C-X75 Jaguar

However the big news was under the rear compartment.
The concept car housed two gas turbines which powered electric motors. Speaking with CarAdvice, Gordon Snoddy, Global Jaguar Brand Manager, explained the reason behind choosing gas turbines.
“The main advantage is weight,” said Mr Snoddy. “The two engines only weigh 35kg each, yet they produce 95hp each.”

“They can also run on just about any fuel, which means they’re extremely versatile, which is great for future fuel research and alternative sources. They charge batteries very quickly, too, and they’re also extremely efficient.”

While the turbines don’t produce direct thrust (this isn’t the Batcar, remember), they supply generators linked to four 195hp electric motors, one for each wheel. So why won’t we see gas turbines in the production version of the C-X75? Gordon Snoddy tells us.

“The main problem is cooling. These turbines run extremely hot, and we haven’t quite got the cooling sorted yet,” said Mr Snoddy. “We have people working on that, in conjuction with the Technology Strategy Board (TSB). It’s definitely the way of the future, we just have to overcome some hurdles first.”

It seems a strange path to take, until you realise that Jaguar’s parent company Tata has just taken a major stake in Bladon Jets. Jaguar says that it will develop this technology as a medium-term aspiration, and it will definitely play a part in Jaguar’s future.

Future Jaguars may well be run as hybrids powered by gas turbines, but in the mean time, the C-X75 will come to market with an F1-derived four-cylinder turbocharged engine run as a parallel hybrid with four powerful electric motors for each of the wheels. Efficiency is still the key here, with Jaguar touting that the 99g/km CO2 level has been achieved and is a certainty for the C-X75 production car.

MINI Cooper S

MINI Cooper S – small, tight fit and not a lot of boot space either, but who’s complaining? Not me.
There’s a guy in a Porsche Carrera 4S that clearly doesn’t like the fact that the MINI Cooper S has just flogged him through a tight little section on my standard test drive route.
For some odd reason it’s been way too long since my last road test of one of these ‘hot’ MINI Coopers. The last time was more than a few years ago, when I was privileged to take ex-formula racer Warwick Brown on a hot lap of the Pier One area in a John Cooper Works special edition. That was early on a Sunday morning and Warwick stepped out of the car and said he was buying one, just like that.
That’s what a drive in a MINI Cooper S can do to you, because there simply isn’t another car on the road that offers this much fun behind the wheel. That’s despite the fact that the cons probably outweigh the pros, at least from various practicality aspects.
The MINI Cooper is small, very small. Thankfully though, it’s about twice the size of the original car designed by Sir Alec Issigonis. Even so, if we were talking apartments – this would be a studio. While there’s not a lot of elbowroom between driver and front passenger, there’s even less legroom for rear-seat passengers, but it’s fine for kids though. In the rear cargo space, you might just be able to squeeze in the weekly grocery shopping – but that’s only if you don’t have kids.

Infiniti G25 2.5-liter V6 power plan

Until now, the company had only the G37 to do battle with entry-level versions of BMW's 3 Series and the Lexus IS, which in terms of cost and performance was sort of like deciding between a cigarette lighter and a flamethrower. The G25 now shoulders that duty, positioned squarely in the same output and price category as its entry-level lux-marque competition.
Known as VQ25VHR in Nissan-speak, the G25's 2.5-liter V6 power plant is built on the same architecture as the 3.7-liter V6 found in the G37. The G25's engine is consequently only smaller in terms of swept capacity — externally, the two engines are clones.
This commonality presents something of a problem since the "smaller" engine doesn't result in significant weight or manufacturing cost savings. Fuel economy, too, at 20/29 city/highway mpg, betters the G37's 19/27 mpg showing by just a hair while giving up a not-inconsiderable slice of power and torque.
So in order to keep the 2011 Infiniti G25's sticker from potentially ballooning past that of a bare-bones G37, Infiniti withheld from the G25 a few whiz-bang option packages. The G37's Premium, Sport and Technology offerings are deleted for the G25, as is a navigation system. But then, this is the entry-level version, remember?

Vauxhall Meriva 1.7 CDTi SE

Overpriced. That’ll be your first thought about this flagship diesel Meriva. Because £20k seems an awful lot for even the poshest version of a junior five-seat MPV.

But this new Meriva isn’t so ‘junior’ after all. Vauxhall’s moved the goalposts.

At 4.3-metres long, the new Meriva’s within 20cm of a Citroen C4 Picasso. And with a roomy cabin, clever rear seats that slide in two dimensions, and coach-style rear-hinged rear doors, this car seems every bit as accommodating as a five-seater from the ‘C-MPV’ Scenic/C-Max segment.

See the first drive pictures of the Vauxhall Meriva 1.7 CDTi SE
What’s it like?

The Meriva SE’s well-finished and well-equipped. Our test car came with cabin materials that almost everywhere seemed the match of those you’d find in an Insignia, and better quality than those of a Citroen Picasso.

Clever storage features like a sliding, interchangable centre console module really count in the Meriva’s favour, as do comfortable part-leather seats, a great driving position and a huge panoramic sunroof.

Powering this car is the latest version of GM’s Isuzu-derived 1.7-litre turbodiesel, first used, many moons and modifications ago, in the mkIII Astra. You expect it to feel strained, but it’s been very thoroughly intergrated here, and only gets vocal beyond 4000rpm.

Its gift to the Meriva is something the weedier 1.3-litre turbodiesel engine struggles to provide: easily accessed torque. There’s more than 221lb ft on offer at 2000rpm.

You can frequently deploy all of that thanks to the slick six-speed manual gearbox; there’s enough of it that you rarely need to work the engine beyond 3500rpm; and because of it, you’re almost never caught in the wrong gear.

This car steers accurately and consistently, handles keenly, and rolls much less than a C3 Picasso, for example.

It even rides better than other Merivas; the added weight of its iron-block engine, and of the extra standard equipment (apparently that glass roof weighs a bit), has a calming influence on the car’s otherwise slightly fidgety ride.
Should I buy one?

It’s not an easy case to make. Twenty large buys you a lot of car, almost wherever you go shopping. Still, it’s only what Renault charges for a top-spec, five-seat diesel Scenic.

And if you do like the idea of getting into the back of your Vauxhall the same way Simon Cowell gets into his Roller, you’ll love this Meriva.

It’s attractive, cleverly designed, roomy and refined, and would make as practical a second car as most families are likely to need.

Vauxhall reckons the cheaper, more frugal 1.3-litre EcoFlex will be the bigger-selling diesel option in the Meriva range, but in our book, the 1.7 deserves the greater success. It’s still overpriced, for sure – but believe it or not, this car gets closer to justifying its inflated pricetag than any other model in the range.
Matt Saunders

Vauxhall Meriva 1.7 CDTi 130 SE

Price: £20,150; Top speed: 121mph; 0-62mph: 9.9sec; Economy: 54.3mpg; CO2: 138g/km; Kerbweight: 1547kg; Engine: 4 cyls, 1686cc, turbodiesel; Power: 128bhp at 4000rpm; Torque: 221lb ft at 2000rpm; Gearbox: 6-spd manual

Bosal Muffler Single center inlet and offset outlet configuration; 58 in. L x 12 in. W x 6 in

Bosal Muffler - Natural, Aluminized steel, Direct OE Replacement, Standard OE Replacement
Part Number: BO282139
Manufacturer Number: 282-139
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BOSAL REAR MUFFLER, ALUMINIZED STEEL, NATURAL FINISH, SOLD INDIVIDUALLY -- Single center inlet and offset outlet configuration; 58 in. L x 12 in. W x 6 in. H; Oval casing; Standard direct fit OE replacement; Made to fit vehicle-specific requirements for backpressure, emissions, sound levels, and sensors; Precision-manufactured to high tolerances for long life; Easy installation.

Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport

Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport – Click above for high-res image gallery

With production of the Veyron coming to an end, speculation has been rampant over what Bugatti will build next. A super-sedan based on the 16C Galibier concept could still get the green light. A 1,200-horsepower "Super Veyron" has also re-entered the rumor mill of late. Even an entry-level roadster was mooted at one point. But a new project could give us a clearer (and more radical) picture than ever before.

According to the rumormongers over at Auto Express, Bugatti is currently working on a massively powerful electric supercar that could eclipse the notions of what was previously thought possible with battery power. A test mule based on sister-company Bentley's ubiquitous Continental GT is reportedly undergoing testing at present, powered by two giant electric motors and an advanced lithium-ion power cell to deliver the equivalent of 800 horsepower and some 1,600 lb-ft of torque, all available instantly from a standstill. Yowza!

Such technology would doubtlessly draw from the work sister-company Audi has been doing with its successive e-Tron concepts. But as AE points out, this wouldn't be the first time Bugatti has experimented with electric power: Back in its heyday under founder Ettore Bugatti's direction, the original company built the Type 56. Originally built as a one-off, public demand prompted the Molsheim marque to bring it to market.

The rumored Continental-based prototype may be strictly a one-off at the moment, but if demand could force the Type 56 to market in the 1930s, it certainly could do the same today.

Gallery: First Drive: Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport

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2010 Saleen S281 is the real deal with the wrong engine

2010 Saleen S281 - Click above for high-res image gallery

In the middle of the decade, Saleen was on a roll. The company had just launched its new S281 Mustang based on the S197 platform, the twin-turbo variation of the S7 was underway and Ford had contracted the specialty manufacturer to assemble its GT supercar. Business was good, and both of Saleen's assembly plants in Irvine and Detroit were at full capacity. The top of the mountain came in early 2007 when Saleen introduced the Parnelli Jones Mustang, still one of our favorite Mustangs of all time.

Unfortunately, it was all downhill from that point. Founder Steve Saleen announced his departure in the summer of 2007 and the investment firm with a controlling stake in the company declared that it was looking for a buyer in late 2008. Just a few months later, most of what was left of Saleen was sold to MJ Acquisitions, a Detroit-based company that owns various automotive manufacturing businesses.

Needless to say, we had our doubts about the future of Saleen. Would the new owner uphold the identity of the brand that was built over the past 25 years? Would they be able to keep their loyal base of customers without Steve at the helm? Most importantly, would a new Saleen have the resources and personnel to create an all-new product worthy of the brand? Saleen gave us the opportunity to drive one of its first production S281 Mustangs based on the the car's new-for-2010 body style, and we think we have the answer. Continued after the jump.

2010 Saleen S281

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