"It's a prototype; it's not supposed to work. That's why they call it a prototype." - Texas Rangers (2001)

Getting to the DC Auto Show was easy. I drove South on I-95, parked at Greenbelt metro station, then took the green line seven or eight stops to the Mt Vernon Square / Convention Center station. I walked from the station into the convention center just as the show opened. Toyota had a Ride & Drive booth near the ticket area, so I scanned my driver's license and quickly found myself getting into a Prius v - which is called an extended hatchback wagon, but just looks like a longer Prius.

Kelly, a pleasant young blond woman from Pittsburgh, guided me through starting the motor, and explained the features. Driving smoothly at about ten or twenty mph, we never left battery power. The v is a lot more spacious than the mid-size Prius, but mileage is 44/40 instead of 51/48. Kelly noted that part of the center console separating the driver and passenger seats has been lowered for more legroom, and I noted that the ceiling was more than just a few inches above my head. In my current car, my head touches the ceiling. The car I drove listed for $27,385.

In Toyota's display area, I saw the FCV-R, a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle prototype, and the NS-4, a plug-in prototype intended to include a Human-Machine Interface and all sorts of communications tech - both untouchable on pedestals. The styling of each was more Camry than Prius. More interesting to me was the Prius c, (Aqua in Japan) which looked like a very short Prius. Specs say it is only four inches longer than a Yaris/Vitz. It was also a prototype, so the doors were locked, but is due to be released in March 2012. The c/Aqua reportedly gets 64/46 mpg and will be a Super Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle, which is almost as good as the Double Dog Triple Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle. Honest Injun.

Third-generation Priuses start at $24,000 while the Prius plug-in on display had a list price of $32,000. The plug-in hybrid is only available in March in 14 states until next year. For the extra $8,000 dollars, you get MPGe of 87 in EV mode, but 49 mpg in hybrid mode. You'd have to do a lot of city driving to recoup that additional cost, and the cost of a home charger.

I crossed through Lexus Land just as a presenter who sounded like Jude Law turned on his microphone and started his spiel, but luxury cars aren't on my radar. Moving to Honda Hills, the popular Fit/Jazz is still comfortable with great visibility, but despite the release of the Jazz hybrid in Japan over a year ago, Honda has not released a Fit hybrid here. The Civic CNG, a natural gas-powered vehicle, was on display, along with the mild Civic Hybrid and the oft-maligned but popular Insight mild hybrid, but I noticed the Fiat indoor track and ran over to get in line. In front of the track was a classic Fiat 500, a photo opp for enthusiasts.

After another brief e-registration, a slim young brunette woman named Lisa drove me in a Fiat 500 Cabrio through a series of low-speed maneouvres simulating parking and u-turning on city streets. I was comfortable sitting in the car as she noted the bluetooth, wifi and sundry electronic connections. The $16,000 Fiat hasn't been selling well, and they are obviously trying to grab a youthful demographic, the sort who might buy a Kia Soul or Mini Cooper. I could have driven a few more cars, but it felt like speed dating.

I wandered through Audi displays, drooled over the A5 Cabriolet, and saw the front wheel drive Audi A3 e-tron, which has been displayed as both EV and serial hybrid prototypes since 2009. This protoype was an EV with a claimed range of 140 km. The Audi rep, a rather thin woman, said that the e-tron is to be available in 2 to 3 years. 

I sat in a few Minis: the Cooper, Clubman and Countryman. Coopers start at $20,000, and are a lot more expensive than Fiats, but seem to have a cachet among city folk that Fiat doesn't. The exterior styling is classic, but the interior styling always makes me think of Dr Who. In my opinion, the style doesn't translate well to the larger Clubman or Countryman. 

I love ragtops, but after all their safety advertising, I still find it odd to see Volvo convertibles. Volvo displayed the XC60 plug-in hybrid prototype, a largish crossover utility vehicle. After Volvo was Impossible-land, featuring Bentley, Lotus, Maserati and Ferrari - no hybrids there. I stopped by Mercedes to sit in a Smart Car Cabrio, but I've heard such lousy things about their transmissions that I'm not really a fan.

Volkswagen has always turned to diesels for better mileage, but they did have a display devoted to the Jetta Hybrid, due out in 2013. 

I liked the exterior styling of the Kia Optima Hybrid, and its 35/40 mpg is OK, but sitting in the front seat, I was struck by how small the front windshield appeared.

A lot of folk were trying the front seat in the Leaf, so I kept leaving and coming back. There was no Versa hatchback, just a sedan. I still don't like the Juke. Another thin spokeswoman had been driving a dealer Leaf for the past year in LA, and was telling stories about successfully taking longer trips between cities. I said I'm sure everyone asked about range anxiety, but what was the range? She grimaced and said it really depended. If you were running the heater or AC and other devices, or driving at high speeds on the highway it could be 70 or 80 miles. If you were tooling at low speeds in comfortable weather it could be 130 miles. She had the model with cabin AC before the heated seats, steering wheel, etc. were made standard equipment.

The Leaf's fit and finish is impressive, and I expect that Nissan was trying hard to shed the image of EVs as cheaply made and flimsy. I had never picked up from photos that the Leaf headlights poke up and above the hood by a good four inches. The headlights are supposed to direct airflow away from the side mirrors. There's a small PV panel on the rear hatch for recharging the battery enough to offset accessories. The only problem with this car is the price.

I suddenly realized why Obama hadn't seen any of the foreign cars. He had been upstairs with all the historically American brands. Finding your way from one floor to the other was not as intuitive as finding a stairway, but I asked a few people and soon found myself looking at a row of Camaros and Vettes. 

Unlike last year, I was able to poke around the two Volts on display, and the interior fit and finish is excellent. I felt comfortable in the driver's seat. There were a handful of Cruzes nearby, and even though the two cars share a platform, the Cruze wasn't nearly as compelling. Chevrolet still has their mild Malibu hybrid, and featured two prototypes of a very small car called the Spark, which reminded me of a smaller Kia Soul. One was on a rotating platform, and one was locked, so I couldn't try to squeeze in.

Ford was a disappointment. They had a lot of Mustangs and V8 engines on display, but the only Fusions were 2012 models. I found a 2013 Fusion Titanium Ecoboost on a rotating platform. The new Fusion styling looked better in the youtube clips than in person. There was a locked C-Max Energi prototype and a locked Focus BEV  prototype, too. Ford also had their double gull wing EVOS concept on a rotating platform.

What Ford did have was plenty of F-150 trucks, the top-selling vehicle, and big SUVs. I glanced at the King Ranch signature model (sheesh) but sat in a Lariat XLT F-150 which had cup holders big enough for a 64 oz drink. I barely glanced at Lincoln Land or Jeep World, but I was taken with the new Dodge Dart. After several years of tortured Chrysler body designs, the Dart R/T design looks refreshingly clean.

There was more at the show, but that was enough for me. I would have liked to see more production cars and fewer locked-door prototypes, but the innovative cars seem to be a draw for people that are probably going to buy less expensive conventional models.