QOTD: Approaching the Turnoff Point?

by Steph Willems

Published: April 3rd, 2018

You got an eyeful last week. Alluring, SEXY new vehicles, all displayed under high-intensity lighting specifically for your your viewing pleasure. Objectify this, the automakers implored.

It’s likely you’re still losing sleep over the 2019 RAV4. Okay, maybe not.

Still, with every show comes a new vehicle that gets under your skin, burrows its way into your brain, and compels a reader to go in search of a nonexistent online build and price tool. Was there a New York reveal that legitimately knocked your socks off, or did you walk away wanting so much more?

In this author’s opinion, the next-generation Nissan Altima and Lincoln Aviator impressed the most. Well, by “the most” I mean to say “at all,” though it’s nice to see Toyota attempt to overcome the Corolla iM’s serious shortcomings. Maybe the new Corolla hatch is actually a wildly competent little five-door.

To this jaundiced eye, the 2019 Altima succeeds, design-wise, where the Toyota Camry fails. It’s a car you want to look at. It remains to be seen, however, how well the brand’s variable compression engine holds up over long-term use. Also, while it’s good to see automakers (Nissan and Mazda, to name two) stretching the lifespan of the internal combustion engine through new technologies, it’s also good to see Nissan giving the trusty ol’ 2.5-liter a new lease on life. With reliability of the VC-T engine only a promise at this point, many sedan-loving buyers will want to hedge their bets and go with what they know.

But that Lincoln. The Navigator is a hulking brute with New York sensibilities, and the lesser MKC and MKX (Nautilus, for 2019), well, exist, but the upcoming Aviator impresses with its proportions and lines like no other Lincoln utility to date. If the Aviator can’t get buyers flocking to Lincoln dealers in droves, the brand may as well give up. Even a crossover-hating friend had to admit he was taken with this vehicle.

Maybe you’re taken with something else. Sound off in the comments, B & B — did anything really turn your crank at this year’s New York auto show, or are automakers playing it far too safe in their quest for reliable profit?

[Image: Ford Motor Company]

#NYIAS #QOTD #QuestionOfTheDay

Steph Willems

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4 of 28 comments

Whatnext on Apr 03, 2018

I sure am jonesing over your station wagon. Said no one ever. That's all it is, a tall wagon.

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- Road_pizza on Apr 04, 2018
  
  Except you're wrong, a ton of people are jonesing over the Aviator.
  
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Dal20402 on Apr 03, 2018

I'm perplexed about how the Aviator (and forthcoming Explorer) will have much interior room, with the combination of a sub-200-inch length and that loooong hood. I'd expect pretty tight second and third rows. Maybe OK if you're carrying kids (although watch out for rear-facing car seats) but I doubt it will be comfortable for four adults, let alone six. My LX570 has a similar overall length (by far the shortest in the full-size segment) with a shorter hood, and it doesn't have a lot of rear legroom to spare.

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- HuskyHawk on Apr 03, 2018
  
  It's an interesting trade off, and a critical one for me. In order to fit in my garage comfortably, I need sub 200" length. Looked at GX460 and 4Runner, which are ideal sizes for me. This is in that size class I think. One down from full size, which is the Navigator. If the Bronco doesn't pan out, this could be my next car.
  
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