2012 Chicago Auto Show Part 9: Nissan, Mazda, Subaru, Suzuki, Kia « History, Attractions, Museums &Laquo; Travel « JESDA.COM

2012 Chicago Auto Show Part 9: Nissan, Mazda, Subaru, Suzuki, Kia

February 19, 2012 jesda No comments

Part 1: 2011 Subaru Legacy 2.5, Deep Dish Pizza
Part 2: Cadillac
Part 3: Mercedes-Benz
Part 4: Chevrolet, GMC, Buick
Part 5: Volvo, Lincoln, Audi, The Green Man!
Part 6: Acura, Lexus, Land Rover
7: Jaguar, Hyundai, Maserati, Aston-Martin, McLaren
8: Ford, Honda, Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge
9: Nissan, Mazda, Subaru, Suzuki, Kia
10: Lamborghini, Classics, Retail Booths, Army, Scion, Volkswagen
11: Greek Dinner, Portillo’s, Ikea, Conclusion

New Nissan Quest minivan.

Nissan Leaf electric car. Nice interior.

The inside of the Nissan Versa sedan, arguably the worst new car in America. $10,000.

The interior is mostly trash but the back seat is spacious. I hope I never have to endure one as a rental.

The Armada

The New Pathfinder

Yep, its another f**king crossover from Nissan.

Apparently the Rogue and Murano weren’t enough.

The Nissan GT-R attracts more dick than a strip club.

A bro-magnet.

The 370Z

BP wanted to remind everyone of how hard they were being raped.

Every year, Mazda brings the 1990 Miata. Every year, I get excited like it’s brand new.

This exact car was at the Chicago Auto Show in 1989.
$13,800 with 90hp.
0-60 in 8.6 seconds.
It was as close as you could get back then to a street-legal go kart. The Miata is the most-raced car in America.

The finger-sized door handles are a nice detail.

The new Miata with an optional folding hard top.

NC (third-gen) Miata with the top open.

Even Ian fits.

The Miata is priced anywhere from $23k to $32k depending on options and dealer-installed add-ons.

The new Skyactiv CX5, a 35mpg cute-ute that weighs 3200lbs.

People were lined up to win a CX5, but more intriguing than the vehicle was this touch screen pasted to the window of the car.

The inside of the Mazda CX9

Hello, CX9.

Subaru Impreza STi

0-60 in under 5 seconds.

New Subaru BRZ, a rear-wheel drive lightweight low-cost sports car.

It seats four, tightly.

There’s some Maserati in the shark nose and some Ferrari in the tail lights.

It’s a couple hundred pounds heavier than the Miata (around 2500lbs) and comes with a 200hp 2.0L Boxer-4 with a 7400rpm redline. Expect 0-60 times around 6 seconds. With a 6-speed manual, expect to spend around 25 grand.
This car, designed by Toyota and engineered by Subaru, is delightfully simple. No all-wheel-drive, no turbo (maybe later?), and no gimmicks. It’s simple, honest, light, and refreshing, just like the Miata back in 1989.
Hey Mazda, where’s your Miata coupe?

We headed over to Suzuki. It was quiet.

There’s the Kizashi, a highly underrated and often overlooked sedan.

The Grand Vitara is still around.

Every year, Suzuki emphasizes the Kizashi’s safety. This is a crash-tested example that looks mostly in tact.

An SX4

Kizashi looks nice inside.

Suzuki Equator, a rebadge of the Nissan Frontier

This hungry girl is blocking my picture of the Chicago Bulls cheerleaders.

Cute, but I don’t follow basketball anymore, not since Michael Jordan retired.

Kia’s display was unusually bright, blasting an obnoxious playlist of K-pop.

Kia Track’ster concept

Kia GT Concept
Kia is eager to produce a rear-wheel drive luxury sedan like its brother Hyundai (Equus, Genesis). The GT concept features rear-wheel drive, suicide doors, carbon fan blade wheels, and cameras in place of rear view mirrors.