The Automotive Way: 2011 Minneapolis Auto Show: Ze Germans

To be honest, a vast majority of the vehicles on displays by the German "Big Three" VAG, BMW and Mercedes evoked little or no response from me, either. Despite the awful sea of beige that was this year's auto show, Germany's section of the auto show (BMW, Mercedes, VW, Audi, Porsche, and Mini were all clumped together on the left side of the hall) did have quite a decent number of standout vehicles, including a vehicle that wins a tie-breaker first ever 'award' from me. More on that later, and let's focus on what Germany's "Big Three" had to offer for 2011-- and a bit later.

New from BMW were a variety of products, only two of which I bothered to care enough about to photograph; up first is the new Mini Countryman. Packing four real doors, and an "All4" AWD system, this is the first Mini that can do double duty as a "sports hatch" and a fun, frugal offroader. Okay, maybe that last part is a bit extreme, but you get the idea. I think I would trust this off the beaten path a little more than, say, a JCW Mini Cooper S. Unfornately, like most of the vehicles from this year, I only snapped two basic pictures of the Countryman, so here it is.

Next up is BMW' legendary M3, shown here in Competition Package form. The latest generation M3, the E92 made its debut in 2008, and for 2011, the only significant update is a raise in MSRP. When the car first came out, I wasn't sure if I liked it; BMW abandoned the free-revving inline formula that made the legend of the M3 so great, and added two more cylinders along with the traditional V-configuration found on a multitude of engines. The V8 didn't soften the car, however. It still revs freely, topping out at a Honda-like 8400 RPM-- and, boy does it sound good revving that high. This particular car is fitted with the BBS wheels, and finished in Jet Black with Fox Red leather interior, though it looks a bit orange in the pictures, and in person. On second thought, the seats looks a bit odd, too. Maybe a re-stitch of the alcantara interior, perhaps?

Now onto Mercedes, who had only two notable products on display. The first is the new SLS supercar; I like these, but, then again, they're almost "mundane" since every other car magazines has done a "review" by this point, so here are the scant few pictures I got of it. Too many people crowding around to get good detail shots.

Sitting right across from the hotness that is the SLS, was this.. thing. Swathed in matte-black, and packing more bodykit than a Fast and Furious Civic, this turd looks like a castoff from a really bad street racing film. Sadly enough, this monstrosity was built in cooperation with famed Mercedes tuner Renntech. I have no idea what the mods are powerwise, but you can bet it doesn't have enough of it back up the ugly. I never liked the GLK much in the first place, but seeing this hideous turd only makes me think of a first generation Toyota Highlander that got decked out by APC. Not good, Mercedes, not good.

On the Audi stand, things were looking much the same as last year; still the same great lineup of blandtastically sexy cars and SUVs. With a couple exceptions. The R8 Spyder, and the new-for-2011 Audi A7 "sports hatch". Basically an Audi Panamera, the A7 slots between the A6 and A8 luxury sedan in the lineup. With a 3.0T (ironically a Supercharged V6)pushing 310 horses and 325 lb/ft of torque, the new "coupe" goes toe-to-toe with the Mercedes CLS and to a lesser extent, BMW's quite ungainly 5 Series GT. While I like the A7 as a design, the car is nothing striking design-wise. It's not terrible perse, but it's just a generic Audi, and nothing more. While I applaud Audi for trying a new niche, the idea itself seems rather stupid. Isn't Audi worried the A7 will steal A6 and A8 sales?