Chicago Auto Show

Daniel has provided an abstract view of the Chicago Auto Show. the point of view that should be expressed more often, not just at shows but also when we are shopping for cars, watching auto commericals, or reading advertisements. One of my favorites is a header ad that was on ESPN.com for the new Tahoe where they claim that it has best in class fuel economy. This is ok in itself but you have to read the fine print to see that it is based on 19 mpg. You should never be able to use fuel economy in a good light if you get less than 20 miles to a gallon.

Has Chrysler/Dodge become the Burger King of the auto industry? When Burger King could no longer gain ground by playing on the same field as McDonalds they went their own way and basically catered to the fast food junkie. You want 2000 calories with a side of fries, its yours. That is what I think of for Daimler Chrysler, more power, more torque, larger engines, and of course the Hemi. Dan and I have a laugh everytime we see a Hemi-Rumblebee Ram. It has the sweet paint job, the hard cover on the bed, and ofcourse an abundance of HP. Not that the typical person will buy one of those to haul a cord of wood or put a load of mulch in the back, its too precious for that.

As a disclaimer I fell into the power trap. When I was shopping for a new car about 2 years ago I decided that I wanted a small SUV so that I could haul my 2 large dogs everywhere. So I followed the developement of the Ford Escape Hybrid religiously, was on the mailing list and checked the web for news monthly. But it appeared that it was not going to be available in time for me to get it before winter which is when I needed something other than what I was driving. This was disappointing so we began shopping and test drove everything on the market:

Chevy Equinox - first year of it and I will not purchase a new design in the first year
Jeep Liberty - too expensive and too feminine
Kia Sorento - very nice, but rode like a truck
Hyundai Sante Fe - the runner up, the visibility out the back was the deciding factor
Ford Escape - probably would have been the one but the dealer we went to was shady
Toyota Rav4 - too small
Honda CRV - wife wouldn't let me near one

and finally the one we bought:
Subaru Forestor - we ended up with the XT version which is why I say I fell for the power trap. It was the last of the model year and great deals are hard to pass up. I drove it and felt the g's and the rest is history. Too bad the estimated MPG of 20-23 was about 10 less than the normally aspirated model. Whats worse is that you have to put premium in it. Besides the excess power (which is my guilty pleasure) it is a GREAT car.