Not going to lie, this year's New England International Auto Show was far from spectacular. However, there were a few bright spots at this otherwise so-so show.
Winner (Best in Show) - Lexus LC500
The 2018 Lexus LC500 made its debut at last year's show. But this year, the new Lexus flagship was unlocked and open to the public. Closing the door, your nose is immediately overwhelmed by the smell of leather and Alcantara. All of the displays were functioning, allowing you to browse through the LC's infotainment and dashboard customization options. As you can probably see from this photo, people were crowded around the LC all day long. Being able to get an in depth look at the finest new cars on the market is what the Boston Auto Show is supposed to be about.
Loser - Ford
Talk about a disappointment. I covered the Ford display in about five minutes. There was absolutely nothing of interest to look at over in their corner. No Fiesta ST or Focus RS. No Shelby Mustangs. Heck, not even the refreshed 2018 Mustang. I'm really getting annoyed at Ford for not bringing the GT supercar to Boston. Surely they must have one lying around they can ship up here for people to look at for a weekend. If you are interested in purchasing a Ford product in the near future, there were plenty of mass-market models to pour over. But eye candy, not so much.
Winner - Supercars
Every year, high end dealerships bring a contingent of supercars to the Boston Auto Show. This year they came out in full force. Among the attendees was a Bugatti Veyron, a Pagani Huayra, a Lamborghini Aventador SV, an Aston Martin DB11, a Bentley Bentayga, and an Alfa Romeo Guilia Quadrifoglio.
Loser - Fiat Chrysler
If some industry insiders are to be believed, Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne is trying to offload the company to the highest bidder. Based on their display at the Boston Auto Show, I can't see what anyone would want with any of these brands. FCA is predominantly made up of aging and noncompetitive vehicles. The most interesting vehicle at any of their displays was a Fiat 124 Spider Abarth. There were no Hellcats -- with the exception of the Hellcat powered Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk. The only SRT model of any kind was the new Durango -- neat, but I wasn't as impressed with it as I was hoping to be. A critical flaw in their show plan was keeping the two Alfa Romeo models off limits to the public. If Alfa wants to be taken seriously as a luxury brand, and particularly given their scant dealer network, they should provide the opportunity for people to experience their cars and judge how good they are compared to their competitors.
Winner - RVs
Mercedes-Benz and BMW were no-shows at this year's event. That opened up plenty of space on the show floor. Surprisingly, their area was filled with a selection of Ram Promaster and Mercedes-Benz Sprinter based motorhomes. The Boston Auto Show takes place concurrently with the Boston RV and Camping Expo. Unfortunately, you can't see both for the price of one. Taking your family to the auto show isn't exactly pocket change, so I can't imagine admission to the RV show is any less expensive. Considering the sticker prices of some of the cars on the show floor, it shouldn't be too much of a financial stretch for some people to add an RV to their family fleet. Anyway, it was a shrewd business decision to give patrons of the auto show something different to look at with these RVs.
Loser - Porsche
On one hand, Porsche was kind enough to bring a brand new GT2 RS and a Panamera Turbo S e-Hybrid Sport Turismo to the show. However, they could have unlocked their lesser models so that people who may not ever be able to buy a Porsche can feel what its like to sit in one. I was able to sit in a Macan at a previous show, so I don't know what their hangup was this time around.
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