You wouldn’t think a vehicle that tops off at 8 miles-per-hour would be displayed anywhere near the North American International Auto Show, an annual event characterized by one of our car editors as “known for its musclebound bravado and over-the-top stunts.” But in the lobby of Detroit’s Cobo Center, attendees there to see cars like the 190- to 200-MPH Falcon F7 were nevertheless impressed.

Only the vehicle in question wasn’t exactly one you’d drive to impress your date—or stuff with family for a jaunt to the shore. It was the Craftsman CTX, a new, high-end line of yard and garden tractors that range from the $3,000 model 25004 (42-inches) to the $6,500 25007, a 54-incher.

One feature the tractor line shares with autos is traction control, which powers the rear wheels independently for greater stability. There’s also electronic cutting-height adjustment, an electronic fuel-management system (for more reliable starting) in the Briggs & Stratton engines, and quick deck removal for easy access to the blades or for mode changes.

Besides such other features as an 18-inch turning radius, this line has ground speeds up to 8 MPH forward and 3 MPH in reverse. We’ve tested other fast Craftsman tractors, such as the 54-inch 28861 for our Ratings, and zero-turn-radius models are up to twice as fast as a rule. But such speeds are solely for traveling back and forth between where you’re mowing and where you store the unit. For careful, even mowing, you’ll need to keep the pace to roughly 3 MPH.

Kris Malkoski, vice president and general manager of the Craftsman brand, explained to NPR that car show attendees are do-it-yourselfers with big yards and enough disposable income to buy upscale vehicles. “They care about the way their yard looks just like car fanatics care about the way their car looks,” she said.

We’re looking forward to next month, when the CTX tractors become available, so we can get one to our testing site in Fort Myers, Florida. At first blush? If cutting evenness matters, we’d lean toward the 42-inch 25004, the only model with two blades, since three-bladed models typically haven’t cut as evenly in our tests. And unless you’ve already sprung for a car you saw at the Auto Show—making a high-end tractor a pittance by comparison—you’ll find many less expensive models that also sport heavy-duty frames, cruise control, digital controls, and tight steering.