GENEVA MOTOR SHOW: Top 5 cars... you can afford
The biggest motor show of the year, find all the latest cars and news from Geneva 2017 hereIt’s arguably the world's most glamorous motor show, but Geneva is definitely a key conduit between car-makers and the world’s auto media. It’s here most brands send their most senior execs and choose to show off what they expect to be their global bestsellers.
So it should come as no surprise that four of our top five most important real world cars from the show are SUVs.
The high-riding wagons have been selling their socks off for years now in Australia and the rest of the world is catching on, with sleeker designs, semi-autonomous driving tech and improved drivability, safety and economy now the norm.
Before you say "why is there a bloody Volvo on this list?!" hear me out. The Swedish car-maker, via Chinese funding, is not just making ultra-safe cars anymore, it's crafting lavish cabins with high-tech flourishes too.
This one has an interior that'll make the Mercedes-Benz GLC take notice with a giant digital dash, massive "button free" touchscreen infotainment system and ergonomic luxury leather seats complete with subtle and swoopy Swedish design.
This is going to be a massive seller for the European brand and we can’t wait to see how the "baby XC90" performs. Expect to pay from around $55-60K when it arrives in Australia sometime in 2018.
Okay, so this isn’t an SUV… And we’re happy about that!
Australian hot hatch enthusiasts and the VTEC faithful have been pleading for a hot Honda Civic for years and now, finally, they're going to get one. A proper one!
Our first taste of the turbo 2.0-litre VTEC engine punching out 235kW and 400Nm will come late in 2017, and priced at around $50,000 it's expected to be one of the hottest front-drive hatch backs available in the country.
Sporting a wild body kit that screams "I know, and I don't care", the Civic Type R comes with a suitably racy interior too, complete with body-hugging bucket seats.
It's got a six-speed manual and a new rear suspension setup should make it a little easier to live with day to day. We can’t wait to give this one a good thrashing. Australia's Best Driver's Car 2018 watch out!
Forget for a minute that the new-look Nissan QASHQAI can be ordered in early 2018 in two new colours, Vivid Blue and Chestnut Bronze.
No, the big news for Europe's top-selling (and Australia's fourth-best-selling) compact SUV is that it now has self-driving functionality. Fitted with Nissan's advanced ProPilot technology, the Qashqai will be one of the most affordable vehicles that can accelerate, brake and steer itself.
Priced from around $30,000, the QASHQAI five-seat city SUV gets a fresh new look with that angular theme the Japanese seem fond of, and a new-look cabin that actually looks pretty schmick.
There's a bit of pomp about it too, with the flagship models getting BOSE stereo systems and soft Nappa leather seats with Bentley-style diamond quilting. See, you don't have to spend big bucks to feel good!
What's orange, about the size of a small car, has a wagon body and a high-ride? The all-new Subaru XV! We're starting to see a pattern here…
There's a clearly a global sweet spot for circa-$30,000 vehicles like this, but Subaru says it's car will stand out from the pack because it's safer and more fun to drive than the rest.
A new platform (from Impreza) brings some clever new tech to the party, including semi-autonomous driving aids plus the potential of a hybrid powertrain in the future.
And it'll need that too, because while this vehicle will be a massive seller in Australia and globally, it's 115kW 2.0-litre flat four-cylinder engine is neither efficient nor engaging. Especially with a CVT. Yuck!
Okay, so it might look like a dog's breakfast, but Mitsubishi's new model could be all things to all people, and won't cost the earth. And frankly, Mitsu needs some good news…
Expected to be priced at around $30,000, the five-seat SUV is bigger than the Mitsubishi ASX but slightly smaller than the Outlander, and features an angular exterior design, proving that beauty is in the eye of the beholder!
Power will come from a 1.5-litre turbo-petrol or 2.2-litre turbo-diesel engine matched with automatic transmissions, and all-wheel drive is offered too, as is Active Yawn, sorry Yaw, Control.
Inside the new Mitsu, potential owners will be greeted by a fancy new futuristic dashboard, complete with a cool touchpad controller, head-up display and Apple CarPlay/Android Auto compatibility. It'll hook up with Google Maps, has voice control and more.
Connected cars are coming and they'll be the must-have feature for the next generation.
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