WhichCar team 2019 new car wish list

You can tell a lot about a person by the vehicle they drive or aspire to one day own, so we conducted a little experiment at WhichCar.

Each of our writers was asked to pick a single vehicle from the ones we know will be launching in 2019 – there’s more than 50 – and explain why they are getting so excited about it.

Of course everyone went for the hyperbolic, $4m Mercedes AMG Project One and Aston Martin Valkyrie, right? Wrong.

Here’s the WhichCar team’s 2019 new car wish list. No judging please.

Glenn Butler, WhichCar Editor

Audi RS5

6

Firstly, I’m loving what Audi is doing with car interiors. They’re technologically packed, gorgeous to look at, and… functional! So, for a guy who changes his smart phone every year just because he wants some new gizmos and gadgets to play with, Audi’s latest interior designs really tickle my fancy. I’m also coming around to these four-door coupe concepts that blur the line between a sedan and a two-door coupe. They not only look stunning, the hatchback-style rear opening adds a level of practicality the sedan can’t match.

And the third reason I’m salivating over the new Audi RS5? The scorching hot twin-turbo V6 engine which, when paired with Audi’s quattro all-wheel drive system, means you’ve got phenomenal acceleration on call whenever you want it. And the theatrics of an angry engine note, and thundering exhaust (which can be switched to quiet mode at a whim) means the Audi RS5 offers the best of stately cruising and ballistic blasting to suit my mood.

Dan Gardner, WhichCar senior Journalist

Ford Transit plug-in hybrid

6

A billion-kilowatt megacar that can tear asphalt atoms apart, or a luxo limo upholstered with unicorn leather are the more obvious choices for the vehicle on everyone’s 2019 wish list, but I’m afraid it’s the plug-in hybrid Ford Transit van for me.

It might not have the savage V12s or turbocharged V8s of some other vehicles coming in 2019 but, since its introduction more than 50 years ago, the Transit has always been the fastest vehicle on the road.

Don’t believe me? Whether it be a metropolitan centre or remote rural region, the car that you will always see tripling the speed limit is the humble Transit, complete with an irate delivery driver at the wheel. Not only is it the ultimate performance vehicle, it can also accommodate more people than even the cleverest seven-seater cabin and, with a new battery powered option, it’ll probably be more economical than anything else in its class and many others. The only shame is that you won’t be able to enjoy the symphony of its diesel doing 20,000rpm as Derek tries to get a late consignment of floor cleaner to the docks.

Noelle Faulkner, WhichCar senior journalist

Porsche Taycan

6

Porsche’s foray into performance EVs , the Taycan, which, FYI, is pronounced “Thai-kahn” (thanks to a recent pass-agg video explanation from the Germans), might not make it here by the end of 2019, but I’m hopeful anyway. Formally the Mission E project, this all-electric four-door beauty and Tesla Model S-topper has been in the works for what seems like forever.

In that time, I’ve been glued to the videos Porsche has been dropping on its conception. My favourite features former Porsche design boss, now head design honcho at Lamborghini and the pen behind the Urus, Mitja Borkert and his design team explaining the concept and freedom that comes with designing an engineless car. So the fact it is finally coming, in all its 918-based glory is tres exciting. I mean, a 160kW/300Nm motor on 21-inch front wheels and 240kW/340Nm or 320kW/550Nm one on 22-inch rears, PLUS a claimed 0-100km dash of 3.4 seconds? Gimme gimme gimme.

David Bonnici, WhichCar senior journalist

Peugeot 508

6

Amidst all the new SUVs being churned out to usher in the next decade, there’s one new car that I hope will help stem the tide for traditional sedans and wagons – the Peugeot 508. In both sedan and wagon form it’s one of the more beautiful cars on the books for 2019, with lashings of Gallic flair inside and out that endeared us to Pugs of old. The new 508 doesn’t just breathe new life into the traditional sedan and wagon segment, it lubes up a defibrillator and yells out “stand clear!” Here’s hoping the aesthetic pleasure the Peugeot 508 brings is reflected in its driveability.

Tim Robson, WhichCar senior journalist

Toyota Supra

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As I’ve moved through the various phases of my automotive life, there’s been one car that’s stayed with me for one reason or another, and that’s been the Toyota Supra. Sure, we haven’t seen one sold locally around here since 2002, but the fourth generation machine in particular has been a huge cultural influence for a lot of car lovers a LOT younger than I.

The Toyota Supra’s launch has been more drawn out than the last episode of any competitive cooking show you’ve ever seen, and sure, it’s a BMW-powered, BMW-chassied quasi-BMW that’s built in Austria… but damn it, it’s a two-door, straight-six, rear-drive looker that will find a wider audience than Toyota expects. I can’t wait.