Top cars to look out for in 2017 - Vauxhall, Ford, BMW, Citroen, Skoda and more
SOME brilliant new motors will soon be arriving in showrooms. NAT BARNES is your guide for 2017
Best new cars to look out for in 2017
Mazda CX5
On sale: June Price: est from £23,500
ASIDE from stealing all the plaudits at the year-end Los Angeles Motor Show, Mazda’s new CX5 could be going head to head with Peugeot’s 3008 for best crossover honours in 2017.
With 1.2 million sales since 2012 the CX5 is one of Mazda’s most popular sellers but has perhaps never enjoyed the limelight it deserves.
This new CX5 doesn’t look like a huge departure from before but there are sharper looks, a much-improved interior and gorgeous new optional Soul Red Crystal paintwork.
Larger exterior dimensions have led to more space on the inside while there’s also the latest safety tech as on the smaller Mazda 3 hatchback such as city braking and rear cross traffic alert.
If you’re looking for a crossover in 2017 this CX5 and the 3008 need to be on your shopping list.
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Vauxhall Insignia Grand Sport 2017
VAUXHALL INSIGNIA GRAND SPORT
On sale: summer Price: est from £18,000
IT’S easy to forget that “repmobiles” once dominated British roads.
At one point in its lifetime the Ford Cortina accounted for one in six of all cars built in the UK
Today’s Ford Mondeo and Vauxhall Insignia might be shadows of their former selves in sales terms but the irony is that they’re now better than ever.
This new Insignia, called the Grand Sport, is longer, lower but lighter than the existing model and also boasts some pretty good looks from the first pictures.
The news gets better too with LED headlights, a heated windscreen, head-up display and Vauxhall’s brilliant OnStar system as well.
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BMW 5-Series
BMW 5-SERIES
On sale: February 11 Price: from £36,025
THERE is no question that the BMW 5-Series has become a giant of the company car park.
The old 5-Series sold an incredible 2.2 million units worldwide in just six years and even in 2015 sold double what Jaguar’s XF achieved, despite hardly being in the first flush of youth.
This new version only looks likely to cement that reputation further.
Sharper styling, more refi nement and for the first time the arrival of four-wheel drive, only a fool would bet against it dominating the class in 2017.
An ultra-eco 520d model will achieve just 101g/km in the spring while a Touring estate joins the range in due course.
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New Ford Fiesta 2017
FORD FIESTA
On sale: summer Price: est from £13,000
BLINK and you might miss the changes to the exterior of the new Ford Fiesta, due in showrooms next summer.
Thankfully the lack of changes to the outside aren’t matched inside where you’ll find the latest tech and engines including a more powerful turbo-diesel and three versions of Ford’s 1.0-litre EcoBoost powerplant.
There are also four different trim levels too including Titanium, a luxurious Vignale version, a sportylooking ST-Line and an Active crossover model.
Don’t be surprised to see a full-on ST hot hatch version in course too.
As Britain’s favourite supermini the new Fiesta has some big shoes to fill but we’ve got no doubt that it will be up to the task.
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Škoda Kodiaq
ŠKODA KODIAQ
On sale: April Price: from £21,495
THE Škoda brand has come so far in recent years and this Kodiaq will ram that point home.
With the seven-seater 4x4 market having grown to replace much of the old people carrier sector, this family car should be one to watch.
Available with two and four-wheel drive and also in five and seven-seater formats, we think the Kodiaq could be one of Škoda’s biggest hits of 2017.
Better yet it will also be packed with Škoda’s now renowned clever, everyday features including spring-loaded door protectors that pop out and guard the leading edge of the door in tight car park spaces.
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New Citroën C3 2017
CITROËN C3
On sale: tomorrow Price: from £10,795
IT might be Citroën’s biggest selling car but the old Citroën C3 has never really caught the imaginations of British supermini buyers.
This new C3 certainly won’t be a car to slink away into the shadows at showrooms though.
With looks inspired by the larger C4 Cactus, the C3 gets the same airbumps on the side to protect from supermarket car park knocks plus a range of the latest tech petrol and turbo-diesel engines to see emissions well below 100g/km.
Add that to a built-in dash cam for safety and it’s got all the ingredients of a challenging, alternative supermini.
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Land Rover Discovery 2017
LAND ROVER DISCOVERY
On sale: spring Price: from £43,495
WE are big fans of the Land Rover Discovery and we’re not alone, the green oval has sold more than 1.2 million of them over the past 27 years and it’s not hard to see why.
Do you want a seven-seater for all the family, a practical workhorse or a comfortable executive saloon?
The fact is that the Discovery is all three rolled into one and then some.
This fifth-generation model gets improved build quality, materials and technology inside, while also featuring better fuel economy and emissions thanks in large part to a huge weight loss of 75 stone.
The split tailgate has gone but there’ll be a sliding boot floor instead and more flexibility and practicality than you’ll ever need.
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