The New York Auto Show is where the World Car Of The Year awards were announced, and the past few years have seen small, fuel-efficient cars take home the crown. The Nissan Leaf, Volkswagen Polo, Volkswagen Golf and Mazda2 have won in the past few years, and 2012 is no different, with the Volkswagen Up! taking home the crown. The Up! beat the BMW 3-Series and Porsche 911 for the honors, but at least we’ll get a chance to buy those two (well, some of us…).

A mid-cycle refresh for the 2013 Ram 1500 brings about some interesting changes. The 3.6L Pentastar V6 is now available, paired with an 8-speed automatic transmission (dubbed the TorqueFlite8). But wait, there’s more.

Also available is a new air suspension, a first for a 1500 pickup. Ride height can be adjusted for easy access, improved fuel economy and to facilitate off-roading. Electric grille shutters, a UConnect infotainment system, electric power steering and an engine start-stop system are also included.

The success of Ford’s V6 F-150 trucks has proved that there is a market for a V6 pickup, so long as it’s a good one. The Ecoboost and Ford’s 3.7L V6 are fine engines in their own right, and the Pentastar has been getting a lot of love lately, with TTAC hoping on the bandwagon as well. A 5.7L Hemi V8 will also be available, but it may not be the automatic choice anymore. Perhaps a V6 truck shoot-out is in order. Over to you, Mr. Dykes.

Volkswagen purists rejoice; here’s a European Passat wagon with a 2.0L diesel, a DSG gearbox, all-wheel drive and the prestige of not being an American-built VW.

The AllTrack is officially a concept for our purposes, but VW will sell you one if you live in the Schengen Zone. Look for an American version to have a gasoline option as well as the 140 horsepower TDI motor. The AllTrack would conceivably be a strong rival to the Subaru Outback while also helping VW out with the big gaping crossover hole in their lineup. I wonder if they’ll offer it with a manual?

The biggest sticking point here seems to be that the AllTrack is ostensibly built in Europe, off of a car that isn’t sold here. Will it be imported or will Chattanooga somehow be retrofitted to build a unique model?

Thanks to AutoGuide.com for the photos

The closest I’ve ever come to dying in a car was at the wheel of a Toyota Avalon, and I credit the nice, long wheelbase, stable handling and strong V6 engine for helping me avoid a major catastrophe. The new 2013 model, with its swoopy styling, looks like something that just might get you into trouble rather than keeping you out of it.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The pictures tell the whole story of the revamped Avalon, with a totally different look both inside and out. Power numbers for the 3.5L V6 weren’t disclosed, but it should be at a minimum equal to the 268 horsepower in the Camry V6. A Sport mode button will be featured, as well as a whole suite of active safety features, including 10 airbags, blind spot monitoring with cross-traffic detection and a pre-collision system. Personally, I think the sloping roofline is the most interesting feature. Is it a concession to aesthetics while compromising rear headroom (ala the Mercedes-Benz CLS) or has Toyota avoided that problem? Previous complaints from more mature buyers (i.e. the Avalons target market) about this trend has me wondering.

Thanks to AutoGuide.com for the photos

Subaru debuted their new compact crossover and their refreshed Legacy and Outback. As you’re probably already aware, the changes to Subaru’s mid size mainstays are more than superficial. However, they’re not very dramatic.

The new DOHC Boxer 4 is good for a 1mpg improvement on the highway. The biggest news from an enthusiast standpoint is that the 2.5GT model is making a quiet exit. Another manual transmission notes the dust.

The Subaru XV compact crossover slots in where the previous Impreza-based Outback Sport once fit. Boasting the same ground clearance of the Outback with a smaller footprint, the XV should suit the northeastern SAAB replacement buyer quite nicely.

Just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse, it did.

So apparently the 2013 Crosstour will get new transmissions (a 5-speed automatic for the 4-cylinder, and a 6-speed automatic for the V6), new “styling”, new safety features like lane departure warning, front collision avoidance and a4-inch display in the instrument cluster that can give turn-by-turn directions and other information while reducing distraction.

Woopdee-do! Put a V6 in the CR-V and call it a day already. Jack & Co. will tell us just how bad this thing really looks in a matter of minutes.

The steamy erotica novel “50 Shades of Grey” is apparently inciting the passions of housewives across Manhattan. Good to know that Lexus has something for the good people of Boca Raton, Florida, in the form of the new Lexus ES.

The ES350, with its 6-speed automatic gearbox and 3.5L V6 is a restyled, lighter version of the usual ES. A car that gets dumped on by those whose ego outweighs their real-world experience. It may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it achieves its goals competently.

The big news this year is a new ES Hybrid, dubbed the ES300h. Using the 2.5L 4-cylinder and Hybrid Synergy Drive from the Camry Hybrid, the ES300H will supposedly hit 40 mpg combined – let’s see how the ES and the upcoming Lincoln MKZ Hybrid square off against one another. New Lexus family styling both inside and out means a GS-esque look for the exterior, and the slightly infuriating Lexus Remote Touch controller that will be a challenge for less tech-oriented members of the AARP – and believe me, there are many who appreciated the ES350 precisely because it didn’t have an iDrive or MMI stalk.

We all know that the new Acura RLX will have a V6 and a neat SH-AWD system using electric motors and such – but how about the budget model, that revives the long-dormant four-wheel steering system from the Prelude, once known as 4WS!

The all-new direct injection V6 displaces 3.5L and makes in excess of 370 horsepower. While one electric motor provides a hybrid system linked to the V6, two others, one at each rear wheel, act as an all-wheel drive system. Similar to the NSX, the system can add power to the wheels independently, helping the car rotate through turns by applying varying amounts of torque.

A standard model without the SH-AWD system can be had with 310 horsepower and the aforementioned 4WS system, now dubbed “Precision All-Wheel Steer”. This system electronically adjusts the toe angle of the rear wheels. Two screens will feature in the cabin, a 7-inch touch screen that controls vehicle functions, as well as an 8-inch display screen.

Forward Collision Warning,  Lane Departure Warning, Collision Mitigation Braking System and lane-keeping assist all help on the gadget front, while an AcuraLink telematics system with stolen vehicle tracking will be standard.

And yes, this concept is 100 percent accurate; imagine it with the rims from the current RL, and you’ll have the car that I saw back at Honda HQ in January.

8.4 liters. 10 cylinders. 640 horsepower. 600 lb-ft of torque. 3297 pounds. It’s still a Viper.

Here’s the long awaited 2013 SRT Viper. There is only one choice, a 6 speed manual transmission. Weight is down while power is up. Stability control and an 8.4 inch touch screen are concessions to comfort, but there will be a track version that loses another 57 pounds. Sounds like the right concept. Execution will be an entirely different matter.

My girlfriend is really excited for tonight’s debut of “The Real Housewives of Vancouver”, and I bet that the Real Housewives already hankering for a new ride before the 36-month lease on their current GL350 BlueTecs are up. Here’s more questionably-built ostentatiousness to satiate their vapid souls.

I do have an affinity for the Mercedes-Benz GL because it can be had with the BlueTec diesel engine – a good number of them (apparently as high as 50 percent in Canada) are sold with the oil burner. I imagine that isn’t the case in the United States. The BlueTec 3.0L V6 diesel now makes 240 horsepower and 455 lb-ft.

Two gasoline V8s will also be offered, both 4.6L twin-turbo V8s. The GL450 makes 362 horsepower and 406 lb-ft of torque while the GL550 will make 429 horsepower and 516 lb-ft of torque, the better to get to hot yoga before that bitch in the Range Rover Sport steals your parking spot. A 7-speed automatic puts power to the ground. A radar-based collision avoidance system works at triple digit speeds, so you can yak on your phone without worrying about human life.

The GL350 starts at $62,445, and goes up to $86,175 for the GL550.

Earlier today, Derek expressed his hope that we’d be seeing the Impala t the show in a color other than black. No such luck. Live shots from Julie Hyde and commentary from Byron Hurd below.

“Rental darling no longer, Chevy’s new Impala shows off the new, significantly improved Bowtie grille and elegant, throwback body lines that would (and do) look right at home on a Buick.

The new Impala also sheds its low-rent cabin for gorgeous two-tone offerings with contrast stitching and other nice visual touches. So what’s the catch?

Well, at no point during the presentation was rear-drive brought up, and from the sound of it, the V8-powered SS model will not return. Instead, you can choose from a 303-horsepower V6, a 30mpg 2.5-liter 4, or GM’s new 2.4 with assist, which they claim will return 36mpg on the highway.”

As with the Malibu before it, the Impala’s interior photographs better than it really looks or feels. The fact that Chevrolet debuted the car in black doesn’t bode well, either: it’s axiomatic in this business that black hides styling miscues the same way a black dress flatters a slightly chunky woman. We’ll have to wait until we can see the car in the muted palette of Beiges in which it will likely be sold to fleets.

Note: I finally got over to see the Impala for myself and noted that, yes, it is very very dark blue, not black. There is an ice-blue (not silver) model which was pulled onto the platform as well and we will have that in our video — JB

The ancient Chevrolet Impala will finally get a replacement, in the form of the 2014 Impala shown above. The newest GM full-size will get a V6 engine, setting it apart from the 2013 Malibu. An eAssist 4-cylinder will be the base engine.

The 2.4L Ecotec with eAssist will make 182 horsepower while returning 35 mpg on the highway. The all-new 2.5L Ecotec 4-cylinder making 195 horsepower will also be available, but the jewel of the lineup will be the 3.6L V6 making 303 horsepower – a powertrain that really shines even in the current Impala. All engines will be mated to a 6-speed automatic.

Sharing a platform with the Buick Lacrosse and Cadillac XTS, the Impala should be a huge step forward in refinement for the nameplate, with 4-cylinders featuring an active noise cancellation system to help keep noise down. GM has said that fleet sales will be cut for this generation of car. Our New York Auto Show coverage will begin today, and hopefully we can get pictures of the car in a shade that isn’t black!

Inside Line has screen grabs of the 2013 SRT Viper. We have the gallery below.

Tomorrow, Jack and Byron will bring us live shots and details. Until then, this is what we’ve got.

We knew that Buick’s new Enclave was due be revealed simply by looking at our Facebook feeds and seeing reports of an elaborate, alcohol-and-buffet laden event somewhere far beyond the means of most journos. As we sit here eating our McDonald’s Value Menu entrees while sipping a bottle of Thunderbird, we, your humble servants, bring you information on Buick’s newest crossover.

LED lights both inside and out, as well as a new IntelliLink infotainment system are the big changes, along with a revised 6-speed automatic. A front-wheel drive Enclave will supposedly hit 24 mpg on the highway. Somehow, Buick felt it necessary to fly a bunch of hacks out to some far-flung luxury resort and host an event just for this. Excuse me while I screw the cap of my noble, strawberry flavored vintage.

Nevertheless, the debuts at this year’s NYIAS are interesting, and beyond that, they are not ridiculous, six-figure hypercars or “mobility concepts”. New York is where most of the mainstream product, the cars that really matter, make their debut.

Acura: The RLX concept, set to replace the RL, will debut. Honda Canada actually presented a series of renderings to a group of assembled journalists back in January, and they looked like you’d expect. A bigger, blander blend of the TL and and the Hyundai Genesis. Interior room is said to rival the BMW 7-Series despite an exterior footprint that’s closer to the 5-Series. A V6 engine is said to deliver V8 power, and although the SH-AWD electric all-wheel drive/hybrid system will be featured, it will apparently not be standard. Like all Honda/Acura “concepts” this should be 99% of the final design.

BMW: The M6 convertible will bow, alongside a facelifted BMW X1, which will finally debut for the U.S. market in 2013. The M6 features identical mechanics to the M6 coupe and M5, while the X1 will serve as BMW’s rival to the Range Rover Evoque, right down to the 2.0L turbocharged 4-cylinder engine.

Buick: Buick’s big crossover, the Enclave gets a refresh, along with its siblings the Chevrolet Traverse and GMC Acadia.

Chevrolet: Along with the Traverse facelift, the 2014 Impala debuts. The long-running fullsize has stagnated so long that it’s getting bed sores, and a new look both inside and out along with the well-received LFX V6 and 6-speed automatic should help inject some excitement into the Impala. GM debuted the 2013 Malibu at NYIAS last year, and that car’s 4-cylinder only lineup should help give the Impala some breathing room.

Fisker Nina: Everything is going wrong for Fisker right now, but the company will unveil their next car, known as “Project Nina”, said to be a smaller version of the Karma.

GMC: A Denali version of the Terrain SUV will debut, along with a 3.6L 301 horsepower V6 with virtually no trade-off in fuel economy.

Honda: A “concept” of the next-generation Crosstour will be revealed. We can’t possibly imagine what direction Honda will go in from the current, ill-received car.

Hyundai: The new Santa Fe will replace the long-in-the-tooth current generation Santa Fe. A dramatic new exterior, interior and a modern powertrain lineup should bring Hyundai’s mid-size crossover back up to its fighting weight.

Infiniti: An EV concept from Infiniti will debut. It will supposedly be larger and more luxurious than the Leaf, but Infiniti has been very tight-lipped about details.

Lexus: With a new Camry comes a new Lexus ES. A hybrid version is said to debut for the first time, and styling will likely ape the larger GS, right down to the new corporate face.

Mercedes-Benz: A big show for the three-pointed star brand, as three new products debut. Facelifted versions of the GL (with new AMG G63 and G65 models, including a twin-turbo V8) and GLK (as well as a diesel option for the small SUV) will debut alongside the SL65 AMG.

Mitsubishi: The Outlander Sport gets a facelift and a new CVT gearbox.

Nissan: A next-generation Altima bows at New York, with styling closer to the Maxima and all-new powertrains. Unlike previous Altimas, this car will be sold globally.

SRT: The 2013 SRT Viper will debut after a long, drawn-out series of teasers.

Subaru: A new Legacy and Outback with a facelift and updated powertrains will share the stage with the new XV crossover, which is a raised-up Impreza similar to the previous Outback Sport.

Toyota: Along with a facelifted Venza, an all-new, radically styled Avalon will debut.