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Cape Town - The 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show has seen many automaker's showcase their shift towards future mobility which will manifest in self-driving cars, ride-sharing and electric vehicle concepts.
Despite the shift towards EVs and green-friendly motoring, some automakers have taken it upon themselves to produce performance-tuned, albeit family-orientated cars.
Here are five amazing family vehicles at Frankfurt.
1. BMW M5
It’s got four doors, a huge boot, seats four… The new BMW M5 is the rightful leader of this group in terms of practicality (and price). Boasting a bi-turbo 4.4-litre V8 engine, the M5 unleashes 441kW/750Nm. To tame that power, this track-tuned family car has four-wheel drive.
Now before we fall off our chairs, drivers can revert back to the more traditional, tyre-smoking, fuel-burning ways of rear-wheel drive (via vehicle settings). 0-100km/h in dispatched in 3.4sec and with the optional Driver’s package, top speed is a lekker 305km/h.
2. Mercedes-AMG G63 & G65 Exclusive Edition
The G-Wagon was never built to go fast around corners but with AMG performance it's capable of performing a school run in minutes. The G63 & G65 Exclusive will most likely continue with the same 5.5-litre V8 engine (420kW/760Nm), but will have interior and exterior styling touches to make it just that much more special.
3. Mini John Cooper Works GP Concept
We can already hear the murmurs: That’s not really a family car! Or is it…? The Mini Cooper has long since parted ways with its crammed proportions and is now a car that doubles as a nippy runabout and a somewhat practical family car. Though its insane styling cues might not filter down to the production version. Its large front and rear aprons, oversized side skirts and look-at-me roof spoiler makes for some great viewing pleasure. If ever Mini decides to put this car into production, expect families to remain brood-less.
4. Bentley Continental GT
Believe it or not the Bentley Continental has been around for 15 years. The next-generation Continental GT will share its underpinnings with the Porsche Panamera, though will continue to use the same 4.0-litre V8 and 6.0-litre W12 engines of the outgoing model.
Despite the two doors, two adults can fit comfortably in its rear seats. Bentley will reveal all the detail when the covers come off this week.
5. Jaguar E-Pace
We’re not going to dwell too much on the finer detail but if Jaguar’s success with the F-Pace is anything to go by, the E-Pace could be another hit for the JLR group. A lot of people thought Jaguar was ludicrous to produce an SUV but F-Pace has become one of the automaker's best-sellers. Here’s our take on the E-Pace: it’s going to be ludicrously successful for Jaguar.