By  Steven J. Ewing RSS feed
Posted Apr 5th 2012 12:53PM
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Despite having a media center that's plagued with bad coffee and prone to the occasional journalist fight, the New York Auto Show is one of our favorite automotive expos. No, it's not an all-out automotive blitzkrieg like Geneva, but the vast majority of the New York debuts are actual, honest-to-goodness production cars rather than spiffy concepts that only show what could be possible. And if you've paid attention to our show coverage, some mighty big nameplates had some show-stopping debuts here in the Big Apple. But let's not get ahead of ourselves.

We've walked the show floor, sipped some free coffee, shook hands with plenty of executives, and after two days of New York madness, we've come up with our picks for the five best reveals here at the show. Which of the 38 new cars took top honors? You'll have to scroll down to find out.


#5: 2014 Nissan NV200 Taxi



This is it, folks – the vehicle that will slowly but surely replace the now-dead Ford Crown Victoria as the official taxi cab of New York City. Nissan's homely yet useful NV200 provides the basis for the "Taxi of Tomorrow," and though it'll indeed be strange to see the streets of Manhattan lined with small Japanese vans rather than body-on-frame American sedans, the new NYC taxi is a safer, more advanced and certainly more modern solution. Plus, with big sliding doors on either side, it'll be that much easier for you and your friends to do the drunken ingress/egress dance after a long night of bar-hopping.
Related Gallery2014 Nissan NV200 Taxi: New York 2012


#4: 2013 Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG



Seven hundred and thirty-eight pound-feet of torque wrapped in a matte gray body that is one part ugly and two parts "get the #&%$ out of my way." This 2013 Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG an earth-moving burnout machine fitted with a supple interior that would shame a Saudi palace, and if you can afford what will surely be a $200,000-plus price tag, there are few better ways to show everyone else on the road how wealthy you are who's boss.
Related Gallery2013 Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG: New York 2012


#3: 2013 Ram 1500



It might not look different, but there's a whole lot of goodness to be found within the 2013 Ram 1500. For starters, it's the first pickup truck to be fitted with an eight-speed automatic transmission, not to mention other enhancements like start/stop and an adjustable air suspension. The Ram is now better than ever, and the new 2013 model that debuted in New York was a no-brainer pick for this list, regardless of the fact that associate editor Zach Bowman would have had an aneurysm if we didn't include it.
Related Gallery2013 Ram 1500: New York 2012


#2: 2013 SRT Viper GTS-R ALMS Race Car



With the debut of the 2013 SRT Viper, the Chrysler Group used its New York stage to announce that it's bringing the Big Snake back to the racing world with this, the American LeMans Series Viper GTS-R. Two of these totally awesome racers will be fielded in ALMS, driven by driven by Indy winner Ryan Hunter-Reay, German driver Dominik Farnbacher, Le Mans vet Marc Goossens of Belgium and Viper racer Kuno Wittmer. We can't wait to see this thing hit the track.
Related Gallery2013 SRT Viper GTS-R: New York 2012


#1: 2013 SRT Viper



Don't even pretend to be surprised. Come on, how could we not name the 2013 SRT Viper our pick for best in show? It marks the return of the Chrysler Group's road-eating supercar, and man, the new girl certainly ain't what she used to be.

Badassery, meet refinement. 640 horsepower and 640 pound-feet of torque, meet the trembling hands of every car enthusiast in the world.

We could go over the full spec list with you, but instead, we'll just direct you back to our original reveal post where you can read up on all the nitty gritty Viper details. And remember, don't call it a Dodge.
Related Gallery2013 SRT Viper: New York 2012


How'd we arrive at this list? Each Autoblog editor in attendance ranked his personal favorites from one to five, and points were awarded to each (five points for the first place spot, one point for the fifth place spot). Arguments were had, points were tallied and cars were ranked, but if you're curious, here's how the actual voting breakdown looked.
  • Viper – 39 points
  • Viper GTS-R – 16 points
  • Ram – 14 points
  • SL65 AMG – 12 points
  • NV200 Taxi – 7 points


Honorable Mentions

While it's certainly no surprise that the Viper took our top honors, the rest of the list wasn't so unanimous. Looking down the list of votes, a large number of cars were awarded points by a variety of jurors, so here's a look at the rest of the breakdown.