Automotive Trends

Cadillac is looking to expand its critically acclaimed ATS line by adding this handsome coupe to showrooms this fall. While not as dramatic as the CTS Coupe, the smaller ATS is striking from every angle with an especially long greenhouse and an athletic stance. One thing you’ll notice when giving the car a once over is the updated Cadillac crest front and rear, which drops the wreath and has been widened to convey a more modern look and brand. Both the 2.0-liter turbo four and the 3.6-liter V6 are available but the smaller engine may be our pick since it now produces 295 hp and can be ordered with a manual.

As a finalist for this year’s North American Car of the Year, the 2014 Mazda3 continues to impress more than a decade after its debut. Although it didn’t find enough votes to win we still think the value of what Mazda is offering is hard to beat. Take a look for yourself in our short video.

      There aren’t many surprises in the world of auto shows these days but Toyota managed to keep the FT-1 sports car concept off the radar better than most. Drawing heavily on F1 design, the FT-1 (for Future Toyota, we were tantalizingly informed) aims to inject some passion back into a lineup that current boss Mr. Toyoda has deemed too vanilla. Although the concept isn’t a runner and the engine sitting under the windowed hood is just a styling piece, we can imagine a great Supra reincarnated with the 5.0-liter V8 serving in the Lexus IS F.  In person the concept is an absolute stunner with classic proportions but completely modern surface detailing and an interior that is all business. We haven’t been this excited about a future Toyota in a long time and we were reminded today how sometimes surprises can be worth the wait.

      Porsche does model variants better than anybody so we’re not surprised to see the Targa body style return to the 911 lineup. We were a bit surprised to see just how they’ve decided to implement the stowable roof panel which lets the wind rustle your toupee. Compared to the last Targa which had the panel slide down parallel to the back glass this is a bit more complex. First a truly retro-style metallic-finish B-Pillar has returned and remains fixed, however, the entire rear hatch and curved glass articulates up allowing the roof panel over the front seats to detach and swivel down to stow under the rear hatch. It looks dauntingly complex but clearly the engineers figured it out because the whole thing disappears in about 25 seconds. The model will be available this summer starting at $101k but you’ll have to be ok with all wheel drive because every Targa will come thus equipped.

     As the slightly more upscale brothers to the Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban, the all-new 2015 GMC Yukon and Yukon XL also get the excellent new direct-injection V8 engines and chassis improvements to ride and handling, but they do maintain a couple of exclusives worth noting. The biggest of which is the beautiful and luxurious Denali trim which splits the difference between the lesser trucks and the full zoot Cadillac Escalade. With the additional luxuries and upscale materials of the Denali package also comes the 6.2-liter V8 making 420 hp and 450 lb-ft of torque–both segment leading. With fresh new styling inside and out and fuel efficiency improvements the big SUV twins should be popular as long as gas prices remain low.

     Since the start the Cadillac Escalade has been criticized for being just a Yukon with more chrome and Cadillac aims to put that argument to rest with the all new 2015 Escalade. You’ll notice all the major exterior components are unique with long vertical tail lamps even joining the design to identify the Escalade as a Cadillac. Inside, lots of attention went into colors and material finishes with beautifully detailed doors and seats providing a new level of luxury at the top of the GM lineup. The 6.2-liter V8 remains the one and only powerplant and a 6-speed automatic distributes power. The biggest advancement in the area of ride and handling is the availability of Magnetic Ride Control. We expect this system to offer big improvements in controlling body motions and smoothing out broken pavement that can otherwise upset the solid rear axle of these body-on-frame SUVs. Of course Cadillac’s CUE system is also included so you’ll want to start memorizing voice controls but all in all we’re glad to see Cadillac trying to justify the huge window stickers that the Escalade wears.