15 Facelifted and Updated Cars Coming in 2019

The BMW 3 Series has been given improvements in all areas for 2019. Both technological and mechanical improvements bring the 3 Series into its finest form to date. The body shape is now more sculpted and visually attractive too. The 3 series is now greater in length but 50 kilograms lighter on the scales yet it still maintains a perfect 50:50 weight distribution - which is the winning formula that has kept the 3 Series as the best driving ‘junior’ saloon on the market. The boot space is unchanged at 480 litres, so it’s just as practical as before, but the biggest improvement is to the in-car-infotainment system, which was where the 3 Series has been lagging behind the competition in recent years.The new 3 Series is on sale now from £33,610

Another BMW is being gifted a new lease of life and this time it’s the chunky X6 SUV. The first thing you’ll notice is the massive nostrils that we’ll be breathing down your neck via the rearview mirror if you’re caught hanging around too long in the outside lane of the motorway. The X6 will be based on the platform of the X5 and it will come with comfy air-suspension as a standard fitted feature but again, like the 3-Series, the most notable improvement will come from the onboard computer system which promises to be more user-friendly and more aesthetically pleasing than before.

Prices are expected to start from around £62,000 with order books opening from Summer 2019.

Mazda is releasing a new model of their Mazda3 and it looks absolutely stunning. This looks like it has the potential to go on and rival the likes of the Ford Focus and Volkswagen Golf. The new shape looks frighteningly similar to the concept car debuted in Tokyo back in 2017, which shows that Mazda has been very bold with their design of this car. The Mazda3 will use the same high-tech engines that exist elsewhere in the Mazda lineup and it will use a revamped interior that follows the same mantra of the old Mazda3. So expect a simplistic, minimalistic design which isn’t distracting but allows the driver to control the goings-on in an efficient manner. The Mazda3 will be going on sale imminently and deliveries can be expected before Summer 2019.

Mercedes will continue their all-out assault on the SUV market as they revamp their smallest model, the GLA. The current model is getting a little bit dated as it has been on sale for over 4 years now. The new GLA will get the dual-touchscreen setup which was first introduced in the S-Class but is now being spread across the range. The new GLA will boast new headlights and tail lights as well as better-packaged trim levels. It will still be the most affordable of the Mercedes-Benz SUVs and the price will be adjusted to rival the new Audi Q2. Prices are yet to be announced but you can expect to pay from around £30,000 for a brand new model when they do come out.

A second update Mercedes’ arsenal of SUVs goes to the Mercedes-Benz GLE - the second largest of the family after the GLS. The new GLE is already on sale and we’re expecting deliveries to start within the next 2 months, and we can see this one being a top-seller in its class. Firstly, the GLE is stunning from the outside but more importantly, the interior is class-leading. We’d go as far as saying it outshines the likes of the Range Rover Sport, but that is subjective of course. The GLE will start from £55,685 and that's for the ‘entry-level’ GLE300d 4MATIC which still has almost 250 horsepower and bucket-loads (500Nm) of torque. It is likely that a GLE63 AMG model will be added to the lineup in future but that is likely to cost upwards of £100,000.

Now, back to cars that normal people can actually afford. The much-loved Nissan Juke is being given a nip and tuck in 2019 to bring it up to speed with a class that has become extremely populated since the Juke was first introduced. Looking at the design of the new Juke, it isn’t quite as radical as the previous model, which isn’t a good or a bad thing as such, but it certainly looks more like a smaller-Qashqai than the previous Juke ever did. Cars like the Peugeot 2008, Renault Captur and Audi Q2 simply didn’t exist when the first Juke was released, so Nissan will certainly have a much more difficult job repeating the success of the Juke this time around. We’ll have to wait and see how it goes, we expect the Juke to go on sale around July 2019.

The 208 is being given an update in 2019 and, looking at the early spy shots, you’d be forgiven for thinking it’s a new 308. The 208 as certainly grown in size and stature, and currently, there are only photos of a 5-door model, which would make sense as most hatchbacks are bought in 5-door versions nowadays. The spy shots also show that the 208 has carried some styling cues, such as the vertical vents and wrap-around headlights, from the 2008, 3008 and 5008. Happily, they’re all pretty good looking cars, so there’ll be few complaints about the 208 inheriting those traits. It’s still very early days for the new 208 so we have no indication of the price tag yet and it looks like we’ll be waiting until the tail-end of the year before they enter showrooms in the UK.

There will be a new Porsche 911 hitting showrooms in 2019 under the model named ‘992’ and, as you would expect with a 911, the changes are evolutionary and not revolutionary. The 911 will keep it’s distinctive and iconic shape, of course, but there will be changes aplenty. Revised LED headlights, a brand new rear light-bar, integrated exhaust pipes and a remoulded bonnet all help this 992 stand out from the crowd. Every new model will come with the option of 4 wheel drive too, meaning the 911 is more useable and versatile than ever before. Porsche have claimed the Carrer will have an output of 385 horsepower, marginally more than the previous model, while the Carrera 4s will have 450 horsepower and will do the 0-60 sprint in just 3.6 seconds and on to a top speed of 190 mph. Expect a 911 Turbo to join the model lineup sooner or later.

Prices for the new 911 start from £93,000

And back to reality, a delightful new Clio is on the way! The best selling supermini in Europe will be revised in 2019 and it comes with a raft of updates, the key change is the improved technology and interior layout which promise to enhance the ownership experience considerably. The Clio is rumoured to feature a Tesla-style central touch screen which will control most of the functions of the car. This is certainly a car we’re looking forward to as it sets the bar for the next generation of small hatchbacks and keeps up the gith against the likes of the brand new Ford Fiesta which is already on sale. There’s not currently any confirmed pricing structure for the new Clio but we’d expect it to be slightly more expensive than the current model, albeit with a lot more equipment, so somewhere around £14,000.

The fourth generation of the SEAT Leon is due to be unveiled officially at the Geneva Motor Show in March and we anticipate the car will be launched in the summertime of this year. There have been as good as no details spilt on the new Leon so far, other than some spy shots that were taken in October of 2018 with the car in full camouflage. These photos showed a near-complete 5-door model with a more rounded front end with fewer angles. The rear profile of the Leon appears to be very similar to the current model. The Leon will debut a new infotainment system which SEAT believe will be class-leading, it will then be added to the rest of the cars on the lineup. There is currently no indication of a starting price.

Perhaps one of the best-looking SUVs coming to the market in 2019 is the new RAV4 which is exclusively available in hybrid form. The new design is reminiscent of a Star Wars storm trooper, with a huge gaping mouth at the front and all sorts of angles going down the flanks. Front wheel drive models of this gorgeous new Rav4 will be heading into dealerships from April time with prices for the entry-level Icon model starting at £28,635. All new models will use Toyotas incredibly advanced new 2.5-litre hybrid petrol engine and a CVT gearbox.

One of Vauxhall's most important models is being revitalised in 2019, the Astra. These will just be minor tweaks to keep the Astra competing against the likes of the Golf and Focus, which are both fresher than the current model. The early spy-shots show that the only updates on the exterior will go to the front bumper and rear tail lights, with the rest of the body staying largely the same. We can also expect a lot of new updates inside, particularly with the next generation of Vauxhall’s infotainment system.

While the Astra might be getting a little touch up in 2019, the same can’t be said for the Corsa, which is being replaced by a completely new model. The early press photos show a silhouette similar to what would recognise as a Corsa, but with a pointed nose, much like the current Insignia. This will be the first Vauxhall produced under the PSA group of Peugeot, Citroen and DS. Interestingly, there is likely to be an ‘eCorsa’ introduced further down the line with an expected electric-only range of up to 250 miles, but that’s a while away. For now, we expect the regular Corsa to be in showrooms for the second half of 2019 and prices are likely to start north of £13,000.

Surely one of the best looking cars to hit the mainstream showrooms this year comes in the form of the Volvo S60. A stunning looking executive saloon from a premium manufacturer, what more could you ask for? The S60 looks to be extremely promising. Inside, it will be supremely luxurious, as all Volvos are, and there’s a 600 horsepower T8 Polestar model that few people will buy, but it looks epic nonetheless. Volvo only sold 1,250 S60s in the UK last year, but we’re confident that this new S60 will take the fight to the Mercedes E-Class and BMW 5 Series and it will win over some hearts, minds and customers while doing so.

And last but most certainly not least is the new Volkswagen Golf. Volkswagen sold over 40,000 Golfs in the UK in the first 6 months of 2018, setting the new model a target to surpass upon its introduction. The new ‘mark 8’ Golf will have autonomous functionality, fuel-saving engines and unparalleled levels of connectivity in the hatchback market - a similar system to the SEAT Leon mentioned earlier. The interior will feature a dominant touchscreen operating most functionality with only one or two buttons here and there. Simplistic, modern extremely attractive. The Golf will be going on sale in the next few months and we’re confident they’ll be selling like hotcakes.