By: Jason Woosey
Geneva Motor Show - Gone are the days when buying a practical car for the family meant having to settle for a boring-looking set of wheels that seemed to imply that you'd just given up on life. In fact, some of the practical new wagons and SUVs at this week's Geneva show decorate their practical interiors with something downright radical, while others take a more simplistic approach to beauty. These were our five favourite practical lookers at 2016's show.
Renault Scenic
Just when we thought the small MPV market was all but dead, the segment's inventor has relit the flames with this voluptuous creation. The fourth-generation Renault Scenic adds some serious design flair, and a few crossover cues, to what was until now a rather staid offering.
To accentuate the body's purposeful stance, 20-inch alloy wheels are standard and inside it offers even more space, as well as folding tables, sliding consoles, and gadgets like colour head up display and standard pedestrian detection.
Toyota took a leap out of its comfort zone when designing its funky new C-HR compact crossover, which will challenge the likes of Nissan's Juke and Ford's EcoSport when it lands on local shores during the first quarter of 2017.
Despite its flamboyant design, the new Toyota has five doors, a boot and an interior that should be spacious enough by segment standards, if we know Toyota well enough.
A photo posted by Toyota UK (@toyotauk) on Mar 1, 2016 at 6:23am PST
Maserati Levante
Maserati's first SUV takes a smoother, more elegant design approach than its counterparts on this page, translating the marque's stylish contemporary design language into a more practical, high-riding format.
That doesn't mean it's tame though, with the range-topping Levante S, powered by a 316kW twin-turbo V6 engine, is capable of running from 0-100km/h in just 5.2 seconds.
A photo posted by Maserati (@maserati) on Mar 2, 2016 at 4:36am PST
Volvo S90/V90
Like the Maserati, the new Volvo '90' series wagon and sedan are more classy than racy, but that's just what you'd expect from Swedish luxury.
The interiors also takes Volvo's elegance factor to new heights while also providing ample passenger and cargo space and cutting-edge technologies such as the Pilot Assist semi-autonomous drive technology.
This one cheated it way here because it is actually a concept car, but we just love the way that it combines sporty, edgy design cues with traditional and practical compact SUV proportions.
As its name implies, the XV Concept previews the next-generation Subaru XV. Unfortunately the design is likely to be toned down quite a bit in its transition into a showroom car.