L.A. Auto show. - Honda CRZ Forum: Honda CR-Z Hybrid Car Forums

VTEC Mini · 11-27-2011, 10:25 PM

I went to the L.A. Auto Show yesterday and what a blast! Here are some pics and commentary;

I was the first one through the door!

Ford has some impressive cars coming. They have the Focus and Fiesta ST a long with a simulator; yes I played it of coarse.

Of coarse our CR-Z was there. Talked to the Honda rep for a long time. He asked me what I liked and disliked about the CR-Z. I told him the one thing I disliked was the lack of power. He says Honda knows about this and is working on it.

I saw the Velaster for the first time. Not that bad looking in person especially when you add some aftermarket stuff. I test drove one too. It hesitates on take off and even though it has more HP it feels more sluggish and less power than the CR-Z. The plastics on the interior look cheap along with the switches. It does however have more standard features than the CR-Z. I believe the CR-Z is the better buy. The rear seat is useless. I had to hold my head to one side to sit in the back seat.

It was the first time I saw the new Beetle too. I LIKE IT! It is no longer a girls car. It is more man-ly and looks mean. Thank God!

My favorite three cars that are in my price range where the Fiat 500 Abarth, The MINI 2 seater Coupe, and the Scion FRS due out this summer
1. The 500 Abarth is very nicely done. I did test drive a regular 500 Sport while I was there. It is a nice car to drive. The only thing I didn't like was the steering felt light with very little feed back. Kind of like the power steering of a Mack truck put on a golf cart. However in "sport mode" it improved.
2. The MINI two seater Coupe is very nice- but MINI reliability does suck. I talked to the MINI rep for a long time also. Since I was wearing a MINI shirt and a CR-Z hat he ended up giving me a MINI hat LOL! Their display was the best of show with a MINI Roof slot machine. It had a slot machine on the floor level and when you pulled the lever the MINI's hanging on the wall where the "Windows" for the slot machine images that you had to match. I asked him about the Rocketman and he said it was just meant to show potential changes to the current line up and was never meant for production. He says there is no market for such a small car. I know it is supposed to go in production in Europe so who knows.
3. A car due out this summer from Scion is the FRS. This car is slicker than dog snot on a door knob! I was drooling big time over this car. 80% of what is in these photos will be on the car. It is rear wheel drive and has a price tag of $25,000.

Fiat 500 Abarth- OH MAMA MIA!!

MINI

Scion FRS

Continued on the next post do to size limit.

VTEC Mini · 11-27-2011, 10:26 PM

I got to drive this electric car from Mitsubishi. It is uglier that a dogs butt but surprisingly a nice car to drive- around town. On the Freeway it is a dog. Electric cars are weird; no fuel gauge, no tach, no oil pressure gauge, no temperature gauge. Just a MPH gauge, miles to recharge and a a charge/ discharge needle. When you start the car it is silent and, well nothing. I didn't even know the car was on. The guy with me said. "Ok we can go now, it's on." It is a very quiet drive. All you hear is the tires and the surroundings. No vibration or engine noise. It's just weird.

This is a limited edition "Hot Wheels" Camaro. This paint is something else. It was impossible to pick it up on film. It is chrome like and has an appearance of a buffed out glass Christmas ball ornament. It was amazing and I can only imagine what a pain in the rear it would be to paint and maintain and be very expensive to repair.

This is a true "TRON car" made by BMW and I LOVED IT!!! Especially the tires. It has the exact same kind of type drive train hybrid as the Chevy Volt.

I took alot of pictures- more than I am posting here. I think this picture is the best one I took as far lighting, position and stuff like that.

The last pictures is this Lexis. I would have sex with this car- I mean it

! Cost- $500K.

The absolute nastiest car of them all. The one I would not own even if it was given to me. It was ugly and the interior plastics where cheap and didn't match up. It was beyond a crappy dash lay out and lacked any thought out design. The seat was at a wrong angle and was about as comfortable as cold granite and the ergonomics where engineered by a brain dead monkey. This car was the Chevrolet Spark. It is an Epic fail of biblical proportions.

Something that I did notice and thought of during this entire experience was that Honda, if it wants the CR-Z to succeed, is that it better get on the ball. In the next few years there is going to be a whole mess of cars coming down the road that will have more power, better fuel economy, standard features and technology. Other wise it will fall quickly the way of the CRX, Del Sol, S2000 and Prelude- if not faster.

Please leave any comments you may have.

sleighman · 11-27-2011, 11:22 PM

Great thread. Thanks for the pictures. I am looking forward to that Scion FRS. I had a 2003 Toyota Celica GTS that was a blast to drive. The fact it will have a boxer 4 and independent rear wheel drive makes it at least a must drive.

oldchap14 · 11-27-2011, 11:28 PM

Great report and photos, VTEC. Thanks!

human668 · 11-27-2011, 11:40 PM

I love that MINI coupe. If it came out an year earlier, I would be having first hand experience on MINI reliability. However the S starts at $25k. I can only satisfy with the Jusda.

Well. I'm happy with my CR-Z. I had no problem keeping up with S2000 on this morning mountain run so I'm still satisfy for now.

Hey VTEC Mini, I saw a Mini meet this morning when I was meeting up with S2000s at Sunset Blvd and PCH.

SuiteMike · 11-28-2011, 12:37 AM

Omg...you should of told me..I was there too same time and woulda met up wth you....srry dint take pics though, besidesthe rear of a ferrari in the tuner section, the carbon fiber kit on it was sexy, wish coulda grab the front for you guys.

Sent from my SPH-D700 using Tapatalk

holeydonut · 11-28-2011, 01:05 AM

CTS-V coupe = best car everrrr

dripkit · 11-28-2011, 01:12 AM

I was there on wednesday - I'll be posting up some of my photos soon!

Sadly, the LA show seems to get smaller and smaller every year.

Some surprises:
The Fiat 500 is actually surprisingly roomy.
there was ONE tuner CR-Z from Al and Ed's Autosound in Kentia Hall.
FRS Concept Car was sooo freaking sexy. Too bad it didn't have an interior.

Disappointments:
Was really hoping to see a CR-Z with a black interior. Also, was expecting the new Insight but didn't see one.
Veloster - fugly in person. Sorry.
Ferrari was absent.

dripkit · 11-28-2011, 01:28 AM

These all came from my iPhone so I apologize if they didn't come out great.

dripkit · 11-28-2011, 01:39 AM

11-27-2011, 10:25 PM	#1 (permalink)
VTEC Mini Join Date: May 2010 Posts: 3,102	L.A. Auto show. I went to the L.A. Auto Show yesterday and what a blast! Here are some pics and commentary; I was the first one through the door! Ford has some impressive cars coming. They have the Focus and Fiesta ST a long with a simulator; yes I played it of coarse. Of coarse our CR-Z was there. Talked to the Honda rep for a long time. He asked me what I liked and disliked about the CR-Z. I told him the one thing I disliked was the lack of power. He says Honda knows about this and is working on it. I saw the Velaster for the first time. Not that bad looking in person especially when you add some aftermarket stuff. I test drove one too. It hesitates on take off and even though it has more HP it feels more sluggish and less power than the CR-Z. The plastics on the interior look cheap along with the switches. It does however have more standard features than the CR-Z. I believe the CR-Z is the better buy. The rear seat is useless. I had to hold my head to one side to sit in the back seat. It was the first time I saw the new Beetle too. I LIKE IT! It is no longer a girls car. It is more man-ly and looks mean. Thank God! My favorite three cars that are in my price range where the Fiat 500 Abarth, The MINI 2 seater Coupe, and the Scion FRS due out this summer 1. The 500 Abarth is very nicely done. I did test drive a regular 500 Sport while I was there. It is a nice car to drive. The only thing I didn't like was the steering felt light with very little feed back. Kind of like the power steering of a Mack truck put on a golf cart. However in "sport mode" it improved. 2. The MINI two seater Coupe is very nice- but MINI reliability does suck. I talked to the MINI rep for a long time also. Since I was wearing a MINI shirt and a CR-Z hat he ended up giving me a MINI hat LOL! Their display was the best of show with a MINI Roof slot machine. It had a slot machine on the floor level and when you pulled the lever the MINI's hanging on the wall where the "Windows" for the slot machine images that you had to match. I asked him about the Rocketman and he said it was just meant to show potential changes to the current line up and was never meant for production. He says there is no market for such a small car. I know it is supposed to go in production in Europe so who knows. 3. A car due out this summer from Scion is the FRS. This car is slicker than dog snot on a door knob! I was drooling big time over this car. 80% of what is in these photos will be on the car. It is rear wheel drive and has a price tag of $25,000. Fiat 500 Abarth- OH MAMA MIA!! MINI Scion FRS Continued on the next post do to size limit. __________________ Last edited by VTEC Mini; 11-27-2011 at 10:34 PM.

11-27-2011, 10:26 PM	#2 (permalink)
VTEC Mini Join Date: May 2010 Posts: 3,102	I got to drive this electric car from Mitsubishi. It is uglier that a dogs butt but surprisingly a nice car to drive- around town. On the Freeway it is a dog. Electric cars are weird; no fuel gauge, no tach, no oil pressure gauge, no temperature gauge. Just a MPH gauge, miles to recharge and a a charge/ discharge needle. When you start the car it is silent and, well nothing. I didn't even know the car was on. The guy with me said. "Ok we can go now, it's on." It is a very quiet drive. All you hear is the tires and the surroundings. No vibration or engine noise. It's just weird. This is a limited edition "Hot Wheels" Camaro. This paint is something else. It was impossible to pick it up on film. It is chrome like and has an appearance of a buffed out glass Christmas ball ornament. It was amazing and I can only imagine what a pain in the rear it would be to paint and maintain and be very expensive to repair. This is a true "TRON car" made by BMW and I LOVED IT!!! Especially the tires. It has the exact same kind of type drive train hybrid as the Chevy Volt. I took alot of pictures- more than I am posting here. I think this picture is the best one I took as far lighting, position and stuff like that. The last pictures is this Lexis. I would have sex with this car- I mean it! Cost- $500K. The absolute nastiest car of them all. The one I would not own even if it was given to me. It was ugly and the interior plastics where cheap and didn't match up. It was beyond a crappy dash lay out and lacked any thought out design. The seat was at a wrong angle and was about as comfortable as cold granite and the ergonomics where engineered by a brain dead monkey. This car was the Chevrolet Spark. It is an Epic fail of biblical proportions. Something that I did notice and thought of during this entire experience was that Honda, if it wants the CR-Z to succeed, is that it better get on the ball. In the next few years there is going to be a whole mess of cars coming down the road that will have more power, better fuel economy, standard features and technology. Other wise it will fall quickly the way of the CRX, Del Sol, S2000 and Prelude- if not faster. Please leave any comments you may have. __________________ Last edited by VTEC Mini; 11-27-2011 at 10:30 PM.

11-28-2011, 01:05 AM	#7 (permalink)
holeydonut Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: San Jose, CA Posts: 353	CTS-V coupe = best car everrrr __________________ CVT + EX + Nav + Backup Camera

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11-27-2011, 11:22 PM	#3 (permalink)
sleighman Supporting Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: North Florida Posts: 986	Great thread. Thanks for the pictures. I am looking forward to that Scion FRS. I had a 2003 Toyota Celica GTS that was a blast to drive. The fact it will have a boxer 4 and independent rear wheel drive makes it at least a must drive.

11-27-2011, 11:28 PM	#4 (permalink)
oldchap14 Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Bishop, CA Posts: 133	Great report and photos, VTEC. Thanks!