'2 Dudes': Top 5 cars at the NY Auto Show

Cue the Frank Sinatra. As Old Blue Eyes says, “New York is my kind of town,” and in the past few years it has been for the automakers as well.

More and more automakers are using the New York show as a launchpad for new releases in the US, as opposed to Detroit. This is especially true for luxury automakers who want as much attention as possible for their offerings in the high-income I-95 Northeast Corridor.

With that in mind, Rick Newman and I hit the floor of this year’s New York International Auto Show, and here are the top five cars that caught our eye.

Jaguar I-PACE (TTM): Rick dinged me for starting off with a luxury carmaker, but for me this was a big star of the show. Jaguar, in less than 4 years, has designed a brand new, fully-electric, SUV to take on the Teslas of the world. See my interview here with Jaguar Design Director Ian Callum for more on the I-PACE.

Toyota RAV4 (TM): Rick digs the new looks for Toyota’s top-selling vehicle (nope, it’s not the Camry) and notes that even the old-gen RAV4 is still selling like hotcakes. America’s thirst for CUVs hasn’t been quenched yet, and Toyota is hoping that still is the case later this year when the new RAV4 comes out.

Audi A6 (VLKAY): Another higher-end car choice for me, which Rick gleefully mocked me for again. Nevertheless the A6 is a big model for Audi as it fights in an extremely competitive European mid-size sedan segment against the likes of the BMW 5-series and the Mercedes E-class. The new A6 will include mild hybrid power across all its trim levels.

Nissan Altima (NSANY): The new Altima is here, and it looks sharp. True, it doesn’t look all that different, but the exterior has been sharpened and given purpose, and the interior has received a much needed refresh. The car will now offer all-wheel drive, which could make a huge difference in battle against the all-new Honda Accord (HMC), Toyota Camry and Ford Fusion (F).

Volvo (XC40 and XC60): The Volvo XC40 is fresh off its win in Geneva as “Car of the Year,” and now the mid-size XC60 just won World Car of the Year here in New York. Volvo has really been killing it this year with great cars and SUVs, and with innovative car ownership programs like Care by Volvo, the Swedish automaker is set for a big resurgence here in the US.

We also have a bonus car (or should I say truck) that caught our eye. Check out the video above to find out.

Pras Subramanian is a reporter for Yahoo Finance. You can follow him on Twitter and on Instagram.

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