Just came back from the Frankfurt Motor Show (or IAA as it's known here). Sorry no pictures, I didn't have a cam, couldn't borrow one and I didn't want to use up my phone battery.
First I have to say I'm glad I got up early. Although it was the middle of the week there were so many people from noon, it was crazy. At 9 o' clock there were still a lot of people but not as much that you couldn't sit in cars. After 12, forget Mercedes, forget Porsche, Audi etc.
So the first one was Mercedes. I sat in the new S-Class. Goddamn, I was overwhelmed by the luxury, it's crazy. Also sat in the drivers seat, I love the steering wheel. The Mercedes hall was very nice, they put on a nice show with driving the cars out etc. The S-Class Coupe is a sexy beast. I also saw the current F1 mercedes car.
Next was Audi. This is the first time I sat in any of the new Audis (I sat in the A1, A3, A6 and A8), and everything they say about Audis interior quality is true. It just feels so nice and it's very satisfying to press the buttons and levers and the doors close with a nice clunck. I personally really liked the A1 and A3 as an somewhat affordable car. But the A8 was quite something.
Next up was the whole Volkswagen group hall (Audi had built their own hall just outside the VW one). I fucking love the Golf VII, it feels so nice. Clutch and gear shifts are so easy. This was also the first time I sat in my dream car the Porsche 911 Carrera 4.. HHNNNGGGG!! IT WAS SO NICE! I ignored Skoda cause I don't like them, but the Seat Leon had a nice exterior. The interior was kind of boring.
Then I went to all the others basically. I checked for chickdigger802, I could easily sit in the third row of the Disco 4, it's not like other cars with third row that are only appropiate for kids. Third row even gets their own cup holders, storage space and glass roof! Jaguar was nice although compared to the Audis the interior of the XF was not as nice. At least the buttons and levers didn't feel as nice, I got spoilt early on lol!
What I have to say is that I was really impressed by Kia and Hyundai. People kept saying that they are really good, I read it everywhere but I was always like eeehh. But I sat in the proceed and the i30 and those are some damn fine cars. We weren't allowed to sit in the Equus but I was able to see inside. Seems like a lot of copypasta was going on there, especially from the BMW 7 series lol.
When I got to BMW they were also starting a show presenting the i3 and the i8. I dig the i8 I still don't like the i3. I wasn't able to sit in the 7 series because of obnoxious old people not giving up the seat but just from looking inside I think BMW is kind of falling behind. The A7 and especially the S-Class look so much better. Time to introduce a new 7! I was able to sit in the 6, 5 and 3 series. All really nice cars, the iDrive thingy was easy to navigate around and it just felt nice. But at the same time I have to say I wasn't feeling as comfortable as in the Audis. They definitely have the nicer materials.
Other positivies: Renault. I loved the Clio, I have a soft spot for them since my very first car was a Clio. They even have the same old media control that you use with the right pinky and ring finger which I much prefer to buttons on the steering wheel. Toyota and Lexus were nice, as were Nissan (I sat in the 370Z convertible). The new Infinity wasn't bad either (also saw Vettel/Webbers F1 car). I checked out the boot space in every car, they have gotten huge in almost every car! Even the Up! had a lot of space for a car in its class.
Negative: the only one that comes to mind is the Honda Civic. It felt cheap, cluttered, not thought out.
Overall I loved the show even with the shitty weather (means all people are inside all the time). It took me about 5.5 hours with lunch break and skipping a few cars.