Went to the car show... (no pics, just discussion)

[Duck Vader]

Over the weekend I went to the Portland Auto Show. Was given free tickets from Chevy and parked about 1/2 mile away at the mall so didn't have to pay for parking. Figured why not since wasn't going to cost us anything to go.

Figured this would be a good place to discuss some of my thoughts on the vehicles I saw, sat in, etc.

BMW:

Honestly was very bored with these recently. Still feel the same way. I don't know if too common place now or what, but looking at them I felt nothing. Didn't matter if it was a M or not. Sat in a couple and of course I don't fit well being a big guy. The i8 roadster was cool looking, but that was about it. Rather disappointed overall.

Audi:

New RS5 was nice, and of course the R8 is still the "supercar" I would probably end up buying if I had the money. Other than that, again, kind of felt like BMW, just more of the same and a bit boring now.

Volvo:

Meh - boring and nothing I even wanted to see.

Porsche:

Sat in a Macan and could barely move. Less room than my Volt. So although I have always liked them, there is no way I would ever get one. Way too tight and small everywhere. Cayenne was a bit better, but again, too small for me to be comfortable. However, if the german cars, I think I am starting to fall for the Porsche in the looks department, even if I can't fit.

Mercedes:

Same as BMW. Nothing stood out. Felt more of the same old shit.

Lexus:

Still can't stand the front of these things with that big ass grille, but did like the looks of the LC 500, but it better look nice for a damn near $100k car. Of course I wouldn't want to own one, but it did look really nice. That was the only Lexus that stood out to me. Rest felt just bleh.

Jaguar:

Nothing new. Same old stuff.

Land Rover:

Still not sure how I felt about the Range Rover Velar. It was good looking, but being a Range Rover of course you have to worry about reliability and that puts a big dent in how I feel about it. No matter how nice it looks it has that feeling of "this is going to break, I just know it". So ruins it for me. That was the only Land Rover that I honestly noticed. All others just blended in.

Alfa:

Pretty cars, but didn't really look at them. Just walked by the exhibit.

Ford:

New Ranger is cool looking in person, but again, because of my size, very uncomfortable for me. Even with the seat all the way back and wheel up I felt like I had less room than the Volt. If I was going to pay money for one I would go full-size and not regret a minute of it. F-150 was the most comfortable thing I sat in all day. Great outward visibility for a truck. Comfortable seating. Plenty of room. If I had to buy a new truck today it would be at the top of my list. New Ford Explorer was also very comfortable. For a mid-size SUV it was again the most comfortable and overall nicest for the money when it comes to US made. That is saying something since I am a GM fan boy. Interior or both quality was nice, but not a huge fan of layout/looks, but could live with it for sure for the comfort. Didn't look at any Ford cars. Just not interested in any of them. Not like they are going to be making them for us anymore anyway.

Nissan/Hyundai/VW/Buick/Acura/Lincoln/Infiniti/Mini:

Just walked through the areas. Nothing of interest. Just more of the same crap that they have been chugging out for years.

Honda:

Sat in the new Passport, Ridgeline, and CR-V. All extremely uncomfortable. Not much else to say. The Passport looks nice and is probably one of the best for the money, but I wouldn't last 20 min in it before I would have to get out. Same with the CR-V. Even smaller. Ridgeline as just meh as well. Uncomfortable and ugly if you ask me.

Ferrari:

Highly disappointing. Boring looks now compared to the competition.

Maserati:

Same as Ferrari. Bored the hell out of me. Very dull.

Lambo:

New Urus is cool as hell looking in person. Of course it was a see and don't touch exhibit, but man it looked good.

McLaren:

MMMMmmmmm. That is all I have to say about that. Still in my opinion the current best looking supercars on the market.

Kia:

New Soul looks OK in person. Not enough of a difference in my opinion to justify trading up our current gen one. Interior is still the same. Unless they come out with an AWD version see no reason why we just won't buy out our current one at lease end. Niro was also kind of nice. If we were on the market again for something new for my wife it would be between the Niro and Soul. Would probably pick the Soul, but would be a close call. Not the most comfortable for me, but better that the competition (Honda, Toyota, etc).

Toyota:

Didn't care to look at much here. Sat in a new Tacoma and of course was highly uncomfortable. Just need to get something full-size. Was also surprised at how cheap the interior was. Door panels flexed bad and everything felt super cheap for the price.

GMC/Chevy:

Not sure how I feel about these guys right now. Can't tell if biased since GM fan boy, but was actually disappointed. Canyon/Colorado = same issue with all other smaller trucks. Although the most comfortable of the small ones, they are still too small inside for me to be comfortable. Full-size trucks I am super mixed on. The new 1500 looks good in person, and I love the interior design, but the Ford is more comfortable. Much more leg room in the 1500. Actually had to move the seat forward to reach the pedals. But the was the door/B pillar is designed I had less room in the shoulder area than the F-150. If I was buying a new truck today it would be between the two, and would actually lean towards the Ford. The new Blazer I feel the same way about the new Cherokee. Wrong platform to bring the name back to. It was nice and ok for comfort, but again, if spending the money, would get a used full-size Tahoe over it. Definitely not something I would buy.

Subaru:

More of the same, but was surprised by only one. The Forester. Outback didn't have the shoulder room to be comfy. Same with Crosstrek. If I were to buy a Subaru today it would the Forester. Surprisingly comfy and actually decently roomy in the shoulder area.

Chrysler/Dodge/Fiat/Ram/Jeep:

Same feeling as the Land Rover. The reliability problems just put this feeling in me that makes it hard to like these. Ram looks too "big" to me. Comfort of course is fine since full-size, but if the top 3 (Ford, Chevy, Ram) it does sit in last place for me. Cars are nothing new. Just same old shit again. Did see the new Jeep Gladiator in person though. They are going to sell a shit ton of those. You can just tell by the looks. Honestly, although kind of ugly, it was probably the most interesting thing I saw all day. They are going to have trouble keeping those on the lots. If it wasn't for reliability concerns and my disdain for Fiat/Chrysler as a company I would seriously think about getting one.



Overall I feel like there just isn't anything "new and exciting" anymore. Just more and more of the same things over and over again. Even the "new" stuff feels "meh" to me (Blazer, Ranger, etc). Honestly at this point, if I were to buy something to replace the Volt, even if money wasn't an issue, it would not be anything new. Nothing out there currently would justify the price. :d ontknow: