T-Z of new cars
From the electric Tesla Model S to the all-new Volkswagen Golf, these are 2013's best cars from T-Z
Tesla Model S On sale: Mid-2013Price: From £65,000 (est.)
The second car in Tesla’s all-electric range will be the Model S – a seven-seat saloon that’s similar in size to a Porsche Panamera. Top-spec models get 416bhp and 600Nm of torque, for 0-62mph in 4.4 seconds and a top speed of 130mph. Tesla claims a 265-mile range, but in the real world you’ll be hard pushed to match that.
Toyota Auris and Auris Estate On sale: Early 2013Price: From £14,495
This Golf rival is the best-selling Toyota in Europe, and more angular styling should make the Auris more desirable. The boot is bigger, while a Touring Sports estate is available, too. From launch, there’ll be a choice of one diesel and two petrol engines, as well as a hybrid version, which combines a 1.8-litre petrol engine with an electric motor.
Toyota GT 86 TRD On sale: Early 2013Price: From £40,000 (est.)
Upgraded GT 86 is as much about showcasing a range of accessories as it is a standalone car. There are new wheels, bigger brakes and a bodykit, while a revised exhaust boosts the 2.0-litre engine’s power by 10bhp, to 207bhp. The only issue is cost: order all the tweaks, and they add about £15,000 to the standard car’s price.
Toyota Verso On sale: Spring 2013Price: From £18,000
A facelifted version of the Verso seven-seater is on the way to keep it competitive against newer rivals. Better-quality materials are used inside, and while the same engines are on offer, upgrades to the 2.0-litre diesel see improved refinement and a drop of 10g/km to 130g/km of CO2.
Trident Iceni Grand Tourer On sale: Early 2013Price: From £75,000
This is a British sports car with a difference. The Iceni Grand Tourer has a front-mounted 430bhp 6.6-litre diesel (a 660bhp upgrade is also available), delivers 1,288Nm of torque and promises 0-62mph in 3.7 seconds. Plus, 68.9mpg economy means 2,000 miles from a tank.
Vauxhall Adam On sale: February 2013Price: From £11,255
The Vauxhall Adam is an all-new supermini that promises a level of personalisation normally associated with the likes of MINI and Fiat, but for a lower price. When it lands in dealers here early next year, Vauxhall will offer a mind-boggling 30,000 colour and trim combinations in total. Customers will be able to choose from 20 alloy wheel designs, as well as 12 exterior colours, with catchy names ranging from Papa Don’t Peach to Saturday White Fever. And the fun continues inside, with different-coloured ambient lighting for the interior – all of which means no two Adams will be the same. The car will also score on tech, with owners able to plug in their smartphone and control it through the Adam’s seven-inch high resolution touchscreen. They will also be able to download live podcasts and sat-nav software from a revolutionary Adam app store. Powering the car are 1.2 or 1.4-litre four-cylinder petrol engines.
Vauxhall Cascada On sale: Spring 2013Price: From £24,500 (est.)
Meet the replacement for the Astra TwinTop. The Cascada name is to help distance the drop-top from the regular Astra range, and it will have a more luxurious interior. The cabrio gets a canvas roof instead of a folding hard-top, and the engine line-up will include Vauxhall’s new stop-start 197bhp 1.6-litre petrol turbo.
Volkswagen Cross Coupe On sale: 2014Price: From £18,500 (est.)
VW will take on the MINI Countryman with a car based on the Cross Coupe concept shown here. It’ll use the advanced new MQB platform, which also underpins the latest VW Golf, and will come in front or four-wheel drive. Expect it to be one of the first models to get VW’s new three-cylinder diesel engine, too.
Volkswagen e-up! On sale: Mid-2013Price: From £14,000 (est.)
The battery-powered e-up! will become VW’s first-ever electric production car when it goes on sale in the first half of 2013. It’ll be joined by an electric Golf later in the year. The EV forms part of an expanded up! range, which includes a 109bhp petrol-powered GT model.
Volkswagen Golf Mk7 On sale: NowPrice: From £16,330
The new Golf is up to 100kg lighter than before, with more kit, better economy and sharper dynamics. The styling is evolutionary, with more angular lights and sharper creases, while the boot has 30 litres more space, at 380 litres. This VW should be cheap to run, too – the BlueMotion version promises 88.3mpg.
Driven it: Jack Rix“How VW can produce an engine as effortlessly powerful and refined as the Golf’s 2.0 TDI, while keeping emissions down to 106g/km, is quite remarkable.”
Volkswagen Golf GTI Concept On sale: Mid-2013Price: From £26,000 (est.)
This is the near-production-ready version of the eagerly awaited next-generation Golf GTI. Volkswagen has sharpened up the looks of its hot hatch, with the classic red detailing incorporated into a honeycomb grille and extending into LED headlamps. Plus, there are new tweaks like the panoramic black roof and claw-like strakes in the front bumpers. The MkVII GTI is powered by a detuned version of the new Audi S3’s 2.0-litre turbo engine, which delivers 217bhp. That means it’ll be slightly quicker than before, with 0-62mph in 6.6 seconds. It will also use less fuel, while inside, it wouldn’t be a GTI without the classic tartan trim. The full production car will be seen at March’s Geneva Motor Show, and go on sale by mid-2013.
Volkswagen up! GT On sale: Mid-2013Price: From £13,000 (est.)
This is the up! that’s punching above its weight. The GT was first seen as a concept at last year’s Frankfurt Motor Show, and a production version is nearly ready. It has a 108bhp 1.0-litre three-cylinder engine that promises 0-62mph in 8.5 seconds. Lowered suspension and Golf GTI-style tartan seats will make it sporty to look at, too.
Volvo V40 Cross Country On sale: January 2013Price: From £22,595
Rather than create a compact SUV from scratch, Volvo has decided to take the fight to the Audi Q3 by giving its new V40 family hatch a rugged makeover. The result is the V40 Cross Country, which is similar in philosophy to the jacked-up XC70. It gets a 40mm increase in ride height, bigger wheels, plastic cladding around the bumpers and underbody protection front and rear. Despite its off-road looks, the only model to offer four-wheel drive as standard will be the range-topping T5, with a 250bhp 2.5-litre five-cylinder petrol engine and a six-speed automatic gearbox. Lesser engine options include the 113bhp D2 diesel, which promises 74.3mpg fuel economy and 99g/km CO2 emissions.
Volvo V40 T5 R-Design On sale: NovemberPrice: £30,000 (est.)
The V40 range has been given the R-Design treatment to coincide with the release of the performance flagship, the 250bhp T5. The five-cylinder turbo delivers a 0-62mph time of 6.5 seconds, while the R-Design options – which include more aggressive styling and interior tweaks – are available across the entire line-up.
