• 3 months ago
Here were some of the coolest EVs at the New York Auto Show.

Tom's Guide got to check out a bunch of the new electric vehicles at the New York Auto Show 2024. From crossover coupes like the Polestar 4, to the reimagine styling of the Volkswagen ID Buzz, the show proves that there's more variety in the space. Here are the coolest EVs.
Transcript
00:00What's up guys, I'm here at the New York International Auto Show.
00:04There's a lot to check out, so let me show you.
00:16So this is where everyone's at.
00:17This is the Polestar 4, it's what they call a crossover coupe.
00:22So think of your traditional crossover, but slightly tinier.
00:26It actually doesn't have a rear view window.
00:28And the way it lets you see through the back, the camera generates that view, which gets
00:33projected into the rear view mirror in the front to generate that view like a normal
00:38rear view window.
00:39Gone.
00:40You don't have, you know, a regular window here.
00:42So the good thing about the Polestar 4 is that it's cheaper than the 3.
00:48Minimalist styling inside, you know, it kind of reminds me almost like a Tesla with the
00:52giant screen here in the middle.
00:53And you have a panoramic roof here.
00:56Kind of tight, you know, kind of lower than you want, but this is again, a crossover coupe.
01:00So the back here looks a little bit more rounded, but yeah, you just got to get used to that
01:04crossover coupe styling if that's your thing.
01:07You don't want something as big as a regular SUV, then yeah, this is great.
01:10It just has the best of both worlds.
01:14Everyone knows the IONIQ 5, it's Hyundai's most popular EV right now, but new this year
01:19is going to be the 2024 version of the IONIQ 5N, and that's all about performance.
01:24And here it is.
01:26It definitely has an aggressive styling.
01:27Some of the accents here, the orange at the bottom here, you could see the braking system,
01:32kind of these cutouts on the side, very aggressive front styling here with the headlights.
01:37So what's unique about the IONIQ 5N is that it kind of simulates, you know, the roars
01:42and sounds of a natural engine, even though it's an EV.
01:45Go inside, I could feel the bucket seat.
01:48I just like sit right in and just look at this.
01:51The paddles here on the side, so you could shift.
01:54So definitely gives you that feeling of being in a performance car, but still, you have
01:58the convenience of an all-electric vehicle.
02:00Besides that, a little bit tighter, but that's kind of expected.
02:03Let me see if I could open up the back and press it once.
02:06There we go.
02:07Let's take a look at the trunk space.
02:08You have this extra convenience here.
02:10You could pull down the back seats.
02:12Look at the car.
02:13Something a little bit larger here is the Kia EV9.
02:18It is the bigger brother to the EV6, and it's basically like a Telluride that Kia makes.
02:23It's a larger vehicle, SUV style.
02:25You could see the front here, the headlights themselves, and you have small details like
02:29mini LEDs.
02:30It's definitely a boxier car, but you have a lot more room.
02:34Carry around your family, or if it's going to be a vacation-type drive, I think it's
02:38going to be something you want to look at, because you still get that 300-mile range.
02:42Starts at $54,900, which isn't too bad when you think about EVs.
02:46Now, here's what I like about the EV9.
02:49It has a third-row seat, so you have that option to have more people in the car.
02:54You could pull down the seats if you want more space in the storage trunk area.
02:58Here, let's take a look and see what else is underneath here.
03:01Yeah, you could put in a few things here, not much.
03:06Looks like you have a plug here, too, so you can connect whatever you want.
03:11Kind of like the Ford F-150 Lightning set, when you open it up, it adjusts the steering
03:15wheel.
03:16Here's the interior space.
03:18Very clean, too.
03:19Leg rest as you're driving, which kind of reminds me of a massaging chair.
03:24I don't know why.
03:25You have extra room here, which is great.
03:27Ready?
03:28There we go.
03:29Let's see what we got.
03:30You get a little bit of storage.
03:31Not a whole lot of groceries, but at least something you could put in there.
03:38Volkswagen ID.Buzz.
03:39The premise here is that the buzz is back, but in a more futuristic form here with the
03:43ID.Buzz.
03:44Really cool colors, bright.
03:45Love the interior space.
03:48Love the panoramic moonroof.
03:50Look at that.
03:51It's like frosted.
03:52There we go.
03:56It's like an airplane seat.
04:05Oh, wow.
04:06You have like cubbies here.
04:07I want to say the styling is very different.
04:09You could tell it's a Volkswagen because it's a unique body style.
04:13You're not going to see this anywhere on the road.
04:16All right, so this is the F-150 Lightning.
04:20I actually test drove it over the weekend and still one of my favorite EVs.
04:24It sets the benchmark for everything I'm test driving or checking out.
04:28Some cool things I love about this car.
04:30This is the Lariat version.
04:33Really spacious.
04:34It's ginormous, of course, but even with the size, it has pretty much everything you want
04:39in an EV.
04:40Really fast acceleration.
04:41You have the utility of a flatbed, which you're not going to get with the Tesla.
04:45You also have the frunk, which is really cool.
04:46The range is excellent.
04:47300 miles and it charges even at a Tesla station, which interestingly enough, I tried doing
04:55and there were some challenges.
04:56I wrote about the entire experience at the Tesla supercharger station on Tom's Guide.
05:00You can read more about that.
05:01But at the end of the day, it's as they advertise, plug and play.
05:06That's it.
05:07So here's the dashboard.
05:08When you turn it on, it automatically will adjust the chair.
05:12The steering wheel will actually move.
05:15You have your touch screen right here, panel.
05:16You have a wireless charger right here, which is neat.
05:19And there are tons of plugs.
05:20So if you're going to charge your laptop, you have your standard cigarette lighter right
05:24there.
05:25You have your standard plug right there.
05:26Plenty of USB.
05:27Let me show you the back here real quick.
05:31So the cabin space.
05:34Just look at that.
05:35Look at the leg space.
05:38It's humongous.
05:40You have the moon roof right here, opens up, which is great.
05:45And here's the thing for me about this particular EV, you get the utility, the flatbed, even
05:51the base model has the same range as an average Tesla.
05:54It has also the same acceleration.
05:55You have also that one pedal driving mode and it just sets the benchmark for what I
06:00want in an EV in terms of price, utility, maybe reliability.
06:07Now here at the New York Auto Show, the one car I would probably be actually buying with
06:12my own money is something like this.
06:13It's not technically a full EV, but it has the ability to actually act like one.
06:19This is the RAV4 plug-in hybrid, still has both the gas range of a standard hybrid.
06:23So you're looking at roughly around 40 miles per gallon if you're going to use it for gas.
06:28And then the special thing here is that it has that option to plug in and you get roughly
06:3730 to 42.
06:38I think they said 42 range with just the all electric.
06:41You have the convenience of both the gas and also the all electric.
06:45So if you're just going to use it for everyday use, go into the grocery store, pick up something,
06:50and it looks pretty good.
06:52And it's still spacious.
06:53You have the ability to pull down the seats in the back, have the extra room, you know,
06:58it feels a little bit tighter, a little bit more cramped.
07:01But again, this car is going to cost you a lot less than a standard EV.
07:05When most average EVs start around $50,000, you're going to get this for much less.
07:09Now, since this is like more of a standard car, the cost long-term might be actually
07:15more practical because when you think about EVs, you've got to think about the wear and
07:18tear on the tires, how much that's going to cost.
07:21And then if you own for more than 10 years, once the warranty ends, you got to think about
07:25battery replacement.
07:26But since this is still a standard hybrid, it's going to be a lot more cost effective.
07:30If I was going to buy a car, you know, if I'm not really invested yet in a full EV car,
07:36I think something like this would be more practical for everyone else.
07:39Because again, you have that ability to go gas, and if you need the electric, you have
07:44that option as well.
07:46And that's it, guys.
07:47What were some of your favorites here at the show?
07:49Let me know in the comments.
07:51Don't forget to follow us on social at Tom's Guide.
07:53I'm Jon V, and I'll see you in my next one.