went to auto show in motion yesterday. heres my review of what i drove
03-04-2005, 08:55 PM
#1
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went to auto show in motion yesterday. heres my review of what i drove
Wow what a lot of fun that was. Got to drive this time because they lowered the driving age to 18 from 21 
Anyways i drove a good amount of cars, and i drove the hell out of them. I really wanted to get a feeling for how the suspension felt and the general responsiveness of the cars.I didnt get to drive all the cars I wanted to and wish i could go back but anyways heres my review of the cas i drove:
Trucks and SUV's:
Mercedes ML350 Huge dissapointment. Thing really didnt handle that well and was generally not all that nice, especially for the price.
Chevy Equinox Not a bad little SUV. Not my cup of tea (most suv's arent) but it impressed me a lot more than the new grand cherokee did.
Jeep grand cherokee another disapointment. I was expecting a little bit more from it. Its interior really did not impress me at all and neither did the ride.
Lexus GX 470Thing is one big tall SUV. only lexus out of the 3 that i have driven that really seem to have immediate throttle response. you really do sit high up as i suppose u do in most suv's especially the truck based ones. Handling wasnt that great and stearing was really pretty heavy. I wouldnt want to drive it around all day thats for sure.
Caddy Escalade Well, it felt like a truck with a nice interior. had a nice exhaust tone although it wasnt overly loud. but it seemed to handle alright.
Lincoln Navigator Easily the worst handling out of all the cars i drove today. had the most body roll and really did not give a feeling of confidence. Also this is something I REALLY am surprised that people get away with.The flip down screens in the middle of the cabin. The thing blocks easily a third of the center of the rear view mirror. Major saftey hazard IMHO. There are a few different ways they could fixe the problem: one have it off set to once side (like behind the drivers head and still fold down) and angle it enough so that the person on the other side can see it, or have one fold up from the console or have it have a beams that would lower the screen but have nothing between them so it doesnt block much of the mirror (ill try to illustrate it below:
I......I supports letting u see between them
[||||]screen
I am still baffled that they get away with these flip down screens.
chevy SSR Well people got in them and revved them because these are some of the best sounding vehicles from the factory in a LONG time. of course the guys working there got mad at us but whatever. It was a fun car to drive and had some really nice get up and go. Just too bad they didnt have the manuals
And the best two of the SUV's are:
Lexus RX330 in a close second spot. It has a nice exterior design, although it isnt anything overly exciting. The interior was probably the nicest one of them. It had decent handling and you sat lower than you did in most SUV's which in my book is a plus. the thing that really hurt it in my book is the horrible throttle response. I put my foot down about half way and a full second later it decided to go. and it wasnt shifting gears either. That really killed the RX for me.
and in first place:
Cadillac SRXLet me tell you this thing is NICE. I love the looks of it. Interior is similar to the CTS which im not the biggest fan of in the world but i would definatlely live with it. But to get to the most important part: the driving. i have fallen in love with sigma.
I love how all the sigmas handle but more on them later. I drove the Northstar version which gave it plenty of power to get the job done. The throttle response was instantaneous as was the steering. The handling really gave you some confidence. It felt firm but it was soft and luxurious at the same time. BEAUTIFULLY balanced. Well done GM 
Onto the cars:
Buick Lacrosse I looked at this car as a competitor to the lexus es330 which my dad has so i got to really get a feeling for the car. First on the styling, my dad and i both liked the exterior styling. Definately a step in the right direction. I personally dont like the design of the interior (center stack seems too wide with too much black plastic that doesnt look all that great IMO. Although the seats are definately up there when it comes to having a plush feel. It isnt quite as plush as the es but it isnt necesarilly like sitting on a some wood. Driving it was kinda meh. Not as smooth as the es. although I liked the throttle response on it better than the es, lexus seems to have a problem there, at least to me. Although it wasnt as smooth it was more responsive than the es. so i guess just take what you want more there.
Pontiac G6 Personally i was kinda dissapointed. it wasnt necessarily a bad car but i think that with me it was one bad apple the spoiled the whole tree. Basically under a little bit more than average braking and the seatbelt would lock up. so i move forward an inch and then im forced to stop moving forward as they are supposed to now days but i think they have it do it way too early. I dont know when ever i braked i felt restricted in my movements of the steering wheel because of the seatbelt. like i wasnt free to move my arms. I dont know maybe im just knitpicking. My dad did seem to like it though.
Acura TSXHUGE dissapointment. I dont know what i was expecting but i did not like anything about the feel of this car. It has a nicely designed interior but thats the only thing going for it. The first thing i didnt like in it was the seats. they were too narrow for me and im maybe a little bit bigger than average sized, not that much tho. but most importantly i hated how it handled. I really had no confidence in throwing it around because it felt extremely overweight. basically i did not like this car at all.
Cadillac STS Wow again i love sigma. this car had a very nice feel to it. and really made me feel MuCH more confident in the handleing than the TSX. Very nice interior and nice exterior. but wow the handling was nice. Northstar was a very nice engine and gave it plenty of acceleration. the throttle and steering response felt just right.
Pontiac GTOThis is my next car. They had the 04's to drive which suited me fine bc thats what id get. Very fun car and got the blood flowing. I drove it twice, bot times the manual version. andput it through its paces. It really was a nice car. vry comfortable and supportive seats. and had a very nice ride, not to mention good handling handeling and i always felt like i knew where every corner of the car was, as if i were driving an f1 car and could see exacly where the wheels are.
Cadillac CTS Again i think sigma is the best chassis known to man. I put it in sport mode (as i did with the STS) and tore the pavement up. Ive never felt a well balanced car. Definately more of a firm ride than the STS, but it is supposed to be more of a sporty car than the STS. The V6 hooked to the auto really felt much faster than i was expecting it to. As much as i told myself i didnt like the CTS because of the interior i was foolish. Although i still am not a huge fan of the interior i would easily live with it for the driving characteristics of the car. My dad was very impressed with both this and the STS. When he was looking for his car (the es330) we stopped by a caddy dealer to look at CTS's but felt the ones they had there were too expensive and thought the seats were to firm to even consider test driving it. I just wonder if we had driven it whether or not there would be a CTS in my driveway at the moment.
And the top two are (kinda obvious choices):
In second place came the
Chevy Corvette Drove this once around the performance track and the thing is the guy gave u rules as to what to do when and where that i was busy concentrating on what to do and didnt get a complete idea of the car. kinda sucked. but the car was still very fast as we all have read. It handled very well also. and i would have no problems driving it around every day. especially a slightly modded one running mid 11's
and in first is:
Cadillac CTS-V Yes i would take this car over the vette. Again due to the chassis. The corvette (from what i remember) had a softer suspension than the CTSV (although they probably used the base suspension on the vettes). But when i drove the CTS V it felt like it stayed more level than the C6. I dont know, i just love this car.
to sum things up, if money were no option this is the order in which i would get cars from GM:
CTSV
C6
GTO
STS
Anyways i drove a good amount of cars, and i drove the hell out of them. I really wanted to get a feeling for how the suspension felt and the general responsiveness of the cars.I didnt get to drive all the cars I wanted to and wish i could go back but anyways heres my review of the cas i drove:Trucks and SUV's:
Mercedes ML350 Huge dissapointment. Thing really didnt handle that well and was generally not all that nice, especially for the price.
Chevy Equinox Not a bad little SUV. Not my cup of tea (most suv's arent) but it impressed me a lot more than the new grand cherokee did.
Jeep grand cherokee another disapointment. I was expecting a little bit more from it. Its interior really did not impress me at all and neither did the ride.
Lexus GX 470Thing is one big tall SUV. only lexus out of the 3 that i have driven that really seem to have immediate throttle response. you really do sit high up as i suppose u do in most suv's especially the truck based ones. Handling wasnt that great and stearing was really pretty heavy. I wouldnt want to drive it around all day thats for sure.
Caddy Escalade Well, it felt like a truck with a nice interior. had a nice exhaust tone although it wasnt overly loud. but it seemed to handle alright.
Lincoln Navigator Easily the worst handling out of all the cars i drove today. had the most body roll and really did not give a feeling of confidence. Also this is something I REALLY am surprised that people get away with.The flip down screens in the middle of the cabin. The thing blocks easily a third of the center of the rear view mirror. Major saftey hazard IMHO. There are a few different ways they could fixe the problem: one have it off set to once side (like behind the drivers head and still fold down) and angle it enough so that the person on the other side can see it, or have one fold up from the console or have it have a beams that would lower the screen but have nothing between them so it doesnt block much of the mirror (ill try to illustrate it below:
I......I supports letting u see between them
[||||]screen
I am still baffled that they get away with these flip down screens.
chevy SSR Well people got in them and revved them because these are some of the best sounding vehicles from the factory in a LONG time. of course the guys working there got mad at us but whatever. It was a fun car to drive and had some really nice get up and go. Just too bad they didnt have the manuals
And the best two of the SUV's are:
Lexus RX330 in a close second spot. It has a nice exterior design, although it isnt anything overly exciting. The interior was probably the nicest one of them. It had decent handling and you sat lower than you did in most SUV's which in my book is a plus. the thing that really hurt it in my book is the horrible throttle response. I put my foot down about half way and a full second later it decided to go. and it wasnt shifting gears either. That really killed the RX for me.
and in first place:
Cadillac SRXLet me tell you this thing is NICE. I love the looks of it. Interior is similar to the CTS which im not the biggest fan of in the world but i would definatlely live with it. But to get to the most important part: the driving. i have fallen in love with sigma.
I love how all the sigmas handle but more on them later. I drove the Northstar version which gave it plenty of power to get the job done. The throttle response was instantaneous as was the steering. The handling really gave you some confidence. It felt firm but it was soft and luxurious at the same time. BEAUTIFULLY balanced. Well done GM Onto the cars:
Buick Lacrosse I looked at this car as a competitor to the lexus es330 which my dad has so i got to really get a feeling for the car. First on the styling, my dad and i both liked the exterior styling. Definately a step in the right direction. I personally dont like the design of the interior (center stack seems too wide with too much black plastic that doesnt look all that great IMO. Although the seats are definately up there when it comes to having a plush feel. It isnt quite as plush as the es but it isnt necesarilly like sitting on a some wood. Driving it was kinda meh. Not as smooth as the es. although I liked the throttle response on it better than the es, lexus seems to have a problem there, at least to me. Although it wasnt as smooth it was more responsive than the es. so i guess just take what you want more there.
Pontiac G6 Personally i was kinda dissapointed. it wasnt necessarily a bad car but i think that with me it was one bad apple the spoiled the whole tree. Basically under a little bit more than average braking and the seatbelt would lock up. so i move forward an inch and then im forced to stop moving forward as they are supposed to now days but i think they have it do it way too early. I dont know when ever i braked i felt restricted in my movements of the steering wheel because of the seatbelt. like i wasnt free to move my arms. I dont know maybe im just knitpicking. My dad did seem to like it though.
Acura TSXHUGE dissapointment. I dont know what i was expecting but i did not like anything about the feel of this car. It has a nicely designed interior but thats the only thing going for it. The first thing i didnt like in it was the seats. they were too narrow for me and im maybe a little bit bigger than average sized, not that much tho. but most importantly i hated how it handled. I really had no confidence in throwing it around because it felt extremely overweight. basically i did not like this car at all.
Cadillac STS Wow again i love sigma. this car had a very nice feel to it. and really made me feel MuCH more confident in the handleing than the TSX. Very nice interior and nice exterior. but wow the handling was nice. Northstar was a very nice engine and gave it plenty of acceleration. the throttle and steering response felt just right.
Pontiac GTOThis is my next car. They had the 04's to drive which suited me fine bc thats what id get. Very fun car and got the blood flowing. I drove it twice, bot times the manual version. andput it through its paces. It really was a nice car. vry comfortable and supportive seats. and had a very nice ride, not to mention good handling handeling and i always felt like i knew where every corner of the car was, as if i were driving an f1 car and could see exacly where the wheels are.
Cadillac CTS Again i think sigma is the best chassis known to man. I put it in sport mode (as i did with the STS) and tore the pavement up. Ive never felt a well balanced car. Definately more of a firm ride than the STS, but it is supposed to be more of a sporty car than the STS. The V6 hooked to the auto really felt much faster than i was expecting it to. As much as i told myself i didnt like the CTS because of the interior i was foolish. Although i still am not a huge fan of the interior i would easily live with it for the driving characteristics of the car. My dad was very impressed with both this and the STS. When he was looking for his car (the es330) we stopped by a caddy dealer to look at CTS's but felt the ones they had there were too expensive and thought the seats were to firm to even consider test driving it. I just wonder if we had driven it whether or not there would be a CTS in my driveway at the moment.
And the top two are (kinda obvious choices):
In second place came the
Chevy Corvette Drove this once around the performance track and the thing is the guy gave u rules as to what to do when and where that i was busy concentrating on what to do and didnt get a complete idea of the car. kinda sucked. but the car was still very fast as we all have read. It handled very well also. and i would have no problems driving it around every day. especially a slightly modded one running mid 11's
and in first is:
Cadillac CTS-V Yes i would take this car over the vette. Again due to the chassis. The corvette (from what i remember) had a softer suspension than the CTSV (although they probably used the base suspension on the vettes). But when i drove the CTS V it felt like it stayed more level than the C6. I dont know, i just love this car.
to sum things up, if money were no option this is the order in which i would get cars from GM:
CTSV
C6
GTO
STS
03-04-2005, 09:50 PM
#3
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Join Date: Nov 2000
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Re: went to auto show in motion yesterday. heres my review of what i drove
the had a whole lot of cars. the new GM minivans which i wanted to drive bt we ran out of time, bmw 530 and a 3 series, benz e300, lexus es330, saab 9-2x 9-3 vert 9-5 sedan 9-5 wagon, pontiac vibe, cadillac deville, saturn ions, vue redline, honda civic 2 hatch, basically a lot of cars. only fords were the navigator and a focus. no audis. i believe the only chrysler was the grand chrokee.
03-05-2005, 02:24 AM
#4
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Join Date: Sep 2001
Location: Frankfort, KY U.S.A.
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Re: went to auto show in motion yesterday. heres my review of what i drove
Sounds pretty interesting, looks like the nearest one to me will be in Atlanta, GA. Thats about 6 hours away, would it be worth that kind of drive to go to one of these? Also how long are the lines, and wait to drive cars. What else is there to do/see at the Auto Show in Motion.
It sounds like a good weekend trip, for car guys.
It sounds like a good weekend trip, for car guys.
03-05-2005, 01:23 PM
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Re: went to auto show in motion yesterday. heres my review of what i drove
Originally Posted by 30thZ286speed
Sounds pretty interesting, looks like the nearest one to me will be in Atlanta, GA. Thats about 6 hours away, would it be worth that kind of drive to go to one of these? Also how long are the lines, and wait to drive cars. What else is there to do/see at the Auto Show in Motion.
It sounds like a good weekend trip, for car guys.
It sounds like a good weekend trip, for car guys.
It's kinda like going to an amusement park where you wait in lines for a good amount of time for a short ride around the track. I dont know if i would drive 6 hours each way for it though.
03-05-2005, 03:47 PM
#9
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Location: Chicagoland IL
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Re: went to auto show in motion yesterday. heres my review of what i drove
Originally Posted by 30thZ286speed
So do GM reps. ride with you on the test courses?
03-05-2005, 05:05 PM
#11
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Re: went to auto show in motion yesterday. heres my review of what i drove
Originally Posted by Z284ever
I don't believe that they actually work for GM. I think that GM contracts these people out to work the event.
05-24-2005, 09:14 AM
#12
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Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Cape Cod, MA
Posts: 257
Re: went to auto show in motion yesterday. heres my review of what i drove
Im so pissed! There was an Autoshow in Motion in Boston and I had made an appointment for the 19th over a month ago and I totally forgot!! I can't beleive I just threw away a chance to drive a C6 and CTS-v 
05-24-2005, 01:39 PM
#14
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Location: Ohio
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Re: went to auto show in motion yesterday. heres my review of what i drove
Originally Posted by sickspeedvette
This sounds quite interesting....where do you go to find out where these events are held?
I've been watching this for some time... finally one is coming close to me... Cleveland....
Of course, I was giving some serious thought to going to Bloomington Gold this year, and of course, the dates are the same.
05-24-2005, 02:00 PM
#15
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Join Date: Apr 2002
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Posts: 417
Re: went to auto show in motion yesterday. heres my review of what i drove
Man, Iwent to it last year and yes it's a good amount of fun as well as good to base your judgement on GM's cars as well as competitor's.
Yeah, it was up her in Massachusetts over the weekend, I planned on going but the weather was lousy so I figured it'd be kind of a waste considering any "heavy" driving would be frowned upon. Hopefully next year.
Yeah, it was up her in Massachusetts over the weekend, I planned on going but the weather was lousy so I figured it'd be kind of a waste considering any "heavy" driving would be frowned upon. Hopefully next year.