[tigger_643]

I went to the Toronto autoshow last night, mainly because I wanted to check out the Genesis G70, but also because I jumped into getting the 335i with eyes wide open and full awareness of reliability and costs in the long run. So I’m just speculating on what the next ride could be. Plus, cars = toys for some grown-ups.

As I had read, dimensionally, the G70 is very close to the 3-series. But in the sheet-metal, it told a different story. My first surprise was how shallow the trunk is. The floor of the trunk is nearly the same level as the rear bumper’s lift-over height (probably about 2 inches lower IIRC), and once I lifted the inner floor cover, thinking it would be storage compartments beneath, all that was revealed was an area which could hold a spare wheel, but instead had the battery sitting smack in the middle – great for weight distribution, I guess, but seemingly a waste in terms of allocating space. After a few other folks moved in and out, I was able to get to the driver’s seat. After adjusting it to the position I would normally assume when driving (I’m 5’9), the rear seat legroom behind the driver’s seat was tight. I asked a random guy who tried it how tall he was (5’11) and to set it to his driving position, just to see. When he did, there was no space behind the driver for an adult (maybe a child seat?). Worse, even if there was, the toe-room under the seat is non-existent. While some may joke that you’re not buying a sports sedan for passengers, it is one of the things I consider in a car, granted that I do road trips and if there are other people going along, I’m not prepared to rent a car just because the SEDAN I own can’t hold passengers. The Stinger GT is done just so much better than the G70. After checking out the rest of the car (yay for climate control sync and an actual oil dipstick!), I found the quality of materials is excellent and the centre console does have great ergonomics with a very clean and logical layout. I suppose the final piece would be an actual drive, but the initial impression with the way it accommodates human cargo just left a bad taste.

I checked out a few others and the car which I did not expect to surprise me was the C-class. I've read other threads on here where there’s been discussion about MB moving upscale and basically focusing on the C-class being luxurious rather than chasing the 3-series to be a sports car and they’ve absolutely nailed it. You literally do feel like you’re sitting in an S-class Jr. and it’s a very accommodating place. Granted the controls are not the most immediately intuitive, but the quality of workmanship is there.

On the way to the Jaguar area, I couldn’t resist checking out the M550 (there was a 340i in sunset orange loaded to the gills which I wanted to scope out for the digital cluster and mentally compare the overall car to mine, but someone was already in it). The M550 is a strange beast. It’s like BMW wanted it to be a luxury car, and then someone came in and said, “No, make it a sports car”, and then the teams fought to get their last say about things. It’s great to have seats with rich leather which can adjust in nearly every conceivable way, and can heat and cool, and I couldn’t stop playing with the gesture controls (I still find them cool even if they’re overkill), and the nav and dash graphics are crisp and clear. But the excessive gloss panels looked tacky next to the cheap feeling plastic buttons along the centre console (parking sensor buttons, etc.). It just lacks the cohesiveness which MB nails in their cars. The trunk area was worse that the Genesis G70. It’s literally half the depth of the 3-series trunk and I’m not exaggerating. There’s an actual cut-out for a spare wheel, but no spare wheel. The area is just covered with what would be the trunk floor “mat”. I asked the BMW reps nearby and they weren’t sure if the vehicle was supposed to have run-flats, but didn’t know why the cut-out was there either. Eventually, I took some snaps of the 340i and moved on.

The XE was nothing special. Great bucket seats, simple and clean interior, poor outward visibility. I think at that point I had just been put off by what else there was and resigned myself to working on what I’ve got and enjoying it while I can. That C-class though … I didn’t want to like it, but it’s like having a dessert where the taste lingers and you’re trying to tell yourself you didn’t enjoy it, even though you wanted more.