During 2016, the British car market will witness the arrival of some very significant and exciting new luxury cars.
Among the new arrivals next year, two upmarket British car brand will launch their first ever SUV-styled production models. Another British brand, meanwhile, will be introducing an unconventional convertible based on a popular luxury crossover.
Here’s our guide to five of the most exciting luxury cars to watch out for in 2016.
Bentley Bentayga
The Bentayga is Bentley’s first ever SUV and the Crewe-based car maker has pulled out all the stops to make this one of the most luxurious and dramatic cars in its category.
Starting from just over £160,000, the Bentayga’s price tag makes it clear that Bentley is offering one of the most exclusive and premium SUVs ever made. It’s also the most powerful SUV around, offering 600bhp from its mighty 6.0-litre W12 petrol engine, leading to a 0-62mph sprint time of 4.1 seconds.
There’s a huge amount of gadgets to be found inside the Bentayga, including in-car Wi-Fi, two removable 10.2-inch Android tablets and adaptive cruise control. Customers can potentially throw huge amounts of money into the optional features alone. The list includes crystal champagne flutes, ultra-rare wood upholsteries and the world’s most expensive clock – a Mulliner Tourbillon creation worth about £100,000 on its own.
Jaguar F-PACE
The first SUV/crossover-type vehicle from Jaguar, the F-PACE is a very significant model which Jaguar will be hoping to garner plenty of sales success from. There will be plenty of other premium cars for the F-PACE to challenge, including the Audi Q5, BMW X3 and Sport and Porsche Macan.
Set to be built alongside the Jaguar XE saloon at the Jaguar Land Rover Solihull plant, the F-PACE is focused on both being one of the quickest crossovers to buy and the best to drive too.
Starting from just over £34k, the F-PACE utilises a lightweight aluminium body and four-wheel drive powertrain while engines are set to include a potent, supercharged V6 and frugal diesel units from Jaguar’s modern ‘Ingenium’ line-up.
Range Rover Evoque Convertible
Convertible off-roaders are a rare sight on the roads, but, after years of speculation, the Range Rover Evoque is finally adding a convertible to its range in 2016. Launching in the UK during the spring, the Evoque Convertible will be available in both three and five-door guises and has a fabric-folding roof as standard.
While the metal roof may be gone, the Evoque Convertible should still prove to be a proper off-roader. In fact, Land Rover stresses that this will be one the most capable convertible SUVs for tackling rough terrain. Four-wheel drive,
At the same time though, the Evoque Convertible should really stand out and look the part if you go for a cruise through some upmarket city roads.
Rolls-Royce Dawn
Rolls-Royce will launch one of the most exclusive and spectacularly luxurious convertibles ever during 2016, called simply the Dawn.
Based on the same platform as the Wraith luxury coupe, the Dawn has a folding fabric top and 80 per cent of the exterior body panels are different to the Wraith. Excellent cabin insulation is something Rolls-Royce have highlighted with the upcoming Dawn, as well as its 6.6-litre turbocharged V12 petrol engine producing 563bhp.
With a zero to 62mph sprint time of just 4.9 seconds, the Dawn is both a very nippy and large luxury cruiser. The price, meanwhile, will reportedly be set at about £250,000, cementing the Dawn’s touch of exclusivity.
Tesla Model X
Tesla’s Model S – an all-electric luxury saloon – caused quite a stir when it was launched a couple of years ago (and continues to do so now). Now, during 2016, Tesla will expand its range with the all-new, and even more practical and luxurious Model X.
The Model X sort of feels like an electric automotive equivalent of a Swiss Army Knife, because it can do so many things at once.
It’s really spacious, it can seat up to seven, it’s really quick, it has all-wheel drive and it has memorable design ques – particularly the gullwing-style doors. Even the standard model in the Model X range will take just 3.8 seconds to cover the zero to 62mph sprint.
Also, like the Model S, the new X is packed with gadgets and it won’t emit any CO2 emissions at any moment in time.