The Best of Frankfurt 2017

A smaller SUV which Jaguar will aim to replicate, and probably surpass, the success of its bigger sibling, the Jaguar F-Pace. The E-Pace will target the likes of the BMW X1 and Audi Q3, in an effort to tip the balance so that they are producing more SUV vehicles than they are creating saloon and sports cars combined. Early indications suggest we’ll see the E-Pace on our roads as soon as Spring time in 2018, but there’s one more important model coming from Jaguar a few months after that, you’ll have to find it later on in this listicle though…

Finally, a new Continental GT! The Continental deserves a lot of credit. It’s arguably the car that has kept Bentley afloat over the last decade or so. Finally, there’s a long-awaited new model. The old model was introduced in 2003 and didn’t really change an awful lot over 14 years of production. You could put a private registration plate on an early model and roll around as if it were almost new. This latest model is clearly a whole different beast though, and we can’t wait to see what sort of extravagant interior features are included.

There have been rumours about the next Z4 flying around for quite some time now. Some stated it would be front wheel drive, some said it will be built with Toyota as their next Supra and some said it will never come to fruition. BMW unveiled the concept for the next generation Z4 at Frankfurt (after teasing us for a while online) and it does look like something worth the wait. Of course, it’s a concept, designed for artistic inspiration, but it already looks more imposing than the models before, with an even longer bonnet…

MINI have offered us a insight as to what they think the future looks like with their new Electric concept. It looks like a smoothed-over regular hatchback, with futuristic styling features such as the high-vis yellow accents, asymmetrical alloy wheels and the filled-in front grille.

There’s been so much going on in the hot-hatch market. There’s a new Type-R out, as well as a new Golf GTi, new SEAT Leon Cupra, new Peugeot 308 GTi, there’s been something missing though… until now! Finally, Renault has released their new Renaultsport Megane, featuring a turbocharged 1.8litre engine which blows out a healthy 276bhp, which is on par with the front-wheel-drive competition and Renault say it should be able to keep up with the more powerful competitor's thanks to the unique 4 wheel steering system named ‘4Control’.

Making its home debut is the new M5, the ultimate Bahn-stormer returns in its most comprehensive form. Loaded with 600bhp, the car will be powering an all-wheel-drive system which will have the option to switch to rear wheel drive.

Replacing the outgoing Ferrari California T is the new Portofino. It’s an ‘entry-level’ Ferrari, if there ever were such a thing, powered by7 a 3.9-litre, twin-turbocharged V8 engine. The 0-62mph time is around 3.5 seconds and top speed is ‘at least 199mph.’ Also, it’s red.

The i30 N may not steal that many headlines at this years show, but it’s a very important car for Hyundai, who have entered, competed and settled comfortably in Europe’s hatchback market. Now Hyundai is putting their wand to the hot-hatch market. This i30 N will pack 271bhp to provide the muscle behind its bold exterior

Mercedes are showing off their EQA concept in Frankfurt this year. It’s an electric vehicle with a claimed range of 249 miles and a 0-60mph time of around 5 seconds… Those may very well just be arbitrary numbers, but it signals the intent of Mercedes. This concept may be at least a few years from production... if it ever does reach production. 

Jaguar Land Rover pledged to ‘electrify’ every model in their lineup by 2020. That’s not a long time to begin developing, building and implementing new hybrid and fully electric cars, but this I-Pace looks like they’re off to a flying start so far. They’ve debuted their I-Pace in ‘eTrophy’ form, which is a race-prepped model featuring niceties like that massive wing and cavernous rear splitter. Of course, the road-going version won’t look quite as obnoxious, but it’s good to look at…

Another reveal from BMW has been their ’Vision i Dynamics’ car that will be out in 2021. It’s an all-electric saloon car with some seriously futuristic design elements. There is a claimed range of up to 400 miles, which is impressive by current standards but won’t necessarily be enough in 3 years time when the car is released.

Audi has taken the wraps off a fully-electric 4 seater autonomous car called the AICON. The vehicle has an expected range of up to 500 miles on one charge, and interestingly there are no pedals, nor is there a steering wheel, and the seating arrangement can be adjusted to maximise comfort depending on how many people are in the car. The AICON is also said to operate a system whereby the car recognises the person in the car by their mobile phone, and automatically adjusts the comfort, performance and ride settings to the passenger's preset preferences. Clever.

The Urban EV from Honda is probably one of the most intriguing concept cars on show this year. It shapes itself as an electric vehicle that actually looks really cool, instead of looking like it is trying to be cool. The Urban EV appears to be a modern take on the first generation Civic, although it’s not too dissimilar from the Golf Mk1. Needless to say it’s gone down a storm in the media. No offence to the Nissan Leaf, but could this be the first mass-market EV that actually looks desirable and stylish?

Kia took the wraps off their ‘low, lean and lite’ extended hot-hatch, the Proceed. It doesn’t look much like a hot-hatch at this stage but few cars ever look like their concept cars in terms of size and shape. The design cues that are likely to make it onto the production car include the sweeping C-Pillar and muscular front-end and side splitters. Quite a pretty thing, isn’t it?

Just in case the X5 wasn’t big enough, BMW has announced plans for the X7 iPerformance. The X7 is in very early stages so far and they haven’t shared an awful lot of details. It looks properly monstrous in terms of its size, length and road presence. The production model is likely to be unveiled in 2018 “as part of the largest model offensive in BMW's history.”