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SEAT LeonCAR OF THE YEAR 2013The new Leon takes the best elements of its VW Group stablemates and improves on them. This award-winning recipe combines the space and interior quality of the Golf with the affordability and solidity of the Octavia. Add SEAT’s typically sporty handling and a healthy slug of Latin styling flair, and you have a compact family car to trump them all.
BMW i.THE FUTURE OF URBAN MOBILITY.
BMW i is an all-encompassing, groundbreaking concept for sustainable mobility. It represents visionary electric vehicles and mobility services, inspiring design and a new understanding of premium that is defined by sustainability. And it thrills with its innovative cars: the fully electric BMW i3 – an emission-free* car for urban motoring that is sustainably designed throughout, and the BMW i8 Concept – the future of the sports car. BMW i is all about visionary electric vehicles and services, inspiring design and a new definition of premium that is defined by sustainability and pursues a holistic approach. BMW i redefines the idea of personal transport with purpose-built car concepts and a focus on sustainability throughout the entire process – from materials to end-of-life recycling – and a host of complementary mobility services.
![]() BMW revealing the Concept X5 eDrive, a plug-in hybrid X5 show car that bows at the 2013 Frankfurt auto show, is so predictable that we wish we had placed bets on it. (Anyone know of any shady, underground gambling rings that focus on future automotive products?) However, the Concept X5 eDrive does feature a few surprises. Despite featuring a plug-in hybrid powertrain, it isn’t being shuffled off to BMW’s i sub-brand, and it previews a more-advanced, downsized future for the hybrid versions of its mainstream models.
BMW clearly is taking its i brand seriously, reserving the status only for the most eco-focused, standalone models like the i3 and the i8. But whereas the i cars boast a near-singleminded focus on lightweight materials, and a new “LifeDrive” architectural concept, the X5 eDrive is pretty much a standard X5 with a battery and the addition of an electric motor. Hence, the more pedestrian X5 skips i badging and instead gets the “eDrive” moniker. BMW previously used the eDrive descriptor on last year’s Concept Active Tourer, a front-drive plug-in hybrid hatchback.
MG3 3FORM Sport testedMG3 3FORM Sport tested
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Toyota recalls thousands of carsJapanese car giant Toyota is recalling 200,000 vehicles around the world due to a problem with the hybrid system - as well as 169,000 more because of an engine bolt defect. No accidents have so far been attributed to either of the problems, the first of which involves an inverter in the hybrid system for the Lexus RX400 and the Highlander models worldwide, as well as Harrier and Kluger hybrids in Japan. Toyota warned that the defect could set off an alarm and the hybrid may stop running. The United States will witness 141,000 vehicles being recalled in the alert and Japan 15,000. Such warnings emphasise the need for drivers to take out breakdown cover to minimise any unforeseen inconvenience. In the second case involving the engine bolts, these could loosen on the Lexus GS350, IS350, Crown and Mark X models, which could lead to the engine stalling, according to Toyota. Copyright Press Association 2013 Jaguar F-type reviewJaguar F-type reviewThe Jaguar F-type bridges the gap between the Boxster and 911 on price, but can it offer the best of both worlds on the road?
![]() It’s Britain’s most important sports car in a decade. Does the Jaguar F-type live up to the hype?
The new Jaguar F-type as an entry-level V6, a sharper and more expensive V6 S and, arguably best of all, in its top-flight V8 S specification and the overall consensus is that it’s extremely good, going on excellent. Which is a genuinely nice piece of news for us to deliver. Jaguar hasn’t so much bet the farm on it, but Jag’s entire reputation as a sports car maker rests on the success of the rear wheel-drive F-type. So to find out that the fruits of its labours have been worth it – and then some – is more than enough reason celebrate. But the best news of all is this: all those doubts we once harboured about the F-type’s asking price being a touch too high have, at a stroke, been eliminated. This car is expensive, yes, but it’s also worth it because it delivers. And in the end, not a lot else matters. The entry-level Jaguar F-type V6 costs £58,500 and manages, through a combination of strong performance and achingly well judged driving dynamics, to fill that narrowest of gaps between the Porsche Boxster and the Porsche 911. With a supercharged V6 engine that develops a rousing 336bhp and a standard eight-speed Quickshift gearbox, it feels more grown up than a Boxster but also more approachable financially than a 911. And it steers and rides more sweetly than either of them. There’s nothing basic about the entry level F-type. Even though it is the entry point to a range that will attract up to 85 per cent of its customers from outside the Jaguar brand. The Jaguar F-type V6 S delivers more power – 375bhp – and a fair bit more performance to go with it. The 0-60mph time falls from 5.2sec to an impressive 4.9sec. Its steering, chassis, suspension and brakes have been tuned to deliver sharper responses than the entry-level car. At the same time the exhaust note can be heightened via a new Dynamic Drive system that allows drivers to tweak steering feel, throttle response, gear change speeds and exhaust noise at the press of a touchscreen button. This may or may not appeal to Jaguar’s customers depending largely on how old they are, and how they feel about such technology in the first place. Either way, there’s also a mechanical limited-slip differential fitted to the £69,500 V6 S which, perhaps more than anything else, proves just how keen Jaguar is to separate the characters of its three new F-types. The entry level car is just that, the V6 S is a more focused, harder edged version of the same. And at the top there is the V8 S, which is where the F-type gets very serious indeed. Be in no doubt, the Jaguar F-type V8 S is a monster of a car. Jaguar says it will do 0-100mph in 8.8sec and reach a restricted top speed of 186mph, which is fast with a capital 'F'. But in reality it feels even faster than that on the road, and has a delicious flamboyance to its handling, steering and ride to match. This is a hairy-chested sports car of the old-school variety, and we fell in love with it completely for that. Even so, the F-type V8 S is also a sophisticated car beneath its dynamic He-Man dynamic personality. Power comes from a supercharged 5.0-litre V8 that produces 489bhp and 461lb ft. Although potent by class standards, these aren’t exactly rule-bending outputs, but when you bear in mind that the F-type is made largely from aluminium, you’ll realise why it drives the way it does. In simple terms it’s light for such a relatively big sports car, and that means it’s more agile than you’d expect. And faster, more economical, less polluting, better responding and so on. The F-type is, by most measures, a brilliant sports car. Citroën DS Wild Rubis concept car unveiled
The Citroën DS Wild Rubis shows how a future Citroen luxury SUV could look.
The Citroen Wild Rubis concept car gives the best idea yet of how a Citroen luxury SUV would look. Citroen has released pictures of the Wild Rubis ahead of its public debut at the 2013 Shanghai motor show later this month, and has described it as being "as wild and rebellious as it is refined and sophisticated". Rubis is French for ruby, and the concept car is finished in ruby red paintwork that changes hue according to the intensity of light on it. At 470cm long the Wild Rubis is 5cm longer than a BMW X3; it's wider than a BMW X5, and lower than both. The concept car has a plug-in hybrid powertrain and 21in alloy wheels.
Vauxall CascadaFirst Look – Vauxhall Cascada
Vauxhall have released the first pictures of their new convertible, a four-seat, fabric-roof number which will make its UK bow in March 2013. The new Vauxhall Cascada will house one of three engines. The entry-level engine is a 1.4-litre turbocharged petrol unit with 137bhp. There’s a 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol engine offering 168bhp and a 2.0-litre diesel offering up 163bhp. Vauxhall promise more powerful versions in due course. Elsewhere, if the Cascada gets out of control and rolls, spring-loaded bars are automatically deployed behind the rear seats. These bad boys are also triggered during impacts, along with airbags The Cascada bodyshell is almost 50 per cent stiffer than its open topped predecessor, the Astra Twin Top. The Cascada will use Vauxhall’s HiPerStrut front suspension from Insignia VXR, so expect decent handling. The Cascada will feature Vauxhall’s FlexRide, a fully adaptive control system, which adapts to suit driving styles and road conditions. Flexride can be over-ridden with one of three driver modes. Duncan Aldred, Vauxhall’s chairman and managing director, noted:
According to Vauxhall, the hood is made from a fabric that offers superior acoustic and thermal insulation. Apparently, there’s a layer of polyester fleece between the outer and inner linings. The opening time on the hood is around 17 seconds and will open at anything up to 30mph. The roof is available in three colours
Revised FreelanderRevised Land Rover Freelander revealedLand Rover has given its Freelander SUV a mild makeover. |
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