Best new SUVs at 2018 New York Auto Show

2019 Toyota RAV4. Image: Newspress via AFP Relaxnews

Since most buyers seem to want SUVs and crossovers, it’s no surprise that this year’s New York International Auto Show was positively bursting with them. America has loved SUVs ever since they were first imagined, of course, and now they’ve caught on in the rest of the world in a big way. Take a look at some of the best all-new, concept and refreshed SUVs at New York this year.

The all-new 2019 Toyota RAV4 gets first mention as it had the considerable honor of becoming the biggest-selling SUV in the entire world in 2017. Over the years the updates to the Toyota have been fairly evolutionary, but this all-new model is based on the FT-AC concept, and brings a much more rugged appearance to a model the manufacturer insists is now more of a real SUV than it has been in the past.

Hyundai unveiled a refreshed version of its popular RAV4 rival the Tucson, which now boasts a very modern facelifted front-end and a lot of upscale new technology. As well as the company’s Surround View Monitor utilizing 360-degree cameras to assist with parking, the Tucson will also now feature autonomous emergency braking, a driver attention warning and lane keep assist.

Refreshed Hyundai Tucson. Image: Newspress via AFP Relaxnews

Another all-new version of a well-known SUV unveiled in New York was the Subaru Forester. This one is probably intended to rival the likes of the Mazda CX-5, and it’s expected to go on sale in Europe before the end of 2018. Its design is loosely based on the Viziv Future concept first seen at the 2015 Tokyo Motor Show, but it’s nowhere near as dynamic as the concept in terms of its styling.

One car unlikely to appear in Europe for a while is the concept version of a smaller take on Volkswagen’s pretty massive Atlas seven-seater. The Atlas Cross Sports is a five-seat model with an attractive coupe-style roofline, and it’s set to go on sale in the United States from early next year.

Another of the show’s other big attractions was the Cadillac XT4, a very good-looking, completely new model. This is the American luxury brand’s third SUV, and Cadillac considers it a compact, which is why it’s been designed to rival BMW’s X1.

At the very expensive end of the SUV pricing spectrum is the Jaguar F-Pace SVR, a high-performance version of the Jaguar’s extremely successful F-Pace. This performance SUV is intended to take on the likes of the Porsche Macan Turbo, and its weapon of choice under the bonnet for the task is a supercharged 5.0-liter V-8 producing 542 brake horsepower. JB

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