Boston Auto Show, 600 Cars on Display, Something for Everyone
Detroit or Boston. It’s an obvious choice, isn’t it? Those of us living here know how good we have it, from the world-class schools to the quadruple threat of our pro sports teams. This is not a dying city – it’s full of intense, growing, virile energy. But in January, at least among the auto industry, Detroit is king. Still, even though we won’t ever be home to a major auto event, last week’s New England International Show brought plenty of impressive technology and new product to the stage. Here’s what you missed.
Ford is having a breakout year. The best-selling F-150 is all-new—and by best, we mean it’s the most popular vehicle for the past 32 years straight. There’s an unusual amount of innovation in this everyman’s pickup truck. An expensive, all-aluminum body trims weight and promises fuel savings, plus it’s supposed to be somewhat inexpensive to repair in a crash, an attribute that aluminum doesn’t typically carry. Ford is banking on truck drivers to buy in, and given the endless configurations available, it shouldn’t be too hard of a sell.
Then there’s the 2015 Mustang (which brings some aluminum to the fenders and hood) and is truly attractive to sports car buyers who wouldn’t have previously considered a Mustang at all. The 2016 Explorer also got a refresh at the show, with new 2.3-liter turbocharged engines, real buttons and knobs to replace the awful touch-sensitive controls, and a new top-level Platinum trim.
You might not notice any changes on the Honda CR-V, America’s best-selling crossover, but you’d be wrong. A new CVT transmission and a higher-torque 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine give this all-wheel drive compact some added scoot. The interior materials are vastly improved, namely with the soft-touch, one-piece dashboard.
Since buyers can’t stop buying these raised hatchbacks, BMW brought over the new X4, a curvier version of its compact X3 (and a mimicry of the larger X6, itself a derivative of the midsize X5). There’s lots of headroom but little sense in the heads of drivers who may purchase one, given the premium over the X3, which at its core is the same car. The new Audi Q3 is more sensible and simply shrinks the popular Q5 down a couple belt notches. It’s packed with Audi’s latest Google-enabled 3D maps and Internet apps that have given all of its cars a real technological edge. Try one, and you’ll see why other automakers are running to keep up.
Chrysler demonstrated that tweaking, not overhauling, is the only thing necessary to keep a great design going strong. That’s the case with the refreshed 300 sedan, which receives a larger grille and just enough body changes to keep this Rolls-Royce wannabe fresh. The 300S, a sportier trim with a specially-tuned suspension and steering, is new for 2015. Gone is the muscled 300 SRT8 and its insane 470-hp V8. You’ll have to go over to Dodge (and its pair of 707-hp Hellcats) for those thrills. Fiat also tried to convince Bostonians that it’s a viable brand and not just the Italian overlord of Chrysler. The new 500X, a lifted and thoroughly better version of the awkward 500L, shares the same chassis as the Jeep Renegade. It has to do better, or else the roughly 130 Fiat dealers in Massachusetts will be wishing they’d never signed up for the franchise.
The occasional hydrogen car was also thrown into the mix, like the Toyota Mirai. It’s quite a stretch to see this “car of the future’’ on display, as there are no hydrogen refueling stations at all in our region, except in Connecticut. The concept is a breath of fresh air—literally, as the only exhaust is water vapor—but the Mirai and others like it from Honda and Hyundai will be relegated to Southern California for the foreseeable future.
For our dreaming eyes, of the more than 600 cars on display at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, the cars cordoned off with velvet ropes caught the most attention. The Lamborghini Huracan is a quarter-million dollar spaceship that thankfully feels much easier and safer to drive than its predecessor, the Gallardo. And who can resist fawning over a Bentley or Rolls-Royce?
At whatever tax bracket you happen to be in 2015, there’s something overwhelmingly positive about most every new car. Automakers are building them lighter, faster, more efficient, safer, more comfortable, and designing them to integrate with our portable electronics and Internet-obsessed world like never before. Sure, prices are always creeping higher, but if you’re like this author and wish to treat yourself to something fun, guess what? The sheer amount of great competition has made car shopping a buyer’s market. Make a deal, and beyond all else, make a new year’s resolution to pick something you’ll truly enjoy driving every day.
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com