Engineering reporter and car critic nonpareil Richard Truett made his jaunt through the Javits Center and, yes, did a bit of fault-finding. But our man liked a lot of what he saw — even some of the cars. Remember cars?
HIT: Nissan Altima
It's been rebuilt from the wheels up and has one of the industry's most advanced engines — Nissan's variable compression turbo — under the hood. Looks are rakishly aggressive, and the interior is simple and stylish. It has a traditional console-mounted floor shifter, for instance; no dials or dash-mounted push buttons. The car arrives in the fall and finally moves the midsize sedan away from the Maxima in appearance.
HIT: Toyota Corolla hatchback
A General Motors friend who looked over the Corolla said he considers it a premium small car. He's right. The car, styled in Europe, has plenty of pleasing details. The soft-touch dash, attractive seats and plenty of electronic tech features place the Corolla hatchback above many other entry-level competitors. The twin chrome exhaust finishers under the rear bumper are a nice touch. And bonus points to Toyota for putting a six-speed manual transmission on the options list.
MISS: Hyundai Santa Fe
I don't like the styling of the next-gen version coming this summer. Not only does it have a generic-looking grille and taillights, but the upswept styling treatment on the sides near the rear window just looks off. With the market flooding with utility vehicles, styling will be an extremely important differentiator — especially for volume brands battling in lower- priced market segments.
HIT: Lincoln Aviator
Although the exterior profile borrows a little bit too much from Range Rover (Note to Ford design: Your infatuation with Land Rover styling cues for utility vehicles is a little too close for comfort), the inside is terrific. From the soft-touch leather seats with contrasting piping, to the machined metal speaker covers, to the unique center stack that puts the radio controls close to the shifter, to the suede headliner, the Aviator's interior belongs in the class above. And here's one small thing that is sure to please retro-geezers like me: The Aviator's aromatic interior smells like a luxury car should. There's no plastic off-gassing odors here, just the great scent of leather. The Aviator is the star of the New York show.
HIT: Cadillac XT4
It's the right size, has pleasing styling and a full array of electronic and safety features. Cadillac needed the XT4 two years ago, but when it arrives this fall, it will give Cadillac a strong entry to take on various luxury crossovers from Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Jaguar.
MISS: GMC Sierra AT4
Regular versions of the new Sierra are great-looking, but this off-road version is underwhelming. For starters, you don't go after the Ford F-150 Raptor with tiny wheels that belong more on a Tonka toy than a serious off-road truck. If you are going to build a serious off-road truck, everything needs to not only be beefed up, but look amazingly tough. Can't say the AT4 checks that box.
HIT: Volkswagen Atlas Tanoak
Unibody pickups, dating to the early 1960s, when Ford tried it on the F series, have never really clicked with consumers. The Atlas Tanoak could be the first. It's tough-looking, with aggressively flared wheel arches, huge tires and a bed that looks like the truck is body-on-frame. Oversized LED taillights and a lighted VW logo in the grille give the Tanoak a unique look. Note to Honda and Hyundai: This is how you do a unibody truck.
HIT: Cadillac CT6 V-Sport
This new large sports sedan debuts a Cadillac-exclusive twin-turbo V-8 that cranks out 550 hp. Under GM design chief Mike Simcoe, Cadillac continues to refine and advance its edgy design language. The V-Sport's fastback styling works well, and the LED taillights' crisp band of light gives the car a distinctive look. Cadillac continues on its mission to out-German the Germans.
HIT: Mercedes-Benz C class
The smallest Mercedes cars for the U.S. are freshened with a crisper front fascia that includes a new 16-slat retro-style grille, more powerful engines and additional safety features. The high-performance AMG C63 looks especially like a bad-boy German hot-rod sedan.
MISS: Acura RDX
There is seemingly no cure for Acura's styling ills. The RDX introduces yet another overwrought, overthought grille. The size of the Acura logo in the center is about equal to a World Wrestling Entertainment Heavyweight Championship belt buckle. And it looks just as gaudy. The center stack in the dash is too busy.
You can reach Richard Truett at rtruett@crain.com
