2010 New York Auto Show Visitor's Guide

There's a flood at the 2010 New York Auto Show, but fortunately it doesn't have anything to do with the weather the city has been experiencing lately. Instead there's a surprisingly sizable flood of cars and concepts, suggesting that the carmakers are coming out from beneath the rock where they've been sitting out the recession over the last 18 months and are now ready to get down to business.

The 2010 New York Auto Show takes place April 2-11 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in midtown Manhattan, which overlooks the Hudson River. It's the final big-time car show until everyone meets in Paris this summer. Only the New York show could attract 1.2 million people — more than the attendance of any other auto show in the country — and yet take place in a neighborhood where almost no one drives cars.

There's an end-of-term feel to the New York show, as all the secret concepts have been uncovered, all the news has percolated to the surface and there's more talk about next year than this one. Even so, this is an opportunity to see all the important showcars of the season, and there are more than 1,000 vehicles of all persuasions within Javits Center's 846,000 square feet of display space.

As always, the public days for the show are a free-for-all of both hype and glamour, as with the daily giveaways on the Suzuki stand that include prizes, drawings and a sweepstakes. Hyundai is giving away a Hyundai Genesis Coupe and a weekend at driving school. You can drive a 2010 Kia Sorento on the South Inner Roadway, assorted Jeeps on the North Inner Roadway, and a selection of electric vehicles on Level 1.

The Javits Center puts the displays on different floors, and if you know where to look, you'll find some pretty cool stuff. Down on Level 1, you'll discover a selection of famous movie cars plus classic cars from the LeMay Museum among the usual show stands by carmakers. On the South Concourse, you can have your picture taken with a Ferrari Enzo. All the fun stuff, from car toys to car care products, is for sale on the Level 4 Galleria.

Then again, maybe you'd like to look at something you can actually think about driving:

2011 Cadillac CTS-V Sport Wagon: It's not just about hauling your stuff; it's about hauling your stuff really, really fast. At first glance, it might not make much sense to put a supercharged 556-horsepower V8, Recaro seats and Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 tires on a station wagon, but it's not sheer cargo capacity that's important here. Instead the CTS-V Sport Wagon gives you the ability to drive in a way that makes you feel unencumbered by the stuff that adult life makes you carry along with you.

2011 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid: This is Hyundai's first hybrid and it appears to be a very significant one, as the combination of its turbocharged 2.4-liter inline-4 and 30-kilowatt battery-powered electric motor not only delivers remarkable fuel economy in city driving but also promises EPA-rated highway fuel economy of 39 mpg. The latter feat is unique among hybrids and comes from the electric motor's ability to propel the Sonata Hybrid at up to 100 km/h (62 mph). Equally significant is the 2011 Hyundai Sonata Turbo with its turbocharged 274-hp 2.0-liter inline-4.

2009 Infiniti Essence Concept: Although it officially debuted at the 2009 Geneva Auto Show, the Infiniti Essence concept car has never been on public display in the U.S. until now aside from a brief appearance at the 2009 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. The significance is, the Essence sets the new design language for all future Infiniti cars, as we've seen in the 2011 Infiniti M56S and M37.

2011 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3: As interesting as the 2011 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG appears to be, it still seems a little far out on the horizon productionwise, and the appeal of its AMG-built 6.2-liter V8 and 300SL-inspired bodywork seems a little abstract. But there's nothing abstract about this racing version, which is being prepared for an entry into GT3-class sports-car racing in 2011.

2011 Mini Countryman: The Mini has morphed into a real sales phenomenon, not to mention a convertible, a wagon, an electric car and now a crossover. Much larger than it appears, this crossover interpretation of the Mini ethos will carry five passengers, plus it will do that all-wheel-drive thing if you step up to the Mini Cooper Countryman All4.

2011 Nissan Juke: Everybody has a vehicle that's small and cute and also quick, so Nissan has the Juke on the way, and it promises a lot more to the driving experience than the Nissan Cube has been able to deliver. There's a turbocharged 1.6-liter inline-4 under the hood and we hear that it drives well enough to keep up with the Kia Soul.

2011 Porsche Cayenne: The revised Cayenne is actually more notable for what has been left out rather than what has been added, because Porsche has decided to embrace this vehicle's identity as a pavement-dedicated hot rod and discard its useful though largely unappreciated off-road capability. The result is a Cayenne that's lighter and light on its feet as well as more powerful.

2011 Saab 9-5: Saab has emerged from the ashes of GM's bankruptcy and it's in the enthusiastic hands of Spyker Cars. The Opel-engineered Saab 9-5 will be the key to the company's future. Success should be assured if our initial drive is any guide, as the hardware here resembles that of the Opel Insignia, while the styling comes from the Aero X concept car.

2011 Scion iQ: Although the revised 2011 Scion tC deserves its share of headlines, we're fascinated by the introduction of the iQ, widely known as Toyota's innovative city car and scheduled to arrive in the U.S. with a Scion badge. It'll be one of the smallest cars for sale in the U.S. and it'll be interesting to see if it can spark interest in genuine, bare-bones transportation pods.

2011 Volvo S60: Now that Volvo has found new ownership from Geely, the Chinese carmaker, the Swedish brand will be going forward without Ford's direct support. The S60 is going to be at the leading edge of this effort, as this restyled and thoroughly revised sedan tries to achieve the mainstream success that has eluded Volvo's previous efforts in the sedan category.

As always, the official site of the New York auto show is your best guide to parking, hotels and general logistics.