2007 is going to be a good year for cars, from trend-setting superminis to tyre-shredding supercars - and literally everything in-between.
With dozens of choices it’s been tough working out just 10 to tell you about, but we’ve done it, and with no black eyes or broken bones among us. Well, perhaps the odd bruise or two, but nothing serious. Anyway, whatever you think of our top-flight contenders, one thing is certain: 2007 is going to be a very interesting year…
Ford Mondeo, £16,000+, summer 2007
No matter how good the Mondeo has actually been – and it’s always had great dynamics, keen pricing and solid reliability – it’s not a car we’ve ever been really excited over. That’s all set to change in 2007. The new car doesn’t quite have the visual impact of the Iosis concept that debuted the new Mondeo’s styling back in 2005, but it’s still quite a looker, especially compared to previous Mondeos. Plus, it’s already something of a celebrity thanks to a certain British spy’s rampant product placement fixation, and a brilliant driving experience is virtually assured. Reps of the land – rejoice.
Alternatively: If you fancy a good looking sporty saloon that’s out of the ordinary, check the forthcoming Dodge Avenger – just don’t expect the interior to match European standards.
Fiat 500, around £8,000, winter 2007
Pay attention, class. Today’s lesson will concern the continuing prevalence of ‘classical’ styling in the supermini vehicle sector. Consider this equation: retro cute + super custom options list=sales success. Now, hands up who can tell me where Fiat got the idea for the new 500? Okay, so Mini have a lot to answer for. But frankly, who cares? The Fiat 500 looks great, the price is right – around £8,000 – and the baby Italian shares its underpinnings with the replacement Ford Ka, so expect a bundle of driving fun. Engines are petrol sipping tiddlers, Fiat’s most excellent 1.3 Multijet diesel, and with any luck the 99bhp 1.4 from the Panda 100HP complete with Arbath badge ad detailing. Excellent.
Alternatively: Renault showed a new generation Twingo concept at the 2006 Paris motorshow, and this time round the UK should be getting some. Pricier but also even sportier.
Caparo T1, £165,000, winter 2007
£165,000. For a bizarre-looking contraption from a company you’ve never heard of…and it’s made our top 10 cars for 2007? The Caparo T1 is on the list because it’s potentially another milestone in supercar history – and the word you’re looking for is ‘functional’, not ‘ugly’. If the Bugatti Veyron demonstrated last year just how quickly a behemoth quadruple-turbocharged W16 with aerodynamic issues can go, the T1 will prove exactly what’s possible with low weight and the application of Formula 1 technology. 480bhp and carbon fibre construction means 1000bhp-per-tonne, staggering 3.0g braking and cornering performance, and the sudden, morning after clarity that £165,000 is really rather cheap.
Alternatively: We’re not exactly sure. There’s really nothing quite like it on the horizon. In the meantime you might try a Radical for a hit of track-biased, road-capable (just) performance.
Nissan GT-R, £70,000+, winter 2007
Some people don’t get the Japanese techno-car phenomenon. We suppose it’s understandable that the performance capability of what looks like nothing more than a saloon car victim of an explosion in a fibreglass factory can be difficult to grasp – especially when part of the appeal is in that very ‘ordinary-ness’. Well, Nissan has obviously gotten fed up with trying to explain, ditching the Skyline moniker and building a stupendously cool looking coupé to house its road ruling four-wheel drive and electronic tech. The GT-R finally arrives in 2007, sporting various internet-rumours of an engine with at least 400bhp. We want to say watch out Porsche, but that’s probably missing the point of this car…
Alternatively: the GT-R is a £70,000 supercar. Want to go Japan-tech quickly for less? Then look out for the all-new Mitsubishi Evo X, arriving with the rest of the Lancer range in the new year.
Mitsubishi Outlander, from £19,000, March 2007
While environmentalists wail, consumers grasp – 2007 is shaping up to be the year of the soft-roader. Everybody’s at it: Mazda’s got the CX-7, VW the Tiguan, Jeep the Patriot, Dodge the Nitro, and since that company introduced the Caliber, 4x4 stylings are sneaking into the small hatchback segment as well – see the Nissan Qashqai for the first mainstream example. For our top ten we’ve gone with the Mitsubishi Outlander. Seem a strange choice? Not so. The Outlander has got genuine off-road pedigree, but more significantly it’s also the basis for PSA’s double assault on this market sector – the Peugeot 4007 and Citroen C-Crosser. Worth keeping an eye on.
Alternatively: we’ve listed a bunch already, but one that’s missing is the Vauxhall Antara. Based on the Chevrolet Captiva – well received earlier this year until the right-hand drive version stumbled in crash-testing – it’s the first Vauxhall 4x4 in ages and needs to be good.
Toyota Auris, from £12,000, February 2007
It’s bye-bye Corolla, hello Auris, as Toyota has controversially decided to rename its small family hatchback for the in-coming generation. The sort of dutiful reliability that ‘Corolla’ brings to mind simply ain’t hip no more (was it ever?), and the Auris aims to inject some additional Yaris-grade funk into the Toyota line-up. Offering more space, more refinement and probably still never breaking down, the only thing we really wish is that Toyota would learn how to make a great looking car – the Auris isn’t ugly in the photos, just kind of… plain. Still, British-built and offering stacks of value it’s another key car for 2007.
Alternatively: the Volvo C30 has cool design inside and out; Fiat’s new Bravo offers Italian style; Nissan’s Qashqai brings 4x4 features to the Focus-buying masses; and Hyundai’s Arnejs follows the Kia Cee’d in its determination to alter perspectives on Korean cars.
Honda Civic Type-R, around £18,000, March 2007
Ok, ok, so it’s not exactly a new car but petrolheads everywhere have been clamouring for the ultimate in Civic hotness since the new spaceship-styled model was introduced earlier in 2006. The previous ‘screaming-breadvan’ Type-R sat securely near the top of the hot hatch tree from introduction to demise, so we’re expecting great things from this car when it touches down in early 2007. 198bhp? Check. Sub-seven seconds to 62mph? Check. Opinion-dividing bodykit? Check. Power band that doesn’t start until 5,200rpm? Check. That’ll definitely be a Honda then. Great potential – let’s just hope it doesn’t turn out like the company’s 2006 Formula 1 effort…
Alternatively: another sporty-derivative that’s not turning up until next year is the VXR version of the new Vauxhall Corsa. Supposedly a class lower, we know, but suggestions are 200 turbocharged bhp and 0-62mph is less than six seconds.
BMW M3, £50,000+, winter 2007
BMW’s new 3-Series already has a couple of absolute stars in its line-up, thanks to the motive genius nestling in the engine bays of 335s i and d. But we’re still waiting for the M-sport division to unleash a whole other league of fury in the form of the new M3 – which is targeted for unveiling late 2007. Six cylinders is obviously no longer enough, so the new M3 gets an Audi RS4-matching V8 for the first time, along with a whole host of high-tech innovations designed to improve overall response. Less good is the news that it may not come with a gear lever – despite criticism levelled at the paddleshift-only BMW M5.
Alternatively: most of the M3’s natural rivals already exist, but watch out for a high-power version of the upcoming Audi A5 coupe, and in the class above, an R version of the S-Type-replacing Jaguar XF.
Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione, £100,000, autumn 2007
Yes, you can stop dribbling on the screen now, Alfa Romeo is building the 8C Competizione and they start rolling out next year. If by some chance you’re in the market for a £100,000 coupé that just happens to be one of the best-looking automobiles since histrorians started keeping records – using the highly-respected Miura-scale – and you haven’t got an order in, move fast as the planned 500 are nearly already gone. If the bodywork doesn’t grab you by the soul, first check your pulse; then, at least be happy Alfa are building rear-wheel drive cars again. The 450bhp V8 engine’s is also pretty special, as it’s based on the one that currently comes attached to a three-pronged trident and the badge Maserati.
Alternatively: when a car looks this good virtually nothing else will do. But the roadster version of Aston Martin’s gorgeous V8 Vantage drops its top for the first time in 2007 and might make a choice second. Ten grand cheaper, too.
Audi R8, £75,900, spring 2007
Audi’s R8 racing car was as all-conquering as they come, so we’ve high expectations of the road-going model Audi’s chosen to honour the R8 name. And with a price in excess of £75,000, putting it firmly within the Porsche 911 sector, it really had better deliver. Quattro all-wheel drive and 414bhp mid-mounted V8 are certainly good for an appetiser, but the real fireworks are going to start when the V10 version shows up later on. Either way, Audi is promising real driver enjoyment with this one, and if nothing else it certainly looks like no other current supercar. A genuine vision of the future? We’ll just have to wait and see.
Source: MSN Autos