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• Car Articles Hot Hatch Of The Year 2012
• Free eBook From GEM Offers Winter Safety Advice
• Five Christmas Wishes For 2012
• Race To Recovery Team Feature In Documentary
• Car Articles Car Of The Year 2012
• The Next Generation of Hybrids
• Porsche 918 Spyder Driven
• Style And Performance Offered By The MINI John Cooper Works Paceman
• Jaguar F-Type Continues Development
• Suzuki demand surges in U.S. despite bankruptcy

Car Articles Hot Hatch Of The Year 2012 Posted: 27 Dec 2012 02:25 PM PST Chrises Cars - Car Articles Hot Hatch Of The Year 2012 There are a significant number of hot hatchbacks on the market ranging from the diminutive Abarth 500 all the way up to the Ford Focus RS. As a shining light of power, poise, performance and ability the Renaultsport Megane 265 stands out from the crowd to take the title of Car Articles Hot Hatch Of The Year 2012. Over 130 horsepower per litre of engine is always good news. 360 Nm of torque is even better. This car therefore can rev as well as give plenty of grunt for overtakes. Did you know this is also the fastest production front wheel drive road car to clock the Nurburgring? How about that for bragging rights at the pub? The Renaultsport Megane 265 offers something that many other performance cars do not – it is very easy to drive, but when you want to put a lick on it will shift extremely well. The truth is, hot hatches were designed to be a bit of everything. The Renaultsport Megane 265 is a brilliant hot hatchback and the pick of the bunch. The post Car Articles Hot Hatch Of The Year 2012 appeared first on Chrises Cars - Bringing You The Latest Motoring News And More

Free eBook From GEM Offers Winter Safety Advice Posted: 27 Dec 2012 02:25 PM PST Chrises Cars - Free eBook From GEM Offers Winter Safety Advice Continuing to develop its winter driving campaign after a week of severe weather across the UK, road safety organisation and breakdown cover company GEM Motoring Assist launches its winter driving eBook to provide yet another useful resource for motorists. Offering all the advice drivers need to stay safe on the roads this Christmas, the eBook has been designed to collate GEM's tips, checklists and hints from both its winter driving leaflet and video, in one accessible place. The eBook also includes additional information on travelling abroad, winter driving hazards and debunks certain winter driving myths. David Williams MBE, CEO of GEM Motoring Assist, comments: "We want to make it as easy as possible for drivers to get hold of crucial winter driving advice and the eBook is another trustworthy resource we now provide. Whether motorists prefer to keep a leaflet in the glove box, watch a winter driving video online, or read an eBook to gather their information, we have created a 'one stop shop' to suit every driver, in order to help them cope with the winter weather and avoid any unnecessary hazards." To access all GEM's winter driving advice, please visit the website via: www.motoringassist.com/winter-driving. The post Free eBook From GEM Offers Winter Safety Advice appeared first on Chrises Cars - Bringing You The Latest Motoring News And More

Five Christmas Wishes For 2012 Posted: 27 Dec 2012 02:25 PM PST Chrises Cars - Five Christmas Wishes For 2012 In a slightly more lighthearted variation of the standard Car Articles posts, here I consider a Christmas letter to Santa for 2012: Dear Santa, I am a car, motorbike and almost-anything-with-an-engine enthusiast. However, my greatest passion is held for transport generally on four wheels (though if you deemed me worthy of the devillishly handsome Morgan Three Wheeler as a present I would be more than gracious). For this reason, I was hoping you could furnish me with the following wishes. I grant that some of them may be even beyond your powers – however I ask for them nonetheless. Please ask the Government to stop continuously abusing the motorist or enjoying us simply as a source of revenue from over (and artificially) inflated fuel prices. For a lot of us, a car a necessity. Myself included. Have a word with the powers that be can you and ask if our pain can be a little reduced next year? Please watch over younger, inexperienced drivers. Grant them wisdom and see them safely through their journeys in order that the loss of life on our roads can be reduced. Please grant the powers that be a slightly increased budget to help with keeping our roads in a decent condition. Pot holes are dangerous and cause a lot of needless wear to our suspension systems. Please Santa, help my poor old car pass another MOT. It has served me well and I have treated it to a regular service so I don’t think this is asking too much. Finally, as three of my wishes have been for others, I would like to ask that my main present this year is a Pagani Cinque Roadster. I know it is outrageous, impractical and I’ll need you to also drop a large sum of money into my bank so I can insure it, but really would be rather grateful. It is probably my favourite car of all time. Please Santa. Please? Yours, Mr B – of Car Articles, UK. The post Five Christmas Wishes For 2012 appeared first on Chrises Cars - Bringing You The Latest Motoring News And More

Race To Recovery Team Feature In Documentary Posted: 27 Dec 2012 02:25 PM PST Chrises Cars - Race To Recovery Team Feature In Documentary The Road to Dakar is a new five-part documentary following a team of disabled British and American serviceman as they attempt to enter the most gruelling motorsport event in the world – The Dakar Rally. Directed by award winning documentary maker Tim Pritchard (Ross Kemp on Gangs) and produced by Gaucho Productions, the series will debut on Eurosport this Christmas and detail how a madcap idea gave birth to an extraordinary rally team – Race2Recovery. Charting their journey from the battlefield to the Dakar, the series is narrated by Captain Tony Harris, who lost his left leg in Afghanistan but is about to become the first amputee driver to compete in the Dakar. Tony and his teammates have an amazing story to tell. Co-driver Tom Neathway, for example, is a triple amputee, while Mark Zambon is a US Marine who lost both his legs while serving as a bomb disposal expert. He too will co-drive in one of their specialist Wildcat rally raid cars, based on the Land Rover Defender. Race2Recovery will be the first predominantly disabled team ever to enter the Dakar. Their aims are two-fold: to inspire other injured service personnel and the wider disabled community, and to raise money for the Personal Recovery Centre at Tedworth House. This Help for Heroes project supports injured service personnel, veterans and their families. Across the series, we'll see them learn to navigate through the Moroccan desert, do battle with sand dunes on the North African coast and combat the Dorset mud. We'll feel their emotion as a financial crisis almost kills the dream, and we'll share the tears, tantrums and triumphs as the rally gets ever closer. This is a truly extraordinary human story of courage and fast cars, set against the epic backdrop of the Dakar Rally. Alistair Weaver, Executive Producer, Gaucho Productions says: "It's been a real privilege to follow the Race2Recovery team on their journey to the Dakar. This is a story that works on so many levels: it's an incredible tale of human will in the face of adversity with some awesome machines and a beautiful backdrop. It's a story that needed telling and we're proud to have played our part in bringing it to life." Tim Ufton, Senior Producer, British Eurosport says: "We've been thrilled to work with Gaucho Productions on the Race2Recovery project. From the first meeting it was clear that this was an exciting, emotional story that would be perfect for our audience. There's lots of competition for a primetime slot on Christmas week, but Race2Recovery was an obvious choice." The five-part series will debut on British Eurosport on Christmas Eve at 8pm and run every night at the same time. It will also be broadcast on Eurosport in the Asia-Pacific region, reaching over 6M homes in 17 countries. For further information and to make a donation visit www.race2recovery.com. The post Race To Recovery Team Feature In Documentary appeared first on Chrises Cars - Bringing You The Latest Motoring News And More

Car Articles Car Of The Year 2012 Posted: 27 Dec 2012 02:25 PM PST Chrises Cars - Car Articles Car Of The Year 2012 This is the seventh generation Volkswagen Golf – and it is the Car Articles Car of the Year 2012. The seventh-generation Golf was unveiled on 4 September 2012, 38 years and 29 million units after the original model redefined the small family car. Based on the new MQB platform, the new Golf is bigger, lighter and safer than ever, bringing technically advanced features previously reserved for higher classes to a new audience. Everything that has made the Golf previously a legendary car is culminated in this latest incarnation. It seems inconceivable that the sixth gen could have been improved on, but there we are. Interior highlights include a centre console angled more towards the driver, giving them easier, more ergonomic and direct access to auxiliary controls, including the new generation of touchscreen infotainment systems that is available on the Golf. All Golf models now have touchscreen systems as standard, starting in the UK with a 5.8-inch colour display system, and rising to the range-topping satellite navigation system with eight-inch colour display. It operates with finger gestures that will be familiar to smartphone users. Features include DAB digital radio, auxiliary inputs (including USB), Bluetooth telephone preparation and access to vehicle trip information. Safety is of course paramount and the Golf comes up trump here, featuring: Adaptive Cruise Control, City Emergency Braking, Multi Collision Brake System, Pre crash System, Driver Alert system and much more. The seventh generation car is one of the safest on the road. Powering the Golf is a new range of petrol and diesel engines, all of which incorporate Stop/Start and battery regeneration systems. At launch, the petrol engines are a 1.2-litre TSI 85 PS unit returning 4.9 l/100 km (around 57.6 mpg and 113 g/km), and a 1.4-litre TSI 140 PS unit with Active Cylinder Technology, which can deactivate two of the cylinders, and achieves up to 4.8 l/100 km (58.9 mpg and 112 g/km). The launch diesel engines are a 1.6-litre unit with 105 PS, which returns 3.8 l/100 km (74.3 mpg and 99 g/km), and a 2.0-litre 150 PS unit which returns 4.1 l/100 km (68.9 mpg and 106 g/km). The Golf range starts from £16,285 on the road. All of this adds up to a car that is capable of just about any task you’ll ask of it – whether moving some luggage, transporting the family or having a bit of ‘B’ road fun. Naturally I’m waiting for the GTI however you can’t argue with the 1.4 litre TSI 140 PS unit – a cracking engine with Active Cylinder Technology and a great miles per gallon figure. I guarantee that this will be an extremely common sight on UK roads – but for all the right reasons. Well done seventh generation Volkswagen Golf – you are the Car Articles Car of the Year 2012. The post Car Articles Car Of The Year 2012 appeared first on Chrises Cars - Bringing You The Latest Motoring News And More

The Next Generation of Hybrids Posted: 27 Dec 2012 02:25 PM PST Chrises Cars - The Next Generation of Hybrids The reasons for choosing a hybrid technology car are clear and well documented. We all know that they are more fuel efficient; we all know that they are kinder to the environment and we all know that they are cheaper to run. As the technology behind hybrid vehicles has advanced, the importance of such benefits has become increasingly clear to many of us in modern society. The reasons for not choosing hybrid cars are similarly well known. There are a lot of old ideas in terms of what a hybrid car can deliver in terms of comfort, convenience and performance. The last ten years has seen a lot investment in hybrid car technology due to ever increasing petrol prices and a wide consensus of public opinion that a reliance on greenhouse gases needs to be reduced. What are My Hybrid Options? A micro hybrid uses a regular petrol or diesel engine for accelerating and maintaining speed, but reverts back to an electric motor whilst idling rather like a half hybrid car. The downside is that the car is still always reliant on petrol whilst moving. This could be useful if you spend most of your day sat in a traffic jam. The mild hybrid supplements the combustion engine with an electric motor whilst accelerating. This ultimately means that slightly less fuel is used. What are the Benefits of a Full Hybrid? The full hybrid relies on an electric motor for low speeds and the combustion engine kicks in when more power is required. The benefits of this type of a Lexus hybrid are obvious, as they can deliver remarkable performance when needed and switch effortlessly into the silent electric mode. It offers a balance between performance and comfort that cannot necessarily be found with many other vehicles currently on the market. If you are in any doubt as to what stage hybrid cars have advanced to, you would do well to look at what Lexus UK have been up to. Their new range of fully hybrid cars employs technology that harnesses the energy otherwise wasted when you break in order to power the electric motor, so it is charging whilst you are using it. There is no need to find somewhere to plug your car in overnight anymore. All of the plastics used are described as 'infinitely recyclable' as well. A brief glimpse at the performance in terms of acceleration and fuel efficiency shows you that these days you really can have the best of both worlds. The post The Next Generation of Hybrids appeared first on Chrises Cars - Bringing You The Latest Motoring News And More

Porsche 918 Spyder Driven Posted: 27 Dec 2012 02:25 PM PST Chrises Cars - Porsche 918 Spyder Driven The Porsche 918 Spyder is a hybrid supercar with a 4.6 litre engine and two electric motors delivering even further power to this four wheel drive monster. In the video, Harry Metcalfe takes a passenger ride with Walter Rohrl and as you can imagine he has rather a good time. This is a stunning, stunning car that could well be the future of motorsport so make sure to watch this space carefully. The post Porsche 918 Spyder Driven appeared first on Chrises Cars - Bringing You The Latest Motoring News And More

Style And Performance Offered By The MINI John Cooper Works Paceman Posted: 27 Dec 2012 02:25 PM PST Chrises Cars - Style And Performance Offered By The MINI John Cooper Works Paceman Being sold as a ‘sports activity coupe’ (new segment anyone?!?), this is the all new MINI John Cooper Works Paceman. Four individual seats, racy style and a powerplant that develops its maximum output of 160 kW/218 hp at 6,000 rpm means real fun. Peak torque of 280 Newton metres (207 lb-ft) is on tap between 1,900 and 5,000 rpm, and can be increased to 300 Newton metres (221 lb-ft) for short periods between 2,100 and 4,500 rpm using the overboost function. This opens the door to gratifyingly vivacious acceleration to which the standard-fitted sports exhaust system provides a suitably stirring soundtrack. Power is put on the road by the ALL4 all-wheel-drive system. Top speed stands at 226 (140 mph) for the manual version or 224 km/h (139 mph) for the automatic. The MINI John Cooper Works Paceman marries this impressive performance with eye-catching economy. The engine's inherent efficiency and extensive MINIMALISM technology – such as Brake Energy Regeneration, the Gear Shift Indicator and the Auto Start/Stop function (on manual cars) – are the trump cards here. Average fuel consumption in the EU test cycle is 7.4 litres (automatic: 7.9 litres) per 100 kilometres / 38.2 (35.8) mpg imp, and CO2 emissions come in at 172 (184) grams per kilometre. The post Style And Performance Offered By The MINI John Cooper Works Paceman appeared first on Chrises Cars - Bringing You The Latest Motoring News And More

Jaguar F-Type Continues Development Posted: 27 Dec 2012 02:25 PM PST Chrises Cars - Jaguar F-Type Continues Development The Jaguar F-TYPE is a return to Jaguar’s roots of performance sports cars in a swooping, coupe (or convertible) body. As part of the development programme, three world-renowned drivers – Martin Brundle, Christian Danner and Justin Bell – put both 380PS V6 and 495PS V8 prototype models to the test. Their efforts were witnessed by Mike Cross, Chief Engineer Vehicle Integrity, Jaguar, the man who has directed the team which has worked tirelessly to ensure the F-TYPE delivers a truly rewarding sports car driving experience. "It's been a fascinating day," said Mike. "The entire F-TYPE development programme has, from a vehicle development perspective, been focused on delivering a connected sports car driving experience. To witness three respected drivers take to the track and to hear their positive comments validate our work has been great." The camouflaged prototype F-TYPE S and F-TYPE V8 S models provided for the test were fully representative of production intent from a dynamic and powertrain perspective. The 380PS F-TYPE S covers the 0-60mph sprint in 4.8 seconds (0-100km/h in 4.9 seconds) and has an electronically limited top speed of 171mph (275km/h). Corresponding headline figures for the F-TYPE V8 S are 0-60mph in 4.2 seconds (0-100km/h in 4.3 seconds) and an electronically limited top speed of 186mph (300km/h). Both feature all-aluminium construction, Adaptive Dynamics suspension and an Active Exhaust system. You can view the F-TYPE track and road driving impressions of Brundle, Danner and Bell here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gz_9UoLFAs&feature=share&list=UUU3MVTYYP82UKA9I_WDpRGw. The post Jaguar F-Type Continues Development appeared first on Chrises Cars - Bringing You The Latest Motoring News And More

Suzuki demand surges in U.S. despite bankruptcy Posted: 27 Dec 2012 02:25 PM PST Chrises Cars - Suzuki demand surges in U.S. despite bankruptcy Suzuki demand surges in U.S. despite bankruptcy In a sudden development, and sales rose Suzuki United States after the bankruptcy of American Suzuki Motors. The company has aimed to stop selling cars in the United States, but sales were brisk so they can import additional 2,500 units to keep up with demand. In November, American Suzuki sales rose 22 percent to 2224 units. December sales are also, but Chief Restructuring Officer M. Freddie Reese said increased sales can not justify the continued presence of Suzuki in the United States. As mentioned in previous reports, American Suzuki Motors filed for bankruptcy because of “unfavorable foreign exchange rates, and disproportionately high and increasing costs associated with meeting the more stringent state and federal regulatory requirements cars.” Despite the imminent end of car sales in the United States, and the company plans to continue to sell motorcycles, ATVs and boat engines in America. The post Suzuki demand surges in U.S. despite bankruptcy appeared first on Chrises Cars - Bringing You The Latest Motoring News And More

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