Production Car Winners and Losers at 2009 Detroit Auto Show

Our crew was a bit surprised at how many new production models were shown in Detroit this year. What was even more surprising was how good most of them were. Of course, a few losers wormed their way into the hall as well. Check out our wrap-up below.

2010 Ford Taurus
David Thomas: Winner
The exterior is massive. It looks so big, yet it’s very handsome too. The wheels have a concept-car look to them. Inside I wasn’t as impressed, with a dash that seemed to be on the same level as the Fusion’s, but the doors were quite nice, with upscale padding. It’s not as big in back as it probably should be.

Kelsey Mays: Winner
I second Dave’s backseat impressions — there just isn’t as much room back there as the prior Taurus had. The trunk is as voluminous as ever, though. Up front, it looks like Ford is slowly replacing the grainy-looking textures that afflicted the outgoing Taurus, not to mention the Flex and a few other current models. The front seats are comfortable, and the gauges look terrific.

Mike Hanley: Winner
Ford addressed the areas of the Taurus that were most in need of attention with the redesigned 2010 model, giving it a sleek, contemporary exterior and a high-grade cabin that’ll make full-size-sedan shoppers take a second look.

Joe Wiesenfelder: Winner
I’ve rallied behind this car since it came out as the Five Hundred. Now, Ford is finally addressing the biggest drawback: interior quality. No one’s more disappointed by the backseat than I, because the brilliant space efficiency in the old version was one of the things I valued. Not to say it’s small, by any means. I hope it rides softer than the Lincoln MKS.

2010 Cadillac SRX
DT: Winner
As much as I like wagons, most people want SUVs … I mean crossovers. This is basically as nice or nicer inside than the new CTS, with the same cool, pop-up touch-screen nav system. The backseat had decent room, too. It should be competitive with the Acura RDX and Lexus RX. Oh, and I love the tailfins.

KM: Winner
The gray-on-gray interior in the show cars seemed a bit drab, but materials are up to snuff for this segment, especially with the CTS-like French-stitched dashboard. The base engine could prove a bit wimpy — it’s a bit light on torque, which is especially important for an SUV — but if high gas mileage is the new order of the day, I doubt many buyers will take issue.

MH: Winner
Enthusiast buyers might be disappointed to learn that the SRX has moved from a rear-wheel-drive platform to a front-wheel-drive one, but otherwise the SRX has the kind of styling and luxury trimmings buyers in this category expect.

JW: Winner
The SRX is as much of an improvement in styling as the second-gen CTS is over the first, both inside and out. Rear-wheel drive is a nice idea, but the first generation felt heavy and didn’t beg aggressive driving anyway. No loss here, especially with a CTS Sport Wagon now offered.

2009 BMW Z4
DT: Winner
This one falls into the “car I’d want to buy” segment. It was just gorgeous — unbelievably gorgeous. And the inside was very luxurious. Right up there with the best BMWs, but with more style.

KM: Winner
The dimensions seem a bit stretched, but this car looks worlds better than its predecessor. The cabin is consistently high-quality, too, and the twin-turbo six-cylinder should make it a hoot to drive.

MH: Winner
The new Z4 looks good from many angles, and the cabin features premium materials, but I especially like the new retractable-hardtop roof that gives you the security of a coupe when you feel like it.

JW: Winner
Yes, it is indeed a looker. The 35i borders on overdone, though. It depends on color and lighting, both of which can be difficult to judge at an auto show. Big thumbs up on the interior. The seats are even farther back, though, which makes me wonder about the dynamics.

2010 Lexus HS 250h
DT: Loser
This car stood out as being the most generic design I had ever seen. I’m not sure how this will win over shoppers. At least the Prius exudes some type of uniqueness to it, so you know there’s something different about it. This is as bland as every Toyota/Lexus stereotype you’ve ever seen.

KM: Loser
Toyota says the HS is built on a European Toyota Venza Avensis platform, but it looks like a Corolla, plain and simple. Interior quality is inconsistent — most of it is Lexus quality, but some areas conspicuously aren’t. Whether the HS 250h says “hybrid” is debatable, but whether it says “Lexus” isn’t so much.

MH: Loser
The concept of a high-mileage luxury car is good, but the gas mileage Lexus claims the HS 250h will deliver — 30% better than the best Lexus today — puts its fuel economy in the mid- to upper 30s, which isn’t that impressive. Lexus would have been better off adapting a version of the Toyota Prius to the needs of the luxury buyer.

JW: Conditional Winner
The timing is too good for this to be a loser. More efficient + more affordable = more appropriate for the current economic climate. The question is: How much more affordable? Lexus needs to price this one right. A Lexified Prius is what I feared they’d make. It wouldn’t have been good-looking, or good for the brand.

2010 Chevrolet Equinox
DT: Winner
The interior is a step up from the new Malibu, with very cool gauges similar to the new Camaro’s. The rear seat has a huge range of motion when sliding it forward and back. The cargo area with the backseat up is kind of small for such a large vehicle. A 30-mpg four-cylinder engine will make this very attractive to shoppers.

KM: Loser
Thirty mpg is very impressive for an SUV, but the Equinox has some major drawbacks — namely a 40-foot turning circle (the Toyota RAV4 with regular wheels comes in under 35 feet), a sizeable blind spot and a smallish cargo area. Interior materials are so-so. On the plus side, the adjustable rear seat has a trailing panel to keep the cargo floor gap-free no matter how far forward or back the seat is.

MH: Winner
The Equinox should appeal to buyers looking for a crossover that’s a little bigger than a Saturn Vue, but who don’t want something as big as the Chevrolet Traverse. It’s a nice middle ground. For a two-row crossover, it’s spacious inside, and the restyled cabin is a welcome improvement.

JW: Winner
I’m with Kelsey on the turning circle, which will prove to be a pain, but this is a good size and it has many of the apparent pluses of the Saturn Vue while addressing its overwhelming minus: gas mileage.

2010 Ford Shelby GT500
DT: Winner
It’s a Mustang with a lot of horsepower. Cool. I don’t think anyone really paid much attention to it, though.

KM: Loser
The muscle-car wars seem like a snapshot of Detroit’s yesteryears. Supercars like the Corvette ZR1 and Dodge Viper might still have their place, but I’m not sure a 540-hp Mustang is what we need.

MH: Winner
The Shelby GT500 receives the interior improvements that make the regular 2010 Mustang a better car, and even though I wish Ford would’ve devised an independent rear suspension for this beast, it looks like it’s ready to provide a lot of unruly fun.

JW: Winner
Not exactly the poster car for a recession and volatile gas prices, but hey, this is a car show, and we can’t just give up everything we hold dear — especially when it’s a low-volume model like this one. Some of the exterior plastics, like the hood vents, look cheap to me, but I like the changes to the 2010 Mustang. The new depth to the rear end was badly needed.

2010 Buick LaCrosse
DT: Winner
Gorgeous exterior lines, especially in the dark red show car. This is the best-looking sedan GM has put out in a long time, and yes, I think it is classier-looking than the CTS.

KM: Winner
The LaCrosse raises the bar for GM styling — inside. This is the classiest interior since the CTS, and possibly even better. I’m a bit cool on the exterior styling, but it’s certainly tasteful, which should appeal to Buick’s target audience.

MH: Winner
I wasn’t moved by photos of the LaCrosse, but it looks better in person. The cabin is very nice and GM wisely made all-wheel drive available. At the right price, it could be very competitive — something its predecessor wasn’t.

JW: Winner
A nice balance of contemporary and classic/conservative. It should satisfy Buick faithful and appeal to some younger buyers. I think it’s nice-looking, which is what I said of the Aura and Malibu, but I see nothing to gush at. The interior inspires another vote of confidence in GM.

2010 Honda Insight
DT: Winner
I thought it was too small for anyone with a child, but for single folks it should do just fine. The backseat was really cramped, especially compared to the roomy — and larger — Prius. The cargo room with the rear seats down was definitely usable, though. Interior quality was as nice if not nicer than the Civic’s, which is saying something.

KM: Loser
Now that Toyota has a new — and very, very promising — Prius, the Insight doesn’t seem nearly as enticing. Its gas mileage isn’t quite as good, its features aren’t quite as premium, it doesn’t have a solar-paneled roof. Sigh. If Toyota hadn’t hit a walk-off home run, Honda’s in-the-gap double might have had me cheering.

MH: Loser
I like the look of the Insight more than the Prius, but these cars are bought for efficiency, and its gas-mileage estimates of 40/43 mpg city/highway aren’t remarkable by hybrid standards.

JW: Conditional Winner
It’s clear this is no Prius — in size, efficiency or interior. So it will only be a winner if Honda prices it to compete with efficient non-hybrids.

2010 Toyota Prius
DT: Winner
I can’t get excited about this car — I just can’t. It is sooo boring. But it is spacious in the backseat, and it has a huge cargo area, so this is the hybrid a family with kids should look at. I thought the interior was decent, too.

KM: Winner
Huge winner. If this car isn’t proof positive that Toyota is back on track, I’m not sure what is. After the current Corolla, Land Cruiser, Highlander and Camry arrived — mediocre redesigns at best, outright disappointments at worst — Toyota needed a hit. The Prius suggests interior quality is back on the mend, and Toyota’s environmental image is alive and well. It may not have a lithium-ion battery or extended-range electric capabilities, but 50 mpg should draw plenty of attention.

MH: Winner
Toyota builds upon the good thing it has going with the Prius by adding technology that’ll appeal to environmentally conscious drivers — like an available solar panel — and making it even more efficient than the outgoing model, which was already quite frugal.

JW: Winner
My co-workers know I hate this cliché, but I’m going to bust it out in this case: grand freakin’ slam.

2010 Fisker Karma
DT: Loser
Sorry, I can’t get behind this car until one is roaming the streets in the hands of a Silicon Valley venture capitalist.

KM: Winner
I won’t believe this is real until I see one drive by our Chicago offices. But the car’s bona fides — electric power, supercar styling — look promising.

MH: Toss-up
I know, the Karma boasts a high-tech drivetrain wrapped in an eye-grabbing design, but for a car that costs almost $90,000, interior quality doesn’t measure up.

JW: Winner
I’m skeptical about the reality of this too, but at less than $90K it would be a bargain if it were only a four-door exotic sports car. But a plug-in hybrid? Let’s take up a collection and buy one. Who’s in?

2010 Lincoln MKT
DT: Winner
I sat in a Tuxedo Black one and found it to be every bit as nice as the Buick Enclave, if not a step above. The lone drawback I could find was the complete lack of headroom in the third row. Maybe it was the panoramic roof, but my neck was bent a good 30 degrees to get my head wedged in there, and I’m the shortest of us at 5-foot-10.

KM: Toss-up
The MKT is an odd-looking duck: overgrown in back, overwrought up front. I didn’t have a chance to sit inside, but the cabin looks competitive with the Enclave and Lexus RX. It will be interesting to see what sort of driving experience the EcoBoost engine yields.

MH: Toss-up
Like Dave, I couldn’t get comfortable in the third row due to a lack of headroom — something I didn’t have a problem with in the Flex, the MKT’s platform-mate. The exterior may be a little too wagonlike for some, but the upscale cabin shows that Lincoln gets it when it comes to interior quality.

JW: Loser
You know, it looks good and the interior is mostly nice. But with that third row’s functionally nonexistent headroom, this just doesn’t have enough reason to exist. If you want five seats, there’s a Lincoln MKX just waiting for you.

2009 Mini Cooper Convertible
DT: Loser
Don’t get me wrong, it’ll be a great convertible, but we’ve already been in the new hardtop many times, so the ragtop doesn’t do much for me. Especially since it has the same problem as new Porsches: they look just like the last one.

KM: Winner
The Cooper looks the same because it’s a look that works. Granted, introducing a convertible version while arctic conditions raged outside Cobo Center should provide plenty of ammo for irony jokes, but the Cooper droptop should have no problem finding its share of sun-worshippers.

MH: Loser
I know there’s only so much you can do with a Mini and still have it look like a Mini, but when the new model looks so much like the previous one — as is the case with the Cooper convertible — it’s going to be hard to stand out at an auto show, and that’s what happened to it in Detroit.

JW: Winner
Ditto what Kelsey said. Change is good only when it’s needed. Everything we like about the second-gen hardtop should translate here. We’ve waited too long.

2011 Chevrolet Cruze
DT: Loser
I thought the exterior was bland, but in this class bland is the norm. The interior controls and other surfaces really seemed to be quite nice, despite the fact that this was a pre-production model. However, the lack of fold-down rear seats is really a misstep for a U.S.-bound car of any size.

KM: Loser
I’m on the other side of Dave: The Cruze is a sharp-looking car, save its also-ran rear end, but the interior leaves much to be desired. I found the display car’s seat fabric low-rent, and the non-folding rear seat is equally annoying. GM had a good thing going with its user-friendly radio, which the company more or less adapted to a new faceplate design in the Chevy Equinox. I could be wrong, but judging by the location of the buttons, it doesn’t look like the Cruze’s radio will have such functionality. Nitpicks, to be sure, but they add up.

MH: Winner
This is an important car for Chevrolet, and from the looks of it they got it right, giving it a stylish exterior and a modern interior design. If gas mileage is as good as GM promises — better than 37 mpg on the highway — this gets Chevrolet back into the small-car game.

JW: Loser
Context always plays a part in auto show judgments, and in this case I say loser because it’s not clearly better than the current competition. The Cobalt, which it will replace, hit the market already outdated. This one needs to be a knockout to compete for the next several years. As for the interior, the show car’s style isn’t what I’d choose, but the quality is quite good in my opinion.