2012 Orange County (CA) Auto Show heads up

[Lwize]

You love it, you hate it, you really hate it.

The OC auto show is coming 10/4 - 10/7

http://www.motortrendautoshows.com/Orange_County/

Free ticket (thurs or fri) or "buy one, get one free" (sat or sun), plus 12mo Motor Trend Sub:

http://slickdeals.net/?sdtid=5151616...ode%3DOCFLADVW

[choochoo]

Any important international debuts? Because the OC's really important

I'll probably be there since it's 15 minutes away and I need to renew my Motor trend subscription anyways

[Lwize]

Test-drives:

Dodge Dart - pleasant, but the 2.0/auto combo is weak sauce.
Honda Accord - pleasant, and the 4cyl/CVT combo was a lot better than I expected -- in fact, almost a CVT I could live with. It seemed to be tuned for less rubber-bandness and more forward momentum.
Scion iQ - I drove this while waiting in line to drive the FRS. The iQ was pleasant -- it drove like a small car with its ass missing. Firmer ride than the Smart car. Peppy but noisy as well. I could only justify a car that small if parking was at a premium, like maybe living in San Francisco.
Scion FRS -- its funny how much the torque was ragged on in TCL, but the reality -- at least with the automatic -- is true: it needs more torque. The engine revved slowly and noisily. I wasn't impressed at all. I did engage in a couple of seconds of Dorifto action when I threw the rear end out in a roundabout at the convention center. Woot.
Chevy Spark -- I drove it primarily because the cars on display were pre-production and locked. The 1.2L mated to the automatic (TG no CVT!) was a bit noisy, but again the car was surprisingly pleasant to drive, if a bit slow. The tall body and upright windshield made the cabin feel airy and open. It had decent ride quality and felt pretty solid. Even the steering wheel was nice. The Spark, slow as it was, drove better than the n/a Sonic I drove last year. Chances of buying one are close to zero, but might be fun as a rental.

[92skirmishgti]

F that lame ass show, I'll be at the Off Road Expo in Pomona!

[AudiVwMeister]

F that lame ass show, I'll be at the Off Road Expo in Pomona!

Strong!

[randy]

Just went, was hoping the new Mazda 6 would be there. Not.

New Fusion was there, on a platform, which you couldn't touch or enter.

The OC Auto Show is basically cheesy, a one floor exhibit which is just an extension of our local auto malls. I would just wait for the LA Auto Show.

[Lwize]

I go to the OC show to get a jump on some minor debuts and cross a lot of the regular cars off the list. This frees me to delve deeper in to the LA show in December. Free admission, and a $10 Target gift card for test-driving the Accord. Sweet.

[caliatenza]

i'll be at the LA auto show!

[Tiny4cyl]

I'll be at the LA Adult Expo!

[Lwize]

I'll be at the LA Adult Expo!

What types of cars will be featured there?