Cars we’re looking forward to in 2019
Stuff Motoring writers Richard Bosselman, Damien O’Carroll and David Linklater pick their most anticipated new cars.
The new year is well under way and we’re looking forward to a raft of new models to drive. But which ones specifically?
Richard Bosselman
Don’t misinterpret my staking primary interest in the Jaguar I-Pace.
It certainly doesn’t mean I’ve joined the anti-‘‘planet killer’’ brigade. I don’t for a moment think electrics are near becoming a be-all.
Yet I accept this everfascinating, fast-improving technology can’t be ignored and, with all respect to eccentric Elon, it’ll be the mainstream industry that’ll properly open the door.
The much-anticipated onslaught from Europe and the United Kingdom is rolling in over the next few years, and while every 2019-cited model (Audi E-Tron, Mercedes Benz EQC, Nissan Leaf e+, Kia e-Niro) piques interest, I-Pace has my personal priority.
Being a premium product is a positive: the well-heeled will be great ambassadors, today, for what we will all be driving in the future.
Genuine athleticism and boundary-breaking intent aside, the I-Pace is also true to the Jaguar spirit and as new-age important as the E-Type was in its day.
Not convinced? Funnily, neither was a mate . . . until, on returning to his old job as a performance driving instructor in Bahrain, he found his very first duty was I-Pace familiarisation. A bloke derisive of ‘‘appliances’’ became a total convert; the car drove so well.
What else? Toyota’s Supra will cost, seems a bit light output-wise, could have stood a more advanced drivetrain and occupies a niche within the niche the under-valued 86 sits in, yet . . . awesome, right?
Those BMW genes won’t hurt and the Gazoo Racing influence lends boundless possibility.
My other wanna-try is utterly off the wall. The Tarraco.
I’ve enjoyed the flavour Seat lends VW Group product and I really like Skoda’s Kodiaq – as does the market – so the Spanish version could be a local brandmaking breakthrough.
Damien O’Carroll
It does disturb me somewhat that two of the three cars I am most looking forward to driving are SUVs, but I guess that is where the market is now. Regardless of how we feel about that.
That said, they are two mighty cool SUVs.
I have always loved the Suzuki Jimny – its tenacious go-anywhere abilities and charmingly basic nature are enough to see you through its rather grim aroundtown ride and the all-new, blatantly mini-Mercedes G Wagen-esque styling of the new one puts it clearly over the top as the thing I am currently obsessing most about driving this year.
The Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio has been a long time coming. Like, a really long time – we have featured it in our ‘‘cars coming next year’’ features twice so far and have been writing about its Nurburgring lap record setting feats for even longer, so we’re not entirely convinced we will get to drive it in 2019, but hold out hope . . .
And it should be worth the wait – we have driven its sedan equivalent – the Giulia Quadrifoglio – and it was a superbly fun thing, while the car that (just) nicked the Stelvio’s Nurburgring crown – the Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 – shows just how much fun a monster muscle SUV can actually be.
But the car that I am most looking forward to getting on a specific stretch of road is due here in the first half of the year.
The car is the Ford Fiesta ST and the road I am not telling you about, because it is my happy place and I don’t want to share it.
The previous ST was one of the most purely enjoyable cars I have ever driven, even if it was afflicted with way too narrow Recaro race seats that made it a literal pain in the butt to spend long periods of time in.
The new one packs a 147kW/ 290Nm 1.5-litre turbo version of Ford’s brilliant three-cylinder EcoBoost engine hooked up to a six-speed manual transmission, making me smile already.
David Linklater
In this business people often ask what your favourite car is. I always answer that there’s no such thing because driving cars is part of the job we do and each vehicle is assessed on its fitness for purpose and relative merits.
That’s nonsense of course. My favourite car is the Porsche 911.
So the new eighth-generation 992-series model heading our way has to be top of the list. It looks the same as it always did, perhaps even a little more retro than before. That’s good.
If the first international reports are anything to go by, Porsche has added a whole lot of cutting-edge technology (70 per cent aluminium construction, virtual instruments), even more power – and yet kept the uniquely engaging handling character that we know and love the 911 for.
Why not the Taycan, Porsche’s all-electric sports car? Love the idea of that, but although we’ll see it this year, it won’t arrive in New Zealand until 2020.
I love lots of EVs. I not-sosecretly loathe the current Nissan Leaf. Yes, it’s been an important car for the EV cause globally.
But it looks silly (it’s also not that aerodynamic, which makes it quite cynical) and its appliancelike nature makes it a poster child for people who hate cars but don’t want to do without one. It doesn’t help that worn-out examples seem to circle free charging stations like grumpy eco-sharks.
However, I reckon the all-new Leaf looks very promising indeed.
Can’t wait to have a go and I’m especially pleased that it’ll be providing buyers with more plugin choice in the new-car market. Because that’s really the way forward if plug-ins are to thrive here in the future.
I’m not an SUV person really, but I’m very excited about the Cupra Ateca. Full disclosure: a Seat Ateca FR lives at my house
. . . although it’s not my car.
Anyway, silly-fast SUVs are nothing new, but there’s nothing quite like the Cupra Ateca among medium SUVs (or anything really at its proposed $63,900 price): crackling 224kW turbo engine, allwheel drive and a badge (because it’s not technically a ‘‘Seat’’) that looks positively devilish.