Worth waiting for: new models arriving in 2011

14/12/10

If you’re about to buy a car, the last thing you want is for a shiny replacement model to appear just weeks later, making yours old-hat.

But that needn’t happen – not if you watch for news of new models due to pitch up at showrooms soon, writes Ray Castle of motors.co.uk. And here we give a helping hand. Next year promises to be a busy one as car companies ready a bumper clutch of launches for market. Here are the five we reckon are most likely to set drivers talking.

Nissan Leaf
Due: February 2011
All-electric family hatchback is a first for Nissan and a milestone for the industry. A charge-up takes eight hours using a regular household socket and should leave change from £2. Once fully powered-up it should be good for 100 miles, depending on how gently you drive. There’s, no emissions (at least direct from the car: its power has to be generated, though), so road tax is free and it’ll also be exempt from the London Congestion Charge.

A government grant of £5000 available to buyers brings the price down to £23,990 but that’s still pitched far above  its more conventional rivals. But a smooth ride, quick steering and swift take-off from a halt makes it a pleasure to drive. It is also uncannily quiet – so much that Nissan has given it a faint turbine-like ‘woosh’ at low speeds to warn pedestrians and other road users of its approach.

Ford Focus
Due: March 2011
The new car will be a heavily revised version of the current one rather than a ground-up redesign. And while it won’t look radically different from before – it looks from some angles like a bigger version of the current Ford Fiesta - thorough-going changes to the suspension and sound insulation will see the car approach new standards of comfort and refinement. Ford also promises that the fabrics and plastics used in the cabin will make it classiest car of its size and type and that particular attention will be paid to the close and even fit of all interior panels.

The Focus has always been one of the most involving cars in its class to drive, and the new one gets updated suspension and a new electrically powered steering set-up. It will also get as range of powerful but economical and low-emissions engines.

Audi A6
Due: Spring 2011
No surprises here: the new A6 is shaped by the styling themes we’ve seen in other models, notably the A8 luxury saloon and A7 Sportback. Its designers, however, say it looks lower and sportier when viewed in the metal and up close. The body mixed steel and aluminium panels to reduce weight, making it a fair bit lighter than BMW’s 5-series, its arch-rival. It also helps improve fuel economy and reduce CO2 emissions. In that respect, the petrol-engined versions will improve by 13% yet will be more powerful.

Yet it is the diesel models that will be the big sellers and here the economy/emissions gains are even greater. The 2.0 170bhp turbodiesel will be capable of 57mpg and 129g/km, which is a big improvement. There will also be a petrol/electric hybrid version that’s capable of reaching up to 62mph on electric power alone and will also run for several miles without needing to start its petrol engine. Overall, it’ll be capable of 45.5mpg and CO2 emissions of 142g/km.

Peugeot 3008 Hybrid
Due: Spring 2011
Peugeot’s roomy and well planned ‘crossover’ has been with us for more than a year already. But the hybrid version breaks new ground. Where others use petrol engines, It’ll be the first to combine a diesel engine with petrol power. Using a development of the2.0 HDi motor used in the RCZ, its combined output will be 200bhp but its CO2 output will be just 99g/km. That’s low enough for it to qualify for free road tax and, because it’s a hybrid, it avoids the London Congestion Charge. It will also return up to 74mpg overall, a figure that’s all the more exceptional when you consider that this model also has four-wheel drive.

What’s more, it can be switched to use only its electric motor (though the diesel will cut in if the level of charge drops too low), turning it into a zero-emissions city runabout.

Range Rover Evoque
Due: August 2011
Land Rover is working ever harder to bring its cars more in line with the environmental mood of the moment. And if that means producing lighter cars and offering fuel-efficient ones that are powered by two-wheel-drive, so be it. The Evoque will be the smallest and lightest Land Rover yet. But it will be a high-quality offering as denoted by its positioning as a Range Rover. It’ll be available with three of five doors and three distinct trim packages: Pure, Premium and Dynamic. Each gives a different ‘take’ on providing a luxury cabin. ‘Pure’ will be understated and show off the Evoque’s design most cleanly; ‘Premium’ will major on luxury while ‘Dynamic’ will lend the vehicle a sportier look and feel.

There’ll also be plenty of high-tech options including a dual-view in-dash screen that’ll let the passenger watch a film on DVD while the driver uses it for sat-nav directions.

Finally…
If you’re shopping for a new or nearly new car and you’ve an eye for a bargain, search out where one of these newcomers replaces an existing model. So long as you don’t mind an older design, you could be on the way to a gigantic saving.

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