THIS YEAR’S GENEVA Motor Show was dripping with drool-worthy supercars and full of futuristic concepts with AI assistants.
And while these types of cars are fascinating in many ways, they aren’t exactly attainable to most of us mere mortal motorists.
Thankfully, in amongst the self-driving cars of the future, were a whole host of production-ready new cars. From practical family wagons to seriously sexy sportscars here are seven cars that will be making their way onto Irish roads in the coming months.
Audi A6
This is the all-new, fifth-generation Audi A6 and according to Audi, the saloon “condenses A8-style technological sophistication and refinement into a beautifully proportioned executive class silhouette.”
All engines in the new A6 feature new mild-hybrid technology. Here a belt alternator starter (BAS) works together with a lithium-ion battery, enabling the A6 to coast at speeds of between 54km/h and 159km/h in the interest of fuel economy and to initiate its start-stop function earlier – at speeds of 20km/h and below. The engine is restarted from standstill predictively as soon as the vehicle in front of the Audi A6 starts moving.
Audi is launching the A6 range with the same two engines found in the A7 Sportback, so that means a 340hp 3.0-litre TFSI V6 petrol and a 286hp 3.0-litre TDI V6 diesel.
The new Audi A6 will be available in Ireland in the summer.
BMW X4
This is the all-new, second-generation BMW X4 ‘coupe SUV’ that shares much with its X3 sibling.
Compared to the previous model, this version of the mid-size Sports Activity Coupé is 81mm longer, 37mm wider and has 54mm added to the wheelbase. It is also lower by 3mm, and 50kg lighter.
The new X4 has a choice of two diesel engines, the xDrive20d and M40d. Joining the range later on will be a petrol-powered six-cylinder in-line engine (M40i) as well as another straight-six diesel unit (xDrive30d).
The xDrive20d model is paired with an eight-speed Steptronic gearbox and all-wheel drive transmission. The BMW M Performance models and the BMW X4 xDrive30d are equipped with an eight-speed Steptronic Sport gearbox and all-wheel drive transmission.
The order book for the BMW X4 in Ireland is already open and the X4 xDrive20d starts at €67,190 on-the-road, with the X4 M40d at €90,675.
Ford Mustang Bullitt
The new special edition Ford Mustang Bullitt – celebrating the 50th anniversary the legendary film – made its European debut at the Geneva Motor Show and has been confirmed for sale in Europe.
This limited-edition Mustang Bullitt is powered by an upgraded version of the 5.0-litre V8 engine in the regular coupe, and is rated at 481hp and 569Nm. That’s enough for a top speed of 261km/h, and a faster 0-100km/h time than the 421hp/530Nm Mustang.
To make this Mustang as authentic as possible to the car McQueen drove in the film Bullitt, the car has a manual transmission with a white cue-ball shift knob. The car also comes in Dark Highland Green which is the colour of the original Bullit Mustang.
Deliveries of the new Ford Mustang for customers in Europe will begin later this year.
Hyundai Santa Fe
The all-new, fourth-generation Hyundai Santa Fe – the Korean company’s SUV flagship – made its debut at the Geneva Motor Show and the big news here is that the seven-seat SUV will be available in hybrid and plug-in hybrid versions. Along with the new powertrains come updated looks that are inspired by the recently launched Kona SUV.
The Hyundai Santa Fe will go on sale in the summer.
Jaguar I-Pace
The Jaguar I-Pace is a mid-sized, five-seat, all-electric SUV with four-wheel drive.
The I-Pace is powered by a 90kWh lithium-ion battery with 432 pouch cells which give the car a 480km single-charge range. On each axle are two Jaguar-designed electric motors, with driveshafts passing through the motors themselves for compactness.
Together, they provide four-wheel drive and outputs of 400hp, as well as 696Nm of torque. This gives the I-Pace a 0-100km/h time of 4.5 seconds.
The Jaguar I-Pace is available to order now.
Kia Ceed SW
Kia has launched the Sportswagon estate version of the new Ceed. Yup that’s Ceed and no longer the Cee’d.
Ceed Sportswagon buyers can choose between three petrol engines: Kia’s popular 1.0-litre T-GDi (turbocharged gasoline direct injection) engine, producing 120hp; a new 1.4-litre T-GDi power unit, producing 140hp; or a 100hp 1.4-litre MPi (multi-point injection) engine. There’s also the option of a new 1.6-litre CRDi (common-rail direct injection) with a choice of power outputs (115hp and 136hp). This new 1.6-litre diesel produces 280Nm of torque.
The Ceed Sportswagon will be available during Q4 of this year and will come with Kia’s seven-year, 150,000km warranty.
Mercedes-AMG 4-door GT Coupé
The new coupé is the first four-door sports car from Affalterbach and draws directly on the legendary SLS and AMG GT models of success. The 4-door GT Coupe has a fastback design making it a rather practical sportscar.
The car can be had with a 435hp 3.0-litre turbocharged engine or a 4.0-litre ‘hot inside V’ twin-turbo motor with outputs of either 585hp or a massive 639hp. All models come with AMG Performance 4Matic+ all-wheel drive transmission paired with an AMG Speedshift TCT 9G gearbox.
The sales release of the Mercedes-AMG 4-door GT Coupé is in summer 2018.
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