The hottest new car models — and crazy rides — at the Houston Auto ...

Photo by Kevin McCauley

It's Auto Show season. In its 30th year, the annual Houston Auto Show is showing off a ton of new cars and trucks making their Texas debuts in the Reliant Center through Sunday.

After a few low-key years, the auto show this year is bigger and better, with more than 500 vehicles on display. We highlight a few of our favorite models that are new for 2013.

Pictured: Jaguar F-Type S

Photo by Kevin McCauley

Chevrolet Silverado

Trucks are always big news in Texas, and the redesigned Chevy Silverado is about as big as that news gets. The new Silverado gets a lighter, but more advanced and stiffer frame, new engines featuring direct-injection, and evolutionary styling.

The rear doors are now, finally, front-hinged like normal doors, the new interior benefits from redesigned instrumentation and a 4.2" center console screen. The new GMC Sierra is also at the show, for buyers who prefer a different, slightly premium aesthetic.

Photo by Kevin McCauley

Audi RS5

Other parts of the world have enjoyed the red-hot Audi RS 5 for a few years now, and now it's been given a tweak and unleashed for us to play with in America. Using Audi's revvy 4.2 liter V8, the RS 5 makes 450 naturally-aspirated horsepower delivered through Audi's legendary Quattro all-wheel drive system.

Different wheels, a retractable rear spoiler and dramatic front and rear fascias make the RS5 stand out visually from the normal S5 coupe.

Photo by Kevin McCauley

BMW Gran Coupe

The BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe went on sale late last year, finally giving a BMW a horse in the 'four-door coupe' race. The matte Frozen Bronze color is something to behold.

Photo by Kevin McCauley

Aston Martin Vanquish

The new Aston Martin Vanquish takes a familiar shape and slathers it with the finest materials available. Whatever isn't aluminum is dramatically sculpted carbon fiber, including all of the bodywork.

Underneath is a 565 horsepower V12. Be sure to check out the raw cutaway Vanquish (foreground) that puts these components on display.

Photo by Kevin McCauley

Acura RLX

Acura's replacement for the RL promises tons of tech, such as advanced all-wheel drive and Acura's All-Wheel Steer system, and the stacked, all-LED headlights seen here. The RLX goes on sale later this year.

Photo by Kevin McCauley

Fiat 500L

We loved the regular Fiat 500, and we had separation issues when we had to give back the keys to the 500 Abarth. Now the Italian maker of small cars is bringing us a model that's less, well, small: the Fiat 500L, a five-door hatch that's fit for a family.

Yes, the 'L,' stands for Large. It incorporates the stylish interior cues and the joyful exterior design from the 500. It borrows the 1.4 liter, 160 horsepower turbocharged engine from the Abarth, too.

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Ford Fusion Energi

Though is wears the same attractive body as the normal Fusion, the Energi is a plug-in hybrid on the cutting edge of fuel efficient production vehicles. Similar in concept to the Chevy Volt, it uses a battery and electric motor paired with a small, 2.0 liter inline-four internal combustion engine to deliver a 620 mile range.

It can be driven in electric-only mode up to 85 mph, and has an all-electric range of 21 miles.

Photo by Kevin McCauley

Camp Jeep

The coolest display in the show is the interactive Camp Jeep experience, where showgoers can scale an 18-foot "mountain," drive over fallen logs and experience the trail-rated capabilities of the Jeep lineup themselves.

Photo by Kevin McCauley

Jeep Grand Cherokee

One of our favorite SUVs on the market refuses to sit still. Jeep has given the Grand Cherokee a thorough freshening, with new LED-ified headlamps and tail lamps, new fascias and changes to the interior that bring an improved steering wheel and LED display gauges.

It also gets a new eight-speed transmission, which will help efficiency and also improves the Grand Cherokee's towing capacity. Even more exciting is the new 3.0 liter EcoDiesel V6, which we can't wait to try.

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Lexus IS

After years of taking criticism for overly conservative styling, the 2014 Lexus IS 350 is a shocker. The redesigned sports sedan bears the most extreme example yet of the new Lexus "Spindle Grill," along with wildly stretched taillights and separated, multi-piece headlights that look like nothing else on the road.

Does it work? Will it succeed? It's impossible to know for sure, but you can't say Lexus isn't trying something daring.

Photo by Kevin McCauley

MINI Paceman

You remember the MINI Cooper right? The two-door hatch with customizable roof colors, mirrors, stripes and just about everything else? A couple of years ago MINI expanded its lineup with the much larger Countryman model, an SUV with four full doors, for buyers who needed more space. Now MINI is offering the Paceman, a two-door version of the Countryman. Wait, what?

The Paceman offers the SUV shape, with just two doors. It can be had with the base 121-horsepower engine, or the 181-horsepower turbocharged engine in the Cooper S, shown here.

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Toyota RAV4

The new RAV4 adopts a much more streamlined, well though-out and upmarket look compared with the outgoing model, and pairs it with a really spectacular and innovative interior design. It seems well-equipped for an extremely competitive segment, and we look forward to driving it.

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Lincoln MKZ

In the past few years, Lincoln's struggled to find solid footing, and unfortunately these things can't change overnight. But the Lincoln display this year showed signs of life, a renewed sense of vigor.

The display itself had an almost Mad Men-like, mid-century aesthetic, and the new MKZ sedan fit well within it — it looks a bit like a concept car from the golden age of the Motor City.

Photo by Kevin McCauley

Lexus LS

Lexus has given the LS a successful update, to our eyes. The largest sedan in the Lexus lineup used to be nearly invisible, and now it's actually quite eye-catching, especially in LS 450 F Sport guise shown here.

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Mazda 6

The Mazda CX-5 CUV has been a tremendous success, and the new 6 is expected to bring some of the CX-5's successful formula to the midsize sedan category. The 'Kodo' design language works well on the low-slung sedan, which shifts all production to Japan for the 2014 model year.

Also coming later this year will be a 2.2 liter SkyActive diesel engine, which is all new.

Photo by Kevin McCauley

Toyota Avalon

The new Avalon makes its Houston debut, with a completely new, much fresher exterior look. The stunning new interior takes the fight back to the Hyundai Azera.

Photo by Kevin McCauley

Toyota Avalon Hybrid TRD Edition

Toyota brought a TRD Hybrid Avalon from SEMA, which gains a supercharger, lowering springs and some serious performance braking hardware.

Photo by Kevin McCauley

Best in Show

Jaguar F-Type

Jaguar's sexy new F-Type roadster is an open-top sports car modeled as a 21st century take on the gorgeous XKE, built from 1961-1974. It's the sportiest car from Jaguar in decades, aimed at the Porsche Boxster and 911 and priced right between them both.

The F-Type uses a lightweight aluminum chassis, and can be available with naturally aspirated and supercharged V6s, or a supercharged V8 in the range-topping model that has 495 horsepower.

But the real story isn't what's under the skin, it is the skin — it's simply beautiful. Taut, with classic proportions and modern detailing, it's everything we hoped a modern Jaguar would look like.

The hottest new car models — and crazy rides — at the Houston Auto Show