2014 Washington Auto Show - Pt. 2

Continuing on from thought on the Washington Auto Show, dealer by dealer that I visited

• Make no mistake, Toyota is still The House That Camry Built. Although there were a rack of Priuses (Prii? who knows what the plural for Prius is...) for the hybrid crowd. I do understand the hybrid tech, but the cars do look woefully depressing and pretentious at the same time. The Prius C manages to just look cheap, which is surprising. Somehow I think if I had a choice between driving a Prius and getting lower mileage from a regular petrol powered car I'd be cursing every time I go to the pump, but enjoying the ride leaving the station.
• As far as the Camry, it's still one of the most boring cars on the planet. Having driven one for a weekend (in rental spec white, no less), I can see why it sells in the droves that it does. It goes where you want it, stops when you want it to, goes around curves (provided you're doing 8/10ths), has a decent infotainment setup, room enough in the back and the trunk and is generally a well made, tidy place to be. And for a large majority of the US, that's all they really need or want. Styling is far lower on the list of things they need, as the car is a styling snoozefest. Anyone that says the car feels 'grounded to the ground' as the lady in that commercial says is sorely deluded. Still, I'd recommend one to my sister in a heartbeat, provided she doesn't care about cars.
• As a sign I'm getting old, the Avalon is probably my favorite car in Toyota's stable. Stylish exterior, stylish interior, plenty of room...everything the Camry should be. Maybe in the next model. One of my favorite features in the Avalon? A built in Qi wireless charger. That's tech going to the masses. The thing is, I'm willing to bet there are a lot more iPhone users that would buy this car (or any car, really because it's an iPhone) and it doesn't natively support wireless charging. Heck, most Android phones don't do wireless charging. But I'm getting a Nexus 5, so this would be right up my alley. It's not a game changer, and probably not a big deal to most people when deciding what car to buy, but I'm glad to see it as an integrated option as more phones, tablets, etc will likely go that route in the future. 
• On the other end of the styling spectrum we have the Corolla. How they can redesign it and make it look worse than the 80's era Corolla/Geo Prism mashup is beyond me (come to think of it, I wanted a Prism back in the days...). The front clip with the wall of black plastic looks like a bad placeholder for an intercooler (which, given this is a Corolla, would never ever happen) and the rear quarters look like a last gen Civic, which isn't saying much. Every time I see that stupid commercial for the car I have to wonder who in their right mind would get t hat exited over this thing. Then again, Toyota sells as many of them as they can make, further reinforcing the fact that most people just want reliable transportation with good gas mileage and a few bells and whistles, nothing more. I do hope they fixed the seats. I was forced to drive one a few years back when my car was in the shop and it was a most uncomfortable experience. I had to get out to see if someone had accidentally stuffed a football back there (since the car didn't have adjustable lumbar support that couldn't have been it). While the Avalon shows there is some hope in the Toyota styling department, cars like the Corolla show they still have a lot to figure out. That extends to their luxury division too (more on them later)
• I can understand the Highlander, which is a nice SUV, and one I'd definitely cross shop with the Explorer. But I'm still a bit unsure why they still build a Tundra. I don't care if one pulled the Space Shuttle, it's never ever going to get the sales traction that the Big 3 have, even if one out of every 5 of their cars spontaneously combusted. Save that money and invest it in your design and vehicle dynamics department, please...

• The Charger is like the new Caprice Classic or Crown Vic. Big, RWD, and can come with a Hemi. I've seen more than a few of these in the hood. The new model probably won't change that one bit. Although you're likely to see one with a V6 and loud pipes instead, as that V8 isn't exactly cheap or super great on gas. The revised rear lights with the individual LEDs is starting to grow on me, even though they also look like someone stuck a Lite-Brite in the trunk
• I've got a soft spot for the Challenger. While bigger and heavier than the Camaro and Mustang, and a much older chassis under it, the big bruiser is still proportioned better than either, IMO. Kudos to Dodge for having the cojones to offer the car in Header Orange and Plum Crazy purple. Now if they bring back Sub-Lime Green as a limited edition option I'd really clap for them.
• The Dart is the new wave Neon. Actually that's not exactly fair either, as the Neon was a POS. The Dart actually has some Italian in it's blood, for what it's worth. Built on a modified Alfa Romeo Giulietta chassis, the car should drive better than it has a right to, and has more interior room than the Focus, Civic. Mazda3, or Corolla. Interesting tech package too. Probably needs a bit of suspension and engine tweaking, as they just aren't selling in the volume as they hoped, even with Tom Brady hawking their wares.
• Of the cars on the stand, 2 didn't need to be there. First, who is still buying Durangos? Even with Ron Burgandy pitching them, you still get the feeling that it's only worth pitching the glovebox. Love those commercials, BTW. As for the Avenger? The less said about that sad little car the better. It kind of sat at the back of the lineup. Unnoticed, unloved. I wouldn't be surprised if the keys were in the car, just waiting for someone to take the car away. No word on whether the 200 will have a mate yet.

• In all black, the Grand Cherokee SRT is one evil, evil SUV. Do I need a 6.4L Hemi, 8 speed transmission and launch control in a SUV? Probably not. Do I want a 6.4L Hemi, 8 speed transmission and launch control in a SUV?Very much, please. The interior won't keep Land Rover up at night, but it's a very nice place to be. Those drivers behind the wheel of that Camaro or Mustang won't know what hit 'em
• The V10 in the Viper is humongous. While the quality has greatly improved over the original car, there's still an air of 'kit car' to the proceedings. Still, it's a V10. Not too many of those around in anything this side of a supercar or a truck. Come to think of it, the Viper's V10 was put in a Ram truck at one point as a competitor for the F-150 Lightning. That being said, the Viper V10 isn't a truck motor, as is often thought.

•  The Verano proves you can make a silk purse from a sow's ear. Actually, that's probably a bit too harsh. The Chevy Cruze is a decent, if understated, car. The Verano just looks and feels a bit more upmarket, even though being built on the same chasis. With the new 250 hp turbo engine the car should have some zip. Since it's a Buick, let's not get too exited by the handling, though. Still, it definitely gives the car a leg up on, say, the Acura ILX.
• The Regal received a nip and tuck as well, making the stock Regal look a bit more like the GS, which is a good thing. What's also good is the Turbo motor is now standard, giving some zip to the proceedings. The GS is still the performance tuned trim, with the big 20" wheels, summer tires and Brembo brakes. It's not quite as the Vauxhall Insignia, which the car is based on, but it's got enough to give the Acura TSX a run for it's money. Too bad they didn't opt for the sport wagon version, which remains a European only model.