Atlanta Auto Show 2005 Posted April 10, 2005 at 9:33 am
The 2005 Atlanta Auto Show started this Saturday and this year’s show will run for nine days, up from five last year. Mom and Dad came up to Atlanta this weekend to attend the event with me again this year and we also decided to go to the Atlanta Dogwood Festival that was also being held this weekend.
The auto show is a great experience for any car enthusiast. Concept cars tend to garner the most press, but I’ve quickly realized that the real treat of the show is getting the opportunity to sit in and play with the majority of the cars that are out there on the floor. Some noteables included the Mercedes-Benz CLS55, Chevrolet Corvette C6, Acura RSX, and the Acura RL.
The CLS55 featured the nicest interior of any of the models unlocked for public display; then again, at a price tag reaching over $90,000 with options, it should be pretty nice. The CLS55 comes from the AMG wing of Mercedes, so that same lush interior can be had without the special AMG engine at a slightly lower price point of about $70,000.
The new Corvette has garnered more praise and accolades than any version to date, but I’m still not taken with the interior after giving it another try. Snug describes the feeling aptly. All the floor models had the removeable hard-top taken out for display and I imagine that things could get very tight for someone of my stature with the car assembled in full coupe form.
The Acura RSX struck the best balance of features that appealed to me for the price. It has a nice, comfortable interior for someone of my height and it has a sporting nature that I find appealing. At the same time, it doesn’t go as far toward being a full-blown sports car as I would like, bringing only modest styling and power.
The Acura RL is easily my pick of the show, but I would never have come to appreciate its features if I didn’t get to sit in the car and try them out. The RL has a very unique voice-controlled console and navigation system. Just hold one button, speak a command, and the car will respond. For example, if you wanted to locate the nearest Chinese restaurant, you can say "Find nearest Chinese restaurant" and the navigation system will bring up a list of locations for you to choose from and then map a route to the point you chose. I actually tried this and it worked beautifully. It’s a feature with real geek appeal.