Automotive redesigns and refreshes of 2013-14

SRT, Chrysler's recently spun-off high-performance group, set out almost immediately to resurrect the Viper name with a new version of the upstart American sports car of the '90s and early 2000s. The 2013 SRT Viper is immediately recognizable, yet has a contemporary feel. We're not suggesting that the car most famous for its brash, intense looks and engine noise is starting to grow up, only that with its return it has a sense of focus and completeness it once lacked.

2013 Dodge SRT Viper

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We used to count Ford Fusions when we were having trouble sleeping. Now the 2013 Fusion is the hottest midsize sedan on the market. In a segment where cookie-cutter looks have become the norm, the new Fusion dares to be bold and exciting. Offering upscale style at an everyday price, the Fusion is a family-friendly sedan that looks more expensive and irresponsible than it is. That is a good thing.

2013 Ford Fusion

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The original Dodge Dart was released for the 1960 model year with a body designed by Ghia. The new Dart for 2013 is a sweeping little thing wrapped over a stretched Alfa Romeo Giulietta frame; it's the circle of life and all that. The 2013 Dodge Dart is energetic-looking in a way the classic never was, almost like a puppy crouched and ready to play.

2013 Dodge Dart

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Featuring boxier lines with hints of a Camaro influence and more upscale amenities, the new 10th-generation Impala is being slotted higher up in Chevrolet's line. The sharper edges and bolder front fascia and fenders of the 2014 Impala definitely signal a break from the more restrained 2012-13 model, but only time will tell how successful it will be with consumers.

2013 Chevrolet Impala

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The changes to the 2013 Toyota RAV4 from the previous model aren't shocking or a vast departure, but they are worth noting. With Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda's edict of "no more boring cars," the RAV4's styling has gone a bit more sweeping in the bodywork and aggressive up front. The 2013 RAV4's jowly face flows into a streamlined profile of angles and curves. All in all, it's a little more different than you would think.

2013 Toyota RAV4

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The once quirky and fun Mazda6 had become a bit stale: Enter the 2014 Mazda 6, designed with Mazda's new Kodo aesthetic language and offering a sense of drama and excitement that every great Mazda has shared. The curves of the 2014 Mazda6's fenders rise and fall like waves. When they're taken in along with the sloped hood and assertive fascia, you get the impression of a sprinter in the starting blocks, forever poised to explode into motion.

2014 Mazda Mazda6

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The Accord somehow always manages to retain its essential — Accordness? Accordiosity? Accordionism? — through every redesign, and the 2013 model is no different. What the 2013 Accord has, though, is a sleeker, more aggressive nose and grille that give the impression of a sportier car. The 2013 model doesn't reinvent the wheel, but given the Accord's success over the years, it doesn't necessarily need to.

2013 Honda Accord

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Meet the new Range Rover, not quite the same as the old Range Rover. The 2013 version is most dramatically different up front, where the new, squinty headlights evoke the recent Land Rover hit, the Evoque (pun intended; we're awful). Despite the combination of the Evoque influence and a slightly more squat body with bigger wheels for extra swagger, Land Rover's 2013 Range Rover carries a great deal of the previous-generation SUV in its flanks, and that's not a bad thing.

2013 Land Rover Range Rover

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After the introduction of the new 911, Porsche turned its focus toward its modern roadster, and the result is the most attractive Boxster yet. The slotted vents up front, wider stance, integrated rear spoiler and bulging front and rear fenders signal a coming of age for the Boxster. When the Boxster premiered, critics said the car wasn't a "real" Porsche; put the key to a 2013 Boxster in their hands and watch them eat their hats.

2013 Porsche Boxster

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How does an automaker pull off the task of improving one of the best-designed coupes on the market — one that some consider the best "driver's car" in production — while building on the success of its already-released drop-top sibling? If you're Porsche, you carry the outstanding integrated rear spoiler over from the new 2013 Boxster and add a hardtop that creates a crest to the dramatic waves of its silhouette. The logical progression between Cayman generations is key in this execution.

2012 Porsche Cayman

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Every new Corvette brings its share of controversy, and the C7's debut at the 2013 Detroit Auto Show was no exception. The growing consensus, though, is that the 2014 Corvette is a hit. Even having lost its once-trademark round taillights in favor of more Camaro-esque rectangular ones and having adopted some angles and lines from contemporary supercars, the new Corvette is going to be the wallpaper image on many a desktop, tablet and smartphone.

2013 Chevrolet Corvette

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For more information on the vehicles in this slideshow, click the links below:

-Dodge Viper
-Ford Fusion
-Dodge Dart
-Chevrolet Impala
-Toyota RAV4
-Mazda Mazda6
-Honda Accord
-Land Rover Range Rover
-Porsche Boxster
-Porsche Cayman
-Chevrolet Corvette

James Tate cut his teeth in the business as a race team crew member before moving to the editorial side as Senior Editor of Sport Compact Car, and his work has appeared in Popular Mechanics, Automobile, Motor Trend and European Car. When not writing, Tate is usually fantasizing about a vintage Porsche 911.