Mercedes cars

ANALYSIS of 24.5 million MoT records has revealed that one in five cars registered in 2008 failed their first MOT, with testers most likely to fail cars from French firms Renault, Citroen and Peugeot.The research by honestjohn.co.uk involved examining tens of millions of records obtained from the Vehicle Operator and Services …

CONSUMER attitudes towards cars and driving have changed rapidly since the mid-2000s, when fuel was still less than £1 per litre, people knew nothing about any recession and cars seemed much more affordable.Years down the line some manufacturers are bearing up better than others. Prestige manufacturers like Porsche, BMW …

ONE OF the world’s rarest Italian supercars will be auctioned this June at London’s Motorexpo show.It’s believed that the Lamborghini Reventón offered for sale is the only one in the UK, but at the very least it’s definitely one of only 20 ever made.The Reventón was unveiled to the public at the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show, …

LIKE with so many things that originated in America, petrol-electric hybrid cars have eventually found their way to Europe. With the desire to reduce emissions and extend a petrol car’s range, Honda and Toyota added a parallel electric motor and battery system to assist in the propulsion duties.By and large the systems …

A valet was left red-faced after he caused an astonishing pile up of cars worth around £270,000 in Miami, US.

ENGINES – For most users one of the car’s petrol engines should do the trick, as the school run or office commute isn’t going to demand hybrid-rivalling fuel economy. The engines are refined too, which will make sitting in traffic more pleasant than if you chose a diesel unit. Don’t be put off though, as the oil burners …

IN ONE form or another the SL has been a staple of the Mercedes family for a number of decades. From the racecar-influenced origins of the flamboyant Gullwing to its modern day premium class roadster status, the SL has become a popular drop-top motor.This latest SL continues Mercedes’ trend for pushing the technological …

One of the best things about the big car shows like Geneva is that you get to see genius at work, shaping our future driving lives with new technology. The big noises at the moment are all centred on the advancing technology under the bonnet.

FORMULA One supremo Bernie Ecclestone feels Lewis Hamilton may be on his way out of McLaren at the end of this season if he and the team fail to rediscover the winning title formula.Hamilton has endured three barren seasons since becoming champion in 2008, and crucially he now heads into the final year of a multi-million …

POWER of up to 556bhp, torque of up to a frankly ridiculous 664lb.ft and fuel economy of 28.5mpg are some of the amazing numbers surrounding the newly announced Mercedes SL63 AMG.As if that wasn’t quite enough, 0-62mph is covered in as little as 4.2 seconds, the whole car is 125kg lighter than the old model and if it wasn’t …

ENGINES – Being a beefy American saloon, it’s no surprise to learn that the 300C was offered with a V8 petrol motor - all 5.7-litres of it. For people with less money to spare, a 3.5-litre six-cylinder option was also available. Both perform well but it’s the 3.0-litre diesel unit that’s likely to appeal more if you want …

ONCE a maker of simple, honest cars, recent years have seen Volkswagen step up its game to be a major player in almost every sector of the market. The evolutionary process has been a steady one, with the result a constantly expanding line-up of increasingly competent and desirable cars.A case in point is the Passat CC; …

ONLY NINE out of the 31 car brands available in Europe are on course to achieve 2012 EU average emissions targets of 130g/km, but it’s unlikely that the other 22 will be fined.Several loopholes mean that the often-quoted target figure actually means very little. Firstly, for this year only the least-polluting 65% of a manufacturer’s …

MALAYSIAN conglomerate DRB-Hicom Berhad has said it is keeping its options open about selling loss-making British sports car maker Lotus after buying its parent company Proton.DRB-Hicom, which distributes and assembles Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz and Honda, also said it is in talks with its foreign partners on possible tie-ups …

KIAThe latest product to arrive from the Korean giants is the Optima, its latest tilt at a large premium-feel saloon to take on more established rivals. The combination of high equipment levels, strong diesel engines and good value will give established rivals something to think about it.The recently-refreshed Rio is a …

MERCEDES has announced the starting price of the new SLK 55 AMG, which is now available to order through franchised dealerships.At £54,950 on the road, it undercuts the BMW M3 convertible by around £4,000. The M3 has four seats and a similar power output, but can’t match the SLK 55 for outright pace. It’s not a purpose-built …

In the mid-size hatchback sector, Alfa Romeo’s Giulietta is now a familiar sight on the roads. This-stylish five-door hatch brings some much-needed glamour to the world, and comes with a range of advanced and frugal engines – especially diesel motors - and a new direct shift (DSG) gearbox.Close behind is the smaller Mito …

THE SAFEST cars of 2011 have been announced by safety testing agency Euro NCAP, highlighting the winners and runners-up across five categories.The Audi Q3 was the highest-scoring car in the ‘small off-road 4x4’ category, closely followed by the BMW X1.In the supermini category the Chevrolet Aveo took the spoils, with second …