   2014 Mazda MX-5 25th Anniversary Edition, 2015 Ford Mustang 50th Anniversary Edition, Stern Ford Mustang Pinball Machine. Click image to enlarge |
Preview and photos by Paul Williams and Jonathan Yarkony
Auto show highlights usually have to do with an overall theme – electric vehicles, high performance cars, all-new trucks – or certain spectacular cars that command your attention. This year’s New York show was a much more eclectic experience. Consumers will have a great time if they visit, enthusiasts will find cars to drool over, but journalists will likely focus more on the interesting rather than the outstanding.
2014 Mazda MX-5 25th Anniversary Edition
Take the Mazda stand, for instance. Still no diesel vehicles, but it’s the MX-5/Miata’s 25th Anniversary and there’s a very limited edition model to celebrate that. The car, according to Mazda, is the best MX-5 you can buy. It features an engine with specially selected components, a special Soul Mica paint job, custom and handcrafted interior, special wheels, a plaque (of course) and only 200 available for North America. Very unusually, Canada gets half of those cars (we usually get a tenth of what the US gets), and at $40,925, it’s a rare piece.
Also at the Mazda stand, you’ll find a full range of Miatas and MX-5s from the earliest 1990 models to the 500,000th and beyond. Also race cars and even a one-off coupe.
2014 Ford Mustang 50th Anniversary Edition
There are other anniversaries to celebrate, and likely the most high profile is the Ford Mustang’s 50th. Introduced in April 1964 as a 1965 model, the Mustang was and is one of the most successful models ever. Even if you haven’t owned one and don’t plan to, I’ll bet you know about the Mustang.
It’s an automotive icon, and yes, there’s a 50th Anniversary Limited Edition. With only 1,964 available, it’s a Mustang GT in legacy Wimbledon White. No special drivetrain or anything, but with subtle design flourishes like the louvered rear quarter windows and chrome surrounds on the rear lights, these Mustangs also wear a plaque signed by Bill Ford. No news on how many for Canada, but I should expect they’ll disappear smartly into collections, so if you want one, order now.
Another Mustang highlight was the presence of special edition pinball machines by Stern. I think Stern is the only manufacturer of pinball machines still in business, so it’s nice (for pinball wizards) to see some new ones in production!
Volkswagen Golf Wagon TDI 4Motion ‘Concept’
Over at the Volkswagen stand, the reveal was the facelifted Jetta – not exactly big news – but sitting in the corner was an interesting Golf Wagon. We’re told it’s here to gauge interest, and I reckon Canadians would really like this for a range of reasons. First, it’s a wagon and there’s a market for those in Canada, but this is also an all-wheel-drive model (4Motion) and a diesel (TDI). Furthermore, it looks great; a huge improvement over the current Golf wagon, in my view.
   Volkswagen Golf Wagon TDI 4Motion, 2015 Toyota Camry, 2015 Hyundai Sonata. Click image to enlarge |
2015 Toyota Camry and 2015 Hyundai Sonata
Toyota introduced a new Camry. It’s a big seller, of course. Not an enthusiast vehicle, but let’s face it, Camrys are one of the most popular cars out there, so a new one is significant. And I must say, this Camry is a smooth exercise in design, although the new grille – echoing Lexus – may take some getting used to.
That said, over at Hyundai, a new Sonata debuted; a direct competitor with Camry, right? As you may know, Hyundai has been on a roll of late, their full line of vehicles under the design direction of Peter Schreyer had a huge impact in the marketplace and pushed the industry to elevate design in order to remain competitive. So yes, now we see a much more appealing Toyota Camry, for instance, and consider the difference between the first-generation Ford Fusion and the current model. Everybody’s upping their game.
So what to make of this new Sonata? The swoopy lines are gone; the eye-catching surfaces are dialled back; the “fluidic sculpture” not quite so fluidic. What does this mean? Obviously the look of these vehicles was a major driver in Hyundai’s recent success. People noticed! The new look for 2015 is described by Hyundai as “more mature” and I guess, yes, it is that. And the car is certainly appealing, don’t get me wrong, but it’s no longer the standout that it was. Fair enough, I suppose. Many suggested that the original fluidic motion design had nowhere to go, and maybe that’s true. Hyundai has therefore intelligently made a 90-degree turn towards refinement, simplicity and elegance, even. But will Sonata still get noticed?
   Alfa Romeo 4C. Click image to enlarge |
Alfa Romeo 4C
Speaking of getting noticed, the Maserati stand is now large and filled with sexy Italian sedans and coupes. So nice to see new marques at the show! Next door was another new marque: Alfa Romeo. Only one car displayed, the 4C, a smart coupe of diminutive proportions with a carbon fibre and aluminum structure and an all-new mid-mounted 1.7-litre, turbocharged and direct injected engine making 237 horsepower. Yes, we’re getting it in Canada, but no actual news when. In the US its starting price is $54,000, so it has Lotus Elan, Porsche Boxster pricing, or slotted somewhere between Porsche Cayman and Lotus Exige in terms of direct competition for a luxury two-seat coupe. We’ll keep you posted.
  2015 Dodge Challenger & 2015 Dodge Charger. Click image to enlarge |
2015 Dodge Charger and Challenger
Did you know 2014 is the 100th anniversary of the Dodge brand? Me neither, but so it is. Fitting that Dodge is taking the opportunity to endorse and emphasize its identity as a muscle car maker by introducing an all-new Dodge Challenger and Dodge Charger. The Challenger is subtly reimagined, so sensibly there’s no movement away from that classic Challenger shape. The transmission is now an eight-speed automatic with paddle shifting and all Dodge’s safety technologies are available in the new model. There’s a new Scat Pack version for enthusiasts of the brand.
The Charger continues to define the full-size, four-door muscle car segment, although now looking a bit leaner and tidier. The car features a new hood, new front doors and front fenders, new front and rear fasciae, new headlamps and new LED “racetrack” rear lights along with numerous detail and interior improvements.
  2015 Jeep Renegade. Click image to enlarge |
2015 Jeep Renegade
Finally, I should mention the Jeep Renegade. I think it’s very appealing. Built on an all-new chassis and powered with the Chrysler/Fiat 1.7L or 2.4L engine, this is a rugged-but-friendly looking small Jeep, bigger than the Patriot but smaller than the Cherokee. It looks like it could motor over just about any terrain, but I think it’ll be at quite at home doing around-town driving. A late 2014 arrival is expected; maybe very early 2015. It’s built in Italy, by the way.
This was a low-key year at New York, but still, as I say, interesting vehicles to see.
Land Rover Discovery Vision Concept, Jonathan Yarkony
Forget for a minute that Jaguar Land Rover’s overlords are hatching some nefarious scheme to split the Land Rover brand into multiple vehicle lines, this concept is gorgeous and one of the few actual concepts worth gawking at here at the New York International Auto Show. Intended as a prelude to the return of the Discovery nameplate in North America and a line of “leisure vehicles”, it has amazingly sleek lines but a still practical greenhouse for decent visibility, and will allow Range Rovers to reduce the complexity of their off-roading gear and better serve their urban clientele.
The interior is concept car fantasy but still conveys the clean, uncluttered Range Rover look with sporty floating seats, but a full three rows of seating for up to seven.
Volkswagen Golf Wagon TDI 4Motion
Okay, we know the manual transmission and AWD are no more than a bit of a nod to enthusiasts everywhere and unlikely to ever reach our shores, but it is nice to dream. Also note the R badge in the grille and the big sexy wheels, so this dreamwagon would handle as well as a GTI in our little fantasy constructs.
In reality, the new Golf Wagon is based on VW’s MQB platform architecture that underpins the new Golf and GTI, with a commensurate growth in size, an increase in cargo and passenger space. Confirmed powertrains are the 170-hp 1.8T introduced in the Jetta last year and the new 150-hp 2.0L turbodiesel, each with a choice of manual or DSG automated transmissions. Could this be the replacement for the Yarkony family truckster?
  Mazda Miata 25th Anniversary Display. Click image to enlarge |
Mazda Miata 25th Anniversary Display
This booth became an impromptu nostalgia memory lane for all us Miata-obsessed auto writers. I don’t know how many people I told the story of driving the Mazdaspeed MX-5 on my honeymoon in Maui, traversing the Hana Highway a half-dozen times at least. But this is truly a remarkable display, with two of the three original Miata that were on the showstand for its 1989 debut at the Chicago Auto Show, concepts that never saw production and beat-up racecars in all their dented, scratched up-glory.
Mazda used this stage to display the swan song of the current third generation, the 25th Anniversary Edition, which will be available in incredibly limited numbers and built to even more exacting standards than your garden-variety MX-5. Also revealed were the guts of the next generation MX-5, set to debut next year as a 2016 model.
2015 Kia Sedona
Okay, the Sedona isn’t exactly sex on wheels, and there’s a certain awkwardness to the grille and hood, but the Sedona’s charm is on the inside. The materials were delectable in the top trim examples shown at New York, where it debuted quietly without a press conference. Kia brings its excellent UVO interface to family motoring, and one model showed the available reclining, footrest-equipped second-row captain’s chairs. Those seats also flatten and slide forward for convenient access to the third row, which folds down into an underfloor cargo well, as is typical for the segment. Will Kia be able to offer Grand Caravan pricing for quality that approaches the Odyssey and Sienna?
   2015 Kia Sedona & 2015 Hyundai Sonata. Click image to enlarge |
2015 Hyundai Sonata
While the Camry was just a short distance away with a dramatic new styling direction, the 2015 Hyundai Sonata seems to these eyes a more successful redesign taking the honours between these two big sellers. The Sonata is also a more extensive revision, with a much-improved interior look and execution, and a suite of advanced driving safety aids, and significant revisions to suspension and steering that should yield greater refinement and driving enjoyment.
2015 Nissan Murano
As Paul notes in his Preview of the 2015 Nissan Murano, you could be forgiven for thinking it is just another concept car, especially when seen side by side with the Sports Sedan Concept with which it shares a distinct language. The bold, swoopy lighting elements, aggressive creasing on the body and continuous form from side to rear windows bridged by the black panel and spoiler extension are all features that seem more concept than production. I haven’t been keen on Nissan styling of late, but the Murano just catches my eye, and I find myself turning back to study its daring yet successful design. Appropriate too since the Murano paved the way for design-driven crossovers with a focus turned to on-road dynamic and urban utility rather than off-roading prowess.
The interior is also a sight, especially as trimmed for the show car with rich, creamy light leather paired with a pale wood trim setting the stage for Nissan’s large and effective infotainment system. It appears to be a refuge from a busy world that many will appreciate for their daily grind to and from work or out for a night on the town.
