Auto News 5

New For 2014

New For 2014

New For 2014

New For 2014

A few months ago at the New York International Auto Show, I had lunch with Spyker CEO Victor Muller and his new chief commercial officer, John Walton, the former boss of Aston Martin North America. The conversation turned to the Bugatti Veyron, and I wondered why it would be at all difficult to sell only 300 copies of the fastest production car ever built. Muller and Walton then gave a dissertation on rich-guy psychology, a topic they know a little bit about. At the Veyron level, a lot of buyers aren't interested in the car itself so much as what the car represents -- an item I have that you don't, even though you're also rich. Thus, in some locales, certain supercar manufacturers finagle logistics to deliver multiple cars simultaneously, so as not to chafe delicate egos. "It's a lot easier to sell the first car than the 300th car," said Walton. It seems that even at the extreme upper echelon of the financial hierarchy, we're constantly measuring ourselves versus our neighbors.

Toyota's beleaguered design staff needed to try something, anything, with the 2014 Tundra. Customers, automotive critics, and little old ladies in crosswalks had been demanding better styling for the unhappiest-looking pickup on the market. So, with nearly limitless digital capacity at their disposal at the Calty Design Center in Newport Beach, California, and the Toyota Technical Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the team dispatched their evolving creation on a virtual journey.

The previous Grand Cherokee was an extremely likeable, good-looking, and capable vehicle. This updated 2014 model is even better. The exterior is mildly revised with fresh sheetmetal as well as new head- and taillamps. The new look is different enough to distinguish it from the older GC without stripping it of its visual heritage. It's nicely done overall, though I think the rear end -- which now strongly resembles the Durango's -- looks a bit frumpy. Interior changes are minor -- not a bad thing since it was already excellent -- but I was instantly smitten with the new digital speedo in the center of the gauge cluster. It's big and bright and in a simple but elegant font, making it easy to read and reducing the amount of time your eyes are off the road.