New Car 2014

While much of the new-model-year chatter will be focused on the Corvette and S-Class, there’s no shortage of drama unfolding elsewhere in the auto business for 2014. For example, Acura recently rolled out its own new flagship luxury sedan, the RLX, which replaced the largely overlooked RL. Though it’s a nice enough car in its own right, we’re doubtful buyers will find the new model to be up to the standards of similar models from Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz. In a good news/bad news situation, Acura sold just 499 RLX units in June (outpacing only the dismal ZDX in the lineup), though that translates into an encouraging 1,459 percent increase over RL transactions in the same period a year earlier.

Similarly, Kia is reaching farther upscale for 2014 with its new top-of-the-line Cadenza sedan. Based on the Hyundai Azera, this is the costliest Kia to date, starting at just over $35,000. Though it comes with a more luxurious interior and offers a few opulent options its showroom sibling lacks, the Cadenza may not make a compelling case for itself as a major upgrade over the less-expensive and similarly sized Optima sedan. Albeit just being introduced to consumers, Kia sold only 1,001 Cadenzas in June, which made it the brand’s slowest selling model (by comparison, buyers snapped up 14,599 Optimas last month).

Replacing the former Liberty model in Jeep’s lineup, the new midsize Cherokee SUV features a dramatically sculpted exterior that’s capped by a swept-back treatment of Jeep’s signature seven-slot front grille that might be too extreme for some brand loyalists. It packs either a Fiat-supplied 184 horsepower 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine or a new 271-horsepower 3.2-liter V6, with an advanced nine-speed automatic transmission standard. The Cherokee rides on a four-wheel independent suspension that should deliver excellent ride and handling manners around town, with Jeep’s Selec-Terrain traction control system and no less than three separate four-wheel-drive systems optional that promise exceptional off-road abilities. The Cherokee offers many high-tech safety features, along with niceties like a heated steering wheel, ventilated front seats and a wireless charging pad for portable devices.

Likewise, Toyota redesigns its popular Corolla compact sedan for 2014 with uncharacteristically fluid exterior styling to help silence critics who have long found the car’s appearance to be too bland. Buyers, however never seemed to mind, as the outgoing-version Corolla continues to outsell all other compact cars during the first half of 2013, and that’s despite lingering in its current form since the 2009 model year.