While some of us were checking out exotics like the Yes! Roadster at the Chicago Auto Show, Kelsey Mays dove head-first into the value-minded 2009 Hyundai Sonata. The sedate sedan may not look much different on the outside, but Kelsey gives a full roundup of the upgrades for 2009. Share this video via YouTube.
When it comes to seats, one size fits few. To ensure the family car accommodates both mom and pop, cars have offered adjustable front seats since the early days. These days, even the cheapest econoboxes have seats that employ cranks and levers to allow a surprising number of movements, while luxury cars have veritable command centers that ensure total support for your every muscle.
Now there are more controls than ever. Case in point: A $24,000 Volkswagen Passat comes standard with a 12-way power seat, which begs the question: How the heck can a seat move 12 different ways? Armed with a camera and the sort of posture only a 13-hour work day can produce, we set out at the Chicago Auto Show to find out.
We checked dozens of cars, with prices ranging from $13,000 to more than $100,000. Our goal: Document all the ways a seat can be adjusted and see if there’s a point at which it does too many things.
Here’s what we found.
There’s absolutely no question that the Chicago Auto Show’s press days were overpowered by one car and one car alone — the 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8. Senior editor Joe Wiesenfelder aptly summed up why it won the nod as best in show: “Among all the downsizing and fuel-efficiency news of the day — necessary as it may be — it's nice to have something at the show to get the blood boiling.”
Amen. If you’ve already hit the Chicago Auto Show, let us know what impressed you most.
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Video: 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8
2008 Chicago Auto Show: Winners and Losers
Through Ian's Lens: 2008 Chicago Auto Show Muscle Cars
One car I found astounding at the Chicago Auto Show was the German-built Yes! Roadster 3.2 and 3.2 Turbo. The company was gracious enough to let me climb all over the little orange Turbo during the media days and here’s the video proof. One correction, horsepower for the 3.2 Turbo is 355 hp not 381 hp. It’s still sub-4 second 0-60 mph fast though. Share this video via YouTube.
Unquestionably the biggest star of this year’s Chicago Auto Show was the Dodge Challenger SRT8. The muscle car begins its limited run later this year, but senior editor Joe Wiesenfelder spends some up-close time with the coupe in the first video to the left.
In the second video, Joe explains what makes the Challenger worthy of its SRT8 designation. Here’s a little hint: 425-hp, 6.1-liter V-8 that hits 60 mph in less than 5 seconds. Yeah, fast. And if you get it in black, it looks realllly mean. Oh, and did we mention there are burnouts in the video? Don't forget, you can share both Video 1 and Video 2 via YouTube.
Related
2008 Chicago Auto Show Coverage (Cars.com)
Dodge Challenger News (KickingTires)
Volkswagen's minibus is perhaps the most iconic van of all time. Now the automaker is getting back into the van game, but with a model — the Routan — that is completely different from its old minibus; it’s based on Chrysler's minivans. In this video, we compare the new Routan with a Chrysler Town & Country to see where they're the same and where they differ. You can share this video via YouTube.
The doors are opening to the public at the Chicago Auto Show, and we would hate for you to head to the show without first learning which new production and concept cars won our hearts and minds. Chicago wasn't as impressive as Detroit in either the number of debuts or their importance, but for economy-car buyers, muscle-car fans and families, there's plenty to see. Cars.com's David Thomas, Joe Wiesenfelder and Mike Hanley weigh in on each of them.
GMC Denali XT Concept Hybrid Pickup
David Thomas: Winner
This was really the only concept car shown in Chicago, but it could have stood out even among the cornucopia of concepts in Detroit. I loved the proportions of this “thing.” In person, it appears much more like a car in terms of size and height. And even if this specific hybrid V-8 powertrain isn't for real yet, GM could put the splendid V-6 from the Cadillac CTS in it and have a gem of a "thing."
Joe Wiesenfelder: Winner
I think it's cool-looking, too, but I appreciate it mainly because it's a smallish car-based pickup at a time when pickups are largish and truck-based. The notable exception is the Honda Ridgeline, which I like a lot but hasn't been the success Honda had hoped it would be. The difference in the Denali XT is the midgate, which I think is the key missing ingredient in the Ridgeline.
Mike Hanley: Winner
GMC found a way to make a crew cab pickup truck sporty with the Denali XT, which rides low to the ground like a car but retains the rugged looks of a pickup. With its claimed increase in gas mileage, a production version of the Denali XT would give truck enthusiasts the look they want without the penalty at the pump.
So I started off this year's Chicago Auto Show with one goal in mind for this feature: Photograph the 2008 Dodge Challenger. That goal? It was achieved with smashing success. Dodge even put three different-colored models on the floor for us to crawl around in. After fighting off crowds of onlookers and pushing my way to the front of the pack of gawkers, I decided it was time to give the domestic car companies their due by producing a Through Ian's Lens post that highlights my three favorite modern muscle cars. So without boring you with more jibber jabber about design lines and aesthetic mumbo jumbo, here are the 2008 Dodge Challenger, the 2008 Ford Mustang GT500 KR, and the Chevrolet Camaro "Bumble Bee" concept. A full set of photos is below.
The 2009 Mitsubishi Eclipse demonstrates how one small change can have a dramatic impact on the appearance of a car. Here, that change is a new front grille, which takes on the trapezoidal design of the grille on the automaker's Lancer Evolution sport sedan. The new grille gives the Eclipse a much more menacing shape, and it's a look that seems likely to appeal to sports car enthusiasts.
Hyundai is clearly late to the navigation game. As recently as 2007, top-of-the-line models like the Veracruz and Azera didn't have any system, while competitors offered it all the way down to their compact cars. That's changed: The Veracruz, Santa Fe and Azera offer navigation for 2008, the all new Genesis sedan has a different high-end system entirely while the restyled 2009 Sonata debuting at the Chicago Auto Show features Hyundai's all-new proprietary system.
The Sonata's navigation system is the real deal. I spent some quality with a fully operative unit and here's what I learned.
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