Autoblog

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The Chevy dealers of Chicagoland decided to add a little extra pizzazz to the Chicago Auto Show this year by toting out some of their best accessorized concept vehicles from the past few years -- cars and trucks that help customers see what they can do with their own Bowtied babies. Love it or hate it, the HHR is like Chrysler's PT Cruiser in more ways than one. It's also a blank canvas for customizers. While there were a few modded wagons on display, our favorite was the neo-Nomad white HHR two-door. Lowered and sporting a 270-horse 4-cylinder, this is one stylish, relatively understated ride. The rest of the display was a bit more Xtreme.

Continues after the jump

[Source: Chevy]

Suffice it to say that Suzuki has never stunned North American consumers with beautiful automotive designs. In point of fact, reviewing their history reveals a certain manic quality, little of it pretty. Oddball propositions like the toy-like X-90 and character-free Esteem have given way to the likes of Suzuki's ill-proportioned Aerio and milquetoast non-statements on the order of the Verona and Forenza. But there are tangible signs that the automaker is finally finding the plot– the inexpensive Italdesign-penned Reno and the tweener SX4 crossover are both attractive propositions. But the offering most likely to become the company's poster child is the all-new-for 2006 Grand Vitara.

A direct replacement for its tired, boxy predecessor that reigned from 1999-2004, the new Grand Vitara is infinitely more compelling with even just a cursory glance. By comparison, yuppies ought to be clamoring for the reborn GV like it's next year's Ikea catalog. Simply put, it's a looker. The strong lines of its clamshell-style hood set the tone, creating a defining ridge across the top of the rectilinear grille, lending the clear-lensed headlamps a bit of edge. The former element is of the blacked-out cross-hatch variety, with a thin, u-shaped chrome lip adding definition and a bit of class. Even when viewed from the dead-on, the GV's meaty fender flares lend it a properly butch stance, particularly as they mold so nicely into the bumper, itself augmented by a pair of blisters housing auxiliary driving lamps. Complaints? Well, the chrome 'S' badge on the nose is a bit outsized, coming across like a Superman logo reinterpreted by an anime artist. But it's hard to blame Suzuki's designers for wanting to get the message out that they're finally in the business of making attractively styled vehicles.

(Click here for the full walk-around, along with more commentary)

Mitsubishi's first Outlander unwittingly lived up to its name, operating on the fringes of mainstream SUVdom, largely failing to cross-over to the widespread success of competitors like Ford's Escape and Honda's CR-V. It wasn't that it was a horrible vehicle, but it didn't offer much in the way of Unique Selling Points (USPs), save its love/hate front clip. But judging by our first exposure to the new-for-2007 iteration, the Outlander's luck may be about to change.

Significantly larger and more powerful than the first-generation model, the Outlander has undergone a Toyota RAV4-esque plus sizing. It now offers more interior room, including an optional flip up third-row. There's reason to hope that it will be a good handler, as well. Based on new architecture that will underpin the next-generation Lancer (and more importantly for enthusiasts, the coming Evolution), the Outlander rides on a longer wheelbase and a wider track, and uniquely, makes use of an aluminum roof to lower its center of gravity.

(Dozens of photos, original commentary full press releases and specs after the jump!)

None other than Geraldo 'Take-Him-Or-Leave-Him' Rivera whipped out a Dubya-style haymaker on General Motors and Ford Wednesday, calling the automakers' present fiscal and public-relations gulag the result of 'whining' management and too many 'crap' cars. Not exactly the prose of florid journalist, or even as carefully measured as George Bush's call for domestics to build more 'relevant' products, Rivera unloads:

Among the lowest rated vehicles on the Consumer Reports list are the once mighty, now tired, Ford Taurus, the homely Pontiac Grand Prix, and the dreadful Chevy Equinox. And unless you live in Kabul or Baghdad, isn’t the Hummer the ugliest, dumbest vehicle on the road today?

Rivera gives DaimlerChrysler a 'pass,' a move one might expect given his admission that he owns a 300.

We're not exactly sure what qualifies Mr. Rivera to comment with authority on such issues, and as such, what weight (if any) our readers give to his latest rant is a purely individual thing. Feel free to leave a 'haymaker' or 'kudos' of your own in the comments.

[Sources: GeraldoAtLarge.com and Dave Clegg]

(Tip-top, Jennifer W!)