From Hemis to family haulers
9-day auto show revs up Saturday with adventure rides from Jeep
By Royal Ford | October 30, 2005
They'll be clambering over rocks, crawling and splashing through water, and riding over looming obstacles. And they'll be doing it indoors at the New England International Auto Show, which opens next Saturday at the Bayside Exposition Center in Dorchester.
The climbing and crawling and splashing will be brought to you by Camp Jeep, which sets up its course and offers rides to spectators inside the center, taking up nearly 40,000 square feet.
It's a dynamic addition to the annual show, which features new car and truck models -- and some still in the works.
You'll have a chance to win a 2006 Dodge Charger R/T, gaze at a nitro-power chopper motorcycle designed by Orange County Choppers, and kick the tires of hybrids, Hemis, family haulers, hot rods, and hulking SUVs.
Look for a new wave of high-quality small cars as you ponder that last $40 fill-up at the gas station. And count how many cars and trucks and SUVs now bear the badge ''hybrid."
In the meantime, be sure to check out some of my favorites:
1970s muscle wrapped in modern American steel. Look for the SRT8 and Daytona models if you want to feel like you're at a NASCAR track.
Late to the SUV ball, but here nonetheless, Audi has somehow attached its new signature grille to a full-blown road warrior. Hulking in its presence, but doubtless blessed with subtle interior elegance.
The Korean manufacturer's new flagship is startling in its content -- leather, eight air bags, stability control, and a 100,000-mile warranty that's standard. And Hyundai says you can't spend $30,000 on it, even if you load it up.
Edgy, roomy, powerful, and priced below $25,000. All that and a remarkably fine interior. The best American car for the price in a long, long time. And a blast to drive.
Not, it's not a PT Cruiser. It's a roomy, powerful-enough, utilitarian box in which all seats but the driver's fold flat. Sounds like the PT, but tell yourself it's the Not-A-Cruiser.
First shown recently at Frankfurt, it is a four-seat convertible that looks like a hardtop, with roof rails resembling a standard hardtop and tilting-sliding glass roof. You'll have to see it to believe it.
Another hot American car, this one is a two-seater that's ready to go head-to-head with affordable roadsters from around the world. It looks especially good with the top down and the lines of the headrests bumping back toward the trunk. After you've taken a ride, drop by and compare it to the new Mazda MX-5 Miata.
Somewhere between the Boxster and the 911 series from Porsche lurks the Cayman. Early word is, it was so close in performance to the 911, at thousands of dollars less, that Porsche held back on its possibility. It does, after all, have the stability advantage of being mid-engine.
Stand back facing the car head on. Picture that center snout as the nose of an airplane that's coming right at you. Note the wings that extend toward headlights on each side. It looks like a plane approaching. Remind yourself that Subaru once built airplanes. Then say, ''Now I get it."
Toyota's coming out with a new small car. It will be bigger than the Echo, and more stylish (now there's a leap), but timed just right in this era of high prices for gasoline.
