Mercedes-Benz E-Class getting upgraded V6, twin-turbo V8

Mercedes Benz E350 this metallic palladium silver 2012 e350 is the perfect example of what mercedes benz has to offer for their entry level mid size customer who doesn

Mercedes-Benz E350 and E550 Test drive and new car review

See reviews, specs, and pictures of different Mercedes-Benz E350 trims at CarsDirect and get our low price guarantee on the new Mercedes-Benz E350 you want.

Mercedes-Benz E-Class E350 Sedan

The Mercedes-Benz E-Class is a mid-size luxury car / executive car sold by the Mercedes-Benz branch of DaimlerChrysler. The model line is available with various six and

2012 Mercedes-Benz C-Class

When it comes to automobiles, money is usually the limiting factor. Endowed with unlimited dough, who wouldn't drive their dream car?

For those inclined toward luxury, the full-size Mercedes-Benz S-Class coddles its drivers with massive comfort and technology that compensates for nearly every common human frailty exhibited behind the wheel. The S-Class, however, remains beyond the means of most drivers.

Developed to make three-pointed quality, safety and luxury more attainable, the W 201 sedan was introduced by Mercedes-Benz in 1982. Known as the 190, this compact sedan stands as the direct forerunner of the C-Class. Some 8.5 million sales stand as M-B's commercial proof of concept over four generations. And the way things are going, those sales are set to continue.

Chevrolet Spark car review

In 2007 Chevrolet put a trio of city car concepts on display at the New York Motor Show and invited the public to pick the design they liked best. Over a million votes later the 'Beat' concept was chosen. Now the production version is here and Chevrolet have stayed faithful to the bold lines of the original design but changed its name to 'Spark'.

Specifications

• Model tested: Spark 1.2 LS
• Price as tested: £8,795
• Range Price: £6,945 - £9,845
• Insurance group as tested: N/A
• Insurance group range: N/A
• CO2 emissions as tested:N/A
• CO2 emissions range: N/A
• EuroNCAP result: ****
• Date and place tested:November 2009, Athens, Greece
• Road tester: Keith Collantine

The Spark takes the place of the Matiz in Chevrolet's range. But the company is aiming the new car squarely at a much younger market than those who bought that model.

Chevrolet Spark montage

Sub-£7,000 price tag

Accordingly, the car already made a cameo in summer blockbuster Transformers 2 as the robot 'Skids'. Happily, driving the car is a more satisfying experience than Michael Bay's smash-a-thon.

And it's a better use of your money too. The entry-level Spark comes in just short of £7,000 (assuming VAT goes back up to 17.5% in January).

For basic mod cons like electric windows, central locking and air-conditioning you'll need the Spark + which starts from £8,145.

That makes it a very competitive proposition against the likes of the Kia Picanto and Hyundai i10. But can the Spark show us anything to rival the likes of the Toyota Aygo, Citroen C1 and Fiat Panda?

Fresh look

The Spark's chunky design looks great on the road. It shrugs off the 'I'm-just-a-rebadged-Daewoo' look of the Matiz and the bold gold badge on the front screams 'I'm a Chevrolet!'

Its large headlight clusters have a touch of the Fiesta about them but that large, split grille sets it apart from anything else on the road in its class. The rear light clusters and the crease in its flanks above the wheel arches add to the modern look.

Only in profile does the car lose some of its lustre, with the tall sides making even the optional 15-inch alloy wheels look too small.

Inside the designers have made an effort to carry on the funky styling but the constraints of their budget have had a noticeable effect. There are a lot of plain switches and a dull gear lever with a distinctly rubbery feel. But all the controls are clearly laid out and easy to use.

In an attempt to give the driver something more interesting to look at the major instruments are housed in a large plastic assembly which nestles just behind the steering wheel.

This has some advantages over a traditional arrangement - it's much easier to see the speedometer and other dials. But some will find the LCD screen and plastic surround a bit tacky - have a look at our close-up pictures to judge for yourself.

Excels in the city

With its diminutive size and rapid steering the Spark is most at home in the city. Visibility around the car is very good and the ride, though slightly firm, is generally comfortable.

It has quite a high driving position and limited scope for adjustment. The tall roof means rear passenger headroom is better than you'd expect for such a small car. But with limited legroom full-grown adults will find long distances uncomfortable.

Take it out onto the motorway and even the larger of the two engines - the 1.2-litre petrol - labours at higher speeds and you need a decent stretch of road to overtake safely.

The steering, which is light and nimble at low speeds, also feels a little uncertain when you're going quickly.

There's no question the Spark is a big improvement on Chevrolet's previous city car offering. Unfortunately it won't arrive here before spring, which will likely be just after the scrappage scheme comes to an end.

But even without that leg-up Chevrolet have a car which potential Picanto and i10 buyers should take a serious look at. Those on the market for a Panda or a C1 may also be tempted by its neat looks and low price tag.

Honda's CR-Z sports hybrid

It’s silly, we know, but there’s a tangible sense of relief in the air as we’re handed the key to the pert little CR-Z, Honda’s new 2+2 sports hybrid hatchback coupé thing. Relief rather than anticipation because we’re pathetically delighted to see a key that folds in on itself, in the modern style. By contrast the old-fashioned keys to Honda’s other hybrids – the Insight hatch and Civic saloon – are unyielding metal spears like something from the sharp end of the kitchen drawer, best not carried loose in a trouser pocket. These little things can matter a lot, unless you already have all the children you’ll ever want.

Grab that blissful folding key, plip open the doors, and slide over the prominent bolster into a snug, punched-leather cocoon. Ratchet down the seat – headroom is tight in our top-spec GT model with its glass roof and sliding sunblind. Adjust the seatback by tugging at the horrible, imprecise lever, then strain for the seatbelt hanging from that pillar way back behind you. Check the mirrors – large and square power-folding jobs on each door, plus a view through the centre of the car that’s awkwardly bisected, to remind you that you’re sitting in a hybrid.

Adjust the wheel and you’re ready to go. Slot the key home and twist to bring the dash alive, then depress the clutch before prodding the pointless red start button hidden behind the wheel rim. Then survey the Starfleet-style instruments, resplendent in red, white, blue and – of course – green, to remind you to drive with an eye on the mpg gauge. But then a blip of the throttle produces a fulsome rasp from the rear of the car. Is this little hybrid Honda a green car or a sporty car? Or neither?

Honda would like to think that it’s all three. To the right of the wheel sits a set of three square buttons, marked Econ, Normal and Sport. Prod them and you’ll change the car’s characteristics, from slow and thrifty through to eager and darty. The buttons change steering weight and the availability of torque from the hybrid electric motor (as well as the backlighting of the instruments and the insistence of the upshift reminder). They really do make a difference too – drive at a constant throttle and riffle the buttons and you’ll actually speed up and slow down. Leave the car in Econ on the open road and you’ll think you’re towing a boat. Put it in Sport and you’ll think that – well, you’ll think you’re in a respectably nippy little coupé, not fast, but lively. In normal it’s in the middle and unremarkable, as it says on the tin.

Whichever mode you choose, the car is reasonably frugal. Driving at a normal pace for 50 miles on A-roads and twisty B-roads, switching among the three modes and indulging in the odd spot of Sport-button overtaking, yielded 45.6mpg (according to the car’s own estimates). No doubt a more careful or patient driver could achieve a figure in the 50s. The official combined cycle comes in at 56.5mpg and 117g/km.

Along with that fuel economy you get a very pleasant little car. The seats (once adjusted) are great, the handling tidy, the ride reasonable. Forward visibility is good, without the mammoth blindspots that are the hybrid norm. Over the shoulder and rear visibility are as awful as you’d expect from just looking at the car from the kerb, but then they are part of the parcel if you want a rakishly shaped coupé. Pedal weights and steering feel are good. It’s very easy to plant the CR-Z exactly where you want it on the road, and to feel like you’re making good progress on a twisty B-route. Instant torque from the hybrid electric motor makes the car feel quick to respond, and we never felt weighed down by the batteries at the rear.

Niggles turn out to be few. The rear seats are pointless, some plastics felt nasty, we’d prefer a space-saver wheel to a bottle of goo, the 6-speed gearbox is easily mis-slotted, and the engine stop-start system can be relied upon to stop but not to start.

Like many current cars, the CR-Z will halt its engine when stationary, to spare the earth a few puffs of CO2. But unlike others we’ve tested, the car’s brain will occasionally manage to get its bits in a twist, leaving you motionless, in gear, pressing a lifeless accelerator and going nowhere. Dipping the clutch for half a second will spin the engine back into life, but it really oughtn’t to be possible to outfox the car so readily. Even Kia can get this stuff right, so for Honda to get it wrong is a big, bad surprise.

Honda expects to sell 3,500 CR-Zs in the UK over the next 12 months, mostly in the mid-range Sport spec at about £18,000. The cheaper S costs just under £17,000, while £20,000 is required to drive off in a CR-Z GT with its glass roof, heated leather chairs, xenon lamps and Bluetooth kit. Built-in satnav is extra. All three models offer the same performance – 124mph flat out, 9.9 seconds to 62mph, and a 122bhp peak from petrol and electric combined.

Honda thinks the most likely buyers will be professional urbanites, aged 25 to 35, alongside older empty nesters looking for an economical and fun second car, plus the odd business buyer after a low-CO2 drive with a bit of pep.

We think that all of the above will find a lot to like in the Honda CR-Z. All of a sudden the default-choice Mini looks frumpy, old fashioned and as common as a cold.

New Cars Brock Racing Celebrates 40th Anniversary with New BRE 370Z

A little while back - forty years ago - Peter Brock's Brock Racing Enterprises won the SCCA National Championship at Road Atlanta with a 240Z driven by John Morton.

Now, on the 40th anniversary of the original win, BRE is celebrating the first official ass-kicking Japanese racer on American soil with a special new 370Z.

Based on the Nismo 370Z Coupe, it will be "built to current SCCA T2 racecar regulations and will see track duty later this year." It will also feature a distinct red, white, and blue BRE paint scheme.

The BRE 370Z is set to debut April 29 at the Classic Motorsports Mitty at Road Atlanta. If you can't get down there, the car will also be making appearances a Z Club events nationwide.

By Phil Alex