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The only question that matters at the Detroit Auto Show: Do you like luxury?

January is pretty much "car month" now.

First, we rang in the new year with a slew of techie debuts at 2016 International CES in Las Vegas. Now, we head straight into the the North American International Auto Show also known as the Detroit Auto Show.

SEE ALSO: If 2016 CES proved anything, it's that self-driving EVs are king

Though CES looked to the future with self-driving cars and long-range electrified vehicles, Detroit will keep it a little closer to Earth with some trucks, crossovers and sedans (let's not forget concepts) ready for showrooms as soon as this spring.

Coming off the heels of the very car-heavy CES, I've come away with a few predictions for 2016 Detroit. The show this year will be dominated by two major themes: Utility and luxury. No matter if its a concept or a production car, everything we're about to be shown in the Motor City falls into one of those two categories.

To underscore that prediction, here are the things we know will be there, and a few more we are anticipating.

Utility

Utility will take all sorts of forms in Detroit this week, ranging from the new Chrysler minivan up to an expected Nissan truck concept.

Intriguingly, right in the middle of the two will be the second-generation Honda Ridgeline pickup. That we expect to take the lead set by the new full-size Pilot crossover and add to it some, well, truck-y features. Rumor has it that unlike the last Ridgeline that was boxy and looked more like a Japanese Chevy Avalanche ripoff, the new Ridgeline will be rounder and also have a much more defined pickup shape.

The Ridgeline, while questionable in the marketplace when it first debuted in 2005, is much more relevant now. That's because the reintroduced Chevy Colorado mid-size pickup, along with the new Toyota Tacoma, has proved a sales juggernaut. Honda is likely keen to butch up the 2016 Ridgeline in order to compete.

Intriguingly, Kia is also rumored to be readying a full-size SUV concept called Telluride that, if sent into production, will ride an interesting line in the segment. Based upon the placement of the Kia K900 and Cadenza, it will likely be positioned against SUVs like the Acura MDX and maybe even the Mercedes-Benz GLS (though that last one might be more aspirational than anything).

Making full circle, we have the new Chrysler minivan, which is long, long overdue. In fact, it's been so long since Chrysler has redone a minivan that its questionable that there's even room in the marketplace for it. Not only do the Japanese with the Toyota Sienna and Honda Odyssey own the segment, the minivan market has all but dried up in the last few years. That's because, just as the minivan killed the station wagon, the crossover is killing the minivan.

As the Gen-Xers and now the Millennials begin buying family-hauling rigs, they look away from the symbols of the Baby Boom buyer and into something a bit more modern. It'll be interesting to see what Chrysler can do to attract buyers to the minivan again. Likely, it'll use technology to entice buyers, as the Japanese have versatility and reliablity locked down.

Additionally, we'll see a new GMC Acadia crossover based upon the Cadillac XT5 make its debut as well as a new Buick said to be called the "Envision."

Luxury

Along with a strong showing of utility, Detroit will also pose the question, "Do you like luxury?", which, given the state of the city, is a strange question to ask. Regardless, that's how it appears to be shaping up.

That's because Detroit will mark the global debut of several luxurious offerings, including the semi-autonomous 2017 Mercedes-Benz E-Class loaded with tech from Mercedes' IAA conceptas well as the hotly anticipated 2017 Lincoln Continental.

That, however, is just where the luxury land-ship unveilings begin. Lexus will also show its all-new LC 500 range-topping coupe that was hinted with the LF-LC concept coupe in 2012. And Hyundai will also turn up its premium sedan game with the Genesis G90 sedan.

SEE ALSO: Audi says Apple CarPlay, Android Auto are not a 'connected car' solution

Speaking of the letter G, the formerly-named Infiniti G37 coupe has been remade as well and will debut with new styling as the Q60 this week. The Volvo S90 will make its North American debut in the Motor City. So, too, will the 2017 Porsche 911 Turbo and 911 Turbo S.

Intriguingly, Henrik Fisker, the namesake behind the now-infamous Fisker Karma plug-in hybrid sports sedan failure that originally competed with the Tesla Model S, will show his latest concept in Detroit. It's called the "Force 1" and will be a high-performance sedan with American-made components underpinning it.

Lastly, right before its all-new plug-in hybrid NSX goes on sale, Acura will debut a new design concept that will show what its updated design language will look like going into the second half of the decade. Hopefully, it will be a handsome beast indeed. Right now, Acura's cars are good but not very exciting to look at. A design reinvigoration as well as a new halo supercar could really turn the floundering Japanese luxury brand around — at least from a sales standpoint.

Of course, with these luxury offerings, we'll likely see sumptuous interiors, gobs of horsepower and some distinctive tech accoutrements as well. That's cool, but certainly none of it will overshadow what we saw at the International CES last week.

However, that's OK. CES showed where the industry will be in a few years — Detroit will underscore where it is right now.

Mazda's new Miata is all about connecting with the road

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"Maybe if you rotate it 180-degrees..." my girlfriend suggested in a helpful tone, as I punched the large, wheeled suitcase into the trunk of the 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata.
Returning from a quick weekend trip to Portland, we landed at LAX to find the small, off-white sports car awaiting us. Unaware for the nanoscale size of the Miata, she packed a bag nearly the size the the all-new Japanese roadster's trunk

Eventually, thanks to her ingenious rotation suggestion, much swearing and a bit of elbow grease, we got her bag — and only her bag — in the trunk (my bag rode shotgun with her) and we headed home.
I'd like to report that this battle for space was not indicative of my time with the MX-5. Sadly, it was. At over six-foot-four-inches tall, I was never quite comfortable in the minuscule Mazda. But I won't let that cloud my judgement too much.
2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata

Mulholland drive

To juxtapose my discomfort and displeasure with the 2016 Miata, let's revisit the evening I took the car out to Mulholland in the Santa Monica mountains.
Rallying up the hills through dark and deserted switchbacks, the car showed its true colors. Though the engine — which the MX-5 shares with the all-new CX-3 — is an absolute lifeless dog when you’re not pushing it, it comes to life when you pass 3,000 rpm.
Keeping the revs high with the six-speed manual transmission in my righthand palm, I whipped the little convertible back and forth through the slaloming turns with the small steering wheel in my left.

I can tell you, this resulted in much joyous giggling.

I can tell you, this resulted in much joyous giggling. Unsurprisingly, the car felt light in the corners, as it only weighs 2,332 pounds. What did surprise me, however, was its ability to remain planted and on course — even when forced to make evasive maneuvers. You see, it's a lot harder to drive sportily in pitch darkness than in the light (go figure). So there were a couple moments when I had to mash the brake pedal and crank the wheel in order to remain on the road and right side up.
In these instances, where a heavier car might understeer (go straight instead of turn), the Miata reacted eagerly and made quick work of sudden steering inputs. To that end, the Brembo brakes were equally impressive. They absorbed many a hasty stomping without fading or fatigue.

2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata

With the wind whipping in my hair, the powerful Bose sound system thumping out a tune from "The Killers," and my right foot pressing the throttle into the carpet, I was a very happy man.
Like the suitcase-punching at LAX, this spirited night drive was not representative of my overall experience with the Miata. After all, I had to live with it for a week.

Live with it

When not forcing large luggage into the trunk or thrashing the car on a mountain highway, the Miata was ... fine.
That's not to say it's not without its fair share of creature comforts. For example, the soft-top was easy to open and close. The suspension was soft over bumps but very flat during cornering — something the Miata has always excelled at. And the infotainment system was easy to use. Heck, callers could even hear me clearly over Bluetooth — even with the top down driving at speed.
Those things said, however, behind the wheel of the 2016 Miata, I couldn't help but feel like

I had sacrificed too much to the driving gods.

I had sacrificed too much to the driving gods. The thing looks like a half-size Japanese Jaguar F-TYPE and drives like one, too. I wonder, though, if not having a trunk or much space inside is really worth the trade-off for inexpensive open-top motoring. And I can't believe I'm going to say this: But I don't think it is.
Let's think about it this way: The 2016 MX-5 Miata I drove was the Club model. Although the base unit starts at $24,915, my press demonstrator clocked in at $32,820, as it added an aerodynamics kit, 17-inch wheels, and the aforementioned Brembo brakes.

2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata

Granted, this is still very inexpensive for a rip-roaring sports car. Ignore a few of those descriptors, though, and the cost becomes questionable.
For the same money (or less), you can get a well-equipped Subaru WRX that has more horsepower, two more doors, seating for five, all-wheel drive, and a far, far larger trunk. And I dare say it handles as well — if not better — than the Miata.
Sure, the WRX might not be convertible, but all its windows come down, so you're not losing too much of the wind-in-the-hair allure.

Connected car

Despite it being less practical than a Subaru, there is one realm where I see the Miata standing out: As a connected car.
Now, I don't mean "connected" in the technological sense — quite the opposite, actually. As the digitalization of cars ramps up, the connection between driver and the road is eroded. For most, this isn't a bad thing because stripped-down driving is a pain (even for me, mostly).
Where a novice driver might be able to operate the 2016 Audi TTS very quickly on a track or country backroad, their handling prowess can be fully attributed not to their own hand-to-eye coordination but rather to the onboard computer systems (and German magic).
The same cannot be said of the Miata.

From behind the wheel, you're hardwired to the road

From behind the wheel, you're hardwired to the road. There are no supercomputers doing the driving for you. In order to get the best from it, you'll have to personally wring out every bit of performance. Essentially, you'll have to suffer for your artful driving. Arguably, fewer and fewer people desire this experience from their $30,000 car, as evidenced by the Miata being the only car in its class. I wonder, though, if the market for a stripped-down little two-seater will grow ever so slowly over the next decade, as autonomy takes over.
As new cars — and their drivers — become more and more removed from the driving process, the new Miata is a refreshing if flawed return to being one with the road.

2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata

The Good

Cushy but flat-handling suspension • Micro-Jaguar body lines • Virtually understeer-free

The Bad

Tiny, tiny, tiny

The Bottom Line

Mazda’s new Miata might not offer much occupants space, but it connects them to the road better than anything else for the money.