2019 Detroit Auto Show Editors’ Picks

• Image Credit: Copyright 2019 Drew Phillips / Autoblog

Fifth Place: 2020 Subaru WRX STI S209 (34 Points)

Senior Editor Alex Kierstein: Finally, an S20X for the U.S. And more power. It’s legitimately special. Also, there seems to be a lot more happening in terms of enhancing the driver experience than simply glancing at the spec sheet would reveal. Will it be worth it, dollar for dollar? Probably not, but think of it as the ultimate fanboy car.

Consumer Editor Jeremy Korzeniewski: What’s not to like? An STI, which I already love, with more power, more aggressive styling and gold wheels. If I were spending my own money on a performance car in 2019, I’d be looking long and hard at the S209.

Fourth Place: 2020 Ford Explorer (35 Points)

Senior Producer Chris McGraw: Ford is the only Detroit automaker keeping this show alive with its reveals. Now built on a rear-drive platform, this more powerful generation of the Explorer has me excited.

Associate Editor Joel Stocksdale: It’s rare that a family crossover gets my attention, but giving it rear-drive and a legitimately sporty model (ST) will do that. It could be a little more interesting looking, but that won’t matter if it ends up being the most fun crossover in its segment. I’m also happy to see the hybrid offered, something that’s still unusual in this segment.

• Image Credit: Copyright 2019 Drew Phillips / Autoblog

Third Place: Lexus LC Convertible Concept (41 Points)

Social Media Manager Michael Dylan Ferrara: The LC was already one of the best-looking production cars available. And just when we thought it couldn’t get any better, Lexus takes the top off without killing the original styling. I’ll take one in Structural Blue.

Associate Editor Reese Counts: A drop-drop version of one of the best cars I’ve driven in the past few years. Anything to enhance the sound of the 5.0-liter V8 is fine by me. I really, really hope this makes it to production. 

Manager of Video Production Eddie Sabatini: I was worried that the dropped-top would ruin LC’s beautiful silhouette but the convertible is really quite stunning, from all angles.

• Image Credit: Copyright 2019 Drew Phillips / Autoblog

Second Place: 2020 Toyota Supra (48 Points)

Contributing Editor James Riswick: Am I the only one who thinks that being mechanically related to a BMW is a good thing? And that Toyota could actually make it BETTER than the Z4? And that long-hood, short-deck, rear-drive sport coupes are awesome? Well they are. I’m excited for Supra.

Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore: I’m mesmerized by the Supra’s styling. It looks better in real life than in any picture. A passion project of Toyota president Akio Toyoda, the Supra lives for a new generation of enthusiasts.

The reborn sports car is a key element of a partnership between BMW and Toyota, and it serves as a template for modern cooperation between competing automakers.

Senior Editor (Green) John Beltz Snyder: It’s the $50,000-answer to everyone who complains that the Toyota 86 is underpowered.

• Image Credit: Copyright 2019 Drew Phillips / Autoblog

First Place: 2020 Ford Mustang (56 Points)

Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore: The most menacing car at the Detroit Auto Show. Ford flexed its performance muscles with the reveal of the most powerful Mustang ever. Jim Farley, you’re right. Carroll would love this one.

Managing Editor Greg Rasa: It looks and sounds wicked. Yeah, that’s because it is. This is the stuff of a Detroit Auto Show.

Assistant Editor Zac Palmer: This is my car of the show, but I also have a serious soft spot for the GT350. Listening to the exhaust on the supercharged 5.2-liter, it seems fully possible to rouse the entire neighborhood with the start-up bark. I love it. Ford keeps doing great things with the Mustang, and this just adds to the wide range of choices in the Stang’s lineup.

Contributing Writer Sven Gustafson: At this point you could probably convert a Mustang to an ice cream truck and it’d still be a hit, what with the iconic shape they’ve hit on with the current generation. Add racing stripes, the carbon-fiber wing and those wider front fenders to all that extra oomph, and it looks like pure id.