Crafty new engine tech, two electric SUVs among best at New York auto show

NEW YORK—The New York International Auto Show opened its doors to the public on Friday morning. In recent years, it has found its place as the most important of the American auto shows—Los Angeles and Detroit have been cannibalized by CES and preempted by foreign shows, all to the Big Apple's benefit. This year's event didn't disappoint, as we discovered during the press preview days held earlier this week. There will be plenty more NYIAS content from us in the next few days, but let's kick things off with our Best Of awards.

Outstanding in the Automotive Technology Field: Nissan VC-Turbo engine

Since this is a technology publication, I'll begin with our award for the coolest technology on display. I was tempted to give the honor to Waymo, which has just partnered with Jaguar to build tens of thousands of self-driving electric SUVs. Waymo is light years ahead of the competition for driverless technology, but these robo-taxis won't actually be deployed for another two years, so we'll save that one for a later date.

Another strong contender is Cadillac's all-new V8, which will appear in a V-Sport version of the CT6 luxury sedan. It's a 4.2L V8 putting out 550hp (410kW) and 627ft-lbs (850Nm), courtesy of twin turbochargers. These nestle on top of the engine, between the cylinders—a so-called "hot V," as found in current Formula 1 engines. The engine will be unique to Cadillac, although it's rumored a version with a more conventional turbocharger arrangement (with the intakes on the outside of the V) will appear in the mid-engined Corvette that's still not confirmed but which everyone knows is on its way.

This is the sixth-generation Nissan Altima.
Jonathan Gitlin
One engine option for the new Altima is this, the variable compression turbo engine. It's jolly clever.
Jonathan Gitlin
The new Altima comes with all-wheel drive.
Jonathan Gitlin
The cabin design is clean and much less fussy than Nissan's best-seller, the Rogue SUV.
Jonathan Gitlin
Rear space has increased over the outgoing car.
Jonathan Gitlin
VC-Turbo
Jonathan Gitlin

But given the reality of climate change, I'm not entirely comfortable lauding this powerful engine as the best tech I saw in two days. Particularly since there's a much more intelligent internal combustion engine on display in the Javits center. It's one that will reach many more people, as it will be found under the hood of Nissan's brand new sixth-generation Altima sedan. It is, of course, the Variable Compression Turbo.

It's a 248hp (185kW), 273ft-lbs (370Nm) four cylinder that, through some ingenuity, can alter its compression ratio from 8:1 up to 14:1 (varying the engine displacement from 1.997L to 1.970L in the process). It replaces the 3.5L V6 of the old Altima with similar performance but much less weight and with lower fuel consumption. The engine also switches from the regular combustion cycle to the more efficient Atkinson cycle at higher compression. Between tech like this, Mazda's forthcoming Skyactiv-X technology, and Delphi's Dynamic Skip Fire, it's encouraging to see the industry working to make the internal combustion engine more and more efficient.

Best New Small Car: Toyota Corolla

Next up is another smaller vehicle. For impressive though the Nissan Altima looks, Toyota had an even more significant reveal for us in Manhattan: the new Corolla. Like the recent Prius and Camry, it too uses the Toyota New Global Architecture. Toyota's press release heralding the new Corolla has some wonderful descriptors, some of which sound like the names of Iain M. Banks' Culture ships. So the hatchback's design is apparently a theme called Shooting Robust. The styling at the front is uses design philosophies called Under Priority Catamaran and Keen Look; the cabin is Sensuous Minimalism.

The newest Toyota Corolla. It's a sporty looking hatchback, shown here in fetching Rival Blue.
Jonathan Gitlin
There's more room on the inside as the car has a longer wheelbase and wider track than the old version.
Jonathan Gitlin
Toyota says the design philosophy here is called Under Priority Catamaran. No, IDGI either.
Jonathan Gitlin

The shape is lower, wider, and longer than the last Corolla. This means it's got a wider track (the distance between wheels on the same axle) and a longer wheelbase. Toyota says the new Corolla is more fun to drive—though after my experience in the Camry I'll wait and make my own decision on that front. It does look the part, especially in the pictured Rival Blue, which is a lot like the Ford Focus RS I liked so much. (Beware: that color stood out like a sore thumb to the fine New York State Highway Patrol, earning me a ticket that still smarts two years later.)

This being 2018, there's a lot of technology. An eight-inch touchscreen stands proud of the dash—some might bemoan the fact that it's not integrated but the ergonomics are better, and, because it's higher up, it should minimize drivers' eyes being away from the road. The Entune 3.0 infotainment system is built on Automotive Grade Linux, and you also get Apple CarPlay and Amazon Alexa integration.

Those are nice to have, but the advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) are probably more important. The suite is called Toyota Safety Sense 2.0, and this is the first US-market car to feature it. There's [deep breath] Automatic Emergency Braking, Forward Collision Warning, Brake Assist, adaptive cruise control, lane-departure warning and steering assist, automatic high-beam headlights, Lane Tracing Assist (another assist that I think is lane keeping), and road-sign detection. Some trim levels also get blind-spot monitoring but not rear cross-traffic alerts.

Oh, and there will be a manual gearbox available.

Best New Luxury Car: Audi A6

Audi is just about done renewing its entire lineup. Last year, we saw the new A8, then in Detroit we saw the sleek A7. Now it's the A6, which to my jaded eyes looks a lot better than the outgoing model. The front and rear lights are heavily stylized, and, at the back, they go through an animated pattern when you start the car. (The faster, more-expensive S6 gets a different sequence to the "normal" A6.)

The latest addition to Audi's line up is the new A6, the best new luxury car we saw at NYIAS.
Jonathan Gitlin
These rear lights are rather funky. And there's a lot of room in the trunk.
Jonathan Gitlin
The same black panel UX as the A7 and A8, but a less driver-oriented arrangement.
Jonathan Gitlin
The latest version of Virtual Cockpit looks spectacular.
Jonathan Gitlin

The interior uses the same "Black Panel" concept as the more expensive A7 and A8; almost all the physical buttons have been replaced by capacitive ones. Don't worry—these are always in the same place, so you'll still develop muscle memory. The latest version of Audi's MMI infotainment system again uses a two-screen setup (climate controls and other commonly used functions on the lower one), both of which have haptic feedback. Unlike the A7, the A6's dash welcomes both driver and front seat passenger as equals, and the stepped design enhances the feeling of spaciousness.

That spaciousness is not just an illusion, for the new A6 has more front headroom and shoulder room, and the rear has more legroom now. Obviously, a long roadtrip is the best way to put that to the test, but it felt plenty spacious for the few minutes I tried it out.

Here in the US, the A6 will come with a 3.0L TSFI (direct-injection, turbocharged, gasoline) V6 engine with 340hp (250kW) which, as best I can work out, should do 33-35mpg, although it's yet to be figured by the EPA. And a 48v mild hybrid system is standard.

Best New SUV: Hyundai Kona Electri

My pick of the new SUVs in New York might surprise some of you. Lincoln showed us a wonderful new seven-seat Aviator, and Land Rover brought along the limited-edition (and jolly expensive) Range Rover SVR, but you can keep those. No, I was smitten by Hyundai's new Kona Electric. The conventionally powered Kona (the green one in the gallery) has just gone on sale, and it starts at just $19,500. But now there's a battery electric vehicle (BEV) option.

The most interesting new SUV at the show is this new long-range electric vehicle from Hyundai, the Kona Electric.
Jonathan Gitlin
These little nubbins do something with the airflow.
Jonathan Gitlin
The Kona Electric has a conventional sibling called—you guessed it—the Kona. This one starts at $19,500.
Jonathan Gitlin

A permanent magnet synchronous electric motor powers the front wheels, and with 150kW (201hp) and 394Nm (291ft-lbs), it's more powerful and a whole lot more torquey than the internal combustion engine Konas. But then those Konas don't have to carry around a 64kWh liquid-cooled lithium-ion battery pack, which Hyundai says weighs "under 1,000lbs" (454kg). Hyundai says this is sufficient to give the Kona Electric a range of about 250 miles (again, it hasn't been figured by the EPA).

The company touts the fact that the battery pack has a better energy density that the Chevrolet Bolt at 141.3Wh/kg, and it says that, at 117MPGe, the Kona has better energy efficiency than the Nissan Leaf (112MPe) and Tesla's Model S (104MPGe) and Model X (94MPGe). DC Fast Charging (capable of accepting 100kW, which will go from empty to 80 percent in 54 minutes) is standard, as is a 7.2kW onboard charging system.

There is one aspect where the gasoline-powered Kona edges its BEV sibling, and that's how it looks. A BEV doesn't need a big and draggy grille up front, but the smoothed over nose doesn't quite do it for me.

As with all of the other new arrivals, pricing has yet to be announced. Somewhere in the mid-$30,000 range before incentives is probably a safe assumption; the Nissan Leaf might be cheaper but it also only packs 40kWh.

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