Call me spoiled by New York, but even at a press preview, I found the New England International Auto Show in Boston to be somewhat lacking.
I mean, it’s great to check out and compare a whole bunch of cars you may or may not ever own (like this Honda Civic Type R). And to do so with no sales rep hovering and pushing you to buy, only marketing people willing to teach you about the car.
But even the selection was lacking. I was looking forward to comparing two newcomers to the SUV market, the VW Atlas and the Subaru Ascent. Alas, Subaru had no Ascent. (Or BRZ. Nor did Toyota bring an 86, though they had a million RAV4s and Camrys.) I was sad, both as a journalist and a Subaru Ambassador. I’ll have to wait until New York to see one.
I did have some good conversations, and learned some interesting things about technology in general that I’ll be writing up for The Drive. But I saw all there was to see in 2 hours, faster than usual because there were no crowds.
I also got plenty of pictures without people in the way, both because there were less people and because journalists are more aware and cooperative about letting each other take pictures.
I wouldn’t say don’t go. It’s a great chance to see a whole lot of cars up close, including many that you generally don’t see – Nissan’s Captain Phasma tribute car, for instance. But I’m holding out for New York.
Justin Hughes 