The Outlook visits the San Francisco Auto Show

The San Francisco International Auto Show was held between Nov. 19 and 27. With cars from across the world, the show had something for everyone, from Saabs to Lamborghinis and Fords to Rolls Royces. The Outlook sent a reporter to the show with a mission: to touch tires, examine engines, and preview price tags. This is what we found.

The San Francisco Auto Show did have cars for everyone. If you were into hybrids you had a choice from Lincoln, Ford, Cadillac, Hyundai and even Saab. Saab had perhaps one of the more impressive exhibits, after nearly going bankrupt last year. Saab was sold to a Dutch company by the name of Spyker.

Saab’s lineup also featured the new 9-5 Aero sedan, a car that has around 300 horsepower produced by a six-cylinder turbocharged engine.

Fans of the crossovers will be pleased to hear that Saab has introduced their first ever crossover, the 9-4X. Crossover vehicles are similar to SUVs, but are usually smaller and get better gas mileage than SUVs.

This is a new direction for Saab, but it looks promising seeing as they’ve kept to the tradition of a turbocharged engine. With an all-new redesigned 2011 lineup that includes models like the 9-5 and the 9-4X, Saab will definitely give the luxury brand competition something to look out for.

After viewing this line of cars, junior Taylor Salberg decided, “Audi and Lexus both did great this year. Audi’s S5, A5, and A8 models rocked my socks off.”

Scion, a company with a reputation for being driven mostly by younger buyers, had on display their newly designed tC, a car loaded with features like XM radio, green interior floor lights and a rear spoiler. Aside from a more boxy styling, the tC hasn’t changed much besides increasing the horsepower from 161 to 180.

While the show did have some major attractions there was a feeling of disappointment amongst some. Most notably, Mercedes-Benz wasn’t there. It would of course be assumed then that BMW, one of Mercedes biggest rivals would step up, but no.

As junior Sam Stukov pointed out “It was pretty disappointing that Mercedes-Benz didn’t show up. BMW did not wow me as I thought it would. They did nothing new.”

Stukov, whose parents own a BMW 7-series, sat in the 2011 model but could feel a sense of disappointment, “I thought they didn’t really do much to [the seven series], they kind of enhanced the inside a little bit, but in respects to the front they should have done more.”

Mercedes this year decided to show their new cars at their dealership instead of at the actual show.

Salberg, an owner of a 1988 Mercedes 300ce, agreed with Stukov’s feelings about the absence of Mercedes Benz. “I was disappointed since Mercedes has always been there, I understand their trying to get more sales by having people go to their dealership, but I really wanted to see the E350 or the SLS AMG”, says Salberg.

All these cars and more are expected at the 2011 Silicon Valley International Auto Show, held Jan. 6 to 9 at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center.

Lexus LFA
One of the most anticipated cars that could be seen at the show was the Lexus LFA, or the “Lexus Supercar.” The LFA is Lexus’s first sports car. The LFA has been talked about for some time, but among some Aragon students it was not very popular. “Lexus was very disappointing because they continue to build cars based off [Toyota] Camry’s and price them at 50 grand. Also, who would pay [300] grand for a supercar made by Lexus, which has no racing pedigree,” said junior Aleksandar Medan.
Photo by Martin Contreras.

Rolls Royce Drophead Coupe
Walking downstairs into the main room, the crowds were greeted with the first glimpse of the show, the Rolls Royce Ghost and the Rolls Royce Drophead Coupe. The price tag on both of these cars ranged from around $250,000 to somewhere near $400,000.
Photo courtesy of Zö ille.

Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder
Junior Robert Baita favored the high-end hyper cars. “My favorite… was the Lamborghini. It was pretty awesome because you could see the carbon fiber, it looked so nice inside with the steering wheel, but it was uncomfortable, kind of like you’re sitting on a race seat in an arcade game.”
Photo courtesy of Yarl.

HYUNDAI Equus
One car that received special attention was the Hyundai Equus. The Equus has both a 4.6L V8 engine under its bonnet and, on the front, a badge logo that rivals that of Bentley, yet what put it over the top was the interior. Fitted with massage seats, DVD entertainment system and a mini fridge, the Equus is compared by some to that of a first class cabin.
Photo courtesy of IFCAR.

FIAT 500
For years FIAT was a brand of affordable Italian cars that could only be bought in Europe and select countries. When FIAT was in the U.S., very few were sold. The FIAT 500 is a European car and compared to most American cars, it is considerably smaller. Even to its chief rival (the Mini Cooper) FIAT seems small in comparison. But with the popular model, the 500 and a sporting version called the “Abarth” on the way the reliable Italian FIAT is sure to sell in high numbers.
Photo courtesy of Will Eckstein.

Aston Martin Rapide
As proud supplier of James Bond cars, Aston Martin has always been associated with the sporty and seductive cars. Yet this year, Aston’s pedestal was instead filled by its new, four-door, family performance car named the Aston Martin Rapide. While this family car may sound as though it clashes with Aston’s James Bond image, a closer look will prove otherwise; the twelve-cylinder engine is certainly a Bond style powerhouse and, in keeping with tradition, Aston had retained their graceful design and made the extra doors almost unrecognizable.
Photo courtesy of Harald Kujat.