Automotive appreciation thread

[Omicron]

My favourite days to attend the Motor Show are generally weekdays, when the crowds are down and the staff aren't so touchy because of fifteen thousand school children running around pulling levers and pushing buttons. I think I may only get the chance to go this Saturday, though - I'll be deathly hungover and working on Sunday, so that's a no-go, and I have work right in the middle of the other days. Drat.

[Edgar]

"....The Nissan stand is certain to be the centre of attention with the presence of the legendary Nissan GT-R..." - taken from AdelaideMotorshow.com.au

It has been confirmed, that will be a steal let me tell you.

[Omicron]

Motor Show today!

*dance*

But not with lederhosen.

[Norman]

I went today, doesn't the GTR look great? It drew quite a crowd. The Lexus parking display was also quite interesting.

I'll go again in 3-4 years time.

[Edgar]

The motorshow was good, but not as good as I was expecting. Among the most interesting cars on display were the GT-R and the Coupe 60. Everything else was pretty average.

Here are some photos to share:





The almighty GT-R, Nissan said "Yes, it is coming to Australia, and yes, it is coming in a year's time, and yes, it is going to cost less than $150,000 for something better and quicker than the 911 Porsche."










Awesome Holden Coupe 60, but sadly no, it is not going to be built, no, it is not made in Australia, no, you can't buy it, and no, this is not a Monaro replacement, but just a show gift from Holden to celebrate its 60 years.




For something less attractive, is the 427. Yes, you can now buy this, yes, this is the replacement of the never-build Monaro 427 HRT, and yes, it's got the Corvette LS7 engine under the hood. But no, it can't beat the GT-R still.






Holden's other potential that will sadly never going to be built. The Holden Torona, if were to go ahead few years ago, would be one of the biggest seller in the current mid sedan market. But Holden are too busy building big heavy fuel guzzler Commodores.




Audi S5, I would buy this over the BMW 3 series coupe. And this the rival for the M3, comes with the RS4 V8 engine.



The generation Audi A4, a much improved rear seating room over the on-going B6 and B7.






A beautiful and awesome machine, but sadly, shares the same engine with the S5 and the RS4, which left most customers asking, why? As exclusive as it should be, it should have been equipped with a better and more powerful engine, not something you share with your sports sedan and sports coupe.




The most expensive Lexus model. Auto-park, auto-adaptive headlights (turn as your steering turns), Ottoman rear massage, recliner, etc. Cost more than $200,000.




The new WRX Impreza STI, it is a good car but super expensive considering what you can get with the money. Of course, it really depends on individual, I know I could get the brand new luxury badge, but I know where I stand. I love the car, but I am not willing to spend that much for a car like this.




The Ralli Art Evo, I am not sure where is Ralli Art heading, but the MR looks better than this.






Evo MR.



Of course the new FPV FG Falcon XR8.



The XR6 Turbo is my favourite from Ford. To bad the performance are being tapped so not to surpass the flagship XR8. The normal Ford range are not even worth looking. The specs for the FPV engines are not yet being released in the media, so there is no way we could pop open the bonnet in these cars here.


One more thing, if you guys who went to the show did slip into the Hot Rod and Street Machines showroom, you would notice that there are plenty of signing petition form going around the hall for a new motorsport complex. You are a winner if you do sign.

I know I did, and I can see it received plenty of response and support from the people, hope this sends a strong signal to the government.

[Edgar]

Missing in action were:

Lexus IS-F, I asked Lexus and they said, they are not on any show except for Melbourne and Sydney. Suck to you!

The Toyota Hybrid Sports Car were not present as well, couldn't be bothered to ask them considering I know for the fact that Toyota has no intention to wow the audience each year, they are more interested in selling their mass production Corollas, Klugers and Land Cruiser 200 as we speak.

Land Rover concept was not here either.

And Lamborghini Superleggera, in fact, Lamborghini did not even have a stand here.

[Norman]

How good was the Lotus though!

[Edgar]

It was nothing new to me. I've seen many Lotus and have been in one (considering that Lotus is highly popular back in Malaysia, since it is owned by Malaysian car manufacturer).

The Lotus had moved from producing highly powerful engine in a big car to now small capacity engine and small light weight chassis. But compromised for trashy ride, inaccessible cabin, and all the very basic race car needs. Once you know the price tag and look for what it is made up of, you'll feel inadequate because it really is a very simple car, in a very dynamic chassis, in a very light weight, with a very simple tech gear, but a very high price.

[Howie]

Nice pics edgar.. mind if i add some of my own?



Coupe 60.



Godzilla.














The "real" TRD Aurion.. not the crappy sticker version we get.







LanEvo



Some exotic car.. wait.. it's front engined!



R8





Vic R



STI

[Cruise]

I cream over the "Godzilla" (as it has been put) and the Audi R8

Also Edgar, rumoured power figures for the the FPV F6 (why they dumped such an iconic name as Typhoon is beyond me) is 310 and 320 to 330 for the GT. No rumoured torque figures yet, just stay tuned in, i follow a rather reliable Ford forum!

but yes i am saddened by the fact Ford/FPV fell they need to "choke" there blowdryer straight sixes to keep the V8 nuts happy :wank:

love us aftermarket tuners lol

[Shuz]

Some of the cars look nice, but as per usual, with every year that goes on - theres always a maker who went hell-bent on making the ugliest car ever.

In terms of design, my favourite car is still a 2006 model, Honda's Accord Euro. It is so freaking sexy.

[Edgar]

speaking new cars, I am in the market of getting a nice reliable economic car for daily runabout. Sold my A4, and after visiting the motorshow, some really really good value for money cars are out there.

Examples are:
1) Hyundai i30. I must admit that I was never a big fan of Hyundai cars, but recently, they have improved a lot, thanks to German designed (or could possibly be engineered by Germans too) gave the i30 a big tick. It has got the most efficient diesel out of any passenger cars you can buy out there, it has got an European look, which may claims the rear looks identical to the BMW 1 series curves, the interior is a much improved over the old ones, and the price tags are rather interesting as well. Starting at low $20Ks, you would be paying another $5-10k easily for the competitor's diesel hatch range.

2) The new Honda Accord, not the Euro version, but the new Japanese Accord. Because it is made in Thailand and thanks for the free trade tax agreement, the new Accord is seriously affordable luxury. Starting from only $30k for the basic 2.4l model, to $36k for the luxury 2.4l model. The 3.5l V6 with variable cylinder managements (shuts down 2-3 cylinders depending on loads for efficiency) is a few thousands more, but the 4 cylinder version are where the bargain is.

3) Skoda Octavia, a cut price Volkswagen. If you really like the Volkswagen sedan but cannot afford one, get a Skoda, I swear, they are on par to each other, if not, Skoda outbeat the Volkswagen in everything else except the X-factor. Jump into Volkswagen from the Skoda (From Octavia to Golf), you would feel so inadequate, because for some reasons that the Golf are more expensive than Skoda when they are almost identical, again, everything else except for the exterior look.

[Norman]

No GTR for you then?

[Omicron]

speaking new cars, I am in the market of getting a nice reliable economic car for daily runabout. Sold my A4, and after visiting the motorshow, some really really good value for money cars are out there.

Examples are:
1) Hyundai i30. I must admit that I was never a big fan of Hyundai cars, but recently, they have improved a lot, thanks to German designed (or could possibly be engineered by Germans too) gave the i30 a big tick. It has got the most efficient diesel out of any passenger cars you can buy out there, it has got an European look, which may claims the rear looks identical to the BMW 1 series curves, the interior is a much improved over the old ones, and the price tags are rather interesting as well. Starting at low $20Ks, you would be paying another $5-10k easily for the competitor's diesel hatch range.

2) The new Honda Accord, not the Euro version, but the new Japanese Accord. Because it is made in Thailand and thanks for the free trade tax agreement, the new Accord is seriously affordable luxury. Starting from only $30k for the basic 2.4l model, to $36k for the luxury 2.4l model. The 3.5l V6 with variable cylinder managements (shuts down 2-3 cylinders depending on loads for efficiency) is a few thousands more, but the 4 cylinder version are where the bargain is.

3) Skoda Octavia, a cut price Volkswagen. If you really like the Volkswagen sedan but cannot afford one, get a Skoda, I swear, they are on par to each other, if not, Skoda outbeat the Volkswagen in everything else except the X-factor. Jump into Volkswagen from the Skoda (From Octavia to Golf), you would feel so inadequate, because for some reasons that the Golf are more expensive than Skoda when they are almost identical, again, everything else except for the exterior look.

Golf GT TSI.

There, I said it.

[Edgar]

speaking new cars, I am in the market of getting a nice reliable economic car for daily runabout. Sold my A4, and after visiting the motorshow, some really really good value for money cars are out there.

Examples are:
1) Hyundai i30. I must admit that I was never a big fan of Hyundai cars, but recently, they have improved a lot, thanks to German designed (or could possibly be engineered by Germans too) gave the i30 a big tick. It has got the most efficient diesel out of any passenger cars you can buy out there, it has got an European look, which may claims the rear looks identical to the BMW 1 series curves, the interior is a much improved over the old ones, and the price tags are rather interesting as well. Starting at low $20Ks, you would be paying another $5-10k easily for the competitor's diesel hatch range.

2) The new Honda Accord, not the Euro version, but the new Japanese Accord. Because it is made in Thailand and thanks for the free trade tax agreement, the new Accord is seriously affordable luxury. Starting from only $30k for the basic 2.4l model, to $36k for the luxury 2.4l model. The 3.5l V6 with variable cylinder managements (shuts down 2-3 cylinders depending on loads for efficiency) is a few thousands more, but the 4 cylinder version are where the bargain is.

3) Skoda Octavia, a cut price Volkswagen. If you really like the Volkswagen sedan but cannot afford one, get a Skoda, I swear, they are on par to each other, if not, Skoda outbeat the Volkswagen in everything else except the X-factor. Jump into Volkswagen from the Skoda (From Octavia to Golf), you would feel so inadequate, because for some reasons that the Golf are more expensive than Skoda when they are almost identical, again, everything else except for the exterior look.

Golf GT TSI.

There, I said it.

If you have not already know, the Germans are the creator of 'Options'.

$690 for metallic paints, $590 security system, $790 CD changer, before registration and delivery charges.

If you buy Australia, Japanese, or Korean, most comes standard, and way cheaper too.

Golf GT TSI Auto $37,290, base price before all the basic options fitted.

That price is even more expensive than the Honda Accord VTi-Luxury with leather, 17" Alloy, sunroof, heated seats, electric seats, plus so much more.

It's not that I have never fell in love with Golf, I did before, but considering the fact that all other car manufacturers have really step up the game, hop in to any new cars I mentioned above from a Golf, you would be feeling hopeless if you own one.

So over-rated, so over-priced, and so standard.