Hyundai Veloster
Ever hankered after a hatchback that offers two doors on one side but only a single door on the other?
Well, Hyundai seems to think so as the Hyundai Veloster is just such a lop-sided offering.
It is hard to think of a situation where this setup would be useful unless you plan to fool your friends into thinking you have a two-door coupe. Just make sure they only see the driver’s side or the game will soon be up.
Niche rating: 3/10 One step (and door) too far
Fiat 500L
The modern-day Fiat 500 has proved almost as successful as the ‘50s original, its retro-cute looks have made it the favoured city car around the globe.
Judging from the Fiat 500L Fiat must assume that this formula will work on just about every other segment too.
This oversized crossover version of the standard 500 just looks wrong and the basic interior makes much less sense at this price point.
Niche Rating: 4/10 Looking like a Fiat 500 that needs to cut down on the pies, the 500L is outclassed in its segment.
BMW 5-Series GT
There was not much wrong with the usual saloon/estate variants of the class-leading 5-series BMW but at some point, a marketing focus group decided that what the world really wanted was an uglier four-door hatchback variant.
Enter the 5-Series GT, an answer to a question no one had asked.
Niche Rating: 2/10 Surely they could have just looked at the decades old Rover 3500 and done it properly?
BMW 4-Series GranCoupe
The GranCoupe is an altogether more successful combination of a stylish coupe body style and hatchback practicality.
These models offer an added dash of class to the ubiquitous 3-Series saloons while still being practical enough for the whole family.
Niche Rating: 8/10 A smart combination of stylish coupe and practical hatchback body styles
Lamborghini Huracan LP580-2
The Lamborghini Huracan arrived in four-wheel drive form into a category dominated by the dynamically more adept rear-wheel drive Ferrari 488.
It did not take long for them to introduce a two-wheel drive variant which, combined with that naturally aspirated V10, is one of the most characterful modern supercars around.
Niche Rating: 7/10 A great alternative to the predominantly turbocharged entry-level supercar opposition.
Range Rover Evoque Convertible
The Evoque has been around for a few years now but it still looks sharp, even the fairly pointless convertible model has a desirable quality to it.
Then you realise what a pointless thing a firm-riding four-wheel drive luxury convertible car is.
Niche Rating: 4/10 May appeal to wealthy fashion-conscious beach bums, perhaps.
Porsche GT3 Touring Pack
Until a few years ago if you wanted a nice manual 911 without a turbocharger bolted to it you had your pick of various Carrera models or the hardcore GT3.
Now you are down to the GT3 which can be optioned with the touring pack which adds a manual gearbox and deletes that massive rear wing, leaving only the bits that driving enthusiasts really want.
Niche Rating: 9/10 A welcome addition to the increasingly mainstream 911 range.
Porsche Cayenne Turbo S
There are many performance SUVs out there but the one that rules the roost is the mental Porsche Cayenne Turbo S.
It offers serious pace and excellent cornering ability although if space for four is what you need the Panamera is dynamically even more capable thanks to being an actual saloon instead of a high-riding 4×4.
Niche Rating: 6/10 An impressive machine but who will ever actually race around mountain roads with their family strapped in the back?
Bentley Bentayga
The Porsche may be dynamically more capable than the hefty Bentayga but when it comes to top trumps the Bentayga has it beat in every other category.
600bhp and a top speed of 187mph are faintly ridiculous for this high-riding luxury lounge suite and now there is an even more pointless ‘fuel-efficient’ diesel variant available too.
Niche Rating: 2/10 Buy a Mulsanne instead if you need fast four-door luxury or a diesel Fiesta if running costs are a sticking point.
BMW X6M
The X6 offers the reduced rear headroom of a coupe allied with the increased fuel consumption and running costs of a massive SUV.
A recipe for success says BMW, and apparently an unexpectedly large number of customers too. The M version adds four-wheel drive and an automatic transmission to the once special M-division offerings.
This has led to a second-generation model and a similarly styled X4 being introduced, you know, for those wanting even less interior space but insist on 4×4 running gear for the school run.
Niche rating: 3/10 Who is buying these things?
Mercedes-Benz GLC Coupe
Just to show their Bavarian neighbours that they too can do ridiculous, Mercedes-Benz have their own SUV hatchback, the GLC coupe.
It is a similarly compromised offering but at least it looks a bit more cohesively designed.
Niche Rating: 4/10 This one at least looks ok.
Mercedes-Benz AMG G-Class
The sporty AMG sub-brand has now become so diluted that the handful of proper performance Mercedes-Benz models are in the stark minority compared to the myriad AMG badged wannabes prowling the roads.
Perhaps the worst offender is the once utilitarian G-Wagen, now a boxy plaything for those whose sole intention is rumbling down the King’s Road each morning.
Niche Rating: 1/10 A powerful 4×4 box on wheels that is a compromised fashion accessory.
Volkswagen Arteon
This is a new one, although VW have actually been here before in the form of the CC and the depreciation disaster that was the Phaeton.
The Arteon promises stunning looks and high equipment levels to take the fight to the 3-Series BMW, but isn’t that what Audi is for?
Either way time will tell how the Arteon is received so we will reserve judgement for now.
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