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The highly anticipated 2018 VW Up! GTI is now available to order in the UK, all set to take the hot hatch market by storm. Granted, it is a supermini and not a hatchback. But the Up! GTI is so good at what it does, and at £13,750 it is so well-priced, it renders all those expensive, over-powered hot hatches out there silly.  I mean, if space is not really an issue for you, 2018 VW Up! GTI is a much better proposition than its own big brother, Golf GTI. And we know full well that the Golf is the king of all hot hatches. With the Up! GTI it is not about how much power you have. It’s the whole package. Yes, it only has a 999cc turbo engine with 115 PS and 200 Nm of torque. But on the upside it does 58.9 mpg and emits no more than to 110 g/km of CO2. And as for performance, 0 to 62 mph is dealt with in 8.8 seconds with a top speed of 122 mph. [embedded content] 2018 VW Up! GTI is all about the joy of driving, and a big part of that is the price. Yes, it is kind of expensive for a supermini, but it’s a bargain for what it offers. And because it is cheap, you can beat on it every day, drive it fast and hard, and not worry about breaking the bank. It is not in vain that Volkswagen com, ...ادامه مطلب

The days in which SUVs were symbols of high fuel consumption and air pollution are long gone thanks to cars such as 2018 Acura MDX Sport Hybrid. These offer the same practicality and performance of a regular SUV, but with a frugal-ish engine. Of course, this much goodness is going to cost you.  2018 Acura MDX Sport Hybrid is priced from $52,100 MSRP to which you will have to add a $995 destination and handling fee. Still, considering the badge and how much kit you receive in retu for your cash, that sounds like good value. The biggest highlight of this model is the three-motor Sport Hybrid Super Handling-All Wheel Drive system which is basically the same powertrain they use in the NSX supercar. Here it generates 321 hp and 289 lb.-ft. of torque. The EPA rating for this system is 26 / 27 / 27 mpg City/Highway/Combined. Now, that doesn’t sound particularly brilliant, but you have to realize it’s 45 percent better than a non-hybrid MDX. [embedded content] Features-wise, 2018 Acura MDX Sport Hybrid is as luxurious and well-equipped as any Acura. You can choose between Technology Package ($53,095) and Advance Package ($59,145) trims, with both model benefiting from unique interior, ...ادامه مطلب

The official U.S. pricing for the all-new 2018 Hyundai Kona crossover has been announced, and as you would expect the value-for-money element is strong. This quirky little sport utility starts at just $19,500 for the base model, rising up to $28,700 for the fully-loaded model.  In America the 2018 Hyundai Kona is available with two engines and transmission choices. There is a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder with 147 horsepower and 132 lb.-ft. of torque paired with a six-speed automatic transmission, and a 1.6-liter 4-cylinder turbo (Limited and Ultimate trims only) with a seven-speed EcoShift dual-clutch transmission offering 175 horsepower and 195 lb.-ft. of torque. Both engines can be had with all-wheel-drive system. A well-chosen trim will also get you such advanced safety systems as Lane-Keeping Assist system, Blind-Spot Collision Waing, Rear Cross-Traffic Collision Waing, Lane Change Assist, Parking Distance Waing and Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist with Pedestrian Detection. [embedded content] 2018 Hyundai Kona MSRP & Trims: Model Engine Transmission Drivetrain MSRP SE 2.0L 4-cyl. 6-Speed Automatic SHIFTRONIC® FWD $19,500 SE 2.0L 4-cyl. 6-Speed Automatic SHIFTRONIC® AWD $20, ...ادامه مطلب

It was not exactly a secret that an extra-hot version of the 488 was in the works deep inside Ferrari factory in Maranello, especially since Porsche released their GT2 RS last year. Now the first complete picture of this beast has leaked and we get our first look at the new 2019 Ferrari 488 GTO. And in case you are in a hurry to know, it has 700 horsepower.  Ferrari 488 GTO is the successor to the 360 Challenge Stradale, the 430 Scuderia, and the 458 Speciale. But this one is apparently so good, they went ahead and gave it the venerated GTO badge. The name has not yet been confirmed officially, but a lot people are calling it that. So it is almost certainly the official name. Now, those three letters hark back to what is possibly the most glorious part of Ferrari’s history and perhaps the entire automotive culture. So the new boy had better be damn good, or Ferrari will get some serious stick from their hard-core fans. But of course it is gong to be awesome in every way, this 488 GTO, because it’s a new Ferrari. Sources tells us 2019 Ferrari 488 GTO is a hard and stiff race car built for the streets, so in that sense at least not much has changed since the Stradale days. Other , ...ادامه مطلب

90 grand is a lot of money for what’s, in its essence, a BMW 5 Series saloon. But then this is no ordinary saloon car. The new 2018 Alpina B5 Bi-Turbo is, in the tuner’s own words, the most affordable 200 mph production car in the UK. Now that is some good justification! We have to point out the £89,000 is for the 2018 Alpina B5 Bi-Turbo sedan. The Estate version kicks off at £91,000. But as you may have already guessed, it is the fastest wagon out there. Powering both of these German monsters is a 608 horsepower Alpina-tuned BMW V8. This engine is altogether sweeter and more civilized than the one you get in BMW’s own M5. It is also capable of generating 670 Nm (494 lbft) of torque, swelling to an astonishing 800 Nm (590 lbft) from 3,000 – 5,000 rpm. It is mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission also improved for this car. As a result the B5 Bi-turbo Saloon will hit 60 mph in 3.4 seconds, with the Touring just 0.1 seconds behind, before clocking 205 mph flat out. Other performance highlight of the 2018 Alpina B5 Bi-Turbo include Active Rear Steering, active roll stabilisation (Dynamic Drive), ALPINA light-weight 20” forged alloy wheels and ‘ALP’ labelled Pirelli P-Zero, ...ادامه مطلب

The fact that it is extremely hard to improve an electric car has not stopped aftermarket specialists from trying. Here you see the Novitec Tesla Model S, a European take on the highly celebrated American EV, and it boasts a number of key upgrades that make the ownership experience of the car more satisfying.  On the styling front Novitec Tesla Model S is given a light treatment in form of some carbon fiber components that do more for the aerodynamics of the car than its looks. The package include front splitter, side skirts, and rear diffuser, plus a neat boot spoiler. Because they are made of naked carbon, they look their best on a white car. The aero parts are complemented with a set of a bespoke Vossen wheels made exclusively for the Tesla, measuring 9,0J x 21J with 245/35 R21 tires on the front and 10,5J x 21J with 265/35 R21 tires out back. Customer has full control over the color of the rims. [embedded content] Having taken care of the looks, the tuner then set about technical improvements. And this is the difficult part with an electric car, because there isn’t much that can be done to increase the power and range that the manufacturer hasn’t done already. So Novit, ...ادامه مطلب

Finally, the new, mode-day Alpine is ready to hit the roads, going on sale in five days. We’ve waited a long time for this thing, but all the evidence suggest 2018 Alpine A110 is well worth the wait. I’m afraid, however, the privilege of enjoying one is a bit costly, as the sports car starts at €58,500. The good news is though, that is the base price for the limited edition 2018 Alpine A110 Premiere Edition. Regular models will be less expensive. But the launch model is the really irresistible one, if just for the fact that they are making only 1,955 units of it. That is a tribute to the year Alpine was founded. The A110 Première Edition come as standard with lightweight 18-inch O, ...ادامه مطلب

With no much build up Nissan revealed at the Los Angeles Auto Show last night the all-new 2018 Nissan Kicks. this compact crossover will hit the U.S. market in June next year with a starting price of well under $19,000. That, and what the Kicks has to offer, already puts it at the top of the crossover game.  Unlike most of the other choices in this class, 2018 Nissan Kicks does not look like it’s been made out of reject parts from a hatchback project. The car has its own personality, and it looks quite cool and funky as well. Nissan has given this baby SUV design features usually reserved for much bigger cars – features such as V-Motion grille, boomerang headlights and taillights, a, ...ادامه مطلب

The good old Beetle receives a number of updates for the new year, hoping it can regain some of it past glory with more features and a reasonable-ish price tag. The 2018 Volkswagen Beetle costs in America from $20,220, excluding an $850 dest, ...ادامه مطلب

Putting their fuel cell plans aside for a while, Honda is going to focus on stepping up their hybrid game in America. And so on December 1 they will launch the new 2018 Honda Clarity Plug-in Hybrid, a decidedly green-looking sedan that start, ...ادامه مطلب

Novitec’s division in charge of upgrading Rolls-Royce automobiles, as you may know, is called SPOFEC. They have just come up with a new model which has the most apt name ever given to a tuner car. SPOFEC Rolls-Royce Dawn Overdose is exactly , ...ادامه مطلب

Starting from March 2018 the compact crossover segment will have a new player from Bavaria. The new 2018 BMW X2 is a car designed to offer big results in a small package, and it has enough good qualities to make every other brand in this market worr, ...ادامه مطلب

The orders book are now open for the 2018 Vauxhall Grandland X SUV and you can have yours from £22,310. That sounds like good value, even if just for the fact that the Grandland is a sizable thing – 20 centimetres longr than Mokka X and Crossland X. It is also pretty well-equipped and fairly capable when the going gets rough.  The list of standard kit on the 2018 Vauxhall Grandland X include such items as LED daytime running lights, camera-based lane departure waing, road sign recognition, intelligent cruise control, and air conditioning with particulate and odour filter. It also comes with standard OnStar and optional IntelliGrip traction control system which ensures optimum road grip in diverse driving situations through torque distribution. The driving modes this system offers include normal, mud, snow, sand, and ESP off. [embedded content] As for the engines, launches with a 1.2-litre turbo petrol with 130PS (urban 44.1-47.1mpg, extra-urban 57.6-62.8mpg, combined 51.4mpg-55.4mpg, 127-117 g/km CO2) and a 1.6-litre turbo diesel with 120PS (urban 55.4-60.1mpg, extra-urban 67.3-80.7mpg, combined 61.4-70.6mpg, 118-104 g/km CO2). Both turbo units can be combined with either the six-speed manual or a friction-optimised six-speed automatic transmission and come with Start/Stop as standard. So the Grandland has frugality on its side, too. “Our goals for the Grandland X were to create a rugged yet dynamic design, while also managing to balance style and functionality,” said , ...ادامه مطلب

We’d been hearing about this thing on and off, but nothing we heard prepared us for what the shock of seeing it. This is the new Rezvani Tank, an extreme off-roader from the Califoian boutique auto maker. It is unreasonably huge, unashamedly vulgar, and undeniably awesome! It appears they let the same 8-year-old boy who did the Rezvani Beast to design the Rezvani Tank as well. This thing is , ...ادامه مطلب

If you are looking to buy a new crossover these days, you are spoiled for choice. But what if you are adamant your crossover has to be made in Spain? Well, there was nothing for you… until now! We are not saying that being Spanish is the only distinguishing factor for 2018 SEAT Arona, of course. It also has cool looks, decent kit and affordability on its side.  Speaking of affordability, UK pr, ...ادامه مطلب