On the “very exciting” list, we have a new Subaru Outback, Toyota Highlander, Ford Escape, Lincoln Corsair, Cadillac CT5, and Hyundai Venue (the latter is my vote for “most likely to be misspelled”).
On the dull side, we have Alfa Romeo special editions and the Maserati “One of One” program, which is a basic copy of the company’s old Viper program where each set of options and colors can only be chosen once, by a single customer for a single car. They provide more customization options, and promise you will have a unique car for future issues of Mopar Action or, I guess, Maserati Muscle.
There are also a few American debuts of cars that have already launched elsewhere, like the guppy-fronted, Aston-Martin-influenced, ungainly new 2020 Toyota Yaris. On the lighter side, the new Yaris will likely be the most fun car ever to bear that name. Other American debuts of already-revealed cars are the Jaguar XE and Range Rover Velar (though a new edition will debut); and Nissan will show off a range of vintage performance cars.
So what’s your vote? Who’s got the best unveiling?
What we know. The RWD/AWD Caddy CT5 has a standard 2-liter turbo with an optional twin turbo 3-liter V6, coupled to a ten-speed automatic. The Jag XE has a choice of 247 and 296 horse four-cylinder turbo engines with 0-60 in 5.4 seconds, and a 12-inch center display. Range Rover Velar has a special edition with a 5-liter V8 that does 0-60 in 4.3 seconds. The Corsair is a Lincoln version of the new Escape. Venue is a new entry-level crossover. The new Escape has two new hybrids, a standard and plugin, and two other powertrains; it has a 12-inch digital instrument cluster with a heads-up display and parking assist and evasive steering assist. The Echo ha a 1.5 liter 106-horse engine with a six-speed automatic, sport mode, and 40 mpg estimated highway rating. No details yet on the Highlander and Outback.
David Zatz has been writing about cars and trucks since the early 1990s, including books on the Dodge Viper, classic Jeeps, and Chrysler minivans. He also writes on organizational development and business at toolpack.com and covers Mac statistics software at macstats.org. David has been quoted by the New York Times, the Daily Telegraph, the Detroit News, and USA Today.
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