7 Things at the Chicago Auto Show That Will Change Your Life (Really)

Chicago Auto Show
Nicole Longhini, Fiat brand manager, in the Fiat 500L. At the auto show you can sit in all your favorite cars and take a photo. Photo: Scotty Reiss

Why spending the weekend—with below zero temps on Valentine’s Day— at the car show isn’t a bad choice

If you make the trek to the Chicago Auto Show at McCormick Place this weekend, expect to see more than a lot of cars you’d love to drive away in. There are a lot of interesting things to learn that will help you to be a smarter, savvier car buyer when it’s your turn. No harm in picking out your new car this weekend, right?

1. Family cars are the new black

And they are way cool. They accommodate your crew, spoil back seat passengers and clean up after themselves. The only regret you’ll have is that your kids can’t drive YOU around —at least not until they’re 16, that is.

Chicago Auto Show
Nissan retooled the family sized Armada for 2017, adding more safety and technology to an already roomy, comfortable SUV. Photo: Scotty Reiss
Chicago Auto Show
At the Chrysler Pacifica play zone you can put your family into the newly redesigned minivan for a little photo fun. Photo: Scotty Reiss

 

Chicago Auto Show
Dodge poses the Charger Hellcat as the family car you can take to the track; to prove it they custom designed these car seats to fit the Hellcat’s supple interior. Photo: Scotty Reiss

2. Amazing luxury cars (And why you should care)

Even if you’re not in that income bracket yet, here’s why you should see them: luxury cars are always the first to receive cutting edge technology. All those cool features like adaptive cruise, rear view cameras and crash avoidance systems? They were in luxury cars first. See what the future holds.

Chicago Auto Show
Buick is serious about luxury; the new Avista wears that idea proudly with refined lines and a new, subdued Buick badge on the front grille. Photo: Scotty Reiss
Chicago Auto Show
Hyundai is another brand that’s serious about luxury; the Korean car maker’s concept shows off where the brand is headed. You can see (and sit in!) its new G90 and G80 sedans that incorporate many of the amenities. Photo: Scotty Reiss

 

Chicago Auto Show
The luxury of this car is simply being able to drive it–care free, top down, only room for one other passenger. But maybe the biggest thing is it does not look like a Fiat. That’s because it’s a legacy car, its design taken from the Spider Fiat built in the 1960’s and ’70’s. Photo: Scotty Reiss

3. The incredible shrinking appetite for gasoline

Pretty much every car gets better MPG than ever. We believe that despite the dropping price of gas—which is bound to go up when the gasoline gods decide it should—fewer trips to the gas station and having a say in how you fuel your engine are important, too. The hybrid Kia Niro, a crossover-looking hatchback that made its worldwide debut at the Chicago show, the newly redesigned Chevy Volt, the brand new Chevrolet Bolt (all electric), the redesigned 2016 Toyota Prius and the Chrysler Pacifica minivan, which will offer a plug in hybrid in the fall (see?? Family cars ARE the new black) are worth a good, long look.

Chicago Auto Show
This sweet little hatchback looks more like a crossover with a city-smart feel: a hybrid, it gets 50MPG. Photo: Scotty Reiss

4. Performance cars–and trucks!–and why you should care

OK, I know: You never intend to take your car out onto a track, and even if you had the extra $100K to splurge on a super car, it isn’t really practical for trips to the store and you wouldn’t trust it with the valet at the mall. But consider what these cars contribute to the collective knowledge of automotive engineering: fuel efficiency (yes! They have to get the max out of every last drop out of fuel), efficiency in braking, tires, noise, vibration and more. The more efficient a car is on the track, the more it contributes to the industry overall. So go check them out (and ask smart questions beyond horsepower and how fast they are).

Chicago Auto Show
We were stopped in our tracks by this one; a professional grade pickup with the iconic Shelby Cobra icon on the hood–meaning all the F150’s features are taken up a notch, from under the hood to its very badass look. Photo: Scotty Reiss
Chicago Auto Show
One of the most exciting performance car introduction recently, the Acura NSX has gear heads’ hearts throbbing: it’s coming to the marketplace this year. Photo: Scotty Reiss
Chicago Auto Show
The other performance car darling of late: the Ford GT, which when introduced will sell for $400k+. Photo: Scotty Reiss

5. Cars to drive inside the convention center

Yes, INSIDE. From the Camp Jeep to Toyota’s ride and drive to deep throttle of muscle cars throughout, you’ll have lots of fun riding along with professional drivers, and your kids will think it’s fun, too.

Chicago Auto Show
You can take a ride on this ‘off road’ course inside McCormick Place in a variety of Jeep models. Photo: Scotty Reiss

 

Chicago Auto Show
Toyota offers a driving course in a variety of models at the Chicago Auto Show. Photo: Scotty Reiss

6. Simulators that are more like an amusement park ride than a car show.

We’ve always believed this is how a car show should be: fun, thrilling and inspiring you to get more performance out of your car. Ford’s simulator takes you for a great ride, while Subaru’s shows you both how safety features work and how the car’s WRX sport brand thrills.

Chicago Auto Show
Take a thrill ride in this Ford simulator, which uses hydraulics to toss you around as you drive on a motocross course. Photo: Scotty Reiss
Chicago Auto Show
After taking you through some of its safety technology–showing you how the car stops automatically when a potential crash is detected, for instance, you get to ride through a race course with a professional driver. Photo: Scotty Reiss
Chicago Auto Show
If all the thrills and spills aren’t your thing, sit for a nice massage in these massage seats at Ford; or take them home with you in a new Explorer. Photo: Scotty Reiss

7. Those pretty, chic-looking people standing next to the cars? They’re actually highly trained product specialists

Chicago Auto Show
The Acura Precision concept car, demonstrated by a knowledgeable pro. Photo: Scotty Reiss

This is probably the biggest benefit of the car show: Product specialists hold a wealth of knowledge about the cars on the floor (although not necessarily pricing information). Be prepared to take notes, comparison shop and test out a car’s features, especially if you are thinking of buying a car in the next year or so. You’ll go home primed, prepped and ready to make a very smart, informed car buying decision.

Disclosure: I was a guest of Nissan and the Chicago Auto Show, which provided my travel and accommodations; any opinions expressed are all my own.

Scotty Reiss
Scotty Reiss

Journalist, entrepreneur and mom. Expertise includes new cars, family cars, 3-row SUVs, child passenger car seats and automotive careers and culture. A World Car Awards juror and member of the steering committee, Scotty likes to say the automotive business found her, rather than her finding it. But recognizing the opportunity to give voice to powerful female consumers and create a voice to match their spending power, her mission became to empower women as car buyers and owners. A career-long journalist, she has written for the New York Times, Town & Country, Adweek and co-authored the book Stew Leonard, My Story, a biography of the founder of the iconic grocery company Stew Leonard’s. Her love of cars started when her father insisted she learn to change the oil in her MG Midget, but now it mostly plays out in the many road trips taken with her family.

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