Chevrolet Cruze LT

Cruze in Naples, Florida

       On my recent vacation to Florida, my family rented a Chevrolet Cruze LT. This handsome sedan, introduced in 2008, is built on the Delta II platform, which it shares with the Buick Verano, and has an inline-4 under the hood, capable of going 0-60 in 9.2 seconds. Our Cruze was fitted with the RS package, which adds unique front and rear fascias, lower body moldings, and a rear lip spoiler.

          The Cruze's front fascia features angular headlights, which have an elongated look, as the upper left corner is stretched back over the front of the wheel arch, forming a crisp line that flows into the window lining. This make the sedan look aggressive, giving it a sports car feel. The Cruze also features the corporate Chevy two-piece grille. Although its not particularly revolting, I dislike the bar running through the middle of the grill, because it makes the grill feel smaller. The idea of a small grill reminds me of the ugly cars of the 90's and early 2000's, which had useless, miniscule grilles (i.e. Ford Contour). The lower front fascia has fog lamps, surrounded with chrome inserts, which give the car an upscale look. Moving back, a sharp crease runs just above the door handles, and about 6 inches below the window sills, giving the body more texture. The hubcaps, although a pretty basic 5-spoke design, reinforce the Cruze's sporty vibe. At the rear, we have one piece taillights, which have two circles, the outer one larger than the other, which is similar to the two piece taillights of the Camaro or Corvette, or the almost two-piecers of the Malibu and Traverse. A rectangular chrome bar connects the taillights, and the Chevy badge, and Cruze and LT are written above it. While this Chevy is conservatively styled, it is still a good-looking compact.                                                                          

Cruze in Naples, Florida

        Now for the interior. The center console featured silver plastics contrasted by a piano black surface. It is luxurious looking but can be annoying as it smudges and shows fingerprints easily. The infotainment screen was of a decent size, and worked fairly well, although we didn't use it that much. My only complaint was that sometimes it felt as if it was too backlit, that there was too much exposure. The majority of the buttons, dials, and switches were easy to use, and the hazard button and the AC dials were very easy to find.

The steering wheel has a somewhat clean design, with only a moderate amount of buttons and a basic layout. The instrument cluster is also very basic, although the center gauge could've been put to better use, for a larger speedometer possibly. The seats, while not the most comfortable, were nice enough for an inexpensive compact. The only place where I felt uncomfortable was the backseat. I'm fairly tall, and therefore I felt a lack of headroom (I hit my head into the roof on multiple occasions) and also the seatbelt dug into my shoulder. This made long drives pretty awkward for me, as I had to sit hunched over. Another minor quibble I had was that  the overhead light section in the front had too much empty space, which could've been use for bigger lights, or, as I have seen in cars like the Australian Toyota RAV4, a small, swing-down storage compartment.

        But despite the few minor complaints, the Cruze was overall a very good looking car, because of it's slight sporty feel, and a pretty comfortable car on the inside.

Grade
Front: B+
Back: B

Overall: B+

1957 Chevrolet Bel Air

Bel Air in Naples, Florida

    Seeing this 1957 Chevy Bel Air cruise down the street, evokes a desire to have lived then, when cars came in pastel colors, had massive fins, and were works of art. This Chevy is especially gorgeous, with bright turquoise paint and many chrome accents. The majority of the chrome is on the complex front bumper which incorporates the grille, and an older version of the Chevrolet logo. The car, like other 50's cars, has airplane inspired elements. On the grille, beneath the circular headlights, is a cone-like protrusion that looks similar to a jet engine. Also, on the front of the hood, the Bel Air features two "windsplits" which appear to be airplane-inspired as well. They have what look like vertical stabilizers (the rear fin on planes) sticking up next to the missle-like main section of the windsplit. The Chevy's modest headlights hide under the hood, and sandwich the script "Chevrolet." The car's basic taillights also hide under an overhang, but this one is the sharp tail fins. While definitely not the largest fins from the 50's, these still prove adequate in representing the trends from that decade. Along the side of the Bel Air is a shiny silver character line, which makes a downward curve at the rear of the car, outlining the gorgeous fin. A smaller crease splits off, creating the top of a section of white paint, which is shaped like a smaller version of the fin. Bel Air is elegantly written in cursive, and is placed next to a coat of arms with a Chevy logo in the center, on the back end of the fin.

Bel Air in Naples, Florida

The white wall tires also signify this auto as vintage, and the rear wheels peek out from under wheel covers.
     And while it would be inefficient and inconvenient to build such large cars now, I still wish that design this beautiful and intricate was used today.



Grade
Front: A
Back: A-
Overall: A

Maserati Quattroporte Sport GT S

Quattroporte in Naples, Florida

    As soon as I saw the Maserati logo on the grille, I brought my camera to my eye and snapped a photo. I was eager to take the photo because I associate Maserati with luxury but when I looked back over my photos, I realized that this Maser isn't a particularly interesting or good-looking car. In fact,  it's downright dull.
     The car's overall shape is very simple, just a normal 4-door sedan. That shouldn't be an issue but the QP lacks any strong character lines, making it's bodywork appear plain. The only creases are a minor hood bulge, and a weak line that stretches from the uninspiring headlights to taillights so boring they make those headlights look exciting.
      Those headlights, which feature two xenon headlamps and a strip of LEDs, are set about a half a foot farther back than the grille. This makes the Maserati signature grille stick out, but because the grille is vertically flat the nose of the car looks like a pig's snout. Another Maserati design cue, the three ports just behind the front fenders, doesn't seem to fit on the QP. The ports give off a sense of sportiness, leading me to think the designers just stuck them on because the ports are on every Maserati car.

Quattroporte in Naples, Florida

     The only things I actually like about this car are the lower fascias, which are aggressive and clean while also making it so there is no blank space on the bumpers. Another small detail that I liked was the Maserati trident on the C-pillar, just behind the rear window. While this may seem insignificant, it adds a touch of luxury and elegance to the car, and is pretty unique.
     Brand image can be fooling. While the name "Maserati" makes me think of luxury, when I examined this Quattroporte I found that it is not a particularly elegant car.



Grade
Front: C
Back: D
Overall: D 

Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster

SLR McLaren in Naples, Florida

     Mercedes-Benz and McLaren  had grand ambitions when they collaborated on this grand tourer,  but while it sports a sleek look, those aspirations did not show through, as the SLR's design is too simple. While there is nothing terrible about the Merc, much of the design failed to make a lasting impression.
        The grille is often literally what sticks out most in a car. If this car wanted to grab our attention, it should not have had a boring, rectangular grille running on a slight downward angle into the hood bulge--a splash of chrome on the grille's bar could have livened up the front fascia. Below the grille, there's just nothing there and, again, some chrome would provided panache.
       The headlights, two joined vertical ovals featuring xenon headlamps, fit in with Mercedes' brand look from that era--this car was produced from 2003-2009--but while they fit in with the W203 C-Class, which was a more conservative car, it is a bit too basic for this luxury sports car.
        Walk around the back and it's more of the same. The lower rear fascia wears nothing more than a frowning look, with an arch curving over the reverse lights and down to the underside of the SLR. The brake light is mounted on the underside of the lip spoiler, and the designated license plate spot is simply an indent in the rear bodywork. Again, I was disappointed by the simplicity of the design of the rear fascia, expecting something more flashy, maybe a chrome bar connecting the taillights or more glamorous license plate spot.
    Don't get me wrong, there's plenty to like about the SLR McLaren. The car's long hood features a bulge that is a reminder of the might of the 617 horsepower V8 engine underneath. This bulge stretches from the windscreen down to the grille, where it comes to a point, a protrusion that holds a large Mercedes-Benz emblem and is flanked by sporty silver horizontal vents close to the windscreen. The vents are split into three pieces by silver dividers--the car's vents are my favorite touch and exactly what  this car could use more of. 

     Just behind the luxurious 10-spoke silver wheels is another sleek air vent, with a similar design to the ones on the hood, except the dividers are horizontal and the vents themselves are vertical. These vents have a retro feel, reminding me of the vents on the 300SL Gullwing. The bottom of the vent runs into a clean character line which forms the outline of the doors. Another strong character line, actually more like a small inversion, runs from in between the oval headlamps, along the body, and around the seats, making almost a full circumnavigation of the vehicle.

                               SLR McLaren in Naples, Florida

     The highlights of the rear are the complex and futuristic taillights, similarly shaped to those on the current C-Class, with the silver C-shaped housings within the taillights that contain the LEDs being my favorite detail. 

     When the SLR McLaren cruises by you may think it's a real looker, but when examined closely, we realize that the Mercedes-Benz didn't live up to its potential in design.

Grade
Front: B-
Back: B-
Overall: B-

This past spring my family traveled to Florida to visit my grandfather. The streets of Naples, where he lives, were packed with tons of interesting cars, and my first few posts will feature some of the cars I saw there.


Sometime later during the summer, I will post about the new sheetmetal I viewed at the 2013 New York International Auto Show.

I love cars. I have been fascinated by cars since I was one and a half years old, especially the visual aspect--I've always taken note of the design element, the headlights, the grills, the overall shape. When I was younger I spent hours with my Matchbox and Hot Wheels but I've also gone to the New York International Auto Show since 2009-- my parents even let my brother and me go without them the last two years so I could spend more time looking at each and every model.

Recently, my grandfather pushed me do something with this passion, and inspired me to create a blog where I can write about cars. I also love photography and take pictures of cars whenever I can. My blog, Auto Paparazzi, will focus on the aesthetics of cars, new and old, as I explore what I like and don't like about each car.