Another year means a new wave of luxury cars will be added to the market, and such cars can come in virtually all shapes and sizes whether it be saloon, SUV or coupe, for instance.
In this guide, we take a look at five of the most exciting cars set to launch during 2017 which place great emphasis on premium cabins and delivering an all-round luxurious driving experience.
Alfa Romeo Stelvio
It feels like people have been talking about Alfa Romeo’s first proper attempt at an SUV for quite a few years now. But 2017 is the year said SUV finally arrives, and it’s called the Stelvio.
Predicted to launch during the summer and to start from roughly £40,000, the Stelvio will go up against the likes of the Jaguar F-PACE, Porsche Macan and Mercedes GLC-Class. The Stelvio has smart exterior and interior styling similar to Alfa’s recently launched Giulia executive saloon and expect plenty of technology and premium trim to be fitted as standard.
In regards engines, the Stelvio will feature a 2.0-litre petrol unit and a 2.2-litre diesel will also likely feature. Also in the range is a range-topping bi-turbo V6 boasting 503bhp for the Quadrifoglio specification.
Land Rover Discovery
The Discovery is one of several famous SUVs which Land Rover has in its range, and in 2017 an all-new Discovery will finally get introduced.
Now in its fifth-generation, the 2017 Land Rover Discovery has improved interior materials and all of Land Rover’s latest tech to make it feel less rugged than its predecessor. But just because it’ll feel more upmarket won’t mean this SUV won’t still be very capable of handling tough off-road driving experiences.
Like other recent Land Rovers, the new Discovery switches to an aluminium construction which has shed a lot of weight, and benefited efficiency and handling in the process.
BMW 5 Series
With its range of smooth engines and its cabin covered in classy, soft-touch materials plus up-to-date tech, the previous 5 Series was already a very luxurious executive car.
Now the new, seventh-generation 5 Series, set to start sales in February 2017, is set to enhance the car’s premium qualities with an updated and more spacious cabin. The car’s body is also significantly lighter and around 10 per cent more aerodynamic.
The 5 Series looks well placed to become one of the most efficient and luxurious executive cars ever made, to the delight of many including plenty of company car drivers no doubt.
Audi Q5
Audi’s popular Q5 premium SUV is getting a new-generation model during 2017. It’s much lighter than its predecessor and uses many of the same components from the latest Audi A4 saloon.
In fact, the new Q5 shares the same platform as the A4 and the Q7 SUV, which are both very good cars.
The cabin of the Q5 features a new seven-inch display screen onboard as standard. Higher trim levels will have either a larger 8.3-inch screen or Audi’s 12.3-inch Virtual Cockpit display.
Lexus LC
The Lexus LC is a cool-looking luxury coupe which will take on the likes of the BMW 6 Series and Bentley Continental GT when it arrives to the UK during the summer of 2017.
Modern Lexus cars tend to use a hybrid engine and CVT automatic gearbox, a powertrain which doesn’t tend to be used for a grand tourer, which is what the new LC is.
While the Lexus luxury coupe has a similar powertrain in its mix but there are some twists as the hybrid uses a big 3.5-litre V6 and the gearbox has been specially tuned in a way that it effectively becomes a ten-speed unit for super-smooth gear changes.
For the driving purists, the LC will also offer a non-hybrid 5.0-litre V8 petrol engine boasting 467bhp.