Hot! 2014 Detroit Auto Show Pics and Notes

[Merc1]

Well that time of year has come. I just got back from the best Detroit show in the last 5-6 years. Nearly everything new impressed and there were some surprise favorites also.


Speaking of which, this car:




Did just that, surprise. So much better looking in person and smaller than it looks in pics. The interior isn't better than the Germans, but it is very well done. The exterior though is going to be draw for this car, it cuts a figure unlike anything else from Korea. Who would have ever thought a Hyundai would be this hot.


M

 

[Merc1]

I don't have to tell you how hot this one is in person, just look at it. The 2015 Ford Mustang:



Of course I prefer the convertible:





Another hit for Ford.


M

 

[Merc1]

The 2015 Corvette Z06 with the Z07 Package:

The C7 Racer:

The track star Camaro, the Z28:

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[Merc1]

You haven't seen an Acura this good looking in at least 10 years! This is the TLX Concept, which is very close to production except for some minor details.

Stunning look for an Acura. There is peace now with the gladiator grille and the overall stance of the car is perfect. It still hasn't completely shaken off the Accord vibe, but it looks damn good. This concept had no interior!

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[Merc1]

Everything Audi:

The RS7:

Sheer brutality in such an elegant package.


The future darling of the compact luxury sedan category, the S3:

A3 Cabrio:

A8 and S8, the facelifted 2015 models:

This A8 TDI one had the rear seat package as you can see the front passenger seat is moved forward for rear passenger to stretch out.

A3:

The Q3:

Not a bad looking Audi on the U.S. market.

The A3/S3 is a very tiny car inside, you sit low and in an almost bunker-like position. Better interior than the CLA easily, but not any cheaper when decked out. The White one on hand was 44K. NO way. Overall though impressive little car.

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[Merc1]

Bentley:

Tried to get a good wide shot of their whole display:




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[Merc1]

Land Rover and Jaguar


Long wheelbase Range Rover:









Its too damn long IMO. Looks ungainly in person. Pass.


The Jaguar SUV concept, first time seeing it here in the U.S:














The F-Type coupe was right on the floor and not protected so it was nearly impossible to get a good shot of this car:



This about as good as you can make a car look, too bad for me there were too many people around, good for Jaguar though.


M

 

[Merc1]

Now one of the cars I simply couldn't wait to see, the Lexus RC F:

Wild, outrageous, too fast and furious....call it whatever you want, but Lexus had no choice to make something outlandish to shake off their dull image and this car does that. For better or worse. It is the polar opposite to the BMW M4 with its clean, chiseled, somewhat predictable shape/upgrades over the regular 4-Series. I like this RC F quite a bit.


The regular RC 350 (outside of the engine) is probably more desirable to most people because of the toned down styling:










The upcoming small crossover (GLA, X1, Q3) competitor in concept form, LF-NX:













This will definitely have to be toned down some. The stance/size is right, but the details are just too much for this segment.

Lexus had a IS F-Sport up on a rack to show off the F-Sport hardware:





Impressive.

They had a LFA on display, though they're now out of production:




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[Merc1]

Cadillac

The Elmiraj:
















Huge coupe, and a beautiful one. This is the preview of what they're S-Class fighter will look like. If they get this right, there will finally be an American car at the top of the luxury market. Stunning concept.


The new emblem for Cadillac, without the wreath:




Now for the not so good news, the new ATS Coupe. Somewhat of a letdown. It looks like Cadillac simply took off 2 doors and called it a day. There is no sizzle to the design compared to the RC or 4-Series. The next C and A5 Coupes will probably make life even harder for this dull entry. It is a good looking car, but not remarkable or memorable.














Handsome and clean shape, but there is no drama to it. Maybe the V version will turn up the design some.


The face of the new Escalade:



Couldn't really get a good picture of it in profile.


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[Merc1]

Who is ready to buy a Toyota? You will WANT this one, the FT-1:


























I just hope this doesn't change to much for production. This as the next Supra will be huge hit for them. Text book definition of an aggressive sports car. I simply loved it.


M

 

[Merc1]

Will update thread later today with Mercedes, BMW, Nissan, VW, Mini, Chrysler, SRT, Volvo, Infiniti, and Porsche. Rolls-Royce, Lamborghini, Aston-Martin, Ferrari and Maserati DID NOT show for Detroit this year.

A little something for later. The Porsche 918 was enclosed in it's own little glass room. To touch and sit in it, you had to make an appointment. There was no more appointments available on Saturday. Oh well. What a car though.


M

 

[gdm]

Thank you,a very good coverage.

 

[rollo]

Thanks Merc1. Any chance for some Porsche photo's?

 

[PHYBENZ]

What type of camera are you using?

 

[Monster]

Great photos and review Marcus, keep them coming!

 

[Zafiro]

This thread crashed my chroome browser in my phone, had to go trough my computer instead and the answer we're all waiting for...Is Marcus going to love the 2-series or not...

 

[Rainer271]

Thanks a lot for your work, Merc1.

 

[Gianclaudio]

Thank you Marcus. Awesome work, as usual!

 

[Beemer B773ER]

Winner.Winner.Winner. Thanks for the fantastic contribution so far!

 

[JHF]

Thanks Marcus