The big show in New York is the last major show before the 2014 model year begins and manufacturers took advantage of this timing to introduce a huge slew of new and redesigned models. From the 74 horsepower 3-cylinder Mitsubishi Mirage to the 624 horsepower V12 Rolls Royce Wraith, the NYAIS had over 20 world or U.S. premieres.
Acura
MDX
The MDX prototype has been shown at the Detroit and Chicago auto shows. At the NY Show we got to see the production version, and the full specs were revealed. The biggest news: with direct-injection (fuel injectors in the combustion chamber, like a modern diesel engine), the 3.5 V6 gets improved fuel mileage. The newly available FWD version is EPA rated at 20 city/28 highway/23 combined Miles per Gallon. The All-Wheel-Drive version is rated 18/27/21. This is significantly better than the 2013 model: 16 city/21 highway, partly due to a lower curb weight by 275 pounds.
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| Which is prototype, which is production? |
BMW
3 Series Gran Turismo
The new 3 Series Gran Turismo was introduced at the Geneva Auto Show a few weeks ago, along with the Sports Wagon. The GT is built on a longer wheelbase than the sedan or wagon, and like the 5 Series Sedan/5 Series GT duo, the GT is a higher level model than the Sedan or Wagon. It offers more rear legroom and higher standard levels of equipment.
The Wagon will only offer the 328xi powertrain, a 240 horsepower turbocharged 4-cylinder engine with All-Wheel Drive. No word on whether either the GT or Wagon will come in 320i guise with the 180 horsepower engine of the newly introduced 320i Sedan, but it seems unlikely.
328d
New York saw the world premiere of the 328d. Touted as the next wave of BMW advanced diesel models, it uses a 180 horsepower 2.0 liter 4-cylinder turbo diesel to achieve an estimated 45 MPG highway mileage. Zero to 60 is in a little over seven seconds with the standard eight-speed automatic transmission. If you think of diesels as smelly, slow, and loud, you probably had a rotary phone, a typewriter and your car had points and a carburetor, too.
Buick
LaCrosse
Buick pre-empted the show press conferences and got ahead of the buzz by introducing their refreshed 2014 Regal and LaCrosse two nights before the press preview to the show started.
The LaCrosse gets an all new interior which revolves around an 8” touch screen. If it looks familiar, that’s because Buick’s IntelliLink for the 2014 LaCrosse is basically the Cue system from the 2013 Cadillac ATS and XTS. Drivers can change functions using swipes, touches and pinches, which will be easy for iPad users, not so much maybe for traditional Buick owners. It is one of the better systems (with the Chrysler being the best I’ve tried), but the one in an ATS I tested had a dead spot on the bottom ½ inch of the screen where it wouldn’t respond to touches. Otherwise, the controls are large and the haptic feedback is useful to help keep your eyes on the road. The haptic feature can be turned off, but when on, the screen “bumps” against your finger or the other controls when you activate features.
The other major new feature is the configurable instrument display. On the sides are a traditional tachometer, fuel gauge and coolant gauge. In the middle, you can set it up in a number of ways, showing navigational directions, oil pressure and numerous other displays.
LaCrosse now offers the vibrating “Safety Alert Seat” that was first introduced in the new Cadillac XTS. If this option is ordered, warnings from the available Lane Departure Warning, Side Blind Spot Alert, Lane Change Alert, Forward Collision Warning and Rear Cross Traffic Alert vibrate the driver’s seat in areas coinciding with the direction from which the danger is. For example: put your left turn signal on while a vehicle is on your left side and the left side of your seat will vibrate vigorously, instantly alerting you of the direction of the danger.
The exterior gets a tasteful redo with soft lines. The traditional Buick portholes are more rounded and stylized. The grille is larger, and the bottom now includes active shutters to block airflow for better highway cruising mileage. The headlights come with optional improved HID lighting that turn in response to inputs from the steering wheel, helping to follow the road.
The powertrains are unchanged for 2014: Front-Wheel Drive 2.4 4-cylinder eAssist and a six-speed automatic or a 3.6 V6 with front or all-wheel drive.
Regal
The new 2014 Regal also adds a bucket of special electronic safety aids. Like its larger brother, it offers optional Rear Cross Traffic Alert, Lane Change Alert, Side Blind Zone Alert, Lane Departure Warning, Forward Collision Alert and also adds Collision Mitigation Braking. The latter system will automatically apply the brakes to avoid or lessen a collision if the driver doesn’t react to imminent danger in time. Regal doesn’t get the Safety Alert Seat at this time.
With the Collision Mitigation Braking system, Regal gets the Adaptive Cruise Control offered on LaCrosse that will hold a set speed or adjust speed to follow another car at a set distance.
Regal Turbo now shares the same engine as the GS, both with 259 horsepower, eleven less than last year’s GS but 39 more than last year’s Turbo. The GS is still available with a six-speed manual.
Cadillac
CTS
Cadillac, like Buick jumped the gun, introducing the new, 2014 Cadillac CTS to the world the day before Press Preview days. The CTS is Cadillac’s highest volume car, and it previously held an awkward place (in Cadillac’s mind) in between the 3 Series and 5 Series BMW in size, prestige and price. With the new ATS a solid entry, the 2014 CTS grows in size, price and stature. What doesn’t increase is weight. Even five inches longer, the new CTS is lighter than the 2013. It also sports a 50-50 weight distribution, for sharp and balanced handling.
The new design is gorgeous. The signature feature is waterfall of LED lights. While all the other luxury automakers are doing horizontal eyebrows, the CTS went vertical. Well over two feet long, these Daytime Running Lights will guarantee that the CTS is not mistaken for other Cadillacs, let alone anything from Lexus, BMW or Mercedes.
The big story is under the hood. The top level Vsport will offer a 3.6 Twin Turbo V6 with 420 horsepower and an eight-speed automatic. Not the replacement for the CTS-V (which will come later), this puppy promises Zero-to-60 MPH in 4.6 seconds, only a little over half a second slower than the 2013 CTS-V with its supercharged V8.
Other engines offered will include the normally aspirated (non-turbo) 3.6 V6 with a little more horsepower than today’s at 321, and the 2.0 Turbo 4-cylinder from the ATS with about 272 horsepower and a six-speed automatic. The 3.6 gets an eight-speed automatic, also, except with All-Wheel Drive, which reverts to the six-speed from last year.
The Cadillac CTS becomes the first Cadillac to offer an automated parking system (Automated Parking Assist), which allows the CTS to parallel park itself with the driver controlling only the gearshift and pedals.
Advanced electronic safety systems abound, most optionally available, including: Full Speed Range Adaptive Cruise Control, Panic Brake Assist, Forward Collision Alert , Automatic Collision Preparation (with brake prefill), Lane Departure Warning, Side Blind Zone Alert, Rear Cross Traffic Alert, Rear Vision Camera With Dynamic Guidelines, Adaptive Forward Lighting, and Active pedestrian protection system. The Cadillac Safety Seat with joy buzzers for your butt is available to tactilely warn you of the direction of impending doom.
Cadillac was totally mum on a replacement for the stunning CTS Coupe, introduced only in 2011, or the Sport Wagon, but the Coupe should definitely be coming again, and probably the wagon as well. The CTS-V should also be in the works, but since the present CTS-V has an engine based on the Corvette ZR1, it will have to wait until the next generation Corvette ZR-1 is introduced.
Chevrolet
Corvette
The 2014 Corvette Stingray got its world premiere at the Detroit Auto Show this January and the Stingray Convertible was unveiled in Geneva in early March.
This I still just the beginning of the C7 Corvette story. Special high-performance versions like the Z06 and ZR1 will come later, possibly in the 2015 model year. Also, it is rumored that the Stingray is not the base version, but a simpler, less powerful and less expensive base Corvette will be introduced at a later date.
The Stingray sports a 6.2 V8. Chevy has added variable valve timing, direct injection and cylinder deactivation, raising output to 450 horsepower and improving fuel mileage (figures not available, yet.) Other issues addressed include the seats, long derided as both uncomfortable and unsupportive. The new Corvette will offer two different types of seats: GT for comfort and a Competition Seat with greater bolstering and support for hard cornering.
Camaro
Camaro was the big news for Chevy, and the attendance and enthusiasm were unmatched. The Z/28 is back! With the engine from the Corvette Z06, a 7-liter (427 cubic-inch) V8 with 500 horsepower. Like the 1967-1969 Z28, the only transmission offered is a manual, but with two extra gears for a six-speed. Air conditioning is offered, but only as an option. The original did not offer air-conditioning at all. The Z/28 was originally an unadvertised track racing package built in small numbers to race in the Trans Am Series. It didn’t even have a badge in 1967, because Z28 was simply its RPO number on a build sheet (Z22 was an RS, Z87 Custom Interior).
The Z/28 also features the same carbon-ceramic brakes as the Corvette ZR-1, extra down-force from a special aerodynamics package and special oil, transmission and differential coolers for track use. In addition to making A/C an option, the Z/28 does not have power seats, a folding rear seat and it uses thinner rear window glass than other models. Not only does the Z/28 not have a spare tire, except where required by law, it doesn’t have an inflator kit.
Chevrolet claims the Z/28 is three seconds faster per lap around the track than the ZL1 Camaro. (Which track they don’t say!)
The Camaro’s looks have been subtly refreshed, the biggest change being to the tail lamps, which now bear more resemblance to the original, ironic, since the new Corvette and Malibu have tail lamps resembling the 2009-2013 Camaro.
SS
When they closed the doors at Pontiac in 2009, there were two jewels that were lost: the Pontiac Solstice sports car, which had just added a special coupe version; and the G8 rear-wheel drive sports sedan, based on an Australian Holden Commodore.
GM recovered a little of the investment in the G8 with the Caprice Police Patrol Vehicle. This vehicle offered either the V6 of the base G8 (301 horsepower) or the 6.0 V8 of the G8 GT (355 horsepower). It is only available for fleet sales to law enforcement.
Now the new Chevrolet SS comes along, offering only the 6.2 V8 with 415 horsepower of the defunct G8 GXP. With a 50-50 weight distribution, large 14” brake rotors, and staggered performance tires, the SS is only available as a serious performance sedan. For family grocery-getting, Chevrolet expects purchasers to choose the new Impala or Malibu.
It’s interesting that the SS offers the highest performance engine that is not available in the Police Patrol Vehicle (PPV). This is also the case with the Dodge Charger, whose 3.6 V6 or 5.7 Hemi V8 are dwarfed in output by the non-cop SRT8 with its 6.4 Hemi. Scofflaws need only be concerned with dash cams, helicopters, 2-way radios and spike strips.
The SS doesn’t come as a stripped-out dragster. Fully loaded, it includes power seats, leather upholstery, a heads-up display which projects a tachometer and your speed with other information onto the windshield, forward collision alert, lane departure warning, side blind zone alert, and rear vision camera with cross traffic alert (warns you if a car is coming towards you as you back up).
The SS will be Chevrolet’s first car to offer an automated parking system, similar to the one no longer offered on the Lexus LS. In addition to parallel parking, it can back into a perpendicular spot.
Dodge
Durango
The redesigned Jeep Grand Cherokee came out in Spring 2010 as a 2011 model. That Fall the totally new Durango came out on the same platform (chassis). The Jeep got a significant update at the Detroit Auto Show in January, including all eight-speed automatics and a diesel engine option. So we knew the Durango would be getting a refresh at New York, the only question was: diesel engine option? The answer is, “Not now,” Reid Bigland, Dodge President and CEO. “The Jeep Grand Cherokee is our platform for evaluating customer interest and viability of the 3.0 Turbo diesel.”
All powertrains get a standard eight-speed automatic, said to be good for a 9% improvement in mileage over the five-speed it replaces. The exterior is refreshed, with the biggest change in the “racetrack” tail lights, borrowed from the successful Dodge Dart design.
The Durango remains a classic, rear-wheel drive mid-sized SUV. While Explorer, Pathfinder, Traverse, Pilot and Santa Fe all rely on FWD-based car chassis, the Durango uses a rear-wheel drive platform. Only the Toyota 4Runner also offers a rear-wheel drive based mid-sized, but with no V8 option, the Durango is the only one with up to 7400 pounds of towing if you want to skip a full-size like Tahoe or Expedition.
Don’t mistake the Durango’s truck platform with antique body-on-frame designs with solid axles and the ride of a dump truck. Since Jeep introduced unibody construction on the 1984 Cherokee, all of their new Sport Utilities have had an integral body and frame design, including the original 1993 Grand Cherokee. The 2011 Durango was converted to unibody as it was based on the then-new Grand Cherokee.
The 2011 Grand Cherokee’s chassis was borrowed from the Mercedes M-Class. But, the M-Class was re-engineered with a unibody chassis after the Daimler-Chrysler merger, and this change was influenced by Chrysler. The first generation M-Class (1998-2005) was body-on-frame with inferior ride and handling compared to contemporary Grand Cherokees.
The Durango doesn’t have the solid truck axle of a Tahoe or 4Runner, either. It uses a sophisticated multi-link system that is fully independent for better ride, handling andoff-road articulation.
The other advantage of the traditional rear-wheel drive chassis: AWD models have a neutral setting for flat-towing behind RV’s and a 4WD low is offered for serious off-road climbing and descending of hills with better control without overheating the brakes.
On the inside, the Durango is even more refined and luxurious. A rotary shifter, ala Jaguar (though it doesn’t rise out of the center console), handles transmission selection duties. The instrument cluster now uses a digital display, like the Dart, which can display different data in multiple different ways.
Optional Uconnect Access allows for embedded cell phone tech from Sprint to call for roadside assistance, emergency personnel or even turn the Durango into a mobile WiFi Hotspot. Texts received on any connected smart phones can be read by the vehicle and answered, all hands-free.
Natural language voice recognition makes utilizing the optional navigation system and other features easier to use. Instead of memorizing specific commands, natural sentences can be used, such as, “Take me to the Javits Center, New York City.” As with Siri, it will be interesting to see what will happen in some circumstances.
The Durango also now offers a dual screen Blu-Ray player system, a class exclusive says Dodge.
The 2014 Durango will go on sale in the Fall.
The Car Chat 