In addition to the temporary disappearance of the entry-level Freelander, the Land Rover line was also changed by the replacement of the Discovery with a new model. Introduced in 2005, the LR3 replaced the classic Discovery in the Land Rover line. The LR3 was powered by either a 216-horsepower 4.0-liter single overhead cam V6 engine or a 300-horsepower 4.4-liter double overhead cam V8, and with either engine features such as a 6-speed automatic transmission, permanent four-wheel drive with 4-wheel electronic traction control and seating for seven.
This LR3 is equipped with numerous Land Rover accessories, including Body Side Moldings, an A-Frame Protection Bar and, most significantly, the Day Tent, which assembles in 10 minutes and can stand alone or fit the LR3's tailgate open or closed.
The big news for 2006 at Mercedes-Benz was the new E320 CDI, powered by a 201-horsepower 3.2-liter turbodiesel inline 6-cylinder engine, with a 0-60 miles per hour time of 6.6 seconds, fuel economy of 27 miles per gallon city or 37 miles per gallon highway and a range of up to 780 miles.
Of course, the diesel engine was nothing new to Mercedes-Benz; they introduced the first diesel-powered passenger car in 1936. But, it had been absent from the US market for a number of years.
Perhaps following the Volkswagen Jetta's lead, Mercedes-Benz now had the only diesel-powered luxury car available in America.
The traditional 2006 Mercedes-Benz SL500 was powered by a 302-horsepower 5.0-liter V8 engine. Also available was a 493-horsepower twin-turbo V12 in the SL600, and more powerful versions of both engines in the SL55 AMG and SL65 AMG.
I wonder if the dealers were happy about Mercedes-Benz showing off the all-new 2007 S550 sedan, while they still had the 2006 models to get rid of, which looked very old-fashioned by comparison. And the improvements weren't just skin deep; the 2007 S550 was powered by a 382-horsepower 5.5-liter double overhead cam aluminum V8 engine, which beat the 2006 S500's 5.0-liter V8 by 80 horsepower.
Not surprisingly, the new model required 91-octane premium gasoline, but if you could afford a car that started at over $80,000 in 2006, you probably didn't have to worry about gas money.
In 2006, the SLK55 AMG was the most powerful version of the SLK-Class, the smaller Mercedes-Benz coupe/roadster, powered by a 335-horsepower V8 engine instead of a V6 as in the SLK280 and SLK350. Other standard features included a 7-speed automatic transmission with steering wheel-mounted controls.
The 2006 Continental Flying Spur was Bentley's flagship sedan. It was powered by a 552-horsepower 6.0-liter turbocharged W12 engine with a 6-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive.
Despite a curb weight of over 5,000 pounds, this powertrain could accelerate the Continental Flying Spur to 60 miles per hour in 4.9 seconds, and reach a top speed of 195 miles per hour.
These assorted vehicles were displayed in the lobby of the Oregon Convention Center during the 2006 Portland International Auto Show in Portland, Oregon.
This pair of Chevrolet Camaros were representing the Portland Police Bureau. The unmarked one in the background even had standard-issue Oregon license plates for extra stealth.
Here is a customized version of Chrysler's Hemi-powered, rear-wheel drive sedan, the 300, made to resemble a Bentley. It was even placed with the Bentleys out in the lobby. Pretty convincing.
Here is another customized Daimler-Chrysler product from the lobby, a Dodge Magnum.
This Lotus Elise was representing Dream Cars Northwest, Inc., a Portland company that rents luxury and exotic cars.
This customized Willys Jeep was in the lobby and may have been the oldest vehicle in the show. Its exact year is hard to determine, both due to the customizing and the fact that Jeeps do not change much from year to year, but it appears to be a CJ-3B.
This model of Jeep was introduced in 1953 and was built into the late 1960s.
Also on display in the lobby was this preview of NASCAR driver Dale Jarrett's next #88 car: a Ford Fusion, replacing the Taurus.
The BMW-owned Mini Cooper wasn't really new in 2006, but it was still somewhat interesting. The base engine was a Brazilian-made 115-horsepower 1.6-liter single overhead cam inline 4-cylindere engine; on the small side, but so was the car, so it worked out. Standard features for this small car included ABS and front, side and side-curtain air bags.
For those after more power for their Mini Cooper hatchback or convertible, there's the Mini Cooper S, powered by a supercharged version of the Mini engine producing 168 horsepower.
The Mini Cooper is also available in convertible form, which is even more interesting, especially for a car whose base model is a hatchback. The convertible's power top includes a built-in sunroof and a glass rear window, as well as a $4,500.00 premium over the standard Mini.
The Scion brand was intended to give Toyota access to younger buyers. The Scion line's initial offerings were boxy vehicles, but the tC coupe was fairly sleek and looked like it could compete with the Honda Civic. This customized tC featured an incredible paint job that I couldn't resist photographing.
Probably the most unusual product at the 2006 Portland International Auto Show, the American RoadsterTM by Eco-Fueler was a three-wheeled roadster that ran on compressed natural gas (CNG) and was built in Eugene, Oregon. It was to be fueled at home using a home fueling appliance that connected to the natural gas utility. Running on 130-octane CNG, which cost between 25 and 98 cents per gallon, the American Roadster had a 0-60 time of 4.9 seconds and got 70 miles per gallon. It was designed with an estimated life expectancy of 300,000 miles, and was essentially non-polluting as the emissions from CNG are carbon dioxide and water.
All this technology is great, but you might expect it to come at a high cost: not so. The American Roadster retailed for $18,500, including the home fueling appliance and a removable hardtop, and was also eligible for a $4,000 Federal Tax Credit.
The 2006 Jaguar S-Type 3.0 came standard with a 3.0-liter 235-horsepower V6 engine as shown. Also available was a 4.2-liter V8 engine, with 294 horsepower in the S-Type 4.2, or supercharged to 390 horsepower in the S-Type R.
The S-Type was apparently Jaguar's focus at the 2006 Portland International Auto Show, as it had a large brochure dedicated to it, thicker and with far more information than the standard Jaguar brochure.
The 2006 XJ8 shown here is the base model of Jaguar's traditional large aluminum-bodied sedan. All XJ sedans were powered by a 4.2-liter aluminum-alloy DOHC V8 engine, rated at 300 horsepower in the XJ8 and the long-wheelbase XJ8L and Vanden Plas. The V8 was supercharged to 400 horsepower for the Super V8 and high-performance XJR.
The sporty2006 Jaguar XK was available as a coupe, or as the convertible shown here. Both were powered by a 300-horsepower 4.2-liter V8 engine and came standard with a 6-speed automatic, paddle-shift transmission, keyless entry & start, radar-based adaptive cruise control, a 7-inch touchscreen to control features like the dual-zone automatic climate control, DVD-based navigation system, and 160-watt Alpine audio system with AM/FM stereo, 6-disk in-dash CD player, mp3 and Windows Media Player capability.
This NASCAR simulator of Jamie McMurray's #42 Dodge Charger is hooked of to a video game to offer the "experience" of driving a race car. Spectators could watch the "action" on the television in the background. The simulator was at the show courtesy of Chevron/Texaco and Tarr Oil Company.
