2024 New York Auto Show: Winners and Losers
The debuts at the 2024 New York International Auto Show were all over the map, with everything from a new value-oriented compact sedan from Kia to a richly appointed three-row luxury full-size SUV from Infiniti. Regardless of whether your budget is mighty or small, there’s probably something on the auto show floor that’ll work with it.
Related: More 2024 New York Auto Show Coverage
But what to look at first? There’s a lot to take in, so Cars.com editors Aaron Bragman, Conner Golden and Mike Hanley trekked the show floor to see all of the new SUVs and cars (and also a new pickup truck) and give their quick take below on whether they hit — or missed — the mark.
2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz
Aaron Bragman: Winner
It’s not all that different from the outgoing Santa Cruz, but that’s OK — Hyundai only really fixed the areas that needed fixing. Finally, it has wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto on all trims, even the fancy ones, and the new screens are notable for the fact that they don’t also encompass the audio, climate and navigation controls. Those are buttons again, huzzah! The new XRT looks more butch, but it still wouldn’t be my choice for going any farther off-road than a trailhead.
Mike Hanley: Winner
With its blockier grille and lighting elements, the restyled front end of the Santa Cruz gives it a more utilitarian look that’s fitting for a pickup. The XRT trim level’s plastic cladding is a bit much, but the more aggressive all-terrain tires that come with it are a welcome touch. The interior benefits from many of the same changes Hyundai gave to the 2025 Tucson, which also debuted at this show (and which we talk about below), and they work just as well here as they do in the compact SUV.
Conner Golden: Winner
It’s about darn time Hyundai’s truck looked a little more like a, uh, truck! Yeah, yeah — it’s still a Tuscon with a bed, but part of the Ford Maverick’s superstar success was due to the trucklet’s aping of larger truck proportions. Elsewhere, the Santa Cruz’s shared suite of updates with the 2025 Tucson is both a plus and a minus; I wasn’t the biggest fan of some of the cabin’s scratchy plastic trim, but I did like the slightly curved, hi-res display. Forget mashing through Moab — it feels ready to take on the mean canyon trails of Manhattan.
2025 Hyundai Tucson
AB: Winner
One of the best compact SUVs on the market just got a little better. Bringing back buttons is a fantastic win for … well, for everyone who drives a car. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are long overdue, and the revised interior and styling that didn’t do away with the fun faceted look in favor of something boxy and blocky is another plus. More power for the hybrid versions is also welcome.
MH: Winner
The current Tucson isn’t that old (it debuted for the 2022 model year), but Hyundai has made some important updates for 2025 that address some of the compact SUV’s shortcomings. The most important changes are found in the interior, which gains some physical controls in place of touch-sensitive ones, gets a new column-mounted gear selector that opens up the front center console for more storage, and features a new infotainment system with standard wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity. It’s just what this SUV needed.
CG: Loser
Optional plug-in hybrid powertrain? Fantastic! More physical controls? Great! Standard wireless CarPlay and Android Auto? Good! Rough plastic trim and cheap-feeling toggles? Hmm. Climate controls locked to a touch-capacitive panel? Oh, dear. An outdoorsy XRT trim that is no more capable than a standard Tucson? Aw, c’mon.
2025 Infiniti QX80
AB: Loser
Yeah, it’s big, but is it big enough to take on the Cadillac Escalade or Lincoln Navigator? No, it isn’t. The third row is still a bit cramped; the interior is certainly striking, but it’s all capacitive-touch panels in there — no thank you; materials quality is good, but Infiniti still doesn’t seem to be able to find a unique aesthetic to its products. We’ve seen these themes and looks before in competitor vehicles. It’d be great if Infiniti could do something actually original, but if it hasn’t by now …
MH: Loser
The redesigned QX80 full-size SUV is a massive, imposing luxury vehicle that looks ready to throw elbows with the Escalade and Navigator for prime valet spots across the country. Like many big SUVs, though, there’s less space in the cabin than you might expect, and I was dismayed to see how much of the user interface relies on touch-sensitive controls. Hasn’t Infiniti had time to observe and learn from other automakers’ missteps with this technology? Apparently not.
CG: Winner
Details, details, details. The all-new QX80 might not be the most dainty vehicle on the show floor, but it’s certainly one of the most luxurious and upfitted three-row SUVs on offer for the new model year. I think Infiniti did itself dirty by claiming it has the Escalade in its sights, as it’s smaller than the full-full-size Escalade (and likely drives moderately smaller, too). In the top-shelf Autograph trim, neat touches like laser-etched, metal-textured wood trim and badges with a hand-hammered look to elevate it beyond luxe family truckster. Also, you have to experience that 24-speaker Klipsch sound system to appreciate it, especially the headrest speakers that isolate your tunes so you can still yap on the phone with a friend and they’ll be none the wiser.
2025 Kia K4
AB: Winner
I personally love how the South Korean brands are just embracing the whole Cyberpunk: 2077 vibe. Every new vehicle from Kia, Hyundai or Genesis seems like it’d fit into the video game without any modification, and I’m here for it. The new 2025 K4 looks like it could be the 2035 K4, and the fact that it’s slightly bigger than Kia’s old Forte sedan doesn’t hurt, either. If you’re going to continue to make compact sedans in a world that seems to have only a taste for SUVs, you may as well make it noticeable, eh?
MH: Winner
It’s not every day a new compact sedan makes its debut, what with SUVs and trucks getting the lion’s share of automakers’ attention these days, so it’s good to see Kia introducing a car that’ll (hopefully) give cost-conscious car shoppers something new to consider. The K4 is more than just a new name for Kia’s compact sedan, as it brings a number of interesting — and in some cases, head-scratching — exterior styling cues along with a high level of features in the interior, including screen tech that combined stretches 30 inches across the dashboard. Now that’s not something you normally see in a small car.
CG: Winner
I was told by someone in the know that the new K4 “drives a lot better than it looks,” but they’ll be happy to hear that I disagree with the latter sentiment. I think it’s one of the most stylistically interesting and distinct compacts going to the market and that it will stand out in traffic — in a good way! — for at least a couple of years. There are a few fussy bits on the exterior like the C-pillar rear door handles and dumb gloss-black trim on at least the top GT-Line, but most every other material, presentation and ergonomic decision was a great one. I also must give a shoutout to the surprise (virtual) preview of the K4 hatchback that repackages all that angular goodness in a five-door package. I can’t wait to see if a spicier performance-ish variant is on the horizon, too.
2025 Nissan Kicks
AB: Winner
Man, what an improvement year over year. It’s not just bigger and more powerful, it’s also significantly better looking, with an interior that’s worlds better than the old one. And it’s worlds better than its competitors, too; as much as I like the Chevrolet Trax and Buick Envision, the Kicks’ cabin puts both of them on notice. We just have to see how pricey it’s going to be in the top, loaded SR version, as well as how much less nice it will be in lesser SV and S trim levels.
MH: Winner
Fresh and fun, the redesigned Kicks is an impressive small SUV that now offers available all-wheel drive after being front-drive only. The interior design is interesting, and despite the Kicks’ small footprint, it’s reasonably accommodating for taller adults in both the front and rear seats. There’s a lot here to like, and if the prior Kicks’ sub-$23,000 starting price is anything to go by, this one might be relatively affordable to boot.
CG: Winner
Easily the standout debut of the show. The new Kicks neatly replaces two of Nissan’s most ailing products — the last-gen Kicks and Rogue Sport — with a genuinely interesting and distinct entry into the fiercely competitive subcompact class. Though sales are still strong enough, the Japanese automaker is in moderate need of an overhaul in public perception (see Big Altima Energy), and the funky, fresh Kicks is a great place to start.
2024 Porsche Macan EV
AB: Loser
Making an electric version of the Macan seems like a decent idea. Making the new Macan only an electric vehicle seems like an absolutely crazy idea. It’s Porsche’s bestselling model (in North America, at least), and eventually, dramatically limiting its mass appeal by only offering an EV version is a huge gamble (the gas Macan will live on for a few more years, a Porsche rep told us). It doesn’t even matter how good it might drive, or how efficient it is, or how quick — by making it EV-only, something that a significant chunk of the driving population just isn’t comfortable with, and bumping the base price by more than $20,000, I’m not expecting this to sell in nearly the same volume.
MH: Winner
The big story with the redesigned Macan is its new all-electric drivetrain that eventually takes the place of a gas engine under the hood (which now has a small frunk instead), but what’s just as interesting to me is that even if you had no idea the new Macan was electric, you’d still just think it was the next generation of Porsche’s compact SUV; there’s no attempt, really, on Porsche’s part to make it look different just because it’s an EV. The new design represents an evolution of the Macan look, and it works to good effect here.
CG: Winner (With Conditions)
The new Macan EV is a conditional winner for me. In execution, there are no major notes; this is a smartly packaged and doubtlessly exciting performance EV that should capture more sales than the Taycan. But remaining wishy-washy on whether the gas-powered Macan survives past 2026? Uh, Porsche, that’s your bestseller. With current sales trends of EVs proving to be “challenging” at the very least, I wouldn’t be surprised in the least to see the Macan become a PHEV before it goes completely gas-free.
2025 Porsche Taycan
AB: Winner
While making an EV-only Macan is looney in my eyes, improving the EV-only Taycan (which was electric from the start) is a good thing. It needs to keep up with new arrivals like the Lucid Air Sapphire, and the boost to its onboard equipment should help do that nicely. It still looks dynamite and has more equipment than before, and while it’s also pricier, it includes a lot more standard kit … but can we please stop calling vehicles “Turbo” that have no actual turbos, Porsche?
MH: Loser
The Taycan gets some significant updates, like quicker 0-60 mph times and DC fast charging of up to 320 kilowatts under ideal conditions, but these kinds of changes don’t really resonate when you’re staring at Porsche’s electric sedan on the auto-show floor. The car does get updates to its front and rear, but they don’t really change the electric sedan’s overall appearance.
CG: Winner
The latest iteration of Porsche’s super all-electric sedan is a winner in my book if only because this is how the Taycan should have been from the get-go. Reading the spec sheet and looking over the powertrain changes, this might spark an inflection point for sales, with the minor stylistic and trim shuffle serving only as a cherry on top.
More From Cars.com:
- 2024 Porsche Macan EV Up Close: Undercover EV
- 4, 5, 6: 2025 Polestar 4 Electric SUV Pricing Released, Starts at $56,300
- 2025 Nissan Kicks Up Close: Maturing, But Not Too Much
- 2025 Kia K4 Makes Style and Safety Its Forte
- 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz Gets Interior Upgrades, More Rugged XRT
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