Evolution’s aggressive looks move it in the right direction, and the interior should soundly top the old model’s.
DT: Loser
I like the new Mustang. I like most of the variants Ford has done. I even liked the Bullitt in preview photos. But up close it didn’t do anything for me. It’s a sleeper, that’s for sure, and sleepers don’t do much under the auto show lights.
JW: Loser
I like the color, but that’s not enough to make it a winner. My main problem is that I have special-edition-Mustang fatigue. The first time the Bullitt treatment came along, on the previous generation, it was new and intriguing. Now there have been so many Mustang derivations I can’t keep track. I’m sure I’d love to drive it, but at an auto show it just blends in.
MH: Loser
This was one of the first cars I checked out at the show, but only because I stumbled upon it. Otherwise, I probably wouldn’t have made an effort to seek it out. The subtle changes are well-executed, and the car looks nice in dark green, but it definitely wasn’t one of the show’s buzz cars.
