Auto Show Anticipation

I would like to make one thing very clear: the show, as a whole, the presentation, and aura is what gets me all riled up. But, there is no better feeling than walking up to COBO’s main entrance where Jefferson “ends,” walking in the door and just smelling hard work, tire bright and leather interior.

This is where I get my “kid in a candy store feeling” and always will. While other shows may be bigger or have Ferrari this and Lamborghini that and exotics that I will never buy because I find owning one pointless, we get to see what the Americans were thinking and the best they can do.

Even though I currently own a Toyota Corolla XRS, I still believe it is American at heart which is why I honestly became connected to it. Yes, it’s got the swoopy Toyota symbol thingy and the Japanese “stigma” of being a foreign car but it was actually assembled in warren with Pontiacs and based on a common design created in part with GM, which had been building the Corolla for the Japanese since the early 90′s … you’re welcome … under the unassumingly, ehh i mean, wonderfully camouflaged Geo Prizm/Metro .

But anyways I digress to back to my point, the aura of seeing an American car, in the greatest automotive city in the world, literally (-ish) where mass produced motorized personal transportation – honestly I don’t know where the bicycle or motorcycle was created and kinda don’t care – but anyways that whole mantra, if you will, is the translated whiff of bubblingly warm chocolate on the stove at your used-to-be local Saunders and Strohs store when you were young.

To honestly have to wait another day or two is killing me inside. I wish I could play hooky and spend the whole day there and forget about responsibilities and the real world. It’s my escape, like for most children, away from everything and allows you to be just that – a child – with the ability to press your face on the window, drool and dream about the slight chance to experience the joy that what you’re looking at can bring you. It’s the idea of bright colors accented by brighter lights and laser light shows that makes the dealership experience just that much better.

Because, let’s be honest, when you get down to what the show really is, it REALLY is just a huge dealership with every car you can imagine. But, I refuse to have it any other way. It works. Wonders, actually.

I can honestly say off the top of my head, as a car guy, I initially only want to see six or seven cars there: the Ford Fusion, GMC Terrain, McLaren MP4-12c, the Dodge Dart, the Lamborghini Reventon and Aventador, and the Toyota/Scion/Subaru/Lexus boxer creation.

And like a dealership, five or so percent of their offering is all they need to get you in the door.

That’s why I anticipate this experience so much. There is always something you forgot about or something you secretly want to get talked into falling in love with that just reverberates through and emanates from you. It really is an experience all should be exposed to because there is something that you will find that will – even if it’s just for a moment – drowns out the thousands of people buzzing around you.

The free swag helps too… but let’s be honest, for $15, that stuff isn’t really free.

But this is my carnival, my escape and my reversion back to childhood where I can “play” aimlessly until my little heart’s content or fall asleep from exhaustion of overexcitement.

I definitely can’t wait …

Auto Show Anticipation

I would like to make one thing very clear: the show, as a whole, the presentation, and aura is what gets me all riled up. But, there is no better feeling than walking up to COBO’s main entrance where Jefferson “ends,” walking in the door and just smelling hard work, tire bright and leather interior.

This is where I get my “kid in a candy store feeling” and always will. While other shows may be bigger or have Ferrari this and Lamborghini that and exotics that I will never buy because I find owning one pointless, we get to see what the Americans were thinking and the best they can do.

Even though I currently own a Toyota Corolla XRS, I still believe it is American at heart which is why I honestly became connected to it. Yes, it’s got the swoopy Toyota symbol thingy and the Japanese “stigma” of being a foreign car but it was actually assembled in warren with Pontiacs and based on a common design created in part with GM, which had been building the Corolla for the Japanese since the early 90′s … you’re welcome … under the unassumingly, ehh i mean, wonderfully camouflaged Geo Prizm/Metro .

But anyways I digress to back to my point, the aura of seeing an American car, in the greatest automotive city in the world, literally (-ish) where mass produced motorized personal transportation – honestly I don’t know where the bicycle or motorcycle was created and kinda don’t care – but anyways that whole mantra, if you will, is the translated whiff of bubblingly warm chocolate on the stove at your used-to-be local Saunders and Strohs store when you were young.

To honestly have to wait another day or two is killing me inside. I wish I could play hooky and spend the whole day there and forget about responsibilities and the real world. It’s my escape, like for most children, away from everything and allows you to be just that – a child – with the ability to press your face on the window, drool and dream about the slight chance to experience the joy that what you’re looking at can bring you. It’s the idea of bright colors accented by brighter lights and laser light shows that makes the dealership experience just that much better.

Because, let’s be honest, when you get down to what the show really is, it REALLY is just a huge dealership with every car you can imagine. But, I refuse to have it any other way. It works. Wonders, actually.

I can honestly say off the top of my head, as a car guy, I initially only want to see six or seven cars there: the Ford Fusion, GMC Terrain, McLaren MP4-12c, the Dodge Dart, the Lamborghini Reventon and Aventador, and the Toyota/Scion/Subaru/Lexus boxer creation.

And like a dealership, five or so percent of their offering is all they need to get you in the door.

That’s why I anticipate this experience so much. There is always something you forgot about or something you secretly want to get talked into falling in love with that just reverberates through and emanates from you. It really is an experience all should be exposed to because there is something that you will find that will – even if it’s just for a moment – drowns out the thousands of people buzzing around you.

The free swag helps too… but let’s be honest, for $15, that stuff isn’t really free.

But this is my carnival, my escape and my reversion back to childhood where I can “play” aimlessly until my little heart’s content or fall asleep from exhaustion of overexcitement.

I definitely can’t wait …

Auto Show Anticipation

I would like to make one thing very clear: the show, as a whole, the presentation, and aura is what gets me all riled up. But, there is no better feeling than walking up to COBO’s main entrance where Jefferson “ends,” walking in the door and just smelling hard work, tire bright and leather interior.

This is where I get my “kid in a candy store feeling” and always will. While other shows may be bigger or have Ferrari this and Lamborghini that and exotics that I will never buy because I find owning one pointless, we get to see what the Americans were thinking and the best they can do.

Even though I currently own a Toyota Corolla XRS, I still believe it is American at heart which is why I honestly became connected to it. Yes, it’s got the swoopy Toyota symbol thingy and the Japanese “stigma” of being a foreign car but it was actually assembled in warren with Pontiacs and based on a common design created in part with GM, which had been building the Corolla for the Japanese since the early 90′s … you’re welcome … under the unassumingly, ehh i mean, wonderfully camouflaged Geo Prizm/Metro .

But anyways I digress to back to my point, the aura of seeing an American car, in the greatest automotive city in the world, literally (-ish) where mass produced motorized personal transportation – honestly I don’t know where the bicycle or motorcycle was created and kinda don’t care – but anyways that whole mantra, if you will, is the translated whiff of bubblingly warm chocolate on the stove at your used-to-be local Saunders and Strohs store when you were young.

To honestly have to wait another day or two is killing me inside. I wish I could play hooky and spend the whole day there and forget about responsibilities and the real world. It’s my escape, like for most children, away from everything and allows you to be just that – a child – with the ability to press your face on the window, drool and dream about the slight chance to experience the joy that what you’re looking at can bring you. It’s the idea of bright colors accented by brighter lights and laser light shows that makes the dealership experience just that much better.

Because, let’s be honest, when you get down to what the show really is, it REALLY is just a huge dealership with every car you can imagine. But, I refuse to have it any other way. It works. Wonders, actually.

I can honestly say off the top of my head, as a car guy, I initially only want to see six or seven cars there: the Ford Fusion, GMC Terrain, McLaren MP4-12c, the Dodge Dart, the Lamborghini Reventon and Aventador, and the Toyota/Scion/Subaru/Lexus boxer creation.

And like a dealership, five or so percent of their offering is all they need to get you in the door.

That’s why I anticipate this experience so much. There is always something you forgot about or something you secretly want to get talked into falling in love with that just reverberates through and emanates from you. It really is an experience all should be exposed to because there is something that you will find that will – even if it’s just for a moment – drowns out the thousands of people buzzing around you.

The free swag helps too… but let’s be honest, for $15, that stuff isn’t really free.

But this is my carnival, my escape and my reversion back to childhood where I can “play” aimlessly until my little heart’s content or fall asleep from exhaustion of overexcitement.

I definitely can’t wait …

2010 Taurus: My Drive

Dramatic. The only word to sum up the new Taurus.

There is so much attention to detail on the inside and out. The materials used in the interior are soft and pleasing to the touch while the gaps are consistent and almost nonexistent. Every detail seems like Ford really took their time and is using that eight-to-twelve-week wait time to get each vehicle perfect. It seems a good attempt at keeping the Taurus as a trendsetter for the mid and full-size sedan.

Granted, this was a very short-term test but if the old wives tale is correct then this first impression will be a solid, lasting impression. Before I could even get the car to the first stop light, I caught a few people rubbernecking to get a good look at this car they hadn’t seen before and trying to come to a swift conclusion as to what this thing next to them actually was.

The Taurus is very responsive and seems to be well worth the money high sticker price. While the base price is $25,170, the salesman told me $28,000 would be the price point a customer should expect to find it at any dealership. That would put the potential owner into a SEL with at least a SYNC system and backup sensors.

For those who are looking for anything less, like say a base SE model and no options, will have to special order it that way and cross their fingers because Ford is only planning to set aside 10 percent of production for the SE trim. The SEL, Limited and SHO will be the only models readily available at the dealership and will be the only ones to receive a rebate. Not only do you automatically receive the $1000 but if you pre-order it by August 15th, there is an extra $500 rebate.

But if you are wondering why a Taurus could possibly cost more than ever you need to consider the technology incorporated into the vehicle because there is a lot to speak about. Besides the engine numbers (263-hp, 249-lb.-ft of torque) of the standard engine with a mpg rating from 17 (AWD/city) to 28 (6-speed w/o paddles/hwy) and the forthcoming EcoBoost engine that gets AWD, 365-hp and 350 lb.-ft. of torque with a EPA estimated 17 and 25 mpg in the city and on the highway respectively, there are blind spot indicators, heated and cooled front seats, a Sony sound system (12 speakers and 390 watts) and heated rear seats.

Basically with all things considered, you are going to get what you pay for and maybe more.

Getting over how great it looks and feels, I want to get into the meat and potatoes of this review: the driving. One thing that bothered me was the blind spot indicators were weird because it was a little light dot on the side view mirrors and there wasn’t a noise alert to say “Hey, you better not move over that direction!”

Not only that but I found the shifts from gear to gear (Park to Reverse or Drive and any combo of that) were very jerky like the transmission couldn’t find the gear you were asking it to go into or it was getting stuck but once in gear I never felt the transmission shift unless I was using the paddle shifters through third gear. But leave it be as a true automatic and the hesitation disappears never to be seen or heard from again. It has the ride quality of a luxury vehicle (probably because it’s basically a MKS) which means you will have to really try to keep the reins on the horses under the hood because it’s so smooth you forget you are accelerating which could translate into plenty of speeding tickets and headaches.

Without getting on it, the car barreled down the on-ramp and reached 95 mph before I got on the freeway from almost a dead stop. It seemed so effortless. Don’t get me wrong, there was a bit of body roll but its freaking huge so that was kind of expected.

Otherwise I found nothing else to really gripe about. The brakes were solid and the pedal had a good feel in the sense I didn’t have to worry whether or not I was going to stop for that red light or if I locked up the brakes then I wouldn’t launch one of my passengers through the windshield. As a total package, this car really makes it hard for the crowd looking for their next $35,000+ vehicle to come to an outright conclusion.

Ooops!

Today while looking for a job opening, I found something a little bit more interesting when I reached the Auto Mall in Troy. It was a CTS “sportwagon” that is supposed to be released “late summer 2009.”

That’s not the important part though. Things like that happen all the time when you look for it. It was the condition of the vehicle that made my jaw drop and pushed out that one Glory tear. The car look like Lou Ferrigno accidently sat on it.

Apparently, technology and time have made Cadillacs a little bit less indestructable. I blame crumple zones because they are a double-edged sword. They give in so the force of a crash is greatly reduced but the cost to fix cars nowadays can be greatly increased.

But regardless of your feelings about the car or crumple zones, you have to see it. I hope you can share in my astonishment. I like this car but I think the whole powerwagon phase is over. Apparently, the driver of the car thought along the same lines because he took it upon himself to decide the world was over it.

Before this car was readily available to the public, they did a little roadside crash test. I spoke briefly with someone I think was a manager at Fischer Body Refinishing, where the vehicle was parked, said this is a regular occurance. He said this sight is not out of the ordinary though. Fischer gets cars all the time that were only out on the street for a week or less, according to the shop’s manager.

Its disheartening for all car lovers especially those who set out to buy the beautiful hurst. But to top it all off, the airbags in the car didn’t go off.

I also noticed a “Captured Test Fleet” sticker attached to the front windshield. Hopefully this means that it was just a staged accident and not a real oops. Please, please, please let it be the former to show that GM is actually trying to make this car safer for all on the road.

In an attempt to ease my mind, Fischer’s shop manager, who I purposely left anonymous, speculated why the airbags did not deploy in this crash. He said that newer cars are programmed not to deploy the airbags in a non-life-threatening crash to avoid injury.

This led me to speculate as well that the crash may have been set up for quality assurance purposes to ensure the airbags do what they are designed to do. Then I noticed there were no data collection devices in the car and it was production ready and may have been a minor miscalculation that allowed all parties involved to walk away.

Cadillac CTS

By Gabriel Goodwin

“The all-new CTS’ mission is to bring the performance of a sports car, the striking design of a concept car and sophistication of an elegant sedan right into the heart of the luxury market,” said general manager Jim Taylor. “Cadillac is injecting more dramatic character into the normally reserved luxury sedan category.”

To make sure the CTS would compete with the best of the best in every aspect, engineers had to focus on closing the gaps. Cadillac took advantage of a new technique, laser brazing, which doesn’t leave enough room between panels for rubber seals. With smaller gaps and little to no rubber seals, there is less road noise inside the car. The doors have been triple-sealed to help reduce the unwanted noise.

The CTS was completely redesigned for the 2008 model year. Cadillac has been pushing the envelope with the designs of all their models but the award for most striking vehicle has to be the CTS. Vince Muniga, product development communications, called the design of the first CTS edgy and aggressive. He said that the design was “like night and day, you either love it or you hate it.”

The all-new CTS’ has a new design that makes a bold statement because it has a look that is anything but traditional. The wheel-to-fender relationship has noticeably shrunk and improves the look of the car. In a matter of personal opinion, the smaller gap in the wheel-well mated with the wider stance increases the athletic look of the CTS while still leaving a sense of luxury.

This car looks bigger and more aggressive than any Cadillac out there. It has finally started to show that Cadillac is out to capture the hearts of a younger generation. The all-new CTS is not your grandfather’s Cadillac. Although I don’t think he would mind it being in his garage.

The all-new CTS seems startlingly larger than the previous models, but the car, overall, has grown very little. The overall growth of the CTS is only five and a half inches. The length has grown an inch and a half while the width has increased two inches in comparison to the first generation CTS. The car’s front and rear track had grown to 62 inches, which is an increase of about two inches. There is nothing left from the original CTS in the all-new CTS.

“There was not one panel on that car that wasn’t changed,” said Muniga.

The CTS has gained some weight during its transformation and growth. To be exact, the base model has gained 336 pounds while the direct injection model weighs 29 pounds more than the base. The all wheel drive adds about 245 pounds onto both models; leaving the direct injected CTS weighing in at 4,118 pounds. Regardless of the weight increases, the car feels light and nimble on its feet because of the added power and upgraded handling works wonders.

The all wheel drive version doesn’t have a much different of a feel than the rear wheel drive version. There is an active transfer case, in the all-wheel drive model, that leaves 75 percent of the CTS’ power in the hands of the rear wheels. Once the rear wheels begin to slip, the transfer case can take all the power from the rear wheels and put it to the front wheels.

Along with a new body, Cadillac has given the all-new CTS some new jewelry as well. While the double sunroof isn’t new to the brand, it is a new feature for a brand new CTS. Dual exhaust and 17-inch rims are now standard on the base model CTS. The fenders of the all-new CTS are more defined and arched to give the car a cleaner look.

There are a few new features that are outright cool and actually increase safety. Adaptive forward lighting is one of the coolest features integrated into the all-new CTS because the headlights turn when the wheels turn. With this system, the headlights will pivot from 5 to 15 degrees and illuminate partially around a corner for better peripheral visibility at night. The standard headlights are halogen but can be upgraded to Xenon lighting.

There are chrome vents that have been built into the fenders. Not only are these vents aesthetically pleasing, they are functional. They extract and displace the hot air from under the hood. A hidden feature of the all-new CTS is the brake cooling ducts, which are located in the lower valence of the front fascia next to the fog lights. They extract outside air and force it into the center of the bearing hub and brake rotors to cool them under heavy use and protect against premature wear.

The new styling cues of the front fascia on the all-new CTS are reminiscent of the Cadillac Sixteen concept car. The all-new CTS has virtually inherited the Sixteen’s vertically stacked headlights, large chrome dual-textured grille, and the oversized Cadillac crest in the center of the grille.

“The large Cadillac crest in the front of the vehicle is for brand identity because when you are proud of a vehicle, you show it,” Muniga said.

General Motors and Cadillac have to be in love with the all-new CTS because they have branded this car with eight family badges. There are two GM badges: one on the front doors and six Cadillac badges: one on each wheel, one in the grille and one in the trunk-lid.

“We want people to know it’s a Cadillac. This new grille design is essentially Cadillac and when it comes up and you see it in one of your mirrors you know exactly what it is,” said Muniga.

Mary Major-Hill, sales and leasing consultant at Capitol Cadillac, said the CTS is extremely popular and their dealership hasn’t seen anything like it before.

“The car is so hot that there were none on the lot. There are literally people lining up to drive the car,” said Major-Hill. “The buzz was already happening then it was awarded Motor Trend Car of the Year; I think the award just magnified it.”

Originally created in November 2007