The topic at this year’s Frankfurt Motor Show was obvious, electric vehicles and SUVs. After few years of dominating American and Asian market, SUVs are trying to breakthrough on the European market, where customers are still much in love with sedans.
In Frankfurt, we saw several great SUVs, including the 2016 Volkswagen Tiguan, the Bentley Bentayga and the Jaguar F-Pace leading the charge.
2016 Volkswagen Tiguan
Volkswagen was in a familiar area, as this is the company’s second generation of Tiguan. The previous one was released six years ago and the improvements the German company made are obvious. In order to attract European buyers, Volkswagen focused on the exterior, making the 2016 Tiguan look more sporty and dynamic. The increased size gives the Volkswagen Tiguan more space inside and a larger truck. All the standard safety features can be found inside and under the hood, Volkswagen offers the base model of the 2016 Tiguan with a 1.6-liter diesel engine. Three other engines are available, two of which are gasoline and a plug-in hybrid model is also possible in the next few years.
Bentley Bentayga
The luxurious British company finally decides to make its way into the SUV market and did so in style. Powered by a 600hp engine, the Bentayga is the fastest SUV on the market, able to rival some of the sportier coupes and cabriolets out there. Inside, the Bentayga offers the luxury and style that we’ve grown accustomed to see from a Bentley. The British company “borrowed” the MLB platform of Volkswagen to build the Bentayga and the results are evident. The SUV is light, big and spacious and offers tons of features for the driver. Having a refrigerator in the truck, as well as crystal wine glasses and several other goodies are something that the Bentley users would love about the Bentayga. And if you need any references, Queen Elizabeth II got the first model. If the Bentley Bentayga is good enough for the Queen, it is good enough for everyone.
2016 Jaguar F-Pace
Jaguar is another British company that is trying to enter the SUV market. The first SUV by Jaguar is mesmerizing with its exterior, but also dynamic thanks to the engine under the hood. Jaguar has never previously focused on family cars. However, with the market changing, the British company is adjusting to the new trends. And the 2016 Jaguar F-Pace is more than just “adjusting” to the market. In fact, the F-Pace is a revolutionary SUV with more aggressive, dynamic, and sportier look than almost any SUV out there. One rival for the F-Pace is the BMW X6 and its exterior. Powertrains and technology inside are remarkable and the F-Pace will be offered in two trimmings by Jaguar, an R and SVR trimming.
The “Others”
There were many other SUVs presented at the Frankfurt Motor Show, but hardly any of them were revolutionary in any aspect. We are not including the Audi e-tron here, since it is still a concept car.
One of the more impressive SUVs in Frankfurt was the Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class that should replace the old GLK-Class. With compact crossovers gaining popularity, Mercedes decided to improve and freshen up its palette, making the GLC-Class an important part of the future. The new SUV is bigger, longer and wider and rides on a new platform. The exterior is also changed to make it more prominent. Inside, the GLC-Class has all the same goodies as the new C-class.
Next on the list is an SUV by the Asian manufacturer, Mitsubishi. The company presented the Mitsubishi Outlander GT PHEV, a plug-in hybrid version of the 2016 Outlander. Powered by separate motors on the front and rear axles, Mitsubishi also made some changes in the system to make the plug-in hybrid SUV a highly efficient vehicle.
As for those who want sporty, yet cheap alternative, we’ve got the Seat Leon Cross Sport. Judging by the looks, the Cross Sport is the middle ground between a traditional hatchback vehicle and an SUV. Producing 300hp on all-wheel drive system, Seat’s vehicle might be great for young couples.
Last, but not the least on the list is the new 2016 Kia Sportage, an SUV that departs largely from the outgoing model. One look at the front grille of the new 2016 Sportage is all it takes to figure this is a completely new vehicle. With improved and nicer interior and more technology for safety, the 2016 Kia Sportage might entice and appeal to the middle class.