A Curmudgeon's Guide To The 2014 New York Auto Show

Derek Kreindler
by Derek Kreindler

The 2014 edition of the New York Auto Show kicks off tomorrow, with press days continuing into Thursday. TTAC will have live coverage of the show, but here’s a little preview of what you can expect to see starting Wednesday.

Acura TLX: The replacement for the TL and TSX has already been spied, and it’s not the drastic change in styling that many were hoping for.

Alfa Romeo 4C: Alfa’s newest sports car gets its American debut, along with federalization changes and a couple hundred pounds in extra weight.

BMW Concept X5 eDrive: BMW’s biggest SUV gets a plug-in hybrid concept to help people feel good about the polar bears.

BMW M4 Convertible (2015): The M4 for those who can afford the best in hair plug therapy.

BMW X4 (2015): Another incoherent addition to BMW’s lineup, this X3-based pseudo-coupe will add volume to the lineup, and little else.

Chevrolet Cruze: Chevrolet’s compact sedan gets a nose job in advance of its redesign.

Chevrolet Corvette: An all-new 8-speed automatic and a ragtop version of the Z06 will make purists cry, while fattening Chevrolet’s bottom line.

Dodge Challenger: Revised powertrains and styling for Dodge’s ponycar.

Dodge Charger: The Charger gets some slightly more modern styling.

Ford Focus: Ford’s Focus sedan and EV get the corporate grille.

Ford Transit Skyliner concept: A luxury van concept from Ford, sure to be of interest to 1970’s custom van enthusiasts.

Hyundai Sonata: The worst-kept secret of NY is the all-new Hyundai Sonata, which has been leaked several times over.

Kia Sedona: Kia’s oft-ignored minivan gets a new look in an attempt to capture some minivan market share. And it comes in brown.

Land Rover Discovery Vision concept: Land Rover shows off their entry-level Kardashian mobile.

Mercedes-Benz S 63 AMG Coupe: Once known as the CL, the S63 coupe is likely the last word in Grand Touring, but still looks like a very large Honda Accord coupe.

Nissan Murano: The Murano is all-new for 2015, but the big news is the death of the CrossCabriolet, which somehow escaped the grasp of an army of product planners.

Nissan Versa Sedan: America’s cheapest car gets a few tweaks. It will be nasty.

Porsche Boxster/Cayman GTS: Another incremental change for Porsche’s lesser products. Enjoy them now, before they get 4-cylinder engines.

Ram Power Wagon: Just what you need to go down to Home Depot in.

Subaru Outback: No manual. Get over it.

Toyota Camry: Toyota tweaks its most important car, proving it will do literally anything to hang on to the #1 spot.

Volkswagen Golf SportWagen: Diesel. Manual. All-wheel drive. Brown?

Volkswagen Jetta: A few styling tweaks that you can look forward to on your next rental.

Derek Kreindler
Derek Kreindler

More by Derek Kreindler

Comments
Join the conversation
2 of 42 comments
  • Kuponoodles Kuponoodles on Apr 15, 2014

    I find the reduced amount of swag and the reduced quality of the show models disturbing. When I was a kid, there were keychains, little toy cars, posters, etc. The past few years, you have to like the company on FB, follow them on Twitter, take a pic on instagram, give them your email and first borns' footprint, and then, you might get a crappy lanyard. As for the models.... More like successful business spokeswomen, than professional show girls. Oh and last year, they didnt even allow for re-entry. The food sucks. Pack your own sammiches!! That being said, it is still the best way to sit in as many cars as possible without visiting a dealership.

  • Pete Zaitcev Pete Zaitcev on Apr 15, 2014

    Isn't Mirage cheaper than Versa, in manual version anyway?

  • Jkross22 When I think about products that I buy that are of the highest quality or are of great value, I have no idea if they are made as a whole or in parts by unionized employees. As a customer, that's really all I care about. When I think about services I receive from unionized and non-unionized employees, it varies from C- to F levels of service. Will unionizing make the cars better or worse?
  • Namesakeone I think it's the age old conundrum: Every company (or industry) wants every other one to pay its workers well; well-paid workers make great customers. But nobody wants to pay their own workers well; that would eat into profits. So instead of what Henry Ford (the first) did over a century ago, we will have a lot of companies copying Nike in the 1980s: third-world employees (with a few highly-paid celebrity athlete endorsers) selling overpriced products to upper-middle-class Americans (with a few urban street youths willing to literally kill for that product), until there are no more upper-middle-class Americans left.
  • ToolGuy I was challenged by Tim's incisive opinion, but thankfully Jeff's multiple vanilla truisms have set me straight. Or something. 😉
  • ChristianWimmer The body kit modifications ruined it for me.
  • ToolGuy "I have my stance -- I won't prejudice the commentariat by sharing it."• Like Tim, I have my opinion and it is perfect and above reproach (as long as I keep it to myself). I would hate to share it with the world and risk having someone critique it. LOL.
Next