Get your motor running with over 18 interactive driving experiences at the 2018 Chicago Auto Show. In addition to opening the doors and getting behind the wheel of nearly 1,000 vehicles from 36 automakers spread over 1 million square feet at McCormick Place, showgoers can also drive — both in real and virtual life — at least two dozen different vehicles.
Indoor test tracks
Camp Jeep: Camp Jeep returns as the centerpiece on the Auto Show floor tucked in the back of the south hall occupying 24,000 square feet. The show’s perennial top attraction features the Grand Cherokee Trailhawk, Renegade Trailhawk, Compass Trailhawk, new Cherokee Trailhawk, and the 2018 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, which has been redesigned for the first time in a decade. Passengers ride along as pro drivers climb over an 18-foot high 30-degree hill, rumble over boulders, pass through a tunnel, dance up and down stairs, tilt on three wheels and more all in service of Jeep’s off-road capability. Expect a line and a tote bag, while supplies last.
Camry Thrill Ride: Next to Camp Jeep in the south hall is Toyota’s rare breed — a V-6 midsize sedan in the Camry XSE. Pro drivers take passengers through the paces on a closed city course demonstrating the power, handling and advanced safety features of America’s best-selling car. Participants get a free beanie.
Kia Sport Utility Gym: Head over to the north hall for Kia’s new indoor test track featuring AWD demonstrations of the Sportage and Sorento crossovers. Climb a hill, dodge punching bags and articulate with one side of the car on an incline. The best part might be the end: participants get a Starbucks gift card.
Outdoor test tracks
Cadillac, Ford, Kia, Mazda, Subaru and Volkswagen are offering outdoor test drives on the grounds of McCormick Place with select vehicles. Register at the brands’ exhibits, then head downstairs.
Chicago Area Clean Cities Coalition is also sponsoring outdoor test drives of plug-in vehicles to promote cleaner air and reduced dependence on foreign oil. The 2018 Chrysler Pacifica plug-in hybrid (PHEV), 2019 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV and all electric 2018 Nissan Leaf will be available at brands’ exhibits or at the Clean Cities tent in McCormick’s south building by gate 2. Weekends 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; weekdays 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Feb 13 and 19 end at 6 p.m.
Virtual drives
South hall
Ford always has a dynamic interactive display, and this year there are three simulators in addition to charming presentations by Hank the robot, or ear splitting demos of the 2018 Ford Mustang revving up on the dynamometer. With the Ford GT LeMans Race simulator and Ford performance simulator, virtual drivers must be 58 inches. The new Transit Connect has a virtual reality experience with automated emergency braking.
Acura brings back the NSX GT3 virtual reality driving simulator, where you can watch from the outside what the drivers are seeing in the headset.
Dodge Challenger SRT Demon simulator lets users get a taste of 840-horsepower without doing anything but sitting in a modified Demon and gearing up. Drivers race head-to-virtual-head on a virtual drag strip
Volvo: Strap on the headset at one of four stations to experience what Volvo is known for: safety. Choose either autonomous drive or intellisafe and see how the car avoids a moose or two. If safety sounds lame, consider the floating sensation at the end.
North hall
Nissan has a cool display overall with special Star Wars vehicles (no, the X-Wing Rogue does not have moveable wings) and the 370Zki snowmobile convertible inside the snow globe, though Nissan might shut off the fake snowmaker since most showgoers will have had enough of the real stuff. The e-pedal with Nissan Leaf challenges users to apply one pedal driving by laying off the throttle to brake.
Honda’s dream machine returns where your selfie can go viral…in the Honda display.
Chevy has a robot challenge in its tech studio: who is quicker and more accurate, the self-driving RC car or you on the controller? We’re betting the robot on this one.
Chevy 4D virtual lab is a theater-like set up of four pods with two seats each. Users ride shotgun while going through Chevy’s testing processes over gravel roads or rock climbs in the new virtual 2019 Silverado pickup truck.
Win an Xbox One game console at Hyundai’s racing challenge tournaments. Driving a virtual Veloster N on two Forza 7 game sleds, players will be pitted in 8-seed tourneys, with two overall winners a day getting an Xbox. Everyone else gets a hat. Hyundai has a few other giveaways, too, including the chance to win a 2018 Sonata.
Pop-a-shot at Kia and the best shooter with the highest score of the day wins a gift card.
Now that the heart is pumping with these experiences, consider donating some of that adrenaline-fueled blood at the Heartland Blood Drive in the far corner of the south hall.
