When I was presented with a assignment for my photography class, I immediately knew that it had to have something to do with automobiles. I decided to take portraits of people with their cars, and I was inspired by Brandon Stanton's Humans of New York to do an interview along with the photo. So here's the photos and the accompanying quotes.

Bill Cassano, 2001 Ford Expedition

"We were having another kid and we were going to be six people and we wanted to have two more seats for guests. This was the nicest car that could fit three people in the back. We had a Chrysler Town and Country Minivan. They are easier to get in and out of but don't hold as many people. I think it screams that I have a big family... but there is a bicycle rack on top so that shows I'm into bicycling."

Stuart Miller, 2003 Volkswagen Passat Wagon.

"My family has driven VWs for forty years because my grandfather bought a Volkswagen dealership. They are great cars because they handle the road really well, they are great at high speeds—even if they don't zoom from zero to sixty—and they are incredibly safe, they feel like armored cars. I dislike everything about SUVs and minivans from the looks to the image they project but especially the mileage so I like having a station wagon. My son doesn't think this car is cool enough: it's too old, it's a station wagon, and it's got nicks and scratches all over the place. But its paid off and it drives well so that's pretty cool to me."

Jo Michelli, 2013 BMW 7 Series

"I like it because its smooth, fast, cool, and roomy. Oh and very comfortable. Before this I had another BMW 7 Series, 2008. Basically the same, this [his current car] was just an upgrade. And it looks nicer I’d give it a ten out of ten.''

Jo Michelli, Remote Control car

"It can hit 55 piles per hour. I have another that can 100 but not here. I need a flat tarmac, so I go out to an airport on Long Island."

Tracy Grayson, 1998 Mercedes-Benz C280

            "It's beautifully designed, it's incredibly well-made, and it's well-made in a way that they don't make new cars. I love the new Mercedes-- they look fantastic and are undoubtedly very good cars... which I could never in a million years afford to own. But this is the last of the really great Mercedes--back then they built them to be purchased as opposed to be leased so when you purchased a Mercedes you expected it to last almost indefinitely.

            I looked at BMWs, Volvos, Saabs, all kinds of higher end European cars, and the quality of the materials in the Mercedes was so much higher. You could get an older one that is still in fantastic condition as opposed to BMWs of this vintage, which are completely worn out. It's not really about status, it's about the car, it's about the machine. Status doesn't mean anything-- I'm well old enough to be past that. Either the machine is good and works and looks right or it doesn't, regardless of the status. I'd rather have a perfect Camry than a beat up BMW any day of the week. I've owned about 23 cars in my life. This is the highest quality car I've ever owned."

Jenna, 1998 Volvo S90

"Its sturdy, safe, and boxy. And I actually like the shape. It was actually my mom’s car, its been passed down. It’s been in the family for a while. I like, as a mother, that I can feel like my kids and I can feel safe in it."

Martin, 2004 Porsche 911 Turbo

            "It has been a trusty steed. It is reliable and it's fast. Before this I had a Boxster. That's a great car, this is more powerful and has more room but the Boxster could probably beat this on a track because it corners really well with the engine in the middle.

            The backseat is useful only occasionally, in a pinch. It's not a very practical car at all. I kept it in storage most of the time but the Pep Boys on Third Avenue put my Toureg on the lift and didn't lock the air suspension and blew it out and the car was totaled. My first car was a Chevy Celebrity wagon, which was a fabulous wagon; it was my parent’s car. I love wagons. I'm in the market for a wagon now."

Angie, Volkswagen Golf

            "We got it two and a half years ago. I like it because it's small and easy to park especially in the city and cleaner than taking the subway. The mileage is okay.  Before this I had a Nissan Altima and a Lincoln Town Car and a Toyota Tercel. This is new; the others were very used so they were horrible. This is very easy and needs no maintenance. Right now with the baby seat it's a little difficult to fit a lot in the car but it's okay."

Elizabeth Marvel & Bill Camp, 2001 Volkswagen New Beetle.

Elizabeth: "We were living in L.A. and our Toyota got totaled."

Bill: "We wanted an orange Beetle but she just walked in and bought this."

Elizabeth: "They didn't have orange on the lot that day  and I was impatient. Green was my second choice. It has been perfect for us. This car is so solid and the Toyota was tinny. The trunk is surprisingly large and the back folds down. With a family it's great. We're thinking of replacing it with a new one."

Brian, Chevrolet Avalanche

"It's a big durable truck it runs good and has a lot of space, I carry a lot of equipment. I had a GMC Yukon before this. It's just as big. This is just newer. That was just old. I loved it too. I use it mostly for work. I'm a court officer for New York State, I carry equipment around and I can throw it right in the back and not worry about messing up my interior. My first car was a 1988 Nissan Sentra. I'm a big guy for me this is a lot more comfortable than the Sentra was—it was a struggle to get in and out of that. I would never go back to a small car."

Kevin Mulcahy, Subaru Forester

"We had a 1998 Ford Taurus that had been handed down in the family. But we parked it for [two months] at my dad's garage and when we retrieved it and turned it on it started smoking and then there were flames coming out of the trunk and then the whole car was engulfed. We realized there was a possum nest in the engine When the car was fully engulfed in flames the possum stopped playing possum and ran out. So we had to get online and get ourselves a new used car.

            We were looking for a used car that we could have in the city and park on the street and not have to worry about it getting stolen and beat up so we wanted something a little rough. When you park a car on the street a lot of things happen, which we know from experience. We once parked the car in a legal space and when we went to get it was not there. We thought the city had towed it for some reason but they said no so we had to conclude that it was stolen, which we thought was surprising because it was an old Ford Taurus. We reported it stolen, went through the whole process and even got a check from the insurance company but before we could cash the check we got a call from a detective who said he'd found our car on Atlantic Avenue where it had been parked for two months, placed there by a city tow truck that had moved it so a movie could be shot in our neighborhood. The city admitted they were at fault. They gave us some compensation and we ripped up our check and moved on.

            This Subaru was available on Craigslist for $2000. That's a very low price for a car that works and it only had 108,000 miles. I like the Subaru. If we get another car I would look for a newer Subaru. It holds five people easily plus good, easy trunk space in the back but it's not big so it parks easily."

Gal Beckerman, Honda CRV

"I have little kids and it had enough space in it and it seemed like a safe car. This car reveals that I'm a boring middle-aged parent. There's nothing that sexy about it. I'm not someone who really fantasizes about cars. I grew up in Los Angeles and had cars there but not here for many years. My first car there was a Jeep Cherokee—that's a little bit more adventurous than this."

Noal Melendez, Toyota RAV4.

"It's a seven-seater and I have a large family. The number one thing is safety. If you have seven family members in the car you want to feel like if you get into an accident you won't really get hurt."

Duffy Magesis and Peg Terry, 1988 Volvo 240 DL.

Duffy: ''The car's name is Betsy. It just seems like a Betsy. Our daughter came up with the name. We got the car right after 9/11.''

Peg: "It belonged to a friend whose husband had died. My friend Diane said Duffy has always wanted a car, this will show him. So we bought the car and it hasn't shown Duffy because he loves the car."

Duffy: "It's one of the last cars made of all steel, everything is welded. When we got insurance we had to pay more because of the damage we would inflict on other cars. It's virtually indestructible. It also has the crank windows, it has a cassette deck, there's no computer stuff in it. It's a great car."

Peg: "It has a broken odometer and a broken speedometer and a broken gas gauge. We don't take it out of the city anymore."

Bruce Herman, 2003 Land Rover Freelander

" I got this car because the back window rolls down. Well, when I was a kid all station wagons had back windows that rolled down and they stopped that. I had another car it was being fixed and they gave me a loaner and it was one of these and I said, 'What's this button for' and the back window went down and I said, 'That's it, keep that car I'm getting one of these.'

            I'm never getting another car without a back window that goes down. The ventilation is definitely part of it and also I put things in that stick out so its extremely useful that way. I take it off road a lot. I have a house upstate which is at the end of a dirt road and that road is often in pretty bad condition and this car does really well there—on snow, ice I've never had a problem. Land Rovers are a real pain in the ass and are not well made and break down a lot but I won't give it up.

            The car  before this was a Volvo station wagon because the Land Rover I had before that was stolen and it was a moment of stupidity. The minute I got in that Volvo I hated it and it took me two-and-a-half years to figure out why I hated it—it was because I felt old, like an old suburban guy. I feel 75 years younger in this car."

Christopher Gaby, Toyota Prius

"I bought it for the gas mileage, my last car was a super gas guzzling Grand Cherokee Laredo-- that got 10 miles to the gallon ten years later, this one on the highway I get close to 52.             I like to consider myself with the times, less of a carbon footprint and all that stuff while the truck definitely fit my lifestyle as someone who surfs a lot and also being in the fire department and having a lot of gear to throw in the back. But ultimately, financially, ecology-wise and living in this neighborhood I feel like the Prius is a pretty good fit.

            It's a little harder with surfing but I put racks on it. It was a lot easier just sticking them inside but I make do. It's not fast by any means but surprisingly when I get it on the highway its very aerodynamic and efficient and it actually stays its speed a lot better than I thought it would. Originally I thought these cars were kind of lame but I'm really impressed."

2015 Ford Mustang

Mustang on 16th St. in Brooklyn

       I consider myself a Camaro guy, but I was really hoping that the new 'Stang would sway me towards the Ford, especially given all the hype surrounding its release for the Mustang's 50th anniversary. It is indeed a handsome car, yet it remains runner-up to the Chevy, mainly because of the car's lackluster front end.

Mustang at NYIAS

      The front end is fairly aggressive and pretty good looking in parts, but Ford's designers could have created a faster, more agile looking muscle car. Sure, the grille keeps it's iconic trapezoidal shape, and gets added detail with the addition of the two grey bars running down either side. However, the headlights look as if they were taken straight off the Fusion midsize sedan. The Fusion is a very handsome car, no doubt,  but the headlights should not be shared with a muscle car, and borrowing from the Fusion seems lazy on the part of the designers. Additionally, the headlights are set farther back and farther away from the grille compared to the previous iteration. This new location makes the 2015's grille appear snout-like, which is not a desired look in a fast pony car like this.
        Another area that could use redesigning is the lower front fascia, as the fog lamp housings are pretty simple and boring, and would have benefited from more dynamic air intakes.

Mustang at NYIAS

     The Ford features two powerful creases running down the hood, and these are flanked by small hood vents. These intakes give the car a stronger more aggressive appearance, but putting the vents at the front of the bonnet, an unusual place, makes them look a little awkward. One of the strong points in the 2015 Mustang's design, running alongside the vents are sharp character lines that stretch from the recognizable grille to the windshield, where they meet up with another pair of lines that go from the headlights to the rear of the car. This car-length line creates brawny rear haunches, making the 'Stang look as if it's surging forward. The Mustang features many parallel creases, including the ones on the hood, two on each side between the wheel wells, and even two on the roof, and these add to the Mustang's muscular look.
     Around back the Mustang looks superb. The iconic three vertical taillight housings remain, but look more modern and polished than the previous generation's. The taillights are connected by a long black rectangular panel, which looks beautiful, and gives the car a sporty vibe (similar to the effect given by Dodge's "Racetrack" inspired full-width lights). The placement of the license plate, under the taillight strip, give the rear a cleaner, smoother look.
     Overall the new Mustang is a very good looking pony car, with aggressive lines and a beautiful back end. The main reason it remains behind the Camaro in my mental list of muscle cars is because of headlights borrowed from the Fusion, and a plain lower front fascia.




Grade
Front:B
Back:A
Overall: B+

Chevy Impala LT

Impala on 8th Ave. in Brooklyn

      When my mom rented a Chevy Impala I was both excited and dismayed. I was dismayed because in my opinion, it is a horribly designed vehicle, but I was excited because I had never been in one, and I couldn't wait to get to experience its terribleness. Here's my review on one of the most bland and boring vehicles of the last decade.
       The Impala competes against the division of full-size cars that include the Ford Taurus, Hyundai Azera, Kia Cadenza, Toyota Avalon, and Nissan Maxima. All of these cars, while not opulent, are more luxurious and offer more upscale features than the other cars made by their respective companies. The Impala though, does not look fancy inside or outside, and doesn't seem more advanced then the other Chevys.
        Let's begin with the front fascia. The two piece plastic grill is uninspiring, and the closest thing it has to being luxurious is the small chrome trim outlining it. The fat headlights are composed of three circular compartments, which use the basic reflector optics technology instead of a more advanced and better projector lamps. The lower front fascia features uninteresting air intakes, split down the middle by a thin chrome strip. The hood and side panels have absolutely no creases or other interesting bodywork. The hubcaps are a basic five-spoke design, painted in a dull silver. Moving around back, we find basic triangular taillights and that's about it. The license plate is housed in the bumper, which I believe was an immensely bad decision by GM's designers. A better place to put the plate would have been underneath a chrome bar that would stretch from taillight to taillight and have either Chevrolet or Impala etched into it. The one halfway decent thing about the exterior of the car is the spoiler, but even this element has a problem, as it feels out of place because the rest of the car is not sporty.

Impala on 8th Ave. in Brooklyn

         The interior is no better. Since the Impala we rented was a LT (the second most expensive trim), I was expecting a somewhat nice interior, but alas, my dreams were squandered by the drab dash, doors, and seats that awaited me. The black dashboard was trimmed with cheap looking fake wood. On the center console there were an abnormally small amount of controls, making it look empty, as if the designers forgot something. The gear shifter, while one of the better looking interior parts, had a major design flaw-- there were no labels. This made it a bit more confusing while driving. The gauge cluster was unimaginative, just three simple gauges on an flat black surface. The steering wheel in front of it was equally lackluster. The entire wheel was clad in a cheap black plastic-like surface, and sculpted in a fat, inelegant shape. The inside door panels of the Impala LT, were also almost entirely black, with small, shallow compartments sticking out about halfway down. There was one major design element that confused me about the door. Since the faux wood trim was continued around the corner up to the door handle indent, why wasn't more included either along the top of the door or around the rectangular compartments. While the majority of the Chevy's interior looked as if the designers had thought it up while asleep, there was one hint that they were aware it was supposed to be a premium sedan. In the wood trim on the right side of the dash was a small silver Impala logo, with skinny chrome lines extending from it on either side. While this attempt at luxury actually works, it is not enough to set off the rest of the dreary car.

Grade
Front: F
Back: F
Overall: F 

2013 US Open

I was sitting in the front seat of a 2014 Mercedes-Benz CLA45 AMG, pushing buttons and stroking leather armrests when I felt a raindrop fall through the open sunroof. As the rain began pouring down, the Mercedes-Benz representative closed up the skylight and the stand. But the hours during the rain delay allowed me to explore some of the interiors of the other cars on display at the 2013 US Open.

2014 Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG
      Stepping into the E63 felt like I was stepping into a work of art. The cabin was almost completely covered in Black Nappa leather, which felt extremely soft and of the highest quality. Sitting inside it, wrapped up in the smooth seats, I felt very disconnected from the world outside the car, as if I were in a cocoon of luxury. The sophisticated interior was accented with chrome pieces and Burl Walnut Wood.
      The center console was adequate, but it was finished in a piano black surface, which may look fancy but smudges easily. Worse, the analog clock sandwiched in between the air conditioner vents was cheap and flimsy looking.  One detail that I particularly enjoyed was the AMG seal stamped onto the gearshift. I also had fun playing with the center compartment, which had two doors that swung open at the push of a button. It was overall a very luxurious and beautiful interior, and my only real issue was a cheap clock.



2014 Mercedes-Benz CLA45 AMG
     After bathing in the expensive leathers of the approximately $90,000 E63, the $56, 000 CLA45 felt considerably less luxurious. There were more plastics throughout the cabin, and the leather surfaces weren't as upscale feeling. The very pretty dashboard looked like it had been blown into its current shape, except I thought the placement of the screen, sticking up on top, was weird because it couldn't be folded down when not in use, which took away from the aerodynamic appeal of the dash. One detail that I really thought was a nice touch were the air conditioning vents, three of them, right below the screen in the center console. The four separators reminded me of airplane propellers, and I'm a big fan of airplane design elements appearing in cars. I also loved the rectangular hole that separates the headrest from the front seat, because I felt like it kept the theme of flowing air that is emphasized in the dash. In the backseat, the cup holders sprung out of the fold down center area with the push of a button. While it wasn't as nice as the more expensive E63, I thought it was overall a very beautiful design and a good interior for the money.

2013 Smart Fortwo Brabus Tailored
    Since Samrt is owned by DaimlerAG, who also owns Mercedes-Benz, therefore a Smart stand is present at the US Open, showing off the not-so-new Smart Fortwo. The first Smart car I sat in was the Smart Fortwo Brabus Tailored, which is designed in collaboration with Brabus, an aftermarket tuning company. This was probably the best-looking Smart interior I've ever been in, and the light brown pleated leather looked very nice. There were, however, a few issues I had. The first and foremost was how disproportionate the leather was placed throughout the cabin. The seats and doors are swathed in the stuff, while there is practically none on the dashboard. Also the cheap black plastic on the dash didn't contrast well with the rest of the car, making it seem as if the designers were too lazy to think of a unique dashboard. Also, I felt that while the interior was very unique, the exterior looked pretty much like every other Smart Fortwo,  which took away from the special feel of the car. Another small quip I had was the storage flap on the bottom of the door (it is mostly blocked by the seat in the photo), which felt very cheap and flimsy and incapable of holding much. While the Smart Fortwo Brabus Tailored's interior is unique, an unfinished dashboard and a boring exterior make it feel cheaper and more ordinary.




2013 Smart Fortwo Electric Drive
     The final car I sampled was the Fortwo Electric Drive, an EV version of the well-known Smart car. On the exterior, the vibrant green paint nicely contrasted the white body paint, but when I stepped inside, I immediately noticed something horribly wrong. While Smart did a nice job using green, commonly associated with EVs, on the outside, the designers had seemed to have forgotten about  the interior. Except around the gauges, green was absent from the cabin; the black interior instead being contrasted with an ugly, cheap, and boring silver plastic. If the bright green had been put on the steering wheel
 , door handles, around the radio, and instead of all the silver bits, it would have enhanced the Electric Drive's interior greatly. If this had been done, I would have really enjoyed the Smart Fortwo Electric Drive, and might have spent more than three minutes in it. (Side note: While not a bad thing, the gauges reminded me of those on the Mini Cooper Hardtop).

 

2014 Cadillac CTS

CTS at NYIAS

  When I heard that the new Cadillac CTS would be shown at the 2013 New York International Auto Show I was very excited. But also a little scared. In the days preceding my visit to the show, I prayed that the Cadillac designers hadn't messed up one of my favorites-- I have three posters of the second generation CTS on my wall.
    Unfortunately, when I finally reached the Cadillac stand, I was disappointed.
     Its not that the new CTS is an ugly car. In fact it is quite stylish. But the previous incarnation had a unique--almost boxy, with hard edges yet still remarkably sleek--look, while the new version, with the angles toned down, lacks that powerful and luxurious vibe.

CTS at NYIAS

     The new CTS does take some strides forward. The headlights  retain the original vertical shape but they are more detailed, keeping in line with the Cadillac design language shown in the headlights of the XTS and ATS. I also love how the running light, while separate still follows the line made by the LED strip in the headlight. Another area where Cadillac succeeds was in the character lines, which remain strong and muscular. I particularly like the way the crease that stretches from the front side vents to the taillights separated the headlights from the grille, giving the hood its own distinctive shape.

CTS at NYIAS

Now let's focus on what went wrong. Starting at the front, the grille and other front vents have had the edges smoothed out, and have lost the subtle jagged look that made me fall in love with the previous CTS. Another huge problem is in the rear: the taillights are too smooth and remind me to much of the XTS's taillights, which led me to think the designer had become lazy and just cut and pasted the XTS taillights on.
Another thing that has gone awry is the brake light. On the previous generation, the V-shaped brake light acted as a spoiler while fitting in with the angular design of the car. Now the brake light has lost most of the V and is a lot less radical looking.

The previous generation Cadillac CTS coupe

      If somebody offered me a Cadillac CTS I'd still accept it, but I hope that Cadillac is able to find its way again in the next update to the CTS.


Grade
Front:A-
Back: C+
Overall: B+
 

Subaru WRX Concept

WRX at NYIAS

      When I reached the Subaru section, I ran past the boring family cars for which they're known, the Outbacks and Foresters. I even skipped the sportier BRZ to get a look at the WRX concept. This car exudes excitement, from the aggressive headlights to the glowing exhaust tips. The headlight shape is very unorthodox, as an "eyebrow" extends beyond the bulb itself towards the grille, where it features "eyelashes" dropping down below the inner section of the "eyebrow." I particularly like the way Subaru experimented spatially, as the main rectangular bulb is set back deep in the car, and is outlined by emerging rectangular halos. 

WRX at NYIAS

       The hexagonal grille juts out in front of the angular headlights, and has a light-up neon green "WRX" badge on the lower right corner. The concept's lower front fascia is dominated by large attractive air vents, which lends to the sedan's sporty vibe. Below the headlights are equally futuristic fog lamps, which have backwards L-shape pieces accented by three vertical lights, which enhances the glowing effect of the front fascia. 

      The body features many strong character lines, which reinforce the vehicle's athletic nature. On the hood, the air intake is flanked by to converging creases, and a deep "canyon" extends from the intake to the front of the car. A sharp line goes from the headlights over the wheel arch and into the vent behind the wheel, where it then sweeps back to the taillights, create the sedan's coupe-like profile. This crease makes the car feel as if it is traveling through the air extremely fast, giving the sense of motion even when it's at rest, which unfortunately it will be forever, as it is purely a design study. 

WRX at NYIAS

WRX at NYIAS

       The vent, which sits behind the large silver twin-five-spoke wheels (accented by highlighter green brake discs) is a basic but necessary opening that allows for cooling for the brakes. Around back are the WRX's backwards C-shaped taillights, which protrude from the much narrower upper rear end. The taillights stand out because of the differently shaped crystals inside, which glowed and reminded me of lava. Beneath them are the exhaust tips, which have one last unique detail--a ring of bright green light around the edge.

      Hopefully Subaru will take as many of these awesome details into production as they can when the next-generation WRX model comes out in the next couple of years.

Grade

Front: A

Back: A

Overall: A

The following few posts are from the New York International Auto Show this past April at the Javits Center in Manhattan.