50. VOLVO XC40

Price £26,000 (est) On sale Spring 2018

VOLVO will add another new SUV to its line-up this time next year, in the shape of the XC40. The new Audi Q3-sized model will be based heavily on the 40.1 concept car (above) revealed last spring.

While the XC60 and XC90 share a great deal in terms of styling DNA, Volvo doesn’t intend to follow a ‘Russian Doll’ strategy with the upcoming XC40. The car will strike out on its own instead, with a much more angular design – in contrast to the smooth, minimalist looks of its bigger stablemates – that will help to set it apart in the manufacturer’s SUV line-up.

The XC40 will also be one of the first cars to sit on Volvo’s new Compact Modular Architecture smallcar platform, and will form part of a three-strong ‘40’ line-up, sitting alongside new versions of the V40 hatchback and S40 saloon.

Under the bonnet, we expect a threecylinder turbocharged petrol engine and a fourcylinder diesel to appear, alongside plug-in hybrid technology. The production version of the XC40 could emerge as soon as the Shanghai Motor Show in April.

“XC40 will have a much more angular design, in contrast to the smooth, minimalist looks of the bigger XC60 and XC90”

WHILE an up! GTI might seem like a variant too far for the legendary GTI badge, the reality is that Volkswagen’s smashhit city car isn’t much different in size to the original Golf Mk1.

Power for the new flagship comes from a 114bhp version of the three-cylinder turbo petrol engine, which is the same output as the original GTI, too. We’ve only driven a prototype, but the prospects of the production version delivering involving handling and perky performance look good.