Okay, so the press days for the 2017 New York Auto Show are over and everything that needed to be seen has been seen. During the NYIAS, there were some great debuts and some really interesting new ideas. Now that it’s over, though, let’s recap and take a look at the five best cars we saw at the NYIAS.
5. Dodge Challenger SRT Demon: It’s almost impossible to not love the Demon. I think I heard one person complain about its fuel economy (complaining about the Dodge Demon’s fuel economy is like saying “Margot Robbie is too beautiful” or “my bank account is too large”. It’s got 800 hp, stop whining) but other than that, it seems pretty universally loved. How can you not love it? It’s over 800 hp of pure superfluity. It’s the fastest accelerating production car ever made and it makes a noise that very well may be what causes zombies to wake from the dead. Oh, and it comes from ‘Merica. It should only come in one color — American Flag.
4. Audi RS3 Sedan: There might be some complaining about how the Audi RS3 isn’t the purest or most engaging sports car in the world. Those complaints are ridiculous. It’s a sedan the size of a shoe that has 400 hp, a dual-clutch automatic, does 0-60 mph in under 4 seconds, has Quattro all-wheel drive and does all of that at a reasonable price. Sure, it isn’t as pure as a BMW M2 but it’s damn fun to drive and packs one helluva punch. It also makes a fantastic exhaust note from one of the best production engines in the world, the all-aluminum 2.5 liter turbocharged inline five-cylinder.
3. Lincoln Navigator: While we’re typically not big fans of gigantic American SUVs, as they’re usually ridiculous and incredibly useless (See: Cadillac Escalade), there’s something cool about the Lincoln Navigator. It’s massive, to the point of curiosity, as in “How the hell will it fit on public roads?”. But that massive size is smile-inducing for some reason because it’s so big it’s silly. It’s also incredibly spacious on the inside, as I had enough room to stretch my legs a bit and a ton of headroom…in the third row. The leather was also of good quality and the cabin was filled with metal and wood, like a luxury car should be. Did I mention that it also has the same powertrain as the Ford Raptor? So it’s got a twin-turbocharged V6 that makes 450 hp and has a 10-speed automatic.
2. Land Rover Discovery: The Discovery name is back in America, finally replacing the silly-named “LR” series of SUVs from Land Rover. Some enthusiasts are a bit indifferent about the looks, being that it looks good but doesn’t have the square-jawed rugged looks of the old car. While I’ll admit it’s a bit too soft looking, it is a very handsome truck and has some very clever stuff that makes everyday driving brilliant. For instance, the second and third row seating can be electronically folded down from outside of the car with the owner’s smartphone. So if you’re carrying large items from the hardware store, the seats can be folded down before you even get to your car, making life quite easy. Then there’s the fact that it can wade in about three feet of water, thanks to a very clever engine air intake system that runs through the actual hood of the vehicle. It’s also incredibly luxurious on the inside and really impressed me with its quality and ergonomics. To be completely honest, I’m not sure there’s a better luxury SUV in the class than the Land Rover Disco. It can literally do anything and everything.
1. Mercedes-AMG E63 S Wagon: The AMG E63 S Wagon is one-of-one in the United States. No other brand makes a high performance wagon in this class in the U.S. Audi makes the RS6 Avant in Europe and ALPINA makes some hot wagon variants of BMWs across the Atlantic as well. However, in America, the only performance wagon you can buy has a three-pointed star on the hood. While I’m personally a fan of the 5 Series and like it more than the standard E-Class, BMW has no plans on developing an M5 Touring, nevertheless sell one in America. For that fact alone, the Mercedes-AMG E63 S Wagon is an awesome car. Oh, and it’s packing a twin-turbocharged 4.0 liter V8 that makes 603 hp and 627 lb-ft of torque. Cool.
Unfortunately for BMW fans, there wasn’t any new debuts at this year’s 2017 NYIAS. BMW showed off some new colors and new M Performance parts, but nothing genuinely special we haven’t seen before. The M2 with its new wheels looked good and the Snapper Rocks blue color of the 440i with M Performance parts looked very different. However, there really wasn’t anything big going on at BMW’s stand. So non of the top five new cars in New York happened to have a Roundel. That doesn’t mean they aren’t great cars, though.