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Nov 29, 2007 - 2007 LA Auto Show -- Family Cars

We had our all-company meeting at the LA Auto Show last week. After the meeting, we were able to wander the floor. I went with a dual purpose. First, I wanted to check out cars that are good on gas mileage with plenty of backseat room for a rear-facing infant car seat, and I also wanted to see a bunch of cool cars. Here are the family cars. (See the previous post for the cool cars.)

2009 VW Jetta TDI Sportwagen

This ended up being the clear frontrunner by the time I was done checking out the cars. It has a good-sized backseat (which will need to be verified with a car seat test run), has a nice amount of cargo room, looks comfortable, and is projected to get better gas mileage than the Prius (40s city/50s hwy). Not only that, but this diesel will meet California's stringent emissions requirements.

Scion xD

I really wanted to check out this car becaus I think it is so cute. This picture isn't very clear, but the front seat is reclined into the position my huband normally chooses and it makes the backseat not just cramped, but unusable. (I included a picture of the sticker to show the mileage.)

Toyota Matrix

I was interested in checking out this redesign, but they weren't letting anyone get close to it.

Mazda5

While I wouldn't consider a regular minivan, I would consider this mini minivan if it actually got decent gas mileage. You can see from the sticker that it does not meet my minimum requirement of 30 mpg hwy.

Pontiac Vibe

This redesign is cute and supposedly fun to drive. The back seat looks plenty roomy, but that seat looks about as inviting as a stone bench.

Nissan Altima Hybrid

I had a 2002 Nissan Altima and I liked it a lot. Passengers always commented on the roomy backseat. This one looks even nicer, but I hear that trunk space is compromised.

2:27 pm | Categories: car buying, auto shows, hybrid, diesel, scion, volkswagen, toyota, mazda, pontiac, nissan Comments (1) | Permalink | Alert Administrator

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Nov 29, 2007 - 2007 LA Auto Show -- Cool Cars

We had our all-company meeting at the LA Auto Show last week. After the meeting, we were able to wander the floor. I went with a dual purpose. First, I wanted to check out cars that are good on gas mileage with plenty of backseat room for a rear-facing infant car seat, and I also wanted to see a bunch of cool cars. Here are the cool cars.

VW Tiguan
I didn't necessarily think this car was that great, but VW set up a pretty cool display area for it.

This is configurator for the Tiguan. You put the large buttons around the circle to select exterior color, interior trim, wheels, etc. It prints out a glossy photo of your configured vehicle.

This is Inside Line's Sr. Graphic Designer and Edmunds' HTML Manager at the Tiguan configurator.

This is a Tiguan driving game. You steer a car through a course using the seat.

smart fortwo cabriolet
I just love it. I wanted to give it a hug and cuddle with it on the couch.

Honda FCX Clarity
It is a hydrogen fuel cell car, blah, blah, blah. Actually, I was impressed by it, especially by the gorgeous color. You have to live near the hydrogen refueling station in Santa Monica or Torrance in order to be eligible for their lease program next year, so it is of no use to me since I commute to Santa Monica for work.

Callaway

Bentley Continental GT Speed
Hello, my lover.

Spyker

Lotus
Elise or Exige? I can't tell.

Maserati
Why do they call it the Quattroporte Executive GT when "quattroporte" means "four doors" and this is clearly a coupe?

VW Space Up! Blue Concept

Kia KND-4 Concept

Mistubishi Lancer Evolution

Audi Cross Cabriolet Concept

Nissan GT-R
Pretty disappointing in person. It did not give me a warm feeling in my car-loving loins.

MINI Cooper
They had a cool (and crowded!) display area.

11:42 am | Categories: auto shows, hydrogen, honda, volkswagen, nissan, smart, kia, mitsubishi, callaway, audi, bentley, spyker, lotus, maserati Comments (0) | Permalink | Alert Administrator

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