2004 Auto Show
March 18 - Columbus, OH
The Ford Mustang for 2005 wins in my book for best retro design theme. I've been disgusted by the Mustang for a few decades now. It's nice to see some attention to what makes a muscle car look like it has heft, giddyup and attitude.
 
From left field, Pontiac realizes that ribs and plastic don't make the brand. If the Solstice is any indication of their new design ideology, then I'm all for it and everything this roadster represents
Goodbye Taurus, you aging beast of inequity and symphony of ovals, say hello to the Ford Five Hundred. The new breed of sedan that sits higher for a more commanding view of the road. Now with a "me-too" blandness ripped straight from the Book of Camry.
The new Mazda 3 series puts a nice spin on the whole Nissan Altima taillight thing. I think Mazda is currently the underdog of the autoworld and their lineup is solid in design, performance (from what I know), and interior fit and finish. If i were going to go out and buy a car on a budget, I'd consider the 3, or the 6 if I felt spendy. The RX-8 of course, if I was feeling randy. Mazda is rocking. Now to get rid of the zoom zoom zoom kid.
 
Toyota is blurring the lines too much between the Lexus nameplate and the mothership, but this is good news for those with a mind on economy. The quality has been upped across the board, even the sound deadening insulation from the luxury line-up is trickling down to the Toyotas. The Solara (Camry coupe) is taking nice cues from the SL, as seen here in the tail light treatment.
 
Lamborghini. Yellow. Expensive.
The Range Rover taunting me with its exquisite woods and poor gas mileage.
The new Rolls reminds me of some horror movie about a car that had some evil twisted soul. It'd look better in black. Their site is so opulent, i couldn't even wait for the flash crap to load.
 
The Toyota Prius is funky good. It's the closest I've seen to the cockpit of a spaceship. Now only if it floated. Oh yeah, and the mixed media tail lights left me confused. So hot, they can't keep em on the showroom floor though, all the celebrities are buying them to be all green and cool and shit.
 
Say hello to the new forgettable mini-ute by Mercury. Too bad though, it's not such a bad bland design but Ford might as well channel those resources into their nameplate and kill off this brand once and for all.
Hell yeah Ford. This car needs to be in porn with 70's hairdos and leatherette Members Only jackets - it's all over the place in a good way. The GT rocks, though for just under 150,000 bucks, a house rocks more.
I'll give Chrysler credit, the Crossfire is unusual, with its boatfin on the back and long hood, the stance is aggressive. A real head turner. However, headroom is non-existent. The creases on the hood took the whole retrotheme too far methinks too.
 
The new Chrysler 300 is an upright soft box, and i think it's beautiful. I still haven't lived down the shitty quality of the K-cars we had growing up, and the Shadow we suffered through not too long ago.
The Chevy SSR is destined for airbrushed flames licking up its fenders on the hot-rod circuit. What more could you ask for 41K?
 
Embarrassing.
 
Ok, I love economy cars. My hand-me-down Geo Metro was my friend for years. Like the Metro, i fit in the new Chevrolet Aveo. And the interior FELT good. There was something else about this little thing, the exterior design is markedly UN-chevy. It's tight. No wonder, it was penned by the famous ItalDesign studio.
 
A slice of the past, ruined by gold plating.