The Best and Worst of the LA Auto Show 2016

As I slowly get into the swing of things with consistency in my blog, it is time to review the latest big car show. Surprisingly for me, the LA Auto Show 2016 was actually very eventful, with plenty of new reveals for me to have a ponder over and quickly review. There weren’t so many concepts, probably because of the size or popularity of the show, but a lot of production-ready vehicles were shown for the first time.

As ever with the Motor Shows, this is going to be my brief review of the main events. The Awards Page will be released soon too, which is about as prestigious as a primary school bravery sticker. So let’s get started.

Alfa Romeo Stelvio (Quadrifoglio)

In all honesty, I am not completely sold on the new design language for Alfa Romeo. I feel that they need to be facelifted already to reach their full potential, rather like the original Jaguar XF needed to be facelifted to remove the stupid circles from the headlights. The Stelvio definitely isn’t the worst SUV out there too, just don’t expect it to be the best in the market or one of the biggest sellers.

Cadillac Escala

Not an LA Auto Show 2016 debut but I had to include the stunning Escala concept by Cadillac. This is a brilliant concept that hopefully shows the way Cadillac are heading with their designs. It features a lot of the normal signature lines and details but just adds a layer of elegance to them, which all combine together to make a brilliant car.

Chevrolet Colorado ZR2

I am not a huge know-it-all of American pick-ups, but according to varying sources, this should be one of the best-selling cars in America. On the styling front, it is fairly good, but it feels to me like the designers have only done half of their job. All of the weight and muscle is up high but the lower section seems thing and fragile. This is probably to improve off-road capability, but some plastic bumper might work to fill the gap without compromising the function. I might have been looking at SEMA for too long too, but that stance just seems way off.

Chevrolet Equinox

I’m not completely sold on the Equinox, because from some angles it is okay, but from others, it’s just a bit fussy. Overall for a big car, it is actually one of the best of the bunch but still, at least we won’t be seeing these in the UK. I think.

Chevrolet Spark ACTIV

*Worst car of the Motor Show* – I will openly admit that I am unusually a fan of the first Chevrolet Spark, but this new generation is just boring. Nothing stands out to me and it’s clear that Chevrolet are steering the ACTIV towards a more chic and urban lifestyle. It is so clearly based on the Vauxhall Viva too, and they aren’t afraid to show off the Vauxhall’s signature swage line.

Divergent Blade

*Probably the most bullshit Award* – Well this is an unusual one. The Divergent Blade is the worlds first 3D printed supercar, and the claimed figures are mindblowing. 700bhp, not much over 600kg, 0-60 in 2.5 seconds, but will they be able to deliver what they claim? I am personally not a huge fan of the styling, but one of the advantages of 3D printing is that if they want to change the design then it is relatively quick and easy to do so. 

Elio E1C

The Elio is nearing its final production form with the E1C and it is still unlike anything else out there right now. There are only minor differences of the past iterations, but the changes made have been important, production-ready tweaks. 62,000 reservations have already been hit apparently, which shows there is obviously a big market for very cheap and very economic run-arounds.

Ford EcoSport

Probably quite unsurprisingly, the new Ford EcoSport is an improvement over the past generation. But in all honesty, they couldn’t really make it any worse. The area that needed the most work (the front) has definitely been improved but still, I don’t really like the styling. It seems like they are copying Toyota a little with the ‘X-face’ theme going on?

Genesis (Hyundai) G80

It wasn’t debuted in LA, but this is the first proper look that I have had at the premium brand that has come from Hyundai, which is simply known as Genesis. Older readers will probably get confused with the band fronted by Mike Rutherford, but maybe that is a unique selling point for them both?… But back to the point in question, this car is bloody gorgeous. A lor of aggression going on but a new family face suits the car and the colour selection is brilliant.

Honda CR-V

The new CR-V is much more a smart and surefooted car now that it has advanced a generation forward. Instead of the ugly and cumbersome old design, this one works better but it is still not perfect. I find that the car is a bit fiddly though, like there is too much going on again, but that is Honda’s design language right now. Rims are pretty epic too, I must say.

Infiniti Q60

*Surprise of the Motor Show* – Infiniti are really upping their game in modern times, and the Q60 only reassures us of this fact. In my humble opinion, the front is very generic, with the use of chrome running into the headlights and the aggressive lower grille, but it works. I like the touch of detail running down the centre line, and in fact the only thing I don’t like is the ugly plasticy badge on the grille. As with all Infiniti’s, the side is very chiselled, and that exaggerated window line is quite an illusion to the eye.

From this angle there is only one word. Yum. The dashboard is cluttered though and I don’t like the cheap plastics that appear to have been used far too often for what is meant to be a premium car.

Infiniti QX Sport Inspiration

*Concept of the Motor Show* – What’s that? Are Infiniti starting to tone things down a little? I think that could potentially be the case looking at the the new QX concept which is likely to become their new mid-size SUV. I never used to like their old cars, but this actually looks really very nice indeed. On a quick note, this is the badge that Infiniti needs on the Q60.

Jaguar i-Pace

*Surprise of the Motor Show* – Jaguar are continuing to grow and to fill out the market with brilliant pieces of stylish and luxurious cars. The i-Pace is no exception, with it being the first foray into full electric motoring, and of course it had to be more of a crossover size, the best-selling segment right now. From the front, it is very pretty, like all Jaguars are, but there is a slight let down when you go to the rear…

…for me, I feel like it looks almost as if a blade was taken to the clay model which cut the car down at a very sharp angle. There could be more surface and finish to the sharp back end but I thing that Jaguar were trying to too closely follow the design and lines of the F-Type. The haunches are large and rear window isn’t very tall, but this is a completely different car from the F-Type, so maybe they should be trying to make something a little different?

Lamborghini Huracan LP580-2 Spyder

The new RWD Huracan Spyder is here and to be honest, it isn’t like we weren’t expecting it. I didn’t expect any more from Lamborghini other than to produce this car, and like with the coupe, I overall prefer the styling of the LP610-4.

Mazda CX-5

Mazda are doing brilliantly with their modern design language and this mid-size SUV/crossover thing is by far the best in the class. My only gripe is that from this angle, the nose protrudes out a lot, and the chrome is a bit garish but still, very well done to Mazda.

Mazda RT24-P

*Car of the Motor Show Award* – KODO design really really really looks good on an LMP car. Where most of the grid seem to blend together, the new RT24-P would definitely stand out from the rest of the crowd. I love the whole overall style and everything just looks so good, so I can’t wait to see it hit the tracks in just a couple of months.

Maserati Quattroporte GranSport & GranLusso

Two new trim levels were introduced for the Quattroporte, in the shape of the GranLusso (or the luxurious one) and the GranSport (the sportier and less Granny one). I really really like the new facelift because it almost completely fills a gap that I felt was left by the new Quattroporte. Minor things should have been changed including the headlight design but other than that, I would definitely go out and get one.

Mercedes-Maybach S650 Cabriolet

*Worst wheels at the Motor Show Award* – I can’t get my eyes away from those hideous rims. I didn’t know a yacht needed so much chrome or even needed any rims. This is a stupid car for people with a stupid income. The exterior actually looks quite nice, with subtle but noticeable differences over the normal S-Class, but those rims are just too much. Let’s hope that they aren’t the only choice of wheel when all 300 get delivered to only the wealthiest of customers around the world.

Mini Countryman

The new Countryman is definitely an improvement over the past generation, but still, something isn’t quite right about seeing a big Mini. They are sticking with the same design features from models such as the Coupe, and it is touches like that which I love, but overall, the car can’t be loved. The body now has an angle to it with a gentle surface above the rear arch, which I feel shouldn’t be included in the design of a Mini.

Porsche 911 RSR

*Wang of the Motor Show* – The wang is almighty with this one. Porsche have finally pushed the engine slightly forward in the 911 and have managed to completely reshape how this car handles and performs. It is now a mid-mounted 4.0 flat-6 engine which has obviously been put on steroids, as it appears the rest of the car has been too…

Rezvani Beast Alpha

*Stupidest Doors of the Motor Show* – Rezvani are managing to produce one of my favourite cars of the moments, and the new coupe version of the Beast, if anything, makes me want one even more. It has hints of Noble to the design (which is never a bad thing personally), but it keeps it unique and interesting. It looks like it would be a beast on the road too. This is definitely something I want to see.

I’d just like to point out, the last time I saw doors this stupid was on a Honda Civic that had been modified by Xquisite. If you don’t know what that is or who they are then you have to Google them immediately. I can’t image they are very ergonomically designed, although it does remove the need to clamber over a thick sill, but still, it doesn’t really look good and it isn’t the best fix for their problem.

Subaru Viziv-7

*Disappointment of the Motor Show* – Hmm, I have a feeling that the Viziv-7 is going to get toned down a lot for production.And when it finally hits production, it will be unsurprisingly bland and not so common on the UK roads. I get this feeling because the car isn’t really completely conceptual I think. It looks like a tall, three-row vehicle with a couple of differentiating features, which is quite boring really.

Toyota C-HR

*Ugliest Car of the Motor Show* – By far the most exciting and interesting car that Toyota have produced for a long time, but its just a great shame that it looks like a toad has been trod on. The design is all over the place though, so many lines and different accessories which I really feel completely ruins car design, and is one of my personal pet hates.

VW Atlas

Even though the Volkswagen Atlas was named after the world upon which is was created, it is actually only going to be sold in America. That’s like making a coach trip company called ‘Europe Tours’, but in fact you only plan on showing them Swansea. But back to the car and I actually really quite like it surprisingly… It looks solid and grounded and I except it is fully functional. Just don’t expect it to reach the MPG ratings that it claims…

VW Passat GT

First impression: WOW! Second, Third, Fourth, etc impression: Meh. I like what Volkswagen have done with the Passat to make the GT variant, but surely this is production ready and not the ‘concept’ which they claim. I have so many mixed feelings about this design. I originally really liked the deep red accent lines like on a Golf GTi, and I like how that line basically wraps around the whole vehicle, but then that top accent feels like too much and it pushes the nose of the car forward by too much.

Photos are all press-release from the relevant manufacturers or sourced from Carscoops and Motortrend. Thanks to Divergent for the use of their press media kit.