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The 15 Coolest Cars At The New York Auto Show
The New York International Auto Show, the most popular auto show in North America, opens to the public this weekend.
If you're in the area and want to see the future of the auto industry, it's worth making the trek over to the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center before the show closes on April 27.
We were on the scene for the press-preview days to check out what the world's biggest automakers have been working on.
From the gorgeous new Corvette convertible to the latest Rolls-Royce to the future of the iconic Land Rover Discovery, here are the cars you won't want to miss while you're there.
The engine under the hood of the Aston Martin V8 Vantage GT cranks out 430 horsepower, good for a 0 to 60 time of 4.6 seconds. Even better is the unusually low price tag for the British luxury mark: $99,900. And to top it all off, the GT comes with a standard manual transmission.
After a two-decade hiatus, Alfa Romeo has finally returned to the U.S. market, and its ambassador is the lovely 4C sports car. Thanks to lightweight construction and sleek aerodynamics, the 4C should hit a top speed of 160 mph and run from 0 to 60 mph in about 4.5 seconds.
This week is the 50th birthday of the iconic Mustang, and Ford pulled out all the stops to mark the occasion. That included bringing a car to the top of the Empire State Building and a special edition car, complete with retro styling to complement modern performance.
For the New York show, Nissan trotted out a new, surprisingly stylish, version of the Murano. The automaker says it expects the midsize crossover to appeal to empty nesters. The Murano will hit the market in late 2014.
Meanwhile, Nissan's luxury brand, Infiniti, is working hard to put itself in the realm of the top dogs like BMW, Mercedes, and Audi. The new version of the Q70 looks like a good step in that direction. Infiniti is also introducing a long wheelbase version to make the sedan even more spacious.
Dodge made a splash at the show this year with the 2015 Charger, which it calls the world's only four-door muscle car. The Charger is powered by a V6 engine that will generate 300 horsepower that also delivers an impressive 31 mpg.
Land Rover kicked auto show week off with a bang with the reveal of its Discovery Vision Concept, a sleek new take on the boxy Discovery SUV that's been around since the late 1980s. This car looks little like its rigid predecessors.
GM calls the new Corvette Z06 convertible a "world-class supercar," built to deliver 600 horsepower, 600 pound-feet of torque, all in an aluminum structure that should keep the topless body stiff under tough conditions. GM head of product Mark Reuss says the convertible will go from 0 to 60 mph in under 3.5 seconds, and is "every bit as capable" as the coupe.
Mercedes takes the prize this year for most drop-dead gorgeous car. To unveil the S63 AMG 4MATIC Coupe, it brought Jon Hamm, of "Mad Men" fame, to help put the cover off. Tobias Moers, the head of AMG, says "it drives as good as it looks." That's wonderful news.
BMW's i3 isn't a new entry on the auto show circuit, but it deserves credit for winning two of five of the 2014 World Car Awards, for best green car and design of the year. Despite the i3's unusual looks, Ludwig Willisch, President and CEO of BMW North America, told Business Insider that there's no doubt it's a true BMW — just a different kind of "ultimate driving machine."
Bentley likes to talk about its racing heritage, and in recent years has started producing cars that aren't just luxurious, they're fun to drive. The latest is the new Flying Spur V8, which marks the first time Bentley has put its twin-turbo, 500 brake horsepower V8 engine. That will send the luxury sedan from 0 to 60 mph in just 4.9 seconds.
Acura is also working to combine luxury and performance in a single package, with the all-new 2015 TLX. The sedan offers a 2.4-liter 4-cylinder engine that produces 206 horsepower that isn't overwhelming, but drivers looking for more oomph can upgrade to a 3.5-liter V6.
Rolls-Royce doesn't introduce new models or refreshes very often, partly because it doesn't want its wealthy owners ever to feel that they're driving something outdated. But the ultra-luxury arm of BMW did bring an upgrade of its Ghost to the New York show. The $300,000 Ghost II is loaded up with technology, including Satellite Aided Transmission, which uses GPS to make sure the car is always in the perfect gear.
In 2008, BMW introduced the world to the SUV-coupe combo with the X6. It was an unexpected smash hit, and now the Germans are following up with the 2015 X4, a smaller version of the X6.
The Nissan Rogue itself isn't so remarkable, but it comes with one of the cooler technologies on display at the auto show. The "smart rearview mirror" looks like a standard mirror, but when the driver flips a switch, a much clearer view of what's behind the car is shown, piped in from a camera in the rear windshield.
Now get to know another new ride for 2014.
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