First up is the Mazda CX-5. A first for Mazda for two reason-- the introduction of its first true small crossover, and the first US application of its new SkyActiv powerplant. Besides the application in the 3, this new four cylinder makes due with quite a number of new ideas, specifically targeted at raising average fuel economy without hindering driver--and car-- interference. And it works. Said to get about 33 or so MPG on the highway, this compact ute definitely does get good mileage. And being a Mazda, it's gonna be reliable, too. I say to hell with that damned Tribute. This is what Mazda's smallest offering should've been all along. I just hope more people like Mazda's new design language.
The BMW M5 has always been one of my favorite uber-saloons. I wasn't alive to see the arrival of the E28, and I barely remember the E34. However, I do remember when the E39 came out. I think was 2000 or so, and I was barely 12 at the time. But from the first time I laid eyes on it, I knew I wanted it. Sexy good looks, understated class--and like all M cars, it was quite fast out of the box, too. It was also one of my favorite cars in the first Need for Speed game it was featured in. I just have always loved a hellaciously fast four-door. The E60 that follow was.. well.. I didn't like it at first, but I slowly began to warm to it. Out with the V8, and in with a high-winding V10. Awesome, for sure, and even awesomer was the idea of 500 horses in a saloon body. As the car grew older, I began to sort of appreciate it--sort of. And just when I thought I could finally come to terms with the E60, the F02 M5 comes out.
Gone are the V10 and manual option, and in place is a techno-savvy gearbox that's sure to cause trouble over the long run; turbocharging a standard (and quite awesome) 4.4 V8 makes up the powerplant, and while it's less displacement than the previous car, I'm sure it has the grunt to make up for it. At near $100,000, BMW has really upped the ante, as far as pricing is concerned, but hey.. that's BMW for you. If you don't like it, you can get an E60 or an E39--or even better, and E60, an E39, and an E28, and have yourself the whole performance 5 Series heritage-- for the price of one of the latest cars in the wildly successful stream of badass 5s.
I wrote a post yesterday on the essence of the Jaguar XK-- and this new XKR-S is no different. To make the most of this special edition Jaguar GT car, it's been given a power hike-- 550 horses up from 510, and a price hike, too-- $132,000 versus a rather meager $97,500. Of course, options only add to the MSRP, but if you're in line to order the newest sensational two door, better to go all out, right? Oh wait. You can't. Like many special edition Jags before it, this year's allocation of XKR-S is all but sold out. That's right. SOLD OUT. And I really am not surprised; the XK has been a favorite of people of all walks of good-paying lifestyles. Hairdressers, bankers, businessmen and women, celebrities, rappers.. I guarantee you almost anyone who makes enough to afford one probably has one--or at least had one. I know I would if my account let me do so.
For me, the BMW 6-Series has been somewhat of a conflicted car; it began its history as more of luxury car, with a slight dose of performance sprinkled on in true BMW fashion. In the 1980s, the car became the car to have if one didn't care for traditional luxury. Aside from the 633 and 635, there was also the hell-raising M6. In the 1990s, this BMW luxocoupe took a hiatus, and was rechristened at the start of the Bangle era-- as more luxurious coupe than ever. It still was positioned as BMW's premier luxury coupe, though, and sort of took the place of the rare-as-hen's-teeth BMW 8 Series. But the revitalized 6 had something the old car did not; a six-figure price tag, like all uber-luxury cars tend to these days.
Fresh off a redesign, this big BMW seeks to stay on top of the big coupe laurels, and with the Mercedes SL receiving the styling of a 10 year Daewoo prototype, it seems BMW has a slim chance of losing ground.
Does the new car live up to its namesake? It's hard to say-- there are more models to choose from than ever-- two doors, four doors, convertibles, turbo sixes, V8s, and the M model makes a return, too. It still isn't cheap, but its as luxurious as can be. The only downside is..well..look at it. It isn't pretty--it won't look good in three years, and being a modern BMW, the resale value will drop like a rock. If your wallet (and ego) is ready to take a big hit, I say go for it. If not, move on; there's better two door cars out there--and at a much less wallet-draining price, too.
I wrote about the Range Rover Evoque earlier-- I think it's quite a stunning car both inside and out. While the Range Rover brand has always been about off-road prowess, they've been about injecting style--and subtlety into everything they build. Time to change that, though; the Evoque is really about what it's name suggests: evoking an opinion out of passersby; it's the first Range Rover directly at the style-conscious buyer. Design originally as a show car, as an uber-chic fashion statement, the Evoque was given the light of day. In order to make it practical, though, both a two-door and a four-door had to be offered--and a convertible as on its way. I do think that this styling works; it's a strong departure from the original Land Rover/Range Rover formula, but it works. Don't expect it to go off-road though; Top Gear tried to do so, and failed; well some may cry that an un-offroadable Rangie is a horrible idea, think about how realistically a Range Rover owner takes their truck off the beaten path. Exactly. So this is purely a money-making idea--and a very good one at that.
With every auto show, there are severe disappointments, both expected and un; while the auto show in general houses a fine array of cars, there are some that needn't be there. A wide array of manufacturers are slowly churning out more and more despicable cars; cars that have no place even being on the road, or cars that haven't been updated but probably should be. I had a select few "worst of shows" and here they are.
First up is Acura's grotesquely styled ZDX crossover; from the pointy snout to the unreasonably tapered back roofline, this turd just screams "hideous" from any angle its viewed at. No doubt the horrible rear access only worsens my views on this motorized atrocity. I'm 5'1" and had a hell of a time trying to get in and out of the rear seat without either banging my head on the B-pillar or falling out entirely. I'm not quire sure whose idea bringing this shit to production was, but it wasn't a very wise one; to date, I can count on one hand all the ones I've seen.
Up next is the BMW ActivHybrid 5 series; no, I don't think the concept is necessarily a bad one at all; but it's the uniform idea that a hybrid must cost upwards of $5000 over the non-hybrid version of the same car. Priced at $62,500, BMW's newest attempt to swoon would-be greenies is, again, more a "fashion statement" than a credible green statement. While I'm sure it gets decent fuel mileage, I'm sure the same mileage--or better-- can be had from a cheaper 528i and a light foot.
Lastly, the car that neither warrants or deserves introduction; the Mitsubishi Galant. Introduced in 2004, this half-assed family sedan is already eight years old--and it shows. Lackluster 3.8 V6, a bench seat, and interior materials worthy of a Perodua Kelisa. Maybe that's a tad too harsh, but this definitely is a car that desperately needs an update--or needs killed. I would joke about this being a Japanese equivalent to the Chevrolet Impala, but the Impala got a much-needed update; this didn't. Swathed in all it's 2004 glory, the Galant is way past its prime, so much that I reckon a two year old car would be a better buy. You probably can't even tell the difference between the two cars unless you know where to look. I suppose if you really want one, you can cough up the $34,000 it'll cost, but don't say I didn't warn you.
The truly "Worst of Show" goes to a car that I didn't think would ever inherit such a malicious trophy. For decades, the Mercedes SL has been about class, style, and elegance. From the inception of the 1955 300SL Gullwing, all the way up to the 1990s R129 cars, Mercedes' top-tier two seater has always had presence, be it in motion, or simply parked next to a streetside cafe. Every time a new SL is introduced, Mercedes fans, and general car nuts, go crazy. What's not to love about the latest and greatest in Mercedes' state of the art roadster? Well.. have a look for yourself.
The R129 SL is the last Mercedes SL I truly enjoyed; designed in 1989, it looked modern for its time, and in 2002, when it died, it still had that cache that a Mercedes is supposed to embody. Finished in a wide range of colors and engines, Mercedes ensured that there was an SL for anyone who so desired one; six cylinders, eight cylinders, and twelve cylinders meant that power was either acceptable, abundant, or over-the-top. But that's just what Mercedes intended; they like having a wide variety of "flavors" to suit different owners, be them enthusiasts or just generic people with money. Whereas the R129 was classy, every successor that followed wasn't.
The biggest blow to Mercedes' successful line of SLs is the new car; it doesn't look classy, it doesn't look expensive, and it doesn't have the presence that an SL is supposed to have. And that' the problem; at a hair over $100,000 to start, the base price of Mercedes' top-tier have gone up nearly $9,000, but it sure doesn't seem like it. When I first saw the "official" photo galleries on various car sites, you can bet I was filled with emotion--the wrong kind Mercedes had in mind. Initially, I was overcome with extreme boredom, like I am with most cars, then it hit me. This is supposed to be the next "great Mercedes"--and that just makes me sad. Gone is the legacy that this is suppose to live up to. Gone, too, is the roadside presence that classic SLs have, and lastly, gone is the attitude, the desire, the art of the SL. It seems like whoever was in charge of ruining--I mean styling, sorry-- the new SL just threw something together on a whim, and said "here it is; build it". But what saddens me the most is knowing that the legacy of timeless Mercedes design is gone--forever.
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