Rear-drive 808-hp monsters don’t make a debut at every auto show, but the 2017 New York auto show hosted plenty of other hot new cars from all over the market. After walking the show floor and talking to automaker representatives and engineers, we’ve compiled a list of must-see 2017 New York show cars. Keep reading to discover what impressed Motor Trend editors, and revisit our 2016 New York show favorites here.
2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon
I have to give kudos to Dodge for introducing the outrageous Demon, a bat out of hell at 808 hp and 717 lb-ft of torque on 91-octane gas for the street and a ridiculous 840 hp and 770 lb-ft of torque on 100-plus high-octane race fuel for the track. Enough power to pull a wheelie: This crazy rear-drive monster travelled 2.92 feet with the front wheels off the ground. In a world of EVs and autonomous driving, we salute Dodge for engineering a seriously badass car. –Alisa Priddle
The torturous drip of teasers was worth it (but please, never do it again). You can now buy a nine-second car (on slicks and a prepped surface) from the showroom floor with no special license or test, and it’s street-legal. Given the terrible driving we witness every day on America’s roads, that seems like an awful idea. Yet it’s also a phenomenal one. You have to admire Dodge’s “hold my beer” attitude in doubling-down on the Hellcats, and the machine the brand built is simply incredible. The ’60s gave us some beautiful and wonderful cars, but we’re truly living in the golden age of the automobile right now. –Scott Evans
It’s big, red, and about as subtle as an F-16 on afterburners. Accelerates like one, too, with a claimed 0-60-mph time of 2.1 seconds and a claimed quarter-mile time of 9.65 seconds. OK, there are a couple of caveats in those numbers—they were run on a prepared dragstrip rather than the regular road surfaces we use for performance testing at Motor Trend. But the mere fact that the 800-plus-horsepower Dodge Demon exists at all and can be driven on the street like any normal production car, is something to be celebrated. In terms of production cars, we might well be looking at Peak Muscle here, the ultimate expression of a uniquely American automotive genre. –Angus MacKenzie
Toyota FT-4X concept
So what if it looks like an FJ Cruiser ate a Honda Element, the FT-4X concept is a legitimate off-roader that could give fits to Jeep. The compact SUV has real 4WD (not AWD), more tie-downs than a bondage parlor, and a zillion neat casual-core touches (your app-laden phone mounts above the instrument cluster, the dome light can be detached and used as a flashlight, and the same goes for the audio system, which can be removed as a boom box). Toyota says they are gauging customer and dealer reaction to this concept, which in Toyota-speak means you can expect to see it in dealerships in 24 to 36 months, priced about the same as a RAV4. –Mark Rechtin
Concept cars were thin on the ground in New York this year, so kudos to Toyota for rolling out the funky FT-4X crossover concept. Ignore the marketing claptrap—it’s apparently aimed at millennials who are “fond of the outdoors, but operate almost always indoors”—and look past some of the deliberately over-emphasized concept car eye candy: There’s an interesting little crossover here Toyota ought to seriously consider building. The simplified surfacing and straightforward proportion is a welcome relief from the tortured bodywork that blights too many modern Toyotas, and there’s lots of clever thinking evident in features such as the multifunction tailgate. –Angus MacKenzie
FT-4X stands for Future Toyota Four-Wheel-Drive Crossover, an indication that we might see this as a production model in the future. It’s a concept with radical looks and versatility aimed at millennials. The radical-looking futuristic concept is versatile, featuring a multi-hatch rear opening and removable door handles that double as water bottles. There’s no doubt that we would love to see a compact crossover with off-road capabilities in Toyota’s lineup. –Miguel Cortina
Genesis GV80 SUV concept
The GV80 concept is the first look at what to expect from Genesis SUVs, and we now know that GV is the nomenclature for crossovers, while sedans start with just a “G.” The GV80 is a midsize crossover that will be a production vehicle in a couple years. It will lose the latticework exterior styling details and the the 23-inch mesh alloy wheels, but it will keep the silhouette, grille, door handles, and basic layout. Most significantly, this is a new body style from a new brand, and that doesn’t happen every day. –Alisa Priddle
The GV80 is what the Bentley Bentayga should’ve looked like. We hear designer Luc Donckerwolke, who is now the head of Genesis design, arrived at Bentley after the EXP 9 F concept was already done and got stuck making it into a workable production model. If he’d arrived at Bentley earlier, I imagine both concept and production car would’ve been far more elegant. The GV80 manages the difficult proposition of making a boxy SUV shape look beautiful and elegant, and Genesis claims the production car will be very similar. Bentley’s loss is very much Genesis’ gain. –Scott Evans
2018 Lincoln Navigator
The full-size luxury SUV has replaced the full-size luxury sedan as the pinnacle of American luxury, and the Cadillac Escalade’s reign at the top is actually in jeopardy for the first time in years. I’ll admit I’m not in love with the new 2018 Lincoln Navigator’s nose, but there’s no denying the SUV’s interior is properly swanky and loaded with thoughtful features luxury buyers will love. The Navigator is far and away Lincoln’s most important and profitable product, one the brand absolutely could not get wrong, and they’ve knocked it out of the park. Lincoln is on a slow-but-steady resurgence, and the Navigator ought to kick it into high gear. –Scott Evans
Although the exterior looks nice and reminds us of the crazy concept car shown last year here in New York, the big news of the 2018 Lincoln Navigator happen inside. Everywhere you look and everywhere you touch, there is a sense of elegance and great luxury. From the soft grab handles with French stitching to the comfortable seats, the Navigator’s interior welcomes you into a world of leisure. Once you sit down, you’ll notice the simple but elegant lines and an infotainment screen that stands out in the center console. The Navigator finally feels upscale. –Miguel Cortina
Infiniti QX80 Monograph
“We wanted to do something big for the Big Apple,” said Alfonso Albaisa, Infiniti’s executive design director. The team met their goal: the Infiniti QX80 Monograph is huge. At nearly 7 feet tall, the concept stands on 24-inch wheels and previews design elements we will see in future Infinitis. Albaisa added that his team also focused on the small details, such as the headlights that were inspired by human eyes and “piano keys” that detail the lower part of the eyelid. The QX80 certainly seduced us at the show, and we can’t wait to see the production version later this year. –Miguel Cortina
Subaru Ascent SUV Concept
The joke used to be that Subarus were ugly because the company passed along the savings of not hiring designers directly to the customer. That dog won’t hunt when you check out the burly new Ascent concept. We’ve seen the exterior before, so Subaru showcased a smooth, futuristic, and thoughtfully considered interior. The center console is awash in slick touchscreen interfaces, lit in Subaru’s deep blue constellation theme–but with knobs, too, because (note to all car designers) control dials are a must for fast, unfussy tuning of volume/station/temperature/fan speed. Subaru really sweated the details: the second-seat-mounted grab handles will be familiar to Japanese rail commuters because they’re modeled after the same handles found in Japanese bullet trains. One feature I’m hoping they port over from Outback: the roof rack system with hideaway cross bars. –Ed Loh
2018 Volvo S90 (now in a standard, long-wheelbase form)
My luxury car back-seat test determines whether you would be proud to shuttle three friends for a night. I’m 6 feet 1 inch tall. So are my friends. Could they fit behind me without me having to change the driver’s seat? Absolutely, and there would be room to spare in this Volvo. Starting at around $49,095, this sweet Swede replaces the standard wheelbase S90 as the flagship in the lineup. Oh, and Volvo updated the hard-to-read fonts and icons in its otherwise splendid infotainment system. –Mark Rechtin
2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk
Call it a dirty Hellcat. This 707-hp Trackhawk does 0-60 mph in 3.5 seconds and the quarter mile in 11.6 seconds. It tows 7,200 pounds and can still go off-roading with the best of them. All this power is tamed by a redesigned Torqueflite eight-speed transmission mated to Jeep’s all-wheel-drive system, a limited-slip diff, and a Bilstein adaptive suspension to handle the curves. Hauling it down are the largest brakes ever put on a Jeep, courtesy of Brembo. We estimate this beast’s price at around $84,500 when it arrives in time for this winter’s first snowfall. –Mark Rechtin
2018 Buicks: Regal TourX and Enclave
They put baby in the corner. Buick is in the basement of the Javits Center, but its two new offerings deserve to be on the main floor. The Regal TourX gives us a wagon, based on the Opel Insignia. The lifted wagon goes on sale this fall, and though it won’t be the high-volume body style, it’s our favorite. The second-generation Enclave has an elegant new look with a modern-looking grille and attractive headlights. It’s a nice evolution for this classy seven-passenger family hauler. –Alisa Priddle
NYIAS was chock full of SUVs and CUVs, but the wagon luv runs deep with me–and TourX is most definitely a wagon. I don’t know why the stigma persists that these sedans-with-backpacks are somehow frumpy or stodgy; take in the TourX’s long, lean profile, set off by that cool metal arc that spans the roofline, and can you come to any other conclusion but slick? If you’re a fan of putting things on top of vehicles—say a 10-foot Walden Hang Glider longboard—wouldn’t you like to do that with your feet firmly planted on the ground? Slick, yet grounded in practicality. Nice job, Buick. –Ed Loh
2018 Porsche 911 GT3
If the Dodge Challenger SRT Demon is Detroit’s sledgehammer, the new 2018 Porsche 911 GT3 is its perfect counterpoint: a precision instrument from Stuttgart that distills everything Porsche knows about making the world’s most iconic sports car ever faster. Under that familiar bodywork is a 500-hp naturally aspirated flat-six that revs to 9,000 rpm, a revised suspension and four-wheel steering, and a race car style aerodynamic floor that delivers 20 percent more downforce with no extra drag. And purists rejoice—the new GT3 is available with a six-speed stick shift. Although the Demon is all straight-line thrust, the 911 GT3 is all lightning agility, with Porsche claiming a sub-7-minute-20-second Nürburgring lap time is in the cards. –Angus MacKenzie
2018 Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo
This Porsche made its debut at the Geneva auto show, but seeing it in the metal (and having just driven the Ferrari GTC4Lusso) makes me appreciate the Sport Turismo’s low slung stance and beyootiful behind all the more. The car might share the show stand with the quicker, more furious 911 GT3, but the Sport Turismo’s nod to blistering pace–and practicality–has me thinking about making an early, one-time IRA withdrawal. This wouldn’t be a bad financial play either because the Panamera is a surprising value (when compared to the $300,000+ Ferrari). For the price of a GTC4Lusso, one can easily afford a nicely loaded Sport Turismo and a 911 GT3… –Ed Loh
Trans Am Worldwide 455 Super Duty
Sure, this Camaro-turned-Trans Am lacks the Dodge Demon’s fancy weight-transferring suspension, line lock front brakes, trans brake, and other dragstrip optimization tricks. But maybe—just maybe—if you slapped on a similar set of Nitto drag slicks and your reaction time was just so, the 160-192-hp advantage its NASCAR race-shop-built, Magnuson supercharged LT-1 V-8 enjoys just might keep a drag race interesting. And in any case, when I’m laying out big bucks for a specialty car, I don’t want to look like everybody else. Trans Am Worldwide has delivered fewer than 200 of its Zeta-architecture-based Transmeros, and it is just starting work on a similar run of these new Alpha-architecture based cars. — Frank Markus
Rimac Concept One
What could be more fun than beating a Dodge Demon in a near silent electric hypercar? Beyond the appeal of that prospect, I love the story behind the $1.2-million, 1,224-hp four-motor electric hypercar. While in high school, Bosnian Croat founder Mate Rimac designed a glove that can replace both a computer keyboard and mouse. He later patented an active mirror aiming system for cars, the proceeds from which he plowed into an M30 BMW M3. When he blew its motor, he set about retrofitting it with off-the-shelf electric motors, then started upgrading those parts with ones of his own design. That BMW mule has transformed into this techno tour-de-force, which fits two front motors with direct drive and two rear motors working through two-speed twin-clutch transmissions. Together they accelerate to 60 mph in a claimed 2.4 seconds (probably excluding roll-out), while the rears propel it to 221 mph. This is the first of two cars coming to the U.S. brokered by nearby Manhattan Motor Cars. And with the same tires—all four of ‘em pulling on the same drag-prepped surface—I like Rimac’s chances against a Demon, at least to 60 mph… –Frank Markus
Koenigsegg Agera RS1
How determined are you to disprove the Demon’s production car dragstrip brags? This 3,075-pound, $2-million-plus, track-focused Agera RS1 roadster is officially one of 25 Ageras produced. It cranks out 1,360 hp and 1,011 lb-ft of torque from its completely Koenigsegg-designed and built 5.0-liter twin-turbocharged V-8 (fun fact announced from the stand immediately adjacent to this RS1’s: Koenigsegg is now building a special 600-hp naturally aspirated version of this same flat-plane crank V-8 for Spyker to replace an aging 4.2-liter Audi V-8 in its Preliator and future models). In a race with the Demon, however, this race will be all about hooking up. Even so, with the right tires, I like the chances of this mid-engine, 2.3-pounds-per-horsepower Agera. And if the strip is long enough, it’ll reportedly do 0-248 mph in 22 seconds. Suck it, Demon! –Frank Markus
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