Frankfurt motor show: Mazda CX-5

Mazda has finally cottoned on to the Nissan Qashqai and created a rival. Ladies and gentlemen of a family persuasion, here's the CX-5 crossover.

The Frankfurt debutant is basically a slightly smaller CX-7 – that's the sporty SUV that we all like but hardly anybody buys because the silly sausages at Mazda let it plough on without a diesel until it was too late for anybody to care.

No such mistake this time around. The CX-5 comes to the UK market next year with a diesel version that returns 63mpg and 119g/km of CO2, yet will hit 62mph in around nine seconds. Not bad for a family bloater.

Mind, it's hardly a bloater in the looks department, with all kinds of swooping metal crease work and a nice chunky grille.

Mazda hopes that the CX-5 will serve the purpose of keeping Mazda 3 customers in the fold, by giving them something to trade into that's just as stylish but more family-friendly.

The diesel engine will be available in 148- and 173bhp states of tune, and there'll be a 2.0-litre petrol to give Mazda sales staff a nice challenge.

Buyers will, in true crossover tradition, get a choice of front- and four-wheel drive, as well as automatic and manual transmissions.

No pricing details yet, but see the Nissan Qashqai, Ford Kuga and Kia Sportage for details.

Motor show

As Dec follows Ant, so too does luxury convertible follow luxury coupe. So it comes as little surprise that Frankfurt has given us the second-generation Bentley Continental GTC, the drop-top version of the Continental GT.

If you've got a Bentley, you've got wood. And there sure is plenty of wood around here, with the GTC boasting a cabin full of the stuff. Oh, and leather.

We could talk all day, as Bentley has, about how sumptuous it is, and how fast, and expensive, and exclusive, and all that stuff. But there are other cars debuting at Frankfurt, and less obvious ones at that – like Maserati's Italian-American 4x4.

In a (wal)nutshell, the Bentley GTC gets an upgraded 6.0-litre W12 engine with 567bhp and E85 biofuel compatibility. The car will hit 62mph in 4.8 seconds, 100mph in 10.9 seconds and top out at 195mph.

It's more dynamic this time because its four-wheel drive system is rear-biased, and the auto 'box shifts 50 percent quicker, and two ratios at a time if needs be. It's 70kg lighter than it used to be, too.

Property investors and League One footballers, place your orders...