2018 Providence Auto Show - Part I

"Racin'Jason001" (racinjason001)
02/27/2018 at 17:04 • Filed to: Mazda, Volvo, Audi, Toyota, Toyota Mirai, Ford, Honda, Volkswagen, Providence Auto Show, Northeast International Auto Show, Providence, Part 1

Greetings again, Oppo! About two weeks ago, my local auto show: The Northeast International (Providence) Auto Show, was in town at The Rhode Island Convention Center. This year I had time to take and upload pictures, so I thought I’d share. I’ll go in order of first brands I visited to the last brands.

Floor Plan:

Checked out the Mazdas first. Forgot to take pictures of everything but the Miata. I guess it was the only thing I wanted to take a picture of. I also forgot to take the wide image on these first few. Also had my 4th gen iPod Touch, since I don’t have a smartphone, so I apologize in advance for poor pic quality.

Then it was on to the Volvos

Really impressive interiors in these Volvos. This XC40 had red leather seats! I think the exterior styling for these is good, for a crossover. Did you know the XC40 can be optioned with a two-tone paint combo, like the Toyota C-HR? Pretty cool stuff.

I must say this XC60 was a nice place to be in. Lots of cool tech, and a nice big screen for infotainment purposes in the middle. Really impressive interior overall.

That V90 Cross Country is a looker! I love what they’ve done with it on both the exterior and in the interior. Also got to sample the 360º camera. It is a very cool technology to possess.

The Audis were sampled after the Volvos.

So, the only really interesting Audis were this A5 Convertible and the following S5. The rest were pretty much the same styling in and out or crossovers. I liked the A5 Convertible’s brown leather interior. I think my favorite part was the steering wheel. Big, beefy, beautiful with nice gauges to look at. The exterior styling has the new streamlined A5 design that recently was updated. It’s a refined take on typical Audi styling. It looks good, and like every other Audi, which isn’t a bad thing.

The S5 looked almost exactly like the A5, so I just wanted to share some S badge with you.

Now we get into the beef of the show starting with Toyota.

Toyota made the Mirai a big deal this year by showcasing all of its hydrogen fuel-cell glory. Still hate the styling. Yes, I HATE it. Cool exhibit, though.

The Tundra TRD Sport is a nice little refresh to a dated look. It was also too big to fit in my viewfinder! The LED lights are a nice added feature. I hear it comes with new tech too. I hope a new generation is in the works, though.

Had to give the Taco some love. That orange, tho! The TRD Off-Road package makes it look like a beast. That front end looks great, and even showed off its innards. One thing I did not know about the Tacos was the exterior color matching interior accents around the dash and touchscreen. They really add some life in this thing.

The black badge is on the driver’s door, and the other on the door sil.

The Sequoia TRD Sport is a nice light refresh to yet another aging platform. I like the small improvements on this better than Tundra. The LED lights look way better, and the interior get metal center dash knobs along with updated tech as well. Looks good in white too. They love to show off that this is a TRD Sport, though, as you can see for yourself the two to the left. Just like the Tundra, sharing the same under-workings, I hope a new generation is in the works for this as well.

For those of you who didn’t know, the Sienna got a facelift. I don’t like. Sure, the old one was getting old, but don’t give a minivan the sporty/aggressive treatment. Just looks wrong to me.

Had to throw in some Land Cruiser love. Still looks good n’ rugged. Also, still a nice place to be in.

Well, the Rav-4 got the American Olympic Sponsor treatment. It’s a (poorly done) wrap, by the way. For some strange reason, they decided to put a roof rack holder thingy on it. I have no idea if that’s going to be available for purchase, but I wouldn’t get my hopes up. Also, tan interior.

Threw some Rav-4 Adventure in because why not?

Prius Prime Interior stuff. You know what the exterior looks like (and is much better than normal Prius), so I decided to show the quirks on the inside.

Threw these in because I liked the colors on them. I wish Toyota used them on more exciting alternatives (*Cough**GT86**Cough*).

Then it was on to them Fords.

New Expedition looks bigger and better than ever. Love it! Just look at that grille!

The Face-lifted F-150 lookin’ fine. Loving the new multiple grilles to choose from option. (Sorry for terrible pic )

Super Duty F-350 Power Stroke is MASSIVE . By far the beastliest thing at the show. Large interior comfort and space to go with an expensive price, no doubt.

Behold the F-150 Raptor! Ford did a great job on this truck. Sure, it doesn’t have a burly V8, but the Ecoboost V6 still has a great, unique sound. I love the design of this. Very off-road worthy with those decals and all. Not to mention, a comfy and aggressively styled interior.

How about this cool feature!?!? The door sil logo illuminates in harmony with the hazard lights when applied! Granted, this was on the Platinum trim, but still cool!

So, I took this EcoSport picture to see if you could find the quirk hidden within the back of these. Leave your guesses in the comments! Cool crossover.

The Mustang. It is sinister and awesome in so many ways. I could talk for hours about this thing, so I’ll let the pics do the talking. (Sorry about the light. )

First time seeing the Fusion Sport. The interior is like any other Fusion, so I just focused on the outside. Not too shabby. (Sorry about the light. )

Moving on, it’s Honda time!

The new Odyssey’s front looks ok. I like it better than Sienna, but there’s still something to be desired. Back is gorgeous to me. Not too impressed with the gauges there, but it is different.

Oh, man, the new Accord! Ladies and gents, this is a piece of rolling artwork. When I first saw it I didn’t like it, but now in person, it is awesome. I now see why there are many on the road already. That front end design, though! *enhance*

Just .

It’s no secret that I love the Ridgeline. It’s just quirky Honda cool. Unfortunately, I was unable to sit in it. People seemed to be crowding it .

Ah, the lovely Civic Type R. (For front photo, look at Mustang behind photo) Yeah, it’s a bit much, but I still like it. Everything about shouts: sporty. I’ll let the pics speak for themselves.

Threw in the Clarity because it is the future. Also, this looks to be the Plug-in Hybrid.

Lastly, for part uno, we look at Volkswagen.

I gotta say, people. I like the Atlas. It is BIG , for a VW. Very manly take on the front end design in my opinion. That interior is very accommodating. The color of it, and everything else should make this a hot seller.

Wouldn’t be a show without a Beetle, would it? Nothing really new in it, but love the easter eggs in stuff like this. Interesting green color on it too. I wouldn’t buy one with this color, but it does have an appeal.

Threw in an updated Golf GTI pic for them GTI fans.

Lastly, the 2019 VW Jetta showed up! Now I know it took some Audi styling cues, but they aren’t that similar if you look closer. Being a prototype, they locked it, so I tried to get the best pics I could. Got a shot of the warranty for those who care. The wheels are debatable, that’s for sure, but overall I like it.

That’s a wrap for today, folks! Come back soon for Parts 2 and 3!

DISCUSSION (2)

pip bip - choose Corrour > Racin'Jason001
02/28/2018 at 05:32

i wouldn’t say no to a Mirai

only issue here is there is only one hydrogen fuel station in Australia, at Hyundai HQ in Sydney.

i’m in Victoria

Racin'Jason001 > pip bip - choose Corrour
02/28/2018 at 07:24

Indeed. Hydrogen stations are very hard to come by, and the fuel itself is expensive.