An AA survey of 21,000 members suggests drivers want better basic features, not more electronics.The two things people most wanted were temperature gauges and twin reversing lights. We totally agree about temperature gauges: on a hot summer’s day in a traffic jam, it is useful to know if an engine is starting to get hot, rather than a warning light telling you it’s too late and you have to stop.
A new generation of the flagship Lexus saloon will go on sale later this year. There will be two engine options: the petrol LS460 and hybrid LS600h. There will also be the option of an F-Sport version with a 10mm reduction in ride height, more aggressive styling, a Torsen limited-slip differential and Ferrari-style blipping of the engine when changing down – although a Lexus LS is so quiet that it may not be too obvious.
Chevrolet’s press release about becoming only the fifth shirt sponsor of the club in its history was sugar and spice and all things nice. Strange then, the General Motors, Chevrolet’s parent company sacked its head of Marketing, Joel Ewanick, at almost the same time, with a curt statement which read, “He failed to meet the expectations that the company has for its employees”.
Admittedly you have to be at least 40 to remember the Dutch DAF car (it was absorbed into Volvo in the 1970s). It pioneered a transmission using a rubber pulley rather than individual gears.The “rubber band” transmission later mutated into a steel belt and was tried in various small Fiats and Fords, but without much success. However, it is now catching on in the USA, of all places. In 2005 1% of cars in America had CVT (for Constantly Variable Transmission), By 2010 it was 7%, and according to the forecasting company IHS Automotive, it will hit 16% by 2016.
Mercedes has announced a fuel-efficient new C180 petrol and a policy of AMG for all.
First of all, the engine. The new C180 BlueEfficiency is powered by a new 1.6-litre direct-injection turbocharged petrol engine producing 152 bhp and 250 Nm of torque between 1,250 rpm and 4,000 rpm. That torque (pulling power) spread is remarkable – the engine produces its maximum figure from barely above idle speed. In the saloon and estate it manages 47.9 mpg and 139 g/km of CO2. A year ago, that would have made it as tax-friendly as a diesel, but 2013 tax regulations have made 130 g/km of CO2 the new tax break-point.
