Teamspeed.com - Teamspeed at New York International Auto Show 2013

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Teamspeed at Geneva Motor Show 2013
by Richard Aucock

Land Rover, the Range Rover Sport and Bond's Daniel Craig may have stole the pre-show buzz but it was the surprise introduction of a new superfast and superspecial Chevrolet Camaro that was the talking point of New York International Auto Show press day.

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Nobody saw this one coming. Quite a feat when you’re talking about a car packing the LS7 engine from the outgoing Corvette, that you’ll hear with much more clarity thanks to every stereo speaker but one being junked. It’s only there to play safety warning chimes. And likely to be drowned out by the twin exhausts blaring through the rear window’s thinner grade glass, anyway.

The Z/28 is a lightweight, track-focused raceway special whose approach is similar to that of the Porsche 911 GT3 (which, coincidentally, was also here). Maybe even the hardcore RS versions. Only Porsche doesn’t strip unused wiring out the loom to save weight. Nor remove carpet from the boot. As Al Oppenheiser, Camaro chief engineer said, “our goal was to get rid of everything that didn’t make the car faster, and keep only what was required by law.” The result is glorious.

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What a way to fanfare the refreshed 2014 Chevrolet Camaro range. Because otherwise, thanks to Daniel Craig and a closed-off 8th Avenue, the Range Rover Sport may have won even more column inches. In a sense, rightly so, too. New Yorkers buy more than residents of any other city and the 2014 model marks a quantum leap over its predecessor of a scale rare amongst premium makers today.

It’s better than the series 1 model in so many ways: lighter, faster, sharper, sportier, quieter, greener, smarter, prettier. It’s hard to see how Land Rover can fail with this one. Heck, it even has the kudos of using 510hp V8 and new V6 supercharged engines from the Jaguar F-Type – complete with an F-Type gearshift lever too.

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The Brits had it all: sister company Jaguar had a double hit in the shape of the 550hp XJR and the same-power XKR-S GT. The former celebrates 25 years of Jaguar R by taking the road car range back to where it started. The latter is a skunkworks one-of-30 edition that’s almost as radical and extreme as that Camaro Z/28. Jaguar v Corvette? Hey, they’d even finished both models in a similar white hue with complementary black wheels…

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Another world debut here in the US, Mercedes’ CLA 45 AMG was also finished all in white, neatly showing off the compact four-door coupe’s dainty profile. Nothing dainty about the hand-built 360hp four-pot turbo engine, mind: good job it has four-wheel drive to handle all the surge. It makes every other compact rival look undernourished.

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If these highly tuned precision built sports cars aren’t for you, Chrysler provided some salvation with the Challenger SRT8 Core. This was itself stripped back, but only in the most retro-style back to basics way. The 470hp Hemi V8 did the talking and the vivid purple paint job did the shouting. In a show where black was a colour of choice and brands such as Audi finished almost every car on its stand in white, such a colour injection was most welcome.

More of the same came at Fiat and MINI. For the Italians, it was another rainbow of 500 editions, plus the all new 500L family car. This is as its name suggests – 500-large. And that’s large with a capital ‘L’. Five doors, loads of space, higher-rise seating: it’s worth checking out just for the surprise of seeing this grown-up machine for the first time.

MINI’s been growing up too. The new Paceman (essentially a three-door Countryman) looks not unlike an enlarged MINI Hardtop and may well prove to be even better suited to US highways as a result. The MINI Clubvan is more of an oddity, and as such, also entirely in keeping with the quirky English sprit of the firm.

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On the mainstream front, Kia had the 2014 Soul to showcase. Those dancing hamsters weren’t needed to grab some attention this time, for the gen 2 car seems more well rounded than today’s mode without losing its offbeat appeal. Mainstream but still a bit like MINI then.

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Other volume cars to gain a bit of spirit include the 2014 Toyota Highlander, the latest model that shows Toyota’s design overhaul is becoming a force to be reckoned with. More charismatic and distinctive than any previous Highlander, it’s way less grey than the previous car and likely will worry more than a few volume rivals. Opening the New York Auto Show, complete with tickertape-style street parade, also won fans.

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Fair play to Dodge too, for giving the 2014 Durango a flash new refresh that include ultra-distinctive LED running lights at the front. The rotary gearshifter is also pretty cool, even if it is near-identical to that in JLR product.

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Not that every mainstream car is getting all edgy. The new Honda Odyssey is typically minivan-plain and inoffensive. The real interest, says the firm, comes inside, thanks to groundbreaking innovations such as an onboard vacuum cleaner. The Hondavan is to the Odyssey what tyres capable of withstanding more than 1G cornering force are to the Camaro Z/28. We’re sure Honda knows it’s market but it’s hardly Teamspeed stuff.

Nor is the Chevrolet Cruze diesel, nor is the BMW 328d (despite the promise of its badge, it actually packs the same 181hp four-cylinder 2.0-litre diesel as its European 320d alternative). Nor is the dull little Mitsubishi Colt, although its mega economy could still see it have the impact Honda’s original CVCC Civic did in the 1970s.

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US debuts were given to some high-end metal, including the Bentley Flying Spur and the Rolls-Royce Wraith – the latter of which looked far better in blue here than it did in its grim Geneva show metallic brown. The 2015 Volkswagen Golf range was also previewed, including the GTI version that VW has committed to selling over here. These were German-built cars: ours will come from Mexico, starting Q2 2014.

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It was even awarded World Car of the Year here at NYIAS. One for US automakers to watch next year? VW is planning world car domination, after all.

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There were some uncomfortable show stand reps in certain quarters too. Such as Subaru, which was being ignored by most and battered with questions about ‘where’s the WRX concept’ by the few that did bother to visit the SUV basement halls.

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Show organisers had unfairly scheduled its press reveal for second press day, when much of the international press corps would be headed home. Same for Volvo (the V60 R-Design wagon is supercool), same for Scion (with a fresh tC coupe to celebrate its first decade). As for the Subaru, it was glorious: four doors, radical styling and lovely fluoro detailing. Such a shame it didn't get its spotlight. We wonder if they’ll bother going next year?

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You can bet Jaguar Land Rover will.