Even Cowgirls Like Cars
4/1/08
Denver Auto Show Worth the Trip
The Denver International Auto Show may not have the sexy reputation that the Detroit, L.A. and Chicago shows have, but for this hometown cowgirl, it was still pretty good. It’s laid back and less stressful than those others (read: no airplane travel or elbowing other journalists out of the way). It also hosted some pretty rockin’ cars that even us simple western cow folk can appreciate.
Take, for example, the 2009 Hyundai Genesis. This is one fancy-schmancy sedan, and yes, I’m still talking about a Hyundai. It’s 375 horsepower of exterior and interior luxury for far less than comparably equipped cars. Yee haw! The Lexicon sound system caught my eye because it’s one that’s historically only been available in a Rolls Royce. Pretty posh for a car that’s going to cost around $30K for the V-6 and $40K for the V-8.
The Lincoln MKS is another delightfully deluxe sedan. The good folks at Lincoln told me this car represents “attainable luxury.” Indeed. With the dual moonroof option, my baby and I would both be able to easily gaze at the Rockies and the true-blue Colorado sky. Another tip-top option is the Sirius Travel Link system that gets you from point A to point B, all while feeding you tons of useful information. For instance, this system can find you the gas station with the cheapest fuel wherever you are, thereby leaving you mo’ money to spend on horse feed. Giddy up!
What cow town car show would be complete without a kickin’ pickup? The 2009 Ford F-150 has a cab large enough for five adults that comes decked out with 30 (that’s right, 30!) storage compartments, including eight cupholders. Who knew a truck could hold so many sippy cups? Furthermore, with the Easy Fuel System there’s no gas cap; the tank miraculously opens and closes upon the introduction or removal of the gas nozzle. I’ve been known to drive away once or twice with my gas cap on top of the car, so I’m totally into this.
Now, cowgirls also love a little muscle, so seeing the 2008 Dodge Challenger (which they only made 6,400 of) was a fine time. It’s not exactly a family car, but check out the investment value: the 1970 Challenger originally sold for about $3K and now goes for upward of $100K at auction. By that logic, the $38K you invest in the 2008 Challenger could be worth $12 million in 38 years! (At least, that’s what the Dodge folks said, and since I can’t remember exactly how to calculate it, I’ll take their word for it.)
Though it wasn’t on the official press tour, I also got a preview of the 2009 Ford Flex, which is expected to hit dealerships this summer. To me, it looks like a cross between the old Jeep Wagoneer woody and a Range Rover. Its retro-modern style appealed to me, and the standard third-row seating, heated front and second-row seats and MSRP of just under $30K make me want to shout “Yee haw!”
Comments
Cpipes, the whole cowtown/girl thing was kind of tongue in cheek (a writing device, if you will) to make the point that we really aren't that much of a cowtown, our show is pretty cool after all. In short, I agree with you.
Posted by: Courtney | Apr 3, 2008 12:57:48 PM
I enjoyed reading your post and largely agree with your comments about the cars at the Denver Auto Show. The show was better than it was in recent years, although I would have loved to see more concept cars.
If anyone's interested, I posted some photos from the show here:
http://felixwong.com/2008/03/denver-auto-show-2/
-Felix of Fort Collins, CO
Posted by: Felix | Apr 10, 2008 4:45:17 AM
A Member of theCars.com Family
Subscribe
I'm from Denver... Enjoyed the auto show, but did you really need to include 'cowgirl' in every sentence?? It really gives Denver this rep as some off the beaten path cow town when we both know its nowhere close to that. Just my 2 cents.
Posted by: Cpipes | Apr 2, 2008 9:28:59 PM