Vancouver International Auto Show 2025: DARPAN Picks

The Vancouver International Auto Show returned this spring with its best-attended show yet, packing almost 139,000 attendees into the Vancouver Convention Centre over three days in late March. Among the more than 200 vehicles on display were a handful debuting in Western Canada for the first time. Below are DARPAN’s top three picks from this year’s event.

2025 Lincoln Navigator

Lincoln’s flagship is reimagined for the 2025 model year as a fifth-generation offering. The flagship SUV shares a similar front-end aesthetic with crossover siblings—the Aviator and Nautilus—boasting a bold front grille and squared-off nose, here adding a full-width headlamp-to-headlamp LED light bar. The sloped roofline and satin aluminum detailing give a sporty look, and up to 24-inch high-gloss Ebony or Luster Nickel wheels are available. A Jet Appearance Package bundles black accents, 22-inch high-gloss Ebony black alloys, and special badging.

The brand likens the interior to a “spa on wheels”—cue the Lincoln Rejuvenate feature that reclines the driver’s seat and moves the steering wheel upwards, begins a heating and massage program, and bathes the space in soothing fragrance, ambient lighting, and relaxing sounds. Even the second-row passengers get to enjoy massaging captain’s chairs that are heated, ventilated, and power adjustable. There’s seating for up to eight, and all trims are all-wheel drive, utilizing a 3.5-litre V6 engine producing 440 horsepower and 510 lb-ft of torque.

2025 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1

The latest and greatest Chevy Corvette is the automaker’s most powerful yet: the ZR1, equipped with a 5.5-litre twin-turbocharged V8 dubbed the LT7, makes a mind-boggling 1,064 horsepower and 828 lb-ft of torque and is good for a quarter-mile time of under 10 seconds. And the sleek exterior design isn’t just for looks. The aerodynamic body, spoiler, carbon-fiber front splitter, and other bits help generate over 1,200 pounds of downforce to keep the tires glued to the tarmac at high speeds.

Not seen since the Corvettes from the 1960s, the ZR1 reintroduces a split rear window. Between the panes of glass is a vented carbon fibre “spine” helping remove heat radiating out of the mid-engine compartment. Inside, exclusive ZR1 badging can be found on an interior plaque, door sill plates, and steering wheel, as well as a spicy Habanero orange-coloured upholstery. The sports car is currently being manufactured at the GM Bowling Green Assembly Plant in Kentucky.

2025 Toyota 4Runner

The sixth-gen Toyota 4Runner looks to continue its reputation as an off-road favourite, built upon the rugged TNGA-F global platform, also underpinning the Tacoma, Land Cruiser, Tundra, and Sequoia. Depending on grade, the SUV includes goodies like stabilizer bar disconnect to increase suspension articulation, a camera system showing nearby potential obstacles on the central display, part-time or full-time four-wheel drive, electronic locking rear differential, downhill assist automatic braking, and much more.

Michigan-based Calty Design Research is responsible for the styling of the vehicle, the team there drawing inspiration from heritage models while injecting some forward-thinking elements. For example, the curved wrap-over glass in the rear quarter-window was showcased on earlier versions, and colour-selectable RIGID LED fog lights on the Trailhunter variant. Customers have a choice between two powertrains—the standard iFORCE 2.4-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine and the optional i-FORCE MAX hybrid that adds an electric motor.