BMW stands out at the Calgary Auto Show

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Just spent a large part of today at the Calgary Auto Show .. nothing special, just a collection of the local dealerships selling their vehicles and some after market guys.

I have to say, outside of the exotics, the BMW cars really stand out among a sea of bland, cheap and somewhat boring cars.

I was disappointed that there was no 335i Coupe, no Z4, no M3, and so on. But what it did have was the new 1M, the new 650i Convertible, and the new (to Canada) X1. What a great collection of cars. The 6-series is truly stunning, and the 1M is a very cool car. I also loved the 5-series .. if I were a bit older, I'd be all over that.

I'm helping my wife shop for a new car, and everything else out there seems very disappointing thus far. The Subari STi looks hot from the outside, but once you open the door, it's cheap budget rental car territory. Same with the Mitsu EVO - surely a great car; but I couldn't help but feel I was sitting in a rental Hyundai from my last trip to Florida.

VW has gone downhill (fast) .. there was a clock in the Passat that resembled a cheap 80's egg-timer, and the leather seats looked (and felt) horrible.

I can't find any love with Audi either. Lots of people online say how cool the A4 interior is. To me, it appeared cheap compared to my 'dated' 3-series. The plastic certainly seems a grade lower. The A3 looks from a previous generation, in fact, it probably is. Nice efficient engine though (that is the goal of my wifes new car, btw!).

GM - what a truly horrible experience. Their cars feel so antiquated that I could not bare to site inside for more than a few minutes. People who desire to buy cars such as the 'Orlando', 'Spark' and 'Sonic' must have led a truly boring life up until now. Additionally, the big SUV's and trucks can only appeal to those with no taste, or those wishing an extension to their man sausage (to quote a certain man).

Saab was interesting, especially being a previous owner. The new 9-5 is comfy, the 9-3's still look cool. But I could not help feel sorry for the sales guys who had brought around 6 or 7 Saabs to the show, only to be faced with ZERO interest from the public. I tried by best to entertain them, but didn't take long to admit I abandoned Saab for BMW, much to their dismay. Saab is really trying to distance itself from GM now, an effort that is admired.

Lexus had the LFA on display. Looks like a great vehicle, but unfortunately for them, the car was within feet of three gorgeous Lamborghini's.. which were absolutely stunning I might add. I can't imagine one person would buy a LFA after seeing those Lambo's parked nearby.

I had a quick look at the Dodge stand. The Challenger is a cool car, but I can't get away from the fact that it looks a bit like a painted cardboard box on wheels. I was almost offended, however, that they should bring such monstrosities known as the Avenger and Caliber to the show. If I had a sick bucket, I would have used it.

Ford. Living in a redneck town, the Ford stand was chocked-full of interest. People everywhere. But, bizarrely, I clocked a new 5.0 Mustang in front of me, with NOBODY looking at it. They were more interested in the F150, Fusion and some other ghastly cars, including a weird stretched SUV thing from yesteryear.

So off I went to check it out. Really, not a bad car as far as looks go. Interior felt plenty smaller than my humble 3-series, which I found odd considering how big it looks from the outside. Unlike other domestics, however,the Mustang had plenty of attention to detail, and did not feel cheap like the competing products from GM or Dodge.

Looks like Ford have made a winner here, especially if the reviews and track tests are anything to go by. If I had to pick a car from this show, that was not a BMW or exotic, I'd be all over the Mustang.

Other highlights included the Jaguars, which were all unlocked, despite having a 'VEHICLE LOCKED' sticker in the winder. A trick Porsche 911 GT2, Aston's and Ferrari's galore, and some nice Land Rovers that I'd call winter beaters if I were rich enough.

As for my wife - she loves the Mini Countryman All 4. And I have to say, it's a very cool car.

The end!

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How can you attend a car show and not take pics? How???

Nice writeup, need visuals.

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Haha thanks for taking the time to post up what you thought about the show. If I was to nitpick though, pics would have been sweet as well

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Haha thanks for taking the time to post up what you thought about the show. If I was to nitpick though, pics would have been sweet as well

You make a good point, I was nitpicking.

Although car shows and pics do go hand in hand.

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Sorry .. forgot to take Camera .. and Camcorder .. and my iPhone battery died (as it always does)

Thanks for reading! I never intended to write all that, just kind of got carried away.

Here's some great photos taken by somebody else .. (sorry for link -- I'll try to pm the photographer and ask if I can share here):

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/re...5&changemode=1

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Link is fine, it's a photography forum.