Justblink778 and myself went to the New Orleans Auto show today.We basically went to every manufacturer but BMW, Benz and Mazda.Our mission. - Quality checks!We jiggled door handles, shut doors over and over and listened for clanks and rattles, felt interior trim and upholstery, opened and closed little cubbies, turned, pushed and rotated knobs to test how tactile their feedback was, and played with a few navi systems!I'm going to list off a few brands and some impressions.Cadillac - Great designs that are edgy and sophisticated, but quality wasn't all there, and we both would have a problem paying upwards of 40-50k for a car like the CTS, as it just doesn't have the fit and finish of a car in that price range. There were a lot of cheaply buttons with metallic finishes that I can see wearing rather quickly.Saturn - Aura and Outlook - The Aura was a major disappointment, and really made me feel like it was just slapped together in 5 or 10 minutes. I've driven this vehicle, and while it drives quite nicely, the interior is where you'll be spending most of your time, and it just doesn't impress. The Climate control knobs had a nice weighty feeling though.The Outlook is great in the front seats, though it suffers from typical GM fit and finish inabilities, and there were a few chintzy items like the steering wheel controls and door pulls. Back seat has no foot room whatsoever, and for anyone over 6ft, that will make for a not so comfortable long ride.Pontiac G8 - Great looking car, looks well made, still see little to no market for it. I'm sure once the discounts roll in they'll make great replacements for those aging grand prix's down at enterprise!The G5/Cobalt is such a sad vehicle. The door handle felt like you could break it off, the trunk wasn't lined up right, and it was just sad. Just sad. Lets hope they do better come next time around.Nissan! - Boy oh boy. I could stick my finger in the gap on the left side of an altima's trunk lid, and the quality difference from one car to another was quite noticeable. Better than the domestics, but still, a poor showing and it knocked the Altima off Paul's list of cars to replace his 05 Accord.Lexus - Wow you really do get what you pay for! Such astounding fit and finish in these cars. Just breathtaking. The IS250/350 have such useless back seats that they might as well not be there. Once the seat was moved up far enough though, it was pretty comfortable. Horrible use of space though, but I guess the RWD has all to do with that.Acura - For such a dated product line, these cars still look nice and all feel very solid. We both love the TSX and I think it's a phenomenal value. The RL is by far my favorite though. The Post-mmc TL ended my love affair with TL's. Everything about these cars feels very high quality, and close enough to a Lexus for the price difference.Honda - The Accord is what I spent most of my time in and I love it! Everything feels so good and the nice solid feeling of everything about it. They just keep getting better and better! I can't wait to drive my dad's new Accord when I go to visit him this summer. The Navi system is wonderful and I enjoyed talking with it. Once again, Honda brings it in the quality department.Infiniti - EX35 is a really nice car on the inside. Too bad the rear seat is junk, and rear visibility is non existent. Love the sound system and the Nav controls, though a bit complicated.Toyota - Great cars, trucks, but still, nothing really special to me. The Tundra I sat it had a very fragile feeling door pull on the inside. And the noise it made wasn't pleasant. I hope it was a one car defect.I had Paul take this photo of me and the Tundra for Steven! - I was originally going to make a joke that a rattle in my Accord drove me to the point of buying a Tundra, but decided to just let this cat out of the bag now. I also spent time looking at Kias, which are all painfully outdated and in need of attention from its parent brand, Hyundai. The new Sonata dash is great, but the steering wheel on the non leather one I sat in was just awful and plasticy. Very generic all over for the most part (not to mention the all red taillights for the MMC? Copy of an 05 Accord styling change if you ask me.). I'd consider it if budget were my main priority. We checked out the Veracruz as well, and I just can't stomach 33k for a Hyundai. Good 'everyday' vehicles for people who want a decent car for a good price. I still won't buy one over a Honda/Toyota.Overall, my faith in Honda/Acuras ability to create a good mix of all the things important to me still stands, and I was only breath-taken by Lexus, and one day I'll be glad to cut a big check and buy one.I do love that new Accord though! - The in person experience is so much more fulfilling than photos etc.Just my thoughts!Thanks for reading.
