Takeaways from the Boston Auto Show

The 2016 New England International Auto Show has wrapped up.  It was a big year for new cars and the display stands in the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center did not disappoint.  What follows is a selection of noteworthy cars from a variety of manufacturers.

First up is the Porsche Cayman GT4.  Porsche's junior track day car uses the 3.8 liter flat six engine straight from the Carrera S tuned to make 385 horsepower.  It's an increase of 45 horsepower over the Cayman GTS and 35 more than the base 911.  With a price of $85,595, it is by far the most expensive Cayman available.  If you needed any further conviction of this car's desire to be carving up race circuits, the GT4 is only offered with a manual transmission.

 
On the topic of high performance variants, here is a prototype of the 2017 Ford Focus RS.  This is the first RS model ever sold in the United States.  Like the GT4, the Focus RS is manual only.  It is also the only Focus to offer all wheel drive.  It's going to need it to get all 350 horsepower and 350 lb-ft of torque from its 2.3 liter turbocharged engine.  With a price around $35,000, it competes directly with formidable cars such as the Volkswagen Golf R and the Subaru WRX STI.

I've already covered the Lexus GS F here in my analysis of Lexus's hoverboard commercial, but this is my first time seeing the car in person.  I have to say it looks fantastic, and if you've seen the gorgeous Lexus LC500 recently unveiled in Detroit, you'll understand why I believe Lexus is a force to be reckoned with. 

It's a new Civic, which is a big deal considering Honda sold over 275,000 of them in 2015.  It also addresses the criticisms of the previous ninth generation Civic, especially regarding the dowdy exterior and the cheap interior trim.  The new model has a wheelbase 1.2 inches longer than before and rides on a platform shared with the next Accord.  New this year is a turbocharged 1.5 liter engine in upper level trims.  So far things are off to a good start.  The 2016 Civic was awarded North American Car of the Year. 

Call me surprised when I wandered by the Chrysler show stand and saw this on display.  The 2017 Chrysler Pacifica was just unveiled to the entire world at Detroit earlier in the week.  I never dreamed it would be at Boston for another year.  The Pacifica is the replacement for the outgoing Town and Country.  The Pacifica name last appeared on a crossover that died in 2008, about when Chrysler itself faced the grim reaper.  New sheetmetal is only the beginning of the improvements.  Chrysler promises class leading aerodynamics, ride and handling, and NVH levels.  Most interesting is a plug in hybrid model with an estimated 80 mpg-e city rating and up to 30 miles on pure electric power.  In total the Pacifica Hybrid should have a gasoline plus electric range of 530 miles.

Chevrolet has a lot to be proud about with the all new 2016 Malibu.  It puts its predecessor to shame in nearly every way.  I was excited to see what three generations of evolution had done to my car.  As you know, I love my Malibu Maxx SS.  Unfortunately, no high performance variant of this Malibu is in the cards, although there is a hybrid model with an estimated 48 mpg city and 45 mpg highway.  After sitting in one, I can comfortable say that I wouldn't pass up the opportunity to place this new one in my garage.

   Finally, here is the New England debut of the all new Lincoln Continental.  It is important to understand that Lincoln is desperately trying to reinvent itself.  Slowly but surely, it is shedding its decades old reputation as a purveyor of tinseled-up Fords.  The MKC and MKX were positive steps in the right direction, but things kick up to another level with the Continental.  In addition to a return to real names, the Continental is the only Lincoln without a direct counterpart in the Ford stable.  The car rides on a stretched Fusion platform and comes with an exclusive 3.0 liter twin turbo V6.  Lincoln places comfort as a higher priority than outright sportiness.  All seats feature heating, cooling, reclining, and massage functions.  A full suite of connectivity features including Ford's latest Sync 3, Apple Carplay, and Android Auto. It's a good showing, and the Continental is a worthy flagship for the Lincoln brand.   

Star Wars: The Clone Wars Review

One little word makes a lot of difference.  In this case it is the simple word "the" which separates the Star Wars cartoon series I reviewed last month with the one I will review today.  Although they take place at the same time in the Star Wars universe, they could not be more different.  As I will delve into during this review, this series has many things to applaud as well as some shortcomings.  Choosing which Clone Wars series is better becomes a matter of personal taste.  For today, I will focus on the 2008 CGI series created in house by Lucasfilm.


To introduce audiences to the new Clone Wars project, Lucasfilm released a theatrical movie in August 2008.  The film centered on Anakin Skywalker and his new Padawan, Ahsoka Tano, leading a mission to rescue Jabba the Hutt's son from the clutches of the Separatists.  Along the way, other characters such as Yoda, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Padme Amidala, Count Dooku, and Asajj Ventress play supporting roles in helping or hindering the mission.  The film received negative reviews from critics, with common complaints centering on the bland dialogue and the bizarre, wooden animation style.  It probably wasn't the best introduction to a new era in Star Wars, and put a lot of fans on their guard during the debut of the television series.  I watched the first episode of the TV show with an open mind and came away satisfied.  I was excited to see how the series would continue to develop.


As I mentioned in my last post, one of the things I liked about the 2003 Clone Wars series is how it shed some light on events that take place between the movies.  The newer series does the same thing in even greater detail.  With a full half hour to play with, characters, locations, and events can be developed thoroughly every episode.  Unlike the first Clone Wars series, battles are shown in their entirety.  Viewers see characters strategize and fulfill mission objectives to gain an edge in the conflict.  New planets are introduced in several episodes with great physical and cultural geography established so that viewers can build a complete picture of the world in their minds. 


We also get to see a new side of several classic characters which helps supplement existing material.  Obi-Wan is given a love interest in the form of Duchess Satine of Mandalore.  The big takeaway from this is that even though Obi-Wan can be tempted by love, he is able to keep his feelings under control and understand that his duties as a Jedi come first.  That being said, if Anakin had confided knowledge of his marriage to Padme with Obi-Wan instead of Palpatine, Obi-Wan might have been able to help Anakin sort through his conflicted emotions.  Asajj Ventress is given a more complete backstory and is better developed as a character in this series.  Anakin's dark side is explored in several intriguing story arcs, further foreshadowing his transformation into Darth Vader.  Boba Fett begins his career as a bounty hunter.  Even Jar Jar gets some chances to show his surprising competence.   


One thing I liked in this series was the level of character development given to the clone troopers.  Although the movies portray the clones not much differently than the droids they battle against, there are several episodes in The Clone Wars where the main focus is on the clones themselves.  We see clones who choose to betray the Republic, desert from the fighting, and make selfless sacrifices for their comrades.  These make for interesting plot points, but I think a greater message is trying to peek through here.  The clones were grown in laboratories, but they are still living beings.  Each episode that focuses on the clones brings out the personal struggle each one has about coming to terms with what it means to be human.  They are not programmed.  They are not droids.  They can make their own decisions and think on their own.  Humanizing the clones makes it fun to root for them, and viewers grow to care for the clones in ways that are simply impossible from just watching the movies. 


Aspects of galactic life outside the battlefield are given a look, helping better explain how the Galactic Republic crumbled from within.  One story arc follows Padme as she fights legislation to funnel more money to the military efforts at the detriment of Republic citizens.  Another deals with criticism of the Jedi, and how they have betrayed their ideals by fighting in the Clone Wars.  All of these storylines help explain how Palpatine successfully manipulated the galaxy to create an environment where the Empire can be born.


If I were to knock The Clone Wars for anything, it would be for the complications it introduced to the overall story of Star Wars.  Ahsoka Tano is a well developed character, and a great role model for young female fans of Star Wars.  Unfortunately, the writers had little choice but to get rid of her somehow before the series concludes.  Otherwise there would be a lot of explaining why someone who has been established as being so close to Anakin is not present during his final fall to the dark side.  I do not fault Ahsoka as a character, but I feel that making her Anakin's Padawan was not without its risks.  Other material from the Clone War era firmly establishes Anakin and Obi-Wan as the driving force behind the narrative.  They are, for all intensive purposes, the dynamic duo.  As I said in my last post, the movies don't elaborate too much on why or how Anakin sees Obi-Wan as a father, brother, and friend.  That relationship is explained in far greater detail in both Clone Wars TV series as well as the Expanded Universe novels.  However, with the movies as constraints, no other material placed another character front and center with those two.  Lucasfilm took a big gamble by giving Anakin a Padawan in this series, and it worked, for the most part.  I think the writers handled Ahsoka's departure from the series with as much respect for the fans as possible, but I also feel that it was a solution for a problem that didn't need to exist in the first place.


I may come off as a hater in that last paragraph, so I would like to stress that there is more to like about Ahsoka than there is to dislike.  In a way, Ahsoka's growth and development as a character is symbolic of the improvements made to the entire series over the years.  The early seasons had some goofy episodes that while fun to watch, didn't really feel like Star Wars.  Around the third season, the series really hit its stride, producing thoughtful and compelling story arcs that brought out the best in the animators, the actors, and the writers.  After five seasons, I thought The Clone Wars had got it all right.  When the sixth season of The Clone Wars was announced, I was excited to see how it would tie up remaining loose ends before the events of Revenge of the Sith.


It's therefore very sad that the series came to such an ignoble end.  The buyout of Lucasfilm by Disney resulted in the sixth season being the final season of the series.  In addition, many story arcs were cut out and the remaining episodes were released on Netflix.  The end of The Clone Wars was precipitated by Disney's desire for the team to direct its focus on a new series called Star Wars: Rebels.  On a positive note, arcs that did not get finished were released as story reels or print publications as part of The Clone Wars Legacy project.


If you are a fan of Star Wars, I highly recommend you watch this series if you haven't already.  It might seem a little silly at times, but the overall product is one of the most complete and engaging Star Wars projects ever created.