The press days for the 2019 LA Auto Show are now over and the public days are underway. So since we’re finally home and back to the daily grind, we thought we’d give you our top five cars from LA. To be honest, honing the list down to five was quite difficult, as there were so many interesting and exciting cars debuting in LA. But, we’ll give it a shot.

5. Land Rover Defender

It’s not often when a boxy SUV really captures the hearts of car enthusiasts but it happened at the LA Auto Show. The all-new Land Rover Defender is likely the coolest SUV in the world right now, with its rugged demeanor, boxy styling and genuine off-road capability. It just oozes cool and it has a great interior to boot. It’s also the first Defender to be sold in the ‘States since the ’90s. So the very fact that it was in LA, readying its North American debut, is exciting enough on its own.

4. BMW M8 Gran Coupe First Edition

 

The BMW M8 Gran Coupe was already revealed to the public prior to the LA Auto Show. However, it was the first time many enthusiasts and journalists were seeing it in person. To be honest, I’d personally already seen it during M Fest, but that was a closed-room viewing with no cameras allowed. In person it’s a stunning machine. Specifically in its “First Edition” spec. The very limited M8 Gran Coupe First Edition comes only in Diamont Green Metallic with yellow headlights and it looks almost identical to the stunning concept car that preceded it. It’s awesome that BMW basically recreated the concept and it looks fantastic.

3. Audi RS6 Avant

As a BMW enthusiast, you may not like the Audi brand but the new RS6 Avant is just a stunner. It has to be the most aggressive wagon we’ve ever seen and it packs a ton of performance to match its killer looks. Powering the RS6 Avant is a 4.0 liter twin-turbo V8 with 591 hp and 590 lb-ft of torque, so it’s a dangerous performance wagon. Furthering the special-ness of it, the RS6 Avant’s presence at the LA Auto Show marks the first time any such car debuted in America.

2. Ford Mustang Mach-E

Okay, so there’s a lot of debate surrounding the Mustang Mach-E and its questionable naming. I agree that no crossover should wear the Mustang badge, electric or otherwise. I fear we’re inching closer to the Mustang name becoming just another Ford trim level and that we could see a Ford Explorer “Mustang Edition” in the near future. However, the actual car itself is very impressive and exciting. The Mach-E offers Tesla-rivaling range and performance for less money and better looks. It’s also an all-electric car from a mainstream automaker with a great dealer network, customer service and affordable prices. It might be named poorly but the Mustang Mach-E is shaping up to be a very good car.

1. BMW M2 CS

It’s hard for us not to put the BMW M2 CS on this list. It’s a car we’ve been talking about and hinting at for ages now. The M2 CS is the most hardcore version of the M2, packing 444 hp and 406 lb-ft of torque while also being sharper, stiffer and more agile than before. It’s a car of many firsts for the M2 model range, with new offerings such as the carbon fiber roof and adaptive suspension. Both of which are new and exclusive to the M2 CS. While LA Auto Show lighting isn’t brilliant,t he BMW M2 CS was able to stand out and demand presence. It’s an awesome car and we can’t wait to drive it.