Top 10 Cars of the 2014 New York Auto Show

The 2014 New York Auto Show certainly had quite a few rumors swirling around it last week.

Rumblings of Dodge’s long-anticipated “Hellcat” V8, hope of Mazda’s next MX-5 and so much more had a big buzz built up before the show. While there were plenty of important product debuts, very little earth-shattering news broke during the press preview.

Still, there are plenty of interesting vehicles to look at in the Javits Center this year. These are the top 10 vehicle debuts of the 2014 New York Auto Show.

While this isn’t actually a complete car, the upcoming MX-5’s bones are on display in New York right now.

That’s exciting news because it suggests that Mazda is almost ready to reveal its next-generation convertible sports car. The new MX-5 will be lighter, stronger and smaller than the current car. That last part is almost hard to believe considering how small the current model is compared to other vehicles on the road.

For the 2015 model year, Hyundai’s mid-size sedan enters a new generation with a more mature-looking exterior. Its swoopy, polarizing lines will soon be pushed into the annals of recent automotive history.

The same 2.4-liter naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine powers the base model while a 2.0-liter turbo four is also still offered. Both engines come with decreased power ratings compared to their siblings from 2014. The 2.4 only loses a little, but the 2.0T drops to 245 hp, which is a 29-pony downgrade.

Land Rover’s latest concept car can look into the future. Well, that’s not entirely true. But it can use laser beams to measure how deep a body of water is before the driver decides to press on. It is also supposedly able to project information onto all of its windows, which are made of Smart Glass. Those surfaces can also darken themselves in what amounts to an adjustable tint setting.

The Discovery Vision concept previews styling to come on Land Rover’s upcoming expanded family of Discovery SUVs.

BMW struck gold with it realized that rear seat headroom and cargo space carry an inverse relationship to how much it can charge for a car. As space and practicality go down, the price rises.

Strange as that might sound, it works quite well with the X5 and its X6 sibling. Applying the same principal to the X3, BMW’s newest “sport activity vehicle” follows the same formula.

Mechanically speaking, it is very similar to the X3. That means power comes from a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine with 240 hp for the base model or a turbocharged 3.0-ltier straight six that makes 300 hp.

The people demanded it and Audi responded. Apparently news of the plan to press on with the A3 in North America exclusively as a sedan didn’t sit well with the company’s customer base.

The brand announced during the New York Auto Show last week that it will, in fact, offer a hatchback version of the A3 to American buyers. But it will only come with a diesel engine.

Exciting as warm milk late at night, Toyota is positioning the Camry to defend its position as the highest volume selling sedan in the U.S.

The drivetrains remain untouched, but each of the body panels save the roof have been revised. In the end, the new Camry looks an awful lot like its smaller Corolla stablemate.

There’s also a new “XSE” trim level (pictured) being offered that combines premium interior materials with the slightly sportier steering and suspension of the “SE” model.

Subaru is soldiering into the fifth generation of its Outback utility wagon for 2015. The same 2.5-liter boxer four-cylinder engine and 3.6-liter flat six are available, but they’re mated exclusively to a CVT starting next year.

The choice to move exclusively to that form of transmission will bring about improvements in fuel economy. Specifically, the four-cylinder model is supposed to average 28 MPG while the six should return 22. That’s an improvement of two MPG compared to the outgoing model.

Nissan’s new Murano looks an awful lot like the concept preview shown in Detroit over a year ago. Some of its more striking design elements include “boomerang” headlights that stand out, especially at the rear.

The cabin also takes on a more premium feel and comes with Nissan’s NASA inspired “space seats.”

Despite all that, the powertrain remains the same with a 3.5-liter V6 paired to a continuously-variable transmission.

Set to replace not one but two Acura models, the TLX will supplant both the TSX and TL sedans. Both of those cars cam with available manual transmissions, but that won’t be true of the TLX. It use an eight-speed dual-clutch with a torque converter paired to the base 2.4-liter engine or a nine-speed automatic with the 3.5-liter V6.

Four cylinder models use Acura’s PAWS all-wheel steering for improved handling while the V6 model is offered with super-handling all-wheel drive.

Does the idea of a convertible Corvette Z06 with an automatic transmission make your stomach turn? Even if you just answered yes, there’s no getting around the fact that Chevrolet’s new somewhat affordable supercar is nothing short of impressive.

Even without a roof structure, Chevrolet says the convertible is 20 percent stiffer than its previous Z06 coupe. With a 6.2-liter supercharged V8 making at least 625 hp and 635 lb-ft of torque, the 2015 Z06 is shaping up to be a hot rod regardless of how it’s configured.

What’s even crazier is that Chevrolet will even offer customers the option to buy the open-air version with the hardcore Z07 performance package.