Carmakers have come up with a handful of redesigned models that won’t be available for months but are well worth the wait. Many of them were unveiled at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Here, the best of the new or thoroughly redesigned 2015 model-year vehicles…
Subcompact that’s smaller on the outside but bigger on the inside. Subcompact hatchbacks are too short on pizzazz to get much attention at car shows, but the redesigned 2015 Honda Fit turned some heads with an impressive feat—Honda managed to increase its interior space by 5% while also reducing the car’s length by 1.6 inches. This provides significantly more rear seat legroom in a car that’s small, fuel-efficient and easy to park in cities. Honda achieved a similar win-win with the Fit’s engine—at 130 horsepower (hp), the new 1.5-liter four-cylinder will be 10% more powerful than the engine it replaces, yet the Fit’s fuel economy will improve. According to Honda, the new Fit’s safety scores will improve, too. And unlike the previous generation Fit, this new Fit will be built in North America, not Asia, creating financial savings that should help Honda keep the price about the same as the old model’s price. Price: Likely around $16,000. Fuel economy: Honda says the Fit will get 33 mpg city/41 highway. Availability: Early summer.
A $21,700 midsize American sedan that looks like a $65,000 German luxury car. The Chrysler 200 has been rebuilt from the ground up for 2015 and, boy, did it need such a renovation. The previous 200 had very little going for it and found a home mostly in rental fleets. The new 200, on the other hand, will be among the most attractively styled mid-size sedans in its price range. Its appearance is being compared to that of the Audi A7—a car that starts at $64,500. There’s good reason to believe this car will be solid mechanically, too—Chrysler has been turning out well-made products lately. The car’s base 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine should deliver a reasonable 184 hp and impressive fuel efficiency. There will be an all-wheel-drive option. Price: Starting at $21,700. Fuel economy: Chrysler says that the 200 will get “up to” 35 mpg on the highway. Availability: Should reach showrooms by around midyear.
Fuel-efficient full-size pickup. The Ford F-150 has been the best-selling vehicle in the US for 32 consecutive years, but its continued popularity didn’t stop Ford from making a massive upgrade. The body of the 2015 F-150 will be made from a high-strength aluminum alloy, reducing the truck’s weight by as much as 700 pounds and increasing its fuel-efficiency. Ford has been quietly testing aluminum body parts and believes that they can be just as durable as the steel they replace. The F-150’s base 3.5-liter V6 engine will be brand new, too. It’s a bit smaller than the 3.7-liter V6 it replaces, but Ford says it will be more powerful. Other engine options will include a big 5.0-liter V8 and an extremely fuel-efficient 2.7-liter EcoBoost turbocharged V6. Don’t assume that a 2.7-liter engine will be too small for a full-size pickup—Ford says it will produce as much horsepower as many V8s. Ford will offer a host of techy options in the new F-150 as well, such as 360-degree-view cameras and three-prong 110-volt in-cabin electrical outlets. Price: Not yet announced, but Ford says pricing will be comparable to last year’s F-150, which would suggest a base price in the neighborhood of $25,000. Fuel economy: Not yet announced, but expected to be notably better than the 16 city/22 highway of the 2014 F-150 with the base V6 engine. The optional 2.7-liter V6 could deliver as much as 30 mpg on the highway. Availability: Late 2014.
Smaller pickup truck. GM will introduce the GMC Canyon and Chevrolet Colorado, a pair of midsize pickups that are very similar to each other, later this year. These trucks should fill a real gap in the market—currently the only sub-full-size pickup truck options are the Toyota Tacoma and Nissan Frontier, both of which are badly in need of an update. 
The Canyon and Colorado should get good fuel economy for pickups, and these trucks’ smaller size will make them easier to drive in crowded parking lots and cities. Price: Expected to start around $20,000. Fuel economy: Not yet announced. Availability: Fall.
Performance-oriented luxury car. The BMW M3is the even-sportier version of BMW’s 3-series, the luxury sports sedan against which all others are judged. (The two-door-coupe version of the M3 now is called the M4.) The engine is more powerful than in the standard 3-series…the handling more agile…the brakes stronger…and the styling more aggressive. The M3/M4 has been completely redesigned for 2015, with significant amounts of steel replaced by lighter carbon fiber and aluminum. The new M3/M4 will be powered by a 3.0-liter in-line six-cylinder engine that’s smaller yet more powerful than the 4.0-liter V8 it is replacing—425 hp versus 414. Combine greater power and lower weight, and the result is a faster car. BMW says the new M3/M4 can get from 0 to 60 mph in 3.9 seconds (slightly slower with the standard transmission), more than half a second faster than the prior M3. Fuel economy: BMW has indicated that fuel economy will be around 25% better than that of the prior M3, which suggests something around 18 city/25 highway. Price: Expected to be around $65,000. Availability: Early summer.
Alternative: The new Lexus RC F is that luxury automaker’s first stab at making a fun-to-drive performance coupe. Toyota, the parent company of Lexus, has been working hard to make cars that generate passion in drivers, and its efforts are starting to pay off. The RC F’s 5.0-liter V8 is expected to produce a very healthy 450 horsepower. The car should reach showrooms this fall. Pricing and fuel economy have not yet been announced.
Supercar at a (relatively) super price. The 2015 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 is a Chevy that can hold its own against Ferraris and Lamborghinis. Its 6.2-liter supercharged V8 will deliver “at least” 625 hp according to Chevrolet—compare that to the 550 hp of a Lamborghini Gallardo. Combine this extraordinary power with the major strides Chevy has made in recent years with the Corvette’s interior quality and overall refinement, and the result seems likely to be a really good car for buyers who want to drive really fast. The Z06 certainly won’t be inexpensive, but it should cost only a fraction of what you would have to pay for a comparable Italian supercar. Price: Not yet announced, but the prior Z06 started at $76,595, and Chevrolet has hinted that this one will start at a comparable level. Fuel economy: Not yet announced. Availability: Early 2015.
