GM Main Street in Motion...Philly Today

[caddycruiser]

I've wanted to go to one of these events for the longest time...and finally this year I caught it 5 months ahead of time and had it on my calendar ever since.

This weekend at Citizens Bank Park in Philly, the GM Main Street in Motion test drive event. Hot, sunny and breezy day today, PERFECT timing. Got there around 10am, to the site of Chevy Volt after Volt driving down the street and on a loop--the Volt was the one vehicle they had a large number of, and had preset a test route out of the track and onto the local streets for every test.

Registration quick & easy, I hit the GMC truck & comparo tent first, right past the entry. Yukon Denali Hybrid, Sierra 2500HD Denali Duramax, etc. Very short drive loop here, but some nice curves and rough patches. The Hybrid Denali was great, and really does stay in electric mode until really pushed, and the transition is seemless. Drove everything in the lineup here except for the Tundra (meh), Seqouia (already have), and the Ram 2500/3500 HD crew--just missed that one.

Next up, the Buick car and GMC/Buick crossover tents. My favorite spot all day, and I came back twice to drive everything again. Buick Regals of every variety, from standard 2.4L to loaded 2.0T with all options. Lacrosse CXL in FWD & AWD, and Lacrosse CXS with Touring suspension & 19" wheels. Competitors available to test were a new 2011 Acura TSX, 2012 Acura TL FWD Advance, and a 2011 Lexus ES350. When I first got there, it was an even mix of people waiting for Buicks as for the competitors. Later in the day, the Buick lines were empty...and a ton of people were lined up waiting for the TL & ES350. Of every car, and I can't figure out why, the ES350 was most popular...bizarre.

I felt dead on in the Regal T07 Turbo. Perfect size, the interior fit & layout for me, and the 2.0T was spunky--not 3.6L power I like more, but fitting of the car size/feel. Better yet, the handling/ride/quiet/hardcore cornering ability were just a hoot. Even the base model was nearly as fun, just with less power verve when pressed--but really not a huge difference. One FWD Lacrosse CXL I drove didn't impress me at first with power, but it seemed like the V6...until I drove others after, I started to think it may have been a 2.4L car. Favorites were the Lacrosse CXS with 19" and Magneride, just silent and SOLID with a big feel but awesome handling and ride. More so, the Lacrosse CXL AWD really had noticeably extra grip and put the power down through slalom noticeably better. My biggest complaint with the Lacrosse remained the center console. I can get comfortable, not like in the Regal, but enough...and then the Lacrosse center console is just so high up and far back, it's awkward to rest on and bugged me. I wanted to push it down 4", just like the first time I tried one.

Regal...big yes. Lacrosse CXS/CXL AWD...also big yes, just cut 4" out of the center console height. The Acura TL FWD I'm familiar with in every way from selling them daily, and on test track and in general performance, a knockout. More flickable, more secure position in the cockpit for hard corners...but the interior just isn't as posh as the Buicks, for instance. Otherwise, wowza of a car. The Lexus ES350 still has very impressive power from the Toyota 3.5L and buttery interior, but a soft car in every way from acceleration to overall feel. Bleh. Meh. And looks ancient. Skipped the TSX, I like them enough already, and drive daily...but now after driving the Regal, much prefer the Regal package and feel.

In crossover time, mom has a Terrain, but I've never driven one. Very impressed with the layout and feel even on curves. The 2.4L sounds like a 4-cyl but is spunky and confirmed why it's most popular. The 3.0L was smoother and moved nicely when floored, but otherwise felt soft--exactly what I expected. Jumping into an Enclave and then Acadia Denali, even bigger and heavier, right away they step off with more authority with the 3.6L. Acura MDX & Murano also available. As known, the MDX with SH-AWD was a down right impressive performer thrown with hard throttle into tight corners, and the sound of VTEC kicking in on the 3.7L is great. The Murano has some juice, and CVT not too odd, but a weird look and in between size.

Next over to Chevy cars. Rule at the entry was "You must drive a Cruze before you can drive a Volt." One you drove a Cruze, they had both Eco and LTZ RS models, you'd get a "Volt" hand stamp--very interesting rule there, by GM. I think so people would be forced to compare. Cruze LTZ RS moved nicely with the 1.4T, more so than I expected, and feels just as substantial and refined as everyone says. Skipped the Traverse. Skipped the Elantra, Civic & Accord--all had lines, and I didn't care one bit about any of them. Drove the new Explorer. Solid, quiet, moves strongly with the 3.5L, but even I got in and with the radio blaring...got frazzled for 10 seconds trying to figure out where the heck a volume control was. MyFordTouch, woof. It looks nice. Explorer is big, but has small seats and the doors feel far away...strange, but not too bothersome.

Chevy truck event was low key and quietest of all. Drove a new Tahoe, a Silverado 2500HD LTZ Duramax, and a new Avalanche LTZ--brought back nice memories of mine. All felt huge, but still very refined. Closed this one out driving a Ridgeline. Ugly as could be, but unibody, AWD and with the screamer Honda V6...damn thing was fun on the track, and felt trucky at the same time.

Last...Volt, Camaro and Corvette. Volt was very cool. SMOOTH and instant power. As reviews now point out, one weird aspect is a loaded leather lined interior...but then cheezy manual seat controls up front. If it saved weight, okay. Felt solid, smooth, and driving around I could see owning one as a daily vehicle, if my uses were a little different.

Camaro and Vette. Camaro coupes in both LT RS and SS RS form, and Camaro convertibles in SS form. Vettes all GS models. These you had to go with a rep in the passenger's seat, but they encouraged going hard, full throttle in every way. First up a Camaro 2SS RS in Synergy Green. Felt just like I remembered of mom's, and silent inside at idle, then small block roar. Convertible next was my favorite, interior feels so much larger and the overall experience WHOA with the top down. Corvette, crap interior aside, was fun, but didn't leave me drooling. I'd still have one just to have one, but the interior foibles are noteworthy.

Weirdest = Corvette's manual tilt wheel on the left side with a scratchy plastic lever...then a power telescope button on the right. Just bizarre to use. Oh...and the number of people waiting to drive the Lexus ES350. Strange.

Favorite vehicles = Regal 2.0T, Lacrosse CXS/CXL AWD, Acura TL, Volt

Fix please = Lacrosse center console height...almost perfect, visibility aside...but I don't wanna sit with one arm up on a hard small perch. And the whole Corvette inside.

I went to the Buick lineup to start and to finish, and was totally impressed by the Regal and Lacrosse. I wish the course was longer for every vehicle, as as soon as you start, you're done...but it was a blast, and I could keep going again and again.

Pictures. Long review, sorry, but I wanted to get it out...best free event ever. 5 hours later, made my day, then I hit the casino and won a little too.

What would I buy? Definitely liking the cars noted above...give me a Regal GS.

Edited July 18, 2011 by caddycruiser

[GMTruckGuy74]

Great write-up, Derek. Not sure how we didn't bump into each other though! The wife and my 5 y-o son joined me for the afternoon visit. We were there roughly 2pm until closing (5pm). Wanted to go earlier and we were waiting for some friends that were going to join us, but they cancelled pretty late. My wife's favorites were the LaCrosse CXL and CXS, the Enclave CXL, and some of the competition. My favorites? The Sierra 2500 HD Denali and the V6 Terrain SLT. I just can't seem to like the 4cyl Terrain no matter what I do. I guess I would sacrifice other models/options (maybe a SLE-2 rather than a SLT-1) for the $1,500 V6 option. The Terrain, IMHO, just seemed to feel better overall with the 3.0L V6 engine. On the flip side, we were very impressed with the Volt test drive and my wife said she'd like one for work commutes. I was impressed with the Cruze LTZ RS I drove (dark red), however the light tan and chocolate brown two-toned interior was not our favorite color combo (though it was nice to see something than solid light tan). I should have jumped into the Silver LTZ RS Cruze just to compare the look of its interior color

As far as I can recall, "Auto Show in Motion" was last in Philadelphia at what is now the Parx Casino in Bensalem, PA in 2004. After a 7-year hiatus in the area, I was glad to see "Main Street in Motion" make a return. On a side note, I liked how they color-coded the wrist bands to the vehicle preference you stated in the beginning (at registration). I didn't realize, outside of my son's bright pink band, that they were color-coded and had a meaning (I really wasn't paying attention, as I just wanted to get inside and drive!). I was wondering how the people there knew I preferred trucks, as I did not wear any "GMC" or "Chevy Truck" shirts or hats to this event, but realized soon afterwards that my wife's (Buick) wristband was a light blue to my black one and the lightbulb came on!

Definitely will be keeping an eye on the MSiM website for future Philadelphia dates (not driving up to the Meadowlands though!!).

[caddycruiser]

I was trying to figure out the wrist band thing...I got there about an hour & half after opening and said Buick. Blue plastic wrist band. Then I started seeing brown ones, etc. that looked like temps...wasn't sure.

In the afternoon, as I left right around 2, it was kind of cool how dead it was in spots, from Buick/GMC to the Chevy trucks. Great for me, as I just wanted to cycle through every single thing at Buick/GMC again, and there were no lines.

Why so many people wanted to drive that stupid Lexus...or take their pictures with it...was beyond me. Name still means a lot, apparently, in a weird way. Drive that then a Lacrosse and it was dead clear. If only the Lacrosse center console didn't bug my arm...but I could get used to it. If buying a sedan today, it'd be between Regal, Lacrosse and...TL. The latter I'm now familiar with and really enjoy.

Terrain, good point. Mom has one, but this was my first drive. 4-cyl is spunky, but the 3.0L does just make it smoother, quieter and more refined feeling--very impressive and solid/silent ute, even tossed hard around corners. All interesting and fun.

I just wished for longer courses, even though I realize it would throw the show schedule out of wack, and location.

[vonVeezelsnider]

Roger it's funny you mention your preference of the black over the Cocoa/Cashmere. I think the black is just too monotone for the Cruze and if I was to purchase one I wouldn't want that. In my Impala it's passable because the woodgrain breaks up the monotony a bit but I digress... The brown/tan is okay since it's still dark carpets (easier to keep clean), but also brightens up the cabin. I also like the Ebony/Brick for what it's worth.

[Intrepidation]

Main Street in Motion is coming to Gillette Stadium this Friday. I signed up and got a confirmation email but no registration code. I'll have to call them tomorrow...haven't had time to yet.

[bobo]

Don't worry about the registration code. Just show up. Fridays are the best because there's hardly anybody. I went to MSIM in the San Francisco Bay Area, and the main differences with AutoShow in Motion is the lack of Cadillac, and there were fewer freebies, which is fitting in this economic climate. No meals, just some Costco snacks. No free T-shirts. I ended up staying for several hours. To me, the Buick Regal was the highlight.

[ocnblu]

Sounds like loads of fun!

[GMTruckGuy74]

Don't worry about the registration code. Just show up. Fridays are the best because there's hardly anybody. I went to MSIM in the San Francisco Bay Area, and the main differences with AutoShow in Motion is the lack of Cadillac, and there were fewer freebies, which is fitting in this economic climate. No meals, just some Costco snacks. No free T-shirts. I ended up staying for several hours. To me, the Buick Regal was the highlight.

I agree with your comparison of the ASiM vs. MSiM... though in Philadelphia they gave away Philly Pretzels and bottled water

[Potluck]

the best way to sell a Lacrosse is to offer test drives in an ES first.