Not only have we tied a bow on the New York Auto Show, we've closed the books on the 2014 North American auto show circuit. (The Beijing show starts this weekend, but then we get some time off from the auto show madness.) While we'd like to say the North American season ended with a bang, that wouldn't really be the case.
Don't get us wrong, there were still plenty of big debuts here in New York – 41, by our count. But nothing really struck us as being hugely groundbreaking, even if a lot of important, big-sales-total cars debuted. That said, since our Editors' Choice posts always focus on what pulled our heartstrings, rather than what shook the Earth, we still had plenty to talk about as we reflect on the New York show. Have a look at what made us smile the most below, and be sure to check out our video overview at the end.
5th Place –
2015 ALFA ROMEO 4C
JEREMY KORZENIEWSKI: Alfa is coming back to the States! (Hopefully for real.) And it looks great. Plus, it doesn't have power steering. My brain thinks that's awesome; my forearms aren't so sure.
STEVEN EWING: We've seen this car before – driven it, too – but having an Alfa Romeo on American soil is really a big deal. After years of promises, it looks like Fiat-Chrysler is ready to deliver. Bring it on.
MICHAEL ZAK: Alfa Romeo marks its American comeback with the 4C. This car would look great in my driveway.
4th Place –
2015 MAZDA MX-5 MIATA 25th ANNIVERSARY EDITION
SEBASTIAN BLANCO: Somewhere in a drawer there is a picture of a 16-year-old me enjoying a sunny summer day in Anchorage, AK, enjoying a ride in a Miata. If Mazda can wax nostalgic, then so can I.
STEVEN EWING: Ford may be celebrating the 50th Anniversary of its iconic Mustang, but even more important to me is the 25th birthday of the darling Mazda MX-5 Miata. This one of the most perfect, most pure driver's cars, and while this special edition doesn't shake up the formula any (new paint!), it's still another line for the never-ending love story between the car enthusiast and Japan's roadster of record. Mazda also showed off the next-generation Miata's chassis in New York, and to that I say, here's to another blissful 25 years.
3rd Place –
2015 NISSAN MURANO
PETE BIGELOW: Dig the floating-roof design. Expect to see other automakers mimic it in coming months and years.
BRANDON TURKUS: Surprise of the show? Just maybe. The new Murano looks outstanding, and it should serve as a solid shot in the arm to Nissan's styling division.
CHRIS BRUCE: Vehicles like the Murano and Honda HR-V are showing a more stylish future for crossovers, and it's a welcome change. Now that the segment is one of the hottest in the industry, it's great to see that stylists are learning how to differentiate the models from the standard two-box shapes that used to be the norm.
2nd Place –
LAND ROVER DISCOVERY VISION CONCEPT
JEREMY KORZENIEWSKI: The Disco is coming back to the States! And it looks great. Plus, Laser Terrain Scanning and Transparent Bonnet? That's awesome.
BRANDON TURKUS: Okay, so it might look a bit like the Ford Explorer, but it's good to see that Land Rover is ready to evolve the styling language pioneered by the Evoque.
STEVEN EWING: The latest crop of Land Rover vehicles has just been outstanding, so how could this new Discovery be anything less than stellar? I know, it's just a concept, but for fans of the Land Rover brand, the fact that the company is bring its iconic Disco back to American soil (and not in LR4 form) is hugely exciting. Looks killer, too.
1st Place –
2015 MERCEDES-BENZ S63 AMG COUPE
MICHAEL ZAK: I was skeptical about Mercedes making the big S-Class into a coupe again, but man was I wrong. This thing is beautifully sculpted and now comes with the insane power of AMG.
BRANDON TURKUS: It's everything you want from a Bentley Continental GT for less money. And then consider that it looks so, so, so pretty, and the S63 AMG Coupe is the big two-door we'll be ready to spend our lottery winnings on.
STEVEN EWING: Words cannot express how gorgeous this thing is in person. And with that big AMG V8 under the hood, beauty indeed meets brawn.
SEYTH MIERSMA: Mercedes' performance cars have been getting more perfect with each subsequent generation, so I have high hopes that this S63 coupe will be a thrilling kind of menace on the road. Throw in one of the best looking interiors I've seen in a long time, and this concept car for the street is an easy best in show for me.
ERIN MARQUIS: I'm already a fan of Mercedes-AMG line, but the new S63 Coupe is special even by MB standards. A luxurious, powerful car with sleek styling, the Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG Coupe has it all.
VOTING BREAKDOWN
As we've done with our past Editors' Choice lists, each staffer had 25 points to distribute amongst five cars, with no one car receiving more than 10 points. After everything was tallied, here's how the Top Five fell:
HONORABLE MENTIONS
This show was actually sort of tough for us. There was no far-and-away winner like at previous shows, and considering how many runners-up there are compared to the total number of debuts, it looks like our interests were spread way across the board at this year's New York expo.
Don't get us wrong, there were still plenty of big debuts here in New York – 41, by our count. But nothing really struck us as being hugely groundbreaking, even if a lot of important, big-sales-total cars debuted. That said, since our Editors' Choice posts always focus on what pulled our heartstrings, rather than what shook the Earth, we still had plenty to talk about as we reflect on the New York show. Have a look at what made us smile the most below, and be sure to check out our video overview at the end.
5th Place –
2015 ALFA ROMEO 4C
JEREMY KORZENIEWSKI: Alfa is coming back to the States! (Hopefully for real.) And it looks great. Plus, it doesn't have power steering. My brain thinks that's awesome; my forearms aren't so sure.
STEVEN EWING: We've seen this car before – driven it, too – but having an Alfa Romeo on American soil is really a big deal. After years of promises, it looks like Fiat-Chrysler is ready to deliver. Bring it on.
MICHAEL ZAK: Alfa Romeo marks its American comeback with the 4C. This car would look great in my driveway.
4th Place –
2015 MAZDA MX-5 MIATA 25th ANNIVERSARY EDITION
SEBASTIAN BLANCO: Somewhere in a drawer there is a picture of a 16-year-old me enjoying a sunny summer day in Anchorage, AK, enjoying a ride in a Miata. If Mazda can wax nostalgic, then so can I.
STEVEN EWING: Ford may be celebrating the 50th Anniversary of its iconic Mustang, but even more important to me is the 25th birthday of the darling Mazda MX-5 Miata. This one of the most perfect, most pure driver's cars, and while this special edition doesn't shake up the formula any (new paint!), it's still another line for the never-ending love story between the car enthusiast and Japan's roadster of record. Mazda also showed off the next-generation Miata's chassis in New York, and to that I say, here's to another blissful 25 years.
3rd Place –
2015 NISSAN MURANO
PETE BIGELOW: Dig the floating-roof design. Expect to see other automakers mimic it in coming months and years.
BRANDON TURKUS: Surprise of the show? Just maybe. The new Murano looks outstanding, and it should serve as a solid shot in the arm to Nissan's styling division.
CHRIS BRUCE: Vehicles like the Murano and Honda HR-V are showing a more stylish future for crossovers, and it's a welcome change. Now that the segment is one of the hottest in the industry, it's great to see that stylists are learning how to differentiate the models from the standard two-box shapes that used to be the norm.
2nd Place –
LAND ROVER DISCOVERY VISION CONCEPT
JEREMY KORZENIEWSKI: The Disco is coming back to the States! And it looks great. Plus, Laser Terrain Scanning and Transparent Bonnet? That's awesome.
BRANDON TURKUS: Okay, so it might look a bit like the Ford Explorer, but it's good to see that Land Rover is ready to evolve the styling language pioneered by the Evoque.
STEVEN EWING: The latest crop of Land Rover vehicles has just been outstanding, so how could this new Discovery be anything less than stellar? I know, it's just a concept, but for fans of the Land Rover brand, the fact that the company is bring its iconic Disco back to American soil (and not in LR4 form) is hugely exciting. Looks killer, too.
1st Place –
2015 MERCEDES-BENZ S63 AMG COUPE
MICHAEL ZAK: I was skeptical about Mercedes making the big S-Class into a coupe again, but man was I wrong. This thing is beautifully sculpted and now comes with the insane power of AMG.
BRANDON TURKUS: It's everything you want from a Bentley Continental GT for less money. And then consider that it looks so, so, so pretty, and the S63 AMG Coupe is the big two-door we'll be ready to spend our lottery winnings on.
STEVEN EWING: Words cannot express how gorgeous this thing is in person. And with that big AMG V8 under the hood, beauty indeed meets brawn.
SEYTH MIERSMA: Mercedes' performance cars have been getting more perfect with each subsequent generation, so I have high hopes that this S63 coupe will be a thrilling kind of menace on the road. Throw in one of the best looking interiors I've seen in a long time, and this concept car for the street is an easy best in show for me.
ERIN MARQUIS: I'm already a fan of Mercedes-AMG line, but the new S63 Coupe is special even by MB standards. A luxurious, powerful car with sleek styling, the Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG Coupe has it all.
VOTING BREAKDOWN
As we've done with our past Editors' Choice lists, each staffer had 25 points to distribute amongst five cars, with no one car receiving more than 10 points. After everything was tallied, here's how the Top Five fell:
- Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG Coupe – 44 points
- Land Rover Discovery Vision Concept – 35 points
- Nissan Murano – 33 points
- Mazda MX-5 Miata 25th Anniv. Edtn. – 19 points
- Alfa Romeo 4C – 13 points
HONORABLE MENTIONS
This show was actually sort of tough for us. There was no far-and-away winner like at previous shows, and considering how many runners-up there are compared to the total number of debuts, it looks like our interests were spread way across the board at this year's New York expo.
- Volkswagen Golf TDI SportWagen Concept – 12 points
- 2015 Hyundai Sonata – 11 points
- 2015 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Convertible – 11 points
- 2015 Dodge Challenger – 11 points
- 2015 Toyota Camry – 9 points
- 2015 BMW M4 Convertible – 7 points
- 2015 Subaru Outback – 6 points
- 2015 Aston Martin V8 Vantage GT – 6 points
- 2015 Ford Focus Sedan – 5 points
- 2015 Kia Sedona – 5 points
- E-Carriage – 5 points
- 2015 Dodge Charger – 4 points
- Ford Transit Skyline Concept – 4 points
- 2016 Audi A3 TDI Sportback – 3 points
- 2015 Audi RS7 Dynamic Edition – 2 points
- 2015 Maserati GranTurismo Centennial Edition – 2 points
- 2015 Ford Focus Electric – 2 points
- 2015 Scion FR-S Release Series 1.0 – 1 point
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