JUST ANNOUNCED
Land Rover LRX
Price £20,000-£35,000 approx
On sale 2009
What’s different?
The LRX is a Land Rover concept car that will first be shown at next month’s
Detroit motor show. Although it will never go into production, it points the
way to a new generation of smaller, greener cars Land Rover believes is
critical to its future
Why should I care?
This is the most radical departure for Land Rover since it invented the luxury
SUV genre with the Range Rover in 1970. Smaller than a Freelander 2, the LRX
is the most sporting yet environmentally considerate car in its history. The
concept looks fantastic and trades not on the brand’s traditional off-road
strength but on its more recently acquired status as a fashion icon
Consider also
BMW X3 £29,310-£38,910
Volkswagen Tiguan £19,370-£23,750
Honda CR-V, £18,827-£24,717
JUST ANNOUNCED
BMW X6
Price £42,000-£55,000 approx
On sale May 2008
What’s different?
Based on the platform of the X5, the X6 is being branded as an SAV or sports
activity vehicle. BMW wants you to think of the X6 as a street-savvy,
hard-driving performance car that happens to have all-wheel drive. Engines
include 3 litre diesel and petrol models at launch; the 408bhp 4.4 litre
twin turbo flagship won’t be revealed until late 2008
Why should I care?
If you like the style of contemporary off-roaders but want a car that’s more
responsive, BMW says the X6 is for you. It looks the part and, with X5
underpinnings, should be decent to drive. BMW claims it “heralds the dawn of
a new era in motoring”, which is a bit strong, but if you like what you see,
the X6 is worth further investigation
Consider also
Porsche Cayenne £37,100-£74,650
Mercedes M-class £36,167-£75,147
Volkswagen Touareg, £29,562-£57,632
