Which car suits you best? A sporty model? A spacious one you don't mind keeping a bunch of stuff in? How about a slinky Italian auto guaranteed to turn heads everywhere you go?
To find out, folks will spend hours checking out various models at the Chicago Auto Show, which opens today at McCormick Place and runs through Feb. 18.
To focus in on the hundreds of vehicles displayed at the show, here's a look at cars to suit five types of buyers: the young driver, the connoisseur, the pack rat, the techy and the practical parent.
Young driver
Nearly every young driver has a "starter car'' -- preferably a new, lower-priced, economical one with versatility. The all-new 2008 front-drive Scion xB, introduced at the show, seems perfect. It's a larger version of the boxy, ultrapractical 2007 $14,030 Scion xB, being a foot longer and almost three inches wider. The new xB retains the roominess of a big box and also has a new "lounge-like'' interior, larger wheels, better brakes and a smoother ride. A more powerful new engine provides faster acceleration, and there's lots of standard equipment.
Another good starter car is the 2007 Dodge Caliber, also sold to pragmatic European car buyers. The boldly styled Caliber is a versatile four-door hatchback with front- or all-wheel drive, roomy cargo area with flip-down rear seatbacks and removable, easily cleaned plastic load floor. The $13,575 entry SE model is fairly well-equipped, while the better equipped $15,425 SXT version adds power windows, mirrors and door locks.
The connoisseur
Really serious car fans -- or just plain showoffs -- will find it hard to resist the Maserati Quattroporte (four doors in Italian) sedan. This approximately $110,00 sedan has drop-dead styling, a posh interior with scrumptious leather seats and wood trim and a lusty Ferrari-assembled 400-horsepower V-8. (Italy's Fiat owned Ferrari and Maserati when the Quattroporte was developed and thus this Maserati was designed with much help from Ferrari, which has no four-door sedan.) Maserati once ranked with Ferrari in the Italian auto scene, and jet setters drove a 1960s Quattroporte.
A less elegant but racier alternative to the Quattroporte is the new $106,000 Porsche GT3 coupe, which is a lightweight version of the regular iconic Porsche 911 rear-engine sports car. The GT3 is one of few cars you can use both on the road or race track.
The pack rat
Those who keep vehicles loaded with lots of stuff (you know who you are) should look closely at the tough Dodge Magnum -- a roomy station wagon version of the large Dodge Charger sedan. The wagon shape means there's plenty of room for many various-sized objects. And they can be hauled quickly because the Magnum can be had with the "Hemi" V-8, with horsepower ratings of 340 or a staggering 425. Prices range from $22,975 to $37,670. The base 190-horsepower V-6 makes a pack rat Magnum rather underpowered, though.
The techy
There is no beating the $22,175 Toyota Prius gasoline/electric hybrid sedan for the high-tech crowd because its hybrid drive system makes it a genuine techy car, which gets up to an estimated 60 mpg. Other hybrid cars exist, but the first generation Prius pioneered the movement in America, has a proven track record, and is even styled to look like a high-tech auto. The Prius hybrid system is so good that other automakers use it, with Toyota's permission. Options include keyless starting and a rearview camera.
Practical parent Remember the Chicago-built Ford Taurus? Well, it's back for 2008, after being dropped last year following a long run. It's perfect for practical parents, being roomy and easy to drive. This time around, the Taurus will be based on the made-in-Chicago 2007 Ford Five Hundred sedan. But it will have slicker styling; new features, including a stronger V-6 with more (260) horsepower, and the usual available back-seat entertainment system to keep the kids quiet. Ford is on the mark calling the new Taurus the "quintessential American family car.''
