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CROSSOVERS

What makes a good crossover? High driving position; funky looks; economical engines…

MG GS Price from £14,995 Engine 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol/164bhp Economy 53.2mpg

MG is reinventing itself under its new Chinese stewardship as a maker of decent-driving budget cars. The GS is a five-seat Nissan Qashqai rival. Its engine was developed in conjunction with General Motors and for now it’ll only be sold in frontwheel drive guise. But although well equipped, the interior is awash with bland design and poor materials, while the seats aren’t particularly comfortable and the ride quality is overly stiff.

PEUGEOT 3008 Price from £22,000 (est) Engine 1.6-litre 4-cylinder diesel/100bhp Economy 62mpg (est)

As handsome as its predecessor was ugly, the new second-generation 3008 appears to be the SUV that Peugeot needs to rival the Nissan Qashqai and the VW Tiguan. It has a competitive, clean and economical engine lineup. Rather than fourwheel drive, the driven front wheels benefit from Grip Control, which the maker claims is an effective electronic

RENAULT KOLEOS Price from £23,000 (est) Engine 1.6-litre 4-cylinder diesel/128bhp Economy 45mpg (est)

The Koleos is based around the proven oily bits of the Nissan X-Trail. It will be offered with both front- and fourwheel drive. Renault claims it will be an instant class-topper on interior space. The cabin will also have plenty of premium materials and the extensive options list shows Renault is trying to shift slightly upmarket to make space for its budget brand Dacia.

SEAT ATECA Price from £17,990 Engine 1.0-litre 3-cylinder petrol/115bhp Economy 54.3mpg

The Ateca is Seat’s first SUV and it’s a corker. Although it uses the same fundamentals as the Volkswagen Tiguan, the Ateca has been designed to look and feel sportier – job done on both counts. The ride might be a little firm for some tastes but it’s still comfortable. Despite that high ground clearance, four-wheel drive is only available on top-spec models. Complete with a decentsized boot and a wellequipped cabin, it’s an instant hit.

AUDI Q2 Price from £20,000 (est) Engine 1.0-litre 3-cylinder petrol/114bhp Economy 50mpg (est)

Although slightly bigger than a Mini Countryman, the five-seat Q2 is 20cm shorter than its Q3 big brother. The German company is keen for this car to appeal to younger buyers so the Q2 is a less conservative design than other Audis. There are 12 body colours, contrasting roofs and painted dash inserts. It also has a wide range of engines and an interior finished to Audi’s usual impeccably high standards.

Young at heart

The Audi Q2 is pitched at less conservative tastes

S KODA KODI AQ

Price from £23,000 (est) Engine 1.4-litre 4-cylinder petrol/123bhp Economy 50mpg The Czech maker’s large SUV has been designed to go up against the Kia Sorento and Nissan X-Trail among others. Priced just above the VW Tiguan, it’s a much bigger seven-seater, in line with Skoda’s trademark valuefor-money offering. The interior is versatile, with a sliding middle row of seats. And there will be plenty of equipment on offer as Skoda aims to do to SUVs what the Superb did for big saloons. SSANGYONG TIVOLI XLV

Price from £16,000 (est) Engine 1.6-litre 4-cylinder petrol/128bhp Economy 58mpg (est)

In its regular guise, the Tivoli has been an unexpected hit for the South Korean maker Ssang-Yong in the UK. So it is launching this elongated XLV version. Although still only a fiveseater, the XLV has a significantly larger boot than its sister car and rivals such as the Kia Sportage. True to form, the interior feels distinctly budget.

ECO CARS

What makes a good eco-car? Decent electric range; low running costs; affordable purchase price…

KIA NIRO HYBRID

Price from £22,000 (est) Engine 1.6-litre 4-cylinder petrol hybrid/139bhp Economy 74.3mpg The Niro is an all-new Kia worked up to capitalise on drivers’ increasing desire for petrol-electric power. Sitting between the Cee’d and Sportage in Kia’s lineup it’s a conventionallooking crossover. Despite the 4x4 promise of extra body cladding, it’ll only be available with frontwheel drive, and that will keep running costs down. An orthodox five-seat family car, it should appeal to people turned off by Toyota’s increasingly Marmite design.

HYUNDAI IONIQ

Price from £19,995 Engine 1.6-litre 4-cylinder petrol hybrid/139bhp Economy 83.1mpg If you thought petrolelectric hybrid cars had to be expensive, the Hyundai Ioniq makes you think again. The five-seat family car starts at £19,995 – £3,000+ cheaper than a Prius. The Ioniq has a sixspeed dual-clutch automatic gearbox for a more responsive engine. Available as a straight hybrid, a plug-in hybrid and a pure electric vehicle.

DREAM CARS

What makes a dream car? Exclusive badge; meteoric performance; the X factor…

ASTON MARTIN DB11

Price from £154,950 Engine 5.2-litre 12-cylinder petrol/600bhp Economy 20mpg (est) With the DB9 now in its 13th year, Aston Martin has deemed it worthy of replacement. The good news: this is a clean-sheet design, albeit still using the bonded aluminium chassis. The V12, downsized from nearly 6.0 litres, is twinturbocharged to be more powerful and efficient than the DB9. Made to be more agile than its predecessor, too, the DB11 is destined to be a true sporting GT.

FERRARI G TC -4 LUSSO Price from £230,430 Engine 6.2-litre 12-cylinder petrol/680bhp Economy 18.8mpg

They’re so rare you may have forgotten Ferrari made the four-wheel drive, four-seat FF. No matter; the GTC-4 Lusso is its successor. Agile performer The Ferrari GTC-4 Lusso, successor to the rare FF Although the Lusso looks similar to the FF, it doesn’t share a single body panel. The V12 engine has been worked on as well and now 90 per cent of its power can be sent to the rear wheels. With rear steering, active damping and an electronic differential, it’s as agile as it is quick.

MERCEDE S - A MG GT R

Price from £130,000 (est) Engine 4.0-litre 8-cylinder petrol/577bhp Economy 20mpg (est) This track-ready version of Merc’s supercar has had a makeover to make it even more focused. The green paint job references the Green Hell nickname of the Nürburgring Nordschleife race track and the car is just as scary. The uprated engine gives a 0-62mph time of 3.6 seconds. The GT R has active rearwheel steering.