2017 Chicago Auto Show

2017 Chicago Auto Show

The annual Chicago Auto Show was held at McCormick Place on February 11-20, 2017.  If you click on the link, you can find more details about this year and next years show.

I currently own a 2004 Lexus RX330 which I purchased new in early 2004 and now has well over 120K miles on it.  So, it's at that age where things are beginning to wear out and need replacement.  

Nothing major has gone wrong (yet), but since I plan to do more road-trips in the near future, I'm thinking of buying a new compact or mid-size SUV with all-wheel drive (necessary for Chicago winters ...LOL).

One of the latest trends is that car makers are replacing their 6-cylinder engines with 2-2.3L Turbo charged 4-cylinder engines as standard equipment in a lot of their new models.  My biggest concern is how durable will these new 4-cylinder engines be for the long haul?  Needless to say, both turbocharging and long road-trips can put more stress on a 4-cylinder engine than a non-turbo V6 over time, so will they still be running trouble-free 5-, 7-, 10 years from now?

Anywho, if I were to buy a compact SUV today, it would probably be an Acura RDX factoring in the price, accessories, and Acura has kept their 6-cylinder engine as standard equipment which is a plus. 

The Lexus NX200t is a nice compact SUV, except for their 2L turbo 4-cylinder.  If they had an optional V6 available, it would probably bump the Acura RDX down to second place on my list.  The BMW X3 with their optional twin turbo 6-cyclinder is really nice ...except for the price tag!

Here are a few miscellaneous photos that I took while wandering through the various displays.  Unfortunately, I didn't take as many photo as I have in the past.