Strap on the comfy shoes because the Chicago Auto Show now covers 1.2 million square feet in the North and South Halls of McCormick Place. Then grab the map on Page 5 to ensure you visit both halls–and can find your way to the 10 things not to miss at the show:
No. 10: The Saturn Sky roadster and Aura concept sedan. Saturn hasn’t had a car that looks as good as Sky since, well, it has never had a car that looks as good as Sky. And Aura, the second-best-looking Saturn ever, provides a peek at the slick replacement for 2007 for the sickly, midsize L-Series.
No. 9: The Buick Lucerne, the 2006 replacement for the LeSabre. Lucerne isn’t going to win any fashion awards–unless Ventiports turn you on. But it is the first car Bob Lutz helped create since joining General Motors with the mission of bringing some life back into vehicle design. Keep in mind that this is a Buick and Lutz’ influence is more apparent in fit and finish than sheet metal.
No 8: The Cadillac DTS, the long-awaited 2006 successor to the best-selling DeVille. It’s the last member of the Cadillac lineup to get a makeover in a transformation begun in 2002 with the Escalade. Also, it’s the only front-wheel-drive sedan at Caddy, and maybe the last.
No 7: Smart, the teeny-tiny Mercedes-Benz that may or may not be sold in the U.S. Smart is showing the two-seat Fortwo coupe and cabriolet as well as the four-seat Forfour sedan. Both are sold in Europe. In tribute to minimalists, Smart cars were developed according to the philosophy that two seats and four wheels are all you need to get around–and obviously names don’t matter.
No. 6: Ford Fusion, the midsize 2006 sedan coming this fall to join the Five Hundred and help folks forget Taurus. Front-wheel-drive to start, all-wheel-drive later, which will make it an alternative to a small sport-utility vehicle. Also take a peek at the concept Fairlane, a potential sedan/wagon/SUV cover to be derived from the Fusion in a couple of years.
No. 5: Mercury Milan, Meta One and Mariner hybrid. Milan is the midsize sedan coming this fall to join Montego and help folks forget about Sable. Meta One is a full-of-high-tech concept that offers a look at the 2007 Mercury version of the Ford Freestyle. And the Mariner is the gas/electric sport-ute with all-wheel-drive and 33 m.p.g. in the city.
No. 4: The Dodge Charger, the 2006 namesake of the ’60s muscle car that arrives this spring. With its popular Hemi V-8, Charger isn’t expected to stumble out of the gate like the Pontiac GTO did. And don’t leave the Dodge display without seeing the Nitro, a concept of the compact sport-ute to arrive as early as the 2007 model year.
No 3: Jeep Gladiator, the response to the question “Why can’t Jeep compete with Chevrolet and Ford in the full-size pickup arena?” If built, Gladiator would be Jeep’s first pickup since the 1960s and boast a doggy door in the cabin.
No. 2: Chrysler Firepower, a concept that could give the Chevrolet Corvette a run for its money. The two-seater is powered by a 6.1-liter, 425-h.p. V-8. Give Chrysler a yea or nay on this–reportedly the nays have yet to garner a vote.
No. 1: After all that walking, meander over to the Chrysler test tracks to take a break. There you can be chauffeured over one of three courses in Chrysler/Dodge cars, Dodge trucks and Jeep sport-utes. If you have time for only one, make it the Jeep off-road experience with its trip over a steep 15-foot-high dirt/sand/rock hill.
