While at the D.C. Auto Show I decided to take a unscientific poll. Asked several bystanders which they perfer 06 Lexus GS 430 (Actually they had the GS 300 on display) , Infiniti M45, Acura RL. Well, It seems the older crowd like the GS 430, and the 30-40 crowd loved the M45. For the older crowd it was the excessive chrome (IMHO, too much chrome). RL was mostly loved by the Techno Gadget crowd. But was not many people around the RL, there sure was a crowd around infiniti. Older crowd was around Lexus mostly, but not as many as Infiniti. Personally, if they put he GS interior in the M45, I would consider becoming a Nissan man again. Oh Well. I will be waiting 4 years for the off lease model anyway so by that time, the GS should grow on me. Hell, it took 4 years for the current model to catch my attention. THis is your local reporter signing out.

P.S. 15 years to retirement. That burgundy C6 had my name all over it. Thank God for 401k plans.

 

From what I saw at the show, the Ford GT in general drew the largest crowds.....even though most of the people there could not actually buy one for several reasons. The new Mustang GT perhaps took second place.

As far as the sport sedans you mention, the G35 drew more attention than any of them....including its new big-brother 2006 M45. Hard to say why....my guess is because unlike the others, it had sedan, coupe, and AWD versions all three. ( As you saw, the AWD GS300 was not displayed there, only the RWD model).

The previous RL and M45 were essentially very conservative Japanese Buicks ( the M45 being a rather high-powered one), and perhaps the public is having trouble associating their sportier replacements with the same former nameplates.

You stress interior quality a lot.. For the money (20-30K), I thought the 2005 Subaru Legacys and Outbacks clearly had the best interiors there. Their fit-and-finish, for the moderate price, was absolutely stunning. Do you agree?