OC Auto Show 2017: Recap

The Orange County Auto Show has always been special to me for several reasons.  First, it happens to be one of the earliest car shows to hit the national circuit and thus signals that we are officially underway with the roll-out of the new model year.  Second, it serves itself up as a nice appetizer to the much more notable Los Angeles International Auto Show that arrives in December, which is about three times the size of the OC show and garners much fanfare.  But most importantly to me, the O.C. Auto show was the first car show I ever went to, when in my childhood my keenly aware father first took my sister and I back in 1994. Gathering up every make and model's brochure I could get my hands on for my collection, I was in heaven. Now over twenty years later I still get that feeling of anticipation and excitement when I enter those hall doors to this day.

Auto shows give prospective buyers a chance to compare manufacturers' offerings side by side, all under one roof. It's as if you're inside one giant showroom.  Nearly all of the well known manufacturers were represented here, with some providing a larger sample of their models than others. This year seemed to have more buzz than I remember O.C. shows having as of late. The crowd was bigger, the decor resembled more closely the more famous shows, and there was a livelier atmosphere overall than in recent years.  Being crunched on time though, I had to hustle through the halls to check out a few significant updates that caught my eye...

2018 Camry vs. 2018 Accord
Once again, these two family car icons are in their latest round of battle for sales supremacy, and they both came into 2018 with a swagger that these "appliances" have never seen before.  Bold redesigns are now the name of the game.  First, the Toyota Camry: In its top XSE trim, it actually warrants a double-take.  It has fully embraced an increasingly edgy corporate design language, showcasing big wheels, massive front air inlets, and quad-exhaust tips, no less!  The interior of the car is thoroughly modernized, and looking across the lineup today, Toyota (and Lexus for that matter) seem hell-bent on shedding its stodgy image.  To me it seems that the corner may have been turned, as the Camry never had a presence like this before.

The Honda Accord, too, has taken up a different design direction. It has adopted the coupe-like profile of prominent four-door luxury sedans, such as the Audi A7 and BMW 4-series Gran Coupe, and pulled it off well.  While the Camry offers a refreshed version of it's familiar 3.5 liter V6, the Accord has ditched two cylinders in favor of a turbocharger, and has improved both performance and fuel economy in the process.  As a bonus, Honda even offers a manual transmission, all but forgotten in today's crop of family haulers.

Sitting in the interiors of both, the Camry has a modern but busy look to it, with angular design elements and more glossy (i.e. "smudge-able") surfaces, while the Accord retains familiar Honda ergonomics and durable materials, but with a European style look thanks to the protruding navigation screen and elongated center stack of controls .  Both the Accord and Camry are no longer the anonymous looking compacts they used to be 25 years ago, and each are inevitably going to be good value buys for the long haul. Choosing between them often has come down to simply a preference on how each looks and drives. Though if I had to put my money on which will age better aesthetically over time, I'd go with the Accord.

Moral of the story: the family car of America doesn't have to be boring anymore. 

Honda's resurgence:
Speaking of the Accord, its stablemates have undergone their own recent rejuvenation. I was a little surprised, but pleased, to see that the newest iteration of the "grandfather of rice-rockets" was on display at this show: the all-new, USA legal, Civic Type-R.  For years enthusiasts have bemoaned how we never got the best iteration of the king of the hot-hatchbacks stateside, but now its here.  Initial demand has been quite strong, and word is that dealer markup on these has gotten out of hand as a result.  As for the car itself, it ain't hiding its intentions behind a demure facade. The aggressive bodywork, triple-outlet exhaust tips, giant wing, wide stance, and big brakes signal that its ready to take full advantage of the 306 hp turbocharged motor.  Yes, no longer relegated to high-rpm screamers, Honda has fully embraced forced-induction engine setups across its lineup, and it's undoubtedly going to pay off for them.  After losing favor to the Ford Focus ST, VW GTI, and others in the hot-hatch category, its good to see the Civic Type-R back where it should be: as a bonafide performance car that will be right at home on any race track for the weekend warrior.

The Type-R, in case there was any doubt.

Sitting next to the Type-R was the revamped Civic Si, which until now was the "best" performance minded Civic we could get in the US.  No longer having to carry the mantle of being the hardest core of the family, the Si seems to strike a nice balance between being a fun driver's car and a capable, practical family or commuter car.  It still sports an aggressive look but without the outlandishness of a boy-racer mobile.

The Civic Si, ready to fly under the radar for a change.

Honda's other people haulers are also poised to be big successes.  The new CR-V has been receiving rave reviews with its redesign, being bigger, quicker, and cleaner than ever before.  It joins a recently updated Pilot, that makes a great case for itself as a leader in the class, even against its close cousin, the Acura MDX.  The company has now armed its bread and butter cars to be not just practical, but interesting driving machines, like they used to be in its hey-day during the 80s and early 90s. Here's to hoping Acura gets back on track as well.

Stinger Shoutout:

Kia has made a lot of noise with this new performance sedan. Rear drive, twin turbo V6, and European dynamics, this is quite a surprise to me from a car maker better known for quirky economy sedans.  Kudos to them for pushing the envelope in an effort to be taken seriously.  I had to take a quick look at it on the turntable to see for myself, and no doubt, the Stinger is a looker.  This is Kia's statement to the world that they are just about ready to play with the likes of the Infiniti Q50, Audi S4, and BMW 340i.  Undoubtedly at a price point that will undercut the main competition by thousands.
 
Speaking of the Q50:
The 400hp Infiniti Q50 "Red sport" was looking quite elegant in red, of course. An evolution of last year's Q50 (which was an evolution of the artist formerly known as G37,) it's got some interesting components worth noting. More to come on this car in a future blog post...

British invasion:
When Jaguar's F-Type came out 4 years ago, it was lauded by the automotive press as a real, if not more interesting, alternative to the Porsche 911. Where it gives up a tick or two to the Porsche on the track, it makes up for in gobs of style and character.  Sitting here in its "Ultra Blue" paint scheme, the crowd next to the SVR model said no different!

Range Rover brought it's hardcore SVR-trimmed sport utility as well.  If ever there was ever a time where you can get one vehicle to do literally everything for you, today's crop of performance SUV's are the ticket. From BMW to Bentley, there's plenty of flavors to choose from.

Lexus' new top marques:
Earlier this year Lexus delivered on its promise to bring back a high-end luxury GT that would make a splash on the scene as it did in 1992 with the original SC400 coupe.  This new LC500, stayed true to its concept car elements and definitely makes an impression up close.  Powered by a version of the F division's 470ish horsepower naturally-aspirated V8, it makes a glorious tune at full wail, and is visually striking in person.

The flagship Lexus LS has received a full redesign for 2018, and it shares the platform and styling direction of the LC.  The interior of both cars look like designers got the nod over accountants, for once, and offer a look that is a nice alternative to the sometimes austere feel of its German rivals.

Now dubbed the LS500 despite not having a 5.0 liter engine nor 500 horsepower, it appears Lexus has succumbed to using the frivolous numbering scheme that Mercedes and BMW have as of late. (Reference nearly ever model the Germans debuted since the mid 2000s.) More notable is the fact that this is the first time the LS will employ anything less than 8 cylinders. It sports an all new 3.5 liter twin-turbo V6 that makes over 400 hp, more than even the last generation LS600h, and should have the cajones to keep up with a Mercedes S550 or BMW 750, even on a twisty back road.  It's expected to hit showrooms within a few more weeks.

European Grand Tourers:

Sitting upon a platform, its hard to compete with the presence exuded by some of the German high-end sports GTs.  Don't let the slate graphite color tones fool you: the Audi R8 V10 Spyder does not look dull in person. It does, however, look quite long with the top down. With such a lengthy wheelbase, from a side profile it almost has the visual proportions of a stretched Audi TT.  Thank goodness Audi's lineup is full of handsome cars, because the family resemblance between all of them is unmistakable.

I would gladly take this car anywhere. Just don't expect me to execute a 3-point turn on the first try.

BMW's i8 is a flashy hybrid performance car that I'm surprised I don't see more often on the road, given it's (relatively) competitive price vs. cars like the 911, R8, and SL series Mercedes.  I'm waiting to see how BMW applies some of the neat technology tricks used here in its more high volume sedans.



Mercedes has taken the gloves off with it's hit AMG GT, attacking the Porsche 911 in price and performance. Last year they brought a matte green GT-S; this year it was this bright banana yellow.  A good call to catch the casual observer's eye and differentiate it from Mercedes' other convertible offerings on display.



Return of a Legend:

Not to be outdone by the stylish European offerings, the latest Acura NSX was on full display.  Now that we've had a year of seeing it in the flesh, I'm confident that it's going to stand the test of time as a "baby Porsche 918", packed with hybrid-electric-turbocharged-all wheel drive technology making it perform feats of cars costing 50 to 100 thousand dollars more. No, it probably won't garner all the "feels" of the original, analog, NSX.  It should, however, carve it's own path against the techno-laden supercars of the 21st century.  Or, maybe I'm just banking on that Honda reputation for reliability to keep all those systems in check 10 years from now, when I hope to be able to afford one!

The race track tuned GT3 version, crouched in its stable, is actually winning races for the brand, and even available for purchase.

Behind the velvet rope:

Downstairs in the lower hall was a full on "exotics row" of high end sports cars, mostly sponsored by Newport Beach's exclusive dealers.  This was a "look but don't touch" exhibit of some seriously expensive machines, including Lamborghinis, Ferraris, McLarens and more.

The new Aston Martin DB11. Longer, lighter, faster, and still elegant. 007 would be proud.

A Bugatti Veyron and it's 1000hp is now old news, can you believe it? #Chiron

The Ferrari LaFerrari. Arguably the last word in the 'hypercar' world. Too bad all of them are taken, darn it. #dreamon

There were other brands that I had checked out as well; some impressive, some best described as "eh".  For instance: Mazda's current design direction is really hitting it's stride, and the CX-9 seven passenger SUV is on my short list for buyers who want a nice to drive alternative to the usual soccer-mom mobiles.  Cadillac is no longer the brand for pensioners and retirees.  Their CTS-V now goes to toe-to-toe with the worlds best drivers cars, and the ATS proves that GM knows how to do small-car chassis right, when they want to.  And Volvo's beautiful new XC90, XC60, and S90 have become seriously elegant automobiles inside and out.

Subtle no more.The "M"750i is the latest to shout about the options selected.

On the other hand BMW does not feel organic to me anymore in regards to their styling or dynamics. Sure, they have all of the latest in luxury gadgets and powerful engines to run with the best out there.  But most peculiarly, I'm not sure what they want to be anymore. With many of their sedans now devoid of that hallmark steering feel that made them famous, and styling that seems a bit...off, I'm not sure that the magic and allure of the BMW brand is still there, at least for me. Either way, as a former owner of three different BMW models, I'm somewhat disheartened by their current offerings, no matter how much horsepower they pack into them.  If old-school BMW feel in a modern offering is what you desire, the current 2 series with an M-sport package is actually the best bet.

Behold, a 5 series clean enough for the HOV lane. Also new to the 5, it looks boring.

Acura and Nissan are on the cusp of changing directions with their offerings, but in the meantime, lack a lot of excitement in the lineup save for their flagship supercars, the NSX and GT-R, respectively.

After 9 years, a bit of a refresh doesn't prevent the latest (last?) GTR from feeling long in the tooth. "Godzilla" will still bite your head off though.

All in all, I enjoyed my short run through this year's O.C. Auto Show, and have a good idea on which models I'd like to spend more time on when the L.A. Auto Show sets up shop in December.  The Frankfurt motor show in Germany is the next big international show, and along with Tokyo and Detroit, these are among the most significant events for OE manufacturers to showcase what they are bringing to the table in the coming year as well as concept designs that may influence later models. One day I hope to travel to them all, but for now, I'm thankful I still have these local ones right in my backyard!