AIMS: Your verdict on Sydney

Yes, it's missing a bit, especially from the top-shelf and the future. But punters say AIMS is still worth a visit for the breadth of makers putting interesting fare on their stands

Motor shows gain most of their profile for the opportunity they give visitors to gasp and drool over cars they may never even see on the road, let alone drive or buy.

Despite such notable absences as BMW, Bentley and Ferrari, this year's Sydney show appeared to fulfil that function more than satisfactorily for many a visitor.

For the blokes, the most obvious and consistent attraction in the show was Benz's striking batmobile, the matt finished 'Night Black' SLS 'Gullwing'. At no point during our evening there was it left alone.

Interestingly, the Nissan stand appeared to hold much attraction for the ladies; the all-electric LEAF drawing a steady stream of young women with cameras while the yet-to-be released Patrol, not due here till 2012, drew loads of attention for an interior one would more expect to find under the company's upmarket Infiniti badge than its own.

"It's very, very nice," said retiree John, down for the show from the Central Coast.

His daughter Robyn, in her thirties, said she was more interested in the usual-suspect small convertibles and sporties with which the show is littered.

On that front, BMW's absence wasn't lost on her demographic, several well-dressed, well-coiffed thirtysomethings passing comment.

"I'm disappointed, too, that Audi haven't put up a TT," said Monica, a smart-conservatively dressed professional in her thirties from Five Dock. "It's part of the reason I came."

Monica's friend Bruno, from Mosman, was surprised at the spread of interesting fare on show from makers he would normally ignore.

"Most years I come here there's a lot I just walk past," he told Carsales Network. "They just don't grab my eye.

"But this year, they've virtually all got something that's worth a look. Peugeot, for instance -- that's not a make I normally take notice of, but that new coupe (the RC-Z) -- that's a stunning car."

Sue and David, a couple in their forties from North Strathfield, are here purely for the fantasy factor.

We caught up with them nearby the Jaguar XF V8, which they declared beautiful. Sue was taken by the Nissan Patrol, too, declaring it "amazing inside".

But motor shows serve more practical purposes, too. They're a great place for prospective buyers to compare competing models side by side and start, especially in eliminating the definite starters and no-goers.

Twentysomething Sam from Roselands was there to meet up with a few mates and cast his eye over the collection of utes.

"I've heard a bit about the Amarok, the BT-50, the Ranger T6 -- a lot around this year in pickups, isn't there?"

But he's also here to scope out SUVs with eye to buying in the near future. "I want to look over the Tiguan, the CX-7 and the facelifted Kluger. And to look over the specs -- I'm a bit worried about the thirst in the CX-7, so I can check that kind of thing out against the others. It's a good place to see them all up close."

By the time Carsales Network encountered Jan, a middle-aged woman from Melbourne's Mulgrave, she and her family had been there for nine hours. They came to Sydney especially for the show?

"Yeah, it's a long way to come, but we never miss a show, and it's pretty easy to fly here now."

They've used past motor shows for practical comparative purposes: "When you're thinking of buying it's a good way to compare without running round all over town from one dealership to the next," said husband Bruce.

But the couple and twentysomething daughter Sheri have all bought new cars in the last couple of years, so while it's useful to stay across the models they might look at later, this time round it's really just for pleasure, she added.

Disappointments? It hasn't escaped public notice just how out of kilter the local show is with overseas counterparts. We found Jennifer, a well dressed woman in her twenties, photographing the black SLS AMG and the pearlescent orange designo C 63 next to it.

"They look fantastic don't they? But I mean, if you go to Paris or Frankfurt everyone's showing their electrics and hybrids off -- that's obviously where the future lies, even if normal [petrol and diesel] engines are going to be around for a long time. There's virtually none of that here.

"The Hyundai [Blue Will]'s amazing looking; so's the CR-Z -- I'd love to take the CR-Z for a spin. Other than that, it's, like, the Mitsubishi [i-MiEV] and the Nissan [LEAF]. That's it."

We found EV enthusiast Michael from Hornsby looking over the Honda Insight. He agreed with Jennifer on where the local show stands in contrast with the bigger international shows.

"I knew that'd be the case -- I just came to see the I-MiEV and the LEAF."

He turned to the Insight: "We've had one of these at work for a while now," he said, explaining the NGO he works for is taking part in Honda's local trial.

"I can tell you it's a nice car, drives well. The battery died at 7000km, so Honda had to fly a new one in, which took a couple of weeks. But that's part of the trialling process, isn't it -- they took the old pack away for research."

For the uninitiated, the car takes a little getting used to, he says. "You know -- it feels a bit odd at first when you take your foot off and it goes into regen. And when the engine stops at the lights. But that starts to feel normal after a while -- once you learn you can rely on it to start when put your foot down, it's fine."

While his private fleet is restricted to stock petrol Mazdas, he's a member of a local electric car club, for which he's procured a Charge Pass card, granting access to trial parking spaces with charge.

And when does he plan to join the revolution? "Not sure at the moment. But I'm keeping an eye on how it's going. Not that I'm coming away from here with much I didn't already know."

Over on the Subaru stand are Alison, a woman in her early thirties with her husband Gaius and their three sub-school age children. Asked if she's contemplating the Forester she's inspecting she says no, they're looking at something bigger.

Just back from living overseas, they're looking for something more family friendly to park next to Gaius's WRX STI.

"A seven-seater, I think," says Alison. "I came over to look over the Tribeca, actually." They've also been looking at a Mercedes R Class and a couple of Land Rovers.

One of which wasn't the Evoque -- only because it's not big enough. Range Rover's super stylish new baby was attracting plenty of attention nonetheless.

"It's gorgeous, isn't it?" said Rowena, taking in the show with boyfriend Mark on the way home to Annandale from work in the city.

"Around 60K for a Range Rover. That's amazing, although I wonder if it goes like a Range Rover off road."

Turning round, we spy Monica and Bruno checking out a Range Rover Sport. Having looked over the Evoque, Bruno's impressed by what it foretells on a broader scale. "Looking at the some brands, like Land Rover, the value -- what you get for your money -- just seems to get better by the year.

Not necessarily the big German names -- they get more expensive." The action seems to be among the up-and-comers, he says.

"The competition's hot. Companies like Land Rover and Peugeot... they just give you so much more for your money than they used to. The fit and finish in the Evoque are outstanding for a $60K car."

The same goes for the RC-Z for around the same kind of money. "Small engine, but it's a beautiful car and great buying, I suspect.

Some cars, it turned out, went some way towards straddling the fence between fantasy and commuter reality.

Renault's spanking new (here, anyway) Megane RS 250 Trophee, upcoming replacement for the highly regarded 225 Cup, was perhaps the only other car to draw the same levels of attention as the black SLS. And at around $50K, it's about a twelfth of the price. Without the polarising bustle-back of its predecessor, we were hard pressed finding someone who didn't find it easy on the eye.

"It's pretty imposing -- much lower than my 225 Cup," Andre, a bloke big enough, you'd think, not to be interested. But no, he said, he fits in it fine.

"Yep, I'd say you'll see me in one next year some time."

Renault spokeswoman Sally Morris said the show is proving well worth the spend for the French maker.

"We have so much that's new -- the 250, the Fluence, the Latitude. We have more new models here than established ones. The timing of the show's terrific for us.

And yes, the 250 has even attracted a handful of money-down orders.

Nice to see it's working for some.

Let us know your thoughts of this year's Australian International Motor Show: editor@carpoint.com.au