2010 Los Angeles Auto Show: Winners and Losers, Cars

David Thomas: Loser
I walked by the Acura stand knowing there was a redesigned model somewhere, but I had a hard time finding it. Yes, the new TSX looks a little more refined than the current model, but the differences are so slight I’m wondering if it deserved the virtual ink we gave it.

Joe Wiesenfelder: Loser
The grille is a welcome improvement, but from an auto-show perspective, the car is easily overlooked.

Kelsey Mays: Loser
The TSX’s new bumper looks fine, and the navigation system’s updated graphics are welcome, especially since Acura says its buyers opt for navigation at a high rate. However, opportunities were missed: The interior’s silver plastic trim still looks cheap, and Acura needed to drop or significantly upgrade the TSX’s pokey four-cylinder. It’s fuel-efficient, but so is the turbocharged Audi A4 and compared to the TSX, the A4 hauls.

Mike Hanley: Loser
Of all the Acuras with the brand’s distinctive shield grille, I’ve always thought the TSX’s was the best executed. My opinion is unchanged regarding the new grille, but the modest changes got lost amid the avalanche of new cars that was the L.A. auto show.

JW: Loser
I think the lower front vents and the exhaust finishers are a little too prominent. I’ll withhold judgment on the car until I drive it, but it’s possible the lack of all-wheel drive will prove disappointing. Overall, I commend Buick for making this version at all and endowing it with a manual transmission.

KM: Loser
The GS’ styling enhancements look well-fitted, but some tack-on decals like hood vents and bumper strakes diminish the look up-close. As David and Joe mentioned, what happened to the all-wheel drive from the Regal GS concept we saw at January’s Detroit auto show? With the same engine, it could hit 60 mph in less than 6 seconds, GM claimed at the time. Saddling the front-drive production car with 295 pounds-feet of torque seems like a recipe for more torque steer than the recently discontinued Chevy Impala SS. We’re told the GS now reaches 60 mph in less than 7 seconds. I’m underwhelmed.

MH: Winner
I could do without the fanglike vents in the front bumper — perhaps Buick’s trying to attract young buyers by going after the “Twilight” crowd? — but if this is what the future of Buick looks like I’m enthused. The regular Regal has redefined the Buick ride and handling experience, and the GS is poised to add a healthy dose of horsepower to the equation.

JW: Winner
From the front, with the top down, this car looks even better to me than the coupe. I still don’t like the rear end, though. I’m not the Camaro’s biggest fan; in part because it’s too heavy, and I can’t imagine more than 250 additional pounds in the convertible is going to help matters. But you can’t say that at an auto show, where it’s sure to be a hit.

KM: Winner
With the top up, the Camaro convertible doesn’t promise any better visibility than the Camaro coupe, which means it should still be as easy to see out of as the inside stateroom on a cruise ship. Dropping the top is one solution — even if you can’t do it year-round. It makes the car, top-down, eminently more livable.

MH: Winner
The Camaro coupe has been out for more than a year, but it still catches your eye when you see it on the street. The new convertible promises to keep the interest level in this car high. For Midwesterners like us, it’s just unfortunate that it hits dealerships in February, the dead of winter.

JW: Loser
Neither car’s exterior wows me, and I’m still put off by the black plastic panel behind the Avenger’s rear door windows. The 200’s gloss treatment is better. As for the interiors, they’re improved — especially in the 200 — but there are still swaths of plain plastic, and the wobbly, clattery center console lid remains. I’m wary of the “most-improved” award. Any new or redesigned car has to be as good as or better than the competition. These aren’t.

KM: Loser
The interiors bear many improvements over their predecessors, but neither leads the pack in terms of refinement. Chrysler did what it could, but most of the company’s limited resources went toward overhauling models like the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge Charger. With underwhelming gas mileage, a few dated controls and outward styling that’s still just not all that interesting, it’s obvious both cars drew the short stick on company resources.

MH: Loser
I had a chance to drive the 200 at a Chrysler event held before the L.A. auto show. While it does offer significantly better handling than the Sebring it replaces, on the auto-show floor these two cars are easily overlooked — even with their new styling. Despite the significant improvements to these cars’ interiors, they won’t be competitive for long in the cutthroat midsize-sedan segment.

JW: Winner
The Charger is a better version of what was already a better car than the Avenger. I’m not sold on the sculpted sides and hood — as if the car needed to look more aggressive? At least the rear styling now matches the rest of the car. The show car’s interior had some good-quality materials, including some nicely executed textured aluminum. The Charger has been underappreciated; perhaps the changes will help.

KM: Winner
Forget the Avenger; keep walking past the Challenger. This, the 2011 Charger, is Dodge styling at its best. From every angle it looks ready to tear up some asphalt. Save some garish silver trim in the show car, the interior competes with the Taurus from crosstown rival Ford. Well done. Let’s hope this one can improve on its predecessor’s marginal crash-test ratings.

MH: Winner
The Charger’s rear-wheel-drive layout — a rarity in its class — facilitates the full-size sedan’s proper proportions, and the new styling is both more aggressive and more functional, as visibility has improved. The Charger wasn’t in a prominent location on the show floor during the media preview, but that didn’t do anything to diminish the car’s chained-pit-bull attitude.

JW: Winner
Huge winner. I think it’s even sharper than the Sonata and a worthy competitor to the upcoming Ford Focus, which seemed to have the compact-class styling award wrapped up. The interior isn’t quite as rich as the Sonata’s, but it’s more than competitive. And 40 mpg on all versions? This could become Hyundai’s best-seller. That’s saying something.

KM: Winner
The Elantra is a winner for all the reasons mentioned above, but I can’t enthuse about it as much as Joe or David. Get past the sharp interior design and you’ll find the cabin materials aren’t anything this class hasn’t seen before. Backseat legroom is good for a small car; headroom for adults is so-so. At least trunk volume is an impressive 14.8 cubic feet. It helps, too, that the Elantra is quite easy on the eyes.

MH: Winner
If the efficiency-focused future of driving holds more cars like the redesigned Elantra, maybe car shoppers won’t go kicking and screaming after all. Like the upcoming 2012 Ford Focus, the Elantra is a car that people will want because of how it looks and not just because it gets good gas mileage. If the Elantra drives well, it’ll be another home run for Hyundai.

JW: Loser
The Corolla didn’t have far to fall, as it was uncompetitive from the day this generation came out. Toyota didn’t go nearly far enough with this update, and it’s clear before even driving it.

KM: Loser
The Corolla is a perfect example of Toyota’s fall from its halcyon days of excellent interior quality. Why it remains the best-selling small car in the country baffles me. Competitors have bested the Corolla, and the updates for 2011 aren’t enough to change that.

MH: Loser
A new front grille and other minor changes don’t fix what’s wrong with this car, which is now even more obsolete than it was with the arrival of redesigned competitors like the Hyundai Elantra.

JW: Winner
There are two reasons this is a winner: One, they made the exterior look more aggressive, improving it exactly as they have the Golf. Two, they didn’t cheapen the interior too much, as they have the Jetta’s.

KM: Loser
I’ll be a single-issue voter on this. European models will get a set of snazzy LEDs around the headlights; as of this writing, U.S. models won’t. Bring the LEDs here, Volkswagen, and while you’re at it, bring back the stick-shift offered on the prior Eos.

MH: Winner
I’ve never been wild about the shape of the Eos with its top up, but it looks pretty good with the top down, and the face-lift for 2012 is a significant improvement.