Whether you鈥檙e looking to go off-roading, need a three-row crossover, or refuse to drive anything with less than 750 hp, the 2017 Los Angeles Auto Show featured debuts for every enthusiast. And Motor Trend was there to cover it all, with interviews, analysis, and extensive auto-show photography. So if you鈥檙e curious what Motor Trend editors liked the most at the 2017 L.A. Auto Show, keep reading. Sure, the power, torque, downforce, and aggressive styling are great and all, but what I kind of love most about this new Corvette is its rejection of the concept of globalization. By declaring this a selfishly all-American car that won鈥檛 be offered around the world, Chevy was free to make it as loud and pedestrian-hostile as it liked鈥攁 MAGA move I can fully endorse! It is supremely difficult to build good and cheap transportation. But that appears to be what Nissan has done with the subcompact Kicks crossover.
19,000 (before destination charges), the Kicks has decent interior fabrics and materials and is powered by dutiful 125-hp 1.6-liter engine mated to a CVT. Its design might be Plain Jane compared to the angry insectoid Juke (which Nissan swears the Kicks is not replacing), but the side benefit is a spacious interior. A six-footer can fit easily in the backseat behind a six-foot driver without too much knee splay and plenty of foot and headroom. You鈥檇 think that passenger packaging would diminish cargo space, but the hatch area is cavernous. It might look like a crossover, but it鈥檚 front-drive only (for now). It might not be sexy, but for 19 grand-ish, Nissan has designed a strong starter vehicle for millennials. Updating an icon is the hardest job in the auto industry. They have much higher proportions of superfans than regular cars, and those fans are much more demanding. They love the old model and worry the automaker will ruin the new one.
Keeping them happy while also updating and improving the vehicle is no small task. Jeep has done it masterfully. It looks right, it鈥檚 got all the right hardware, it鈥檚 lost zero capability, and it offers modern conveniences for those who want them and manual windows for those who don鈥檛. Someone will find something to nitpick, but it鈥檚 impressive how many superfans Jeep was able to satisfy right out of the gate. It鈥檚 a win in every column. Like its predecessor, the new Wrangler is quintessential Americana. From its evolutionary styling to its capability, no other SUV out there is as iconic. It鈥檚 brimming with heritage just from the exterior alone, and with all the roof options and the cool interior treatments in each model, this new Wrangler is a real winner. This was an easy one. It鈥檚 not often a new Jeep Wrangler comes around, so the pressure was really on the Jeep team to not screw this one up. Thankfully, they鈥檝e nailed it. This new Wrangler captures the essence of the original World War II Jeep while bringing the Wrangler into the 21st century.
It鈥檚 still retains the iconic look of Wranglers past while sporting innovative new features such as half doors with porthole windows, a power-operated soft top, and the just-announced plug-in hybrid Wrangler for eco-friendly off-roading. Tesla doesn鈥檛 always put up a booth at major auto shows like LA and for good reason. There is no mistaking this for a Subaru, but it is right-sized now for a proper entry in the three-row SUV segment, with seating for up to eight passengers. It has a new 2.4-liter direct-injection turbocharged flat-four engine and nice touches such as grab handles on the back of the second-row seats for easier access to the back. There is an assortment of shelves and USB outlets for your phone. This is a solid newcomer. Subaru only expects to build 60,000 of these a year, but we think they will need more given that 19 percent of Subaru owners who currently leave the brand for a three-row vehicle can now stay loyal. It looks like the Forester and Outback had a kid that grew up into an all-star athlete based on the exterior design.
What鈥檚 more important, though, is that the Subaru Ascent fills a gaping hole in the automaker鈥檚 lineup, and it comes with all the requisite safety features and a new turbocharged engine that runs on good 鈥榦l 87 octane. Boxy styling aside, the Ascent is exactly what Subaru needs right now: a big hulking crossover that caters to America鈥檚 addiction to high-riding vehicles. Mercedes tried hard to make the sleek CLS the most prominent car at its auto show booth, but the Project One ended up grabbing the most attention. 2.7 million hypercar is even more imposing in person than in photos. What鈥檚 even more interesting is that it makes more than 1,000 hp from the combination of a 1.6-liter V-6 turbocharged engine and four electric motors. Toyota has a rugged off-road SUV design heritage, but that lineup been neglected as of late. The FT-AC is a promising return to form for Toyota.
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