2012 Kia Rondo Review

The Kia Rondo is the seven-seater car and for some big families on a budget that alone might be a good enough reason to buy one.

The Rondo's days are numbered. Although it definitely won't be wiped off the map in 2013, it has to be thoroughly revamped if it wants to compete with the new Ford C-Max and recent Mazda5. In the meantime, the 2012 model is a carbon copy of the 2011, except for a few minor tweaks. The two engines offered are a 2.4L 4-cylinder and a 2.7L V6. These can be paired with either a 4-speed or 5-speed automatic transmission.

With a starting price of $25,990 before on-road costs for the five-speed manual Si variant, the Rondo is currently the only people-mover available for less than $30,000.

Under the bonnet of the Kia Rondo sits a 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine that on paper doesn't sound particularly well equipped to propel a vehicle designed to carry multiple people. There's merely 106kW of power (at 6000rpm) and 189Nm of torque (at 4250rpm).

Stepping on the throttle, the Rondo feels surprisingly responsive, although the apparent enthusiasm is actually just a case of an oversensitive accelerator pedal that quickly becomes tiresome and makes smooth driving an effort.

While it's capable and reasonably well-behaved around town, the engine's eagerness is swiftly converted to slow progression and loud engine noise when you ask it to accelerate a little harder, head up a hill, or pull half a dozen people as the car is intended to do.

The four-speed auto does the ageing petrol engine few favours. The gearbox kicks back violently when you sink the boot in to overtake, sending the revs flaring, increasing noise and decreasing refinement and comfort.

The auto model uses a competitive 8.6 litres of fuel per 100km on the combined cycle, bettering the manual by 0.1L/100km.

For those on the tightest of budgets, though, who need to haul more than five people and have less than $35,000 - or even less than $30,000 - the Kia Rondo is an honest, spacious and versatile option, but one that is let down by an underpowered engine.

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2012 Ford FPV Boss 335 GT

Ford's Australian outpost has built its most powerful car ever: the Ford Performance Vehicles Boss 335 GT. That's 335 kilowatts, by the way: 450bhp to you and me, from a supercharged five-litre V8 engine shoe-horned into the bodyshell of Ford's standard, rear-wheel drive Falcon saloon. With a bonnet bulge the size of Uluru and that power output stencilled into its black racing stripes, the Boss ain't subtle: it looks and sounds every bit as fast as it is. But can the Boss 335 GT transcend its family saloon roots to deliver a world-class performance car experience?

Australia's devotion to the muscle car easily exceeds America's. It builds them far better, and has continued to do so despite conditions which ought to have killed Aussies' appetite for big, powerful, thirsty cars stone dead. The heyday of US muscle cars ended abruptly with the oil crisis of 1971: they died overnight in an automotive mass-extinction event on a par with the demise of the dinosaurs. But Australian muscle-car culture was just hitting its stride. That year it produced the Ford Falcon GTHO Phase III, the new Boss's spiritual forebear and now the most valuable Australian-made car, with genuine examples changing hands for 750,000. And it kept on making them through the seventies.

Like many other Aussie cars the GT is pleasingly Spartan, doing away with the fripperies to keep the price down. So the glovebox falls open with a clunk, the silver cabin trim looks sprayed-on and the boot is barely trimmed and has no grab handles to pull it shut.

But the stuff Aussie drivers actually need is prioritized, such as long gearing and some of the world's best seats to cope with long, long distances.

And those distances will feel a lot shorter in the GT, if you're prepared to brave the speed cameras. Based on an American Ford V8 block used in the current Mustang 5.0 GT and Boss 302 the Boss 335 engine develops huge linear thrust and the acceleration feels quicker than the claimed 4.9sec 0-60 time. From inside the whine of the supercharger dominates but from outside there's a terrific rip from the exhausts accompanied, usually, by the sound of the rear tyres ripping at the tarmac.

The Boss 335 GT has traction control, but the system's main contribution seems to be to blink at you from the instrument binnacle to tell you you've lost traction. This can be provoked at will; fortunately the Ford's natural chassis balance allows you to keep the car pointing where it's meant to go. It has quick, accurate steering and a fine ride; not up to the standards of the best European sports saloons, but streets ahead of most US muscle cars.

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Renault Alpine Leaked

No, Renault won't officially unveil its long-awaited conceptual tribute to the fabled Alpine-Renault A110 until later this week - but a Web site in Europe claims it has the first leaked photo of the Alpine reincarnate.

French publication MotorSport Magazine, which first broke the images, says what you're looking at is the real concept deal, much, as does fabled BBC publication Top Gear. If true, it looks quite a bit like Renault's 2010 DeZir concept - which, ironically, we noted bore a vague resemblance to vintage Alpine-Renault sports coupes. This new image appears much like a DeZir, albeit one cranked to eleven. Dramatic wheel flares, preposterously large wings, and gaping air intakes trigger flashbacks to Group 4-prepped A110s. Incroyable.

What lurks beneath the skin of la nouvelle Alpine, however, is allegedly wildly different from the original concept. Don't look for the DeZir's fancy electric powertrain; according to TopGear, the Alpine concept is built atop the mechanicals of the wild Renaultsport Megane Trophy race car. As such, a 3.5-liter V-6, placed aft of the cabin in keeping with Alpine tradition, could provide about 450 hp to the rear wheels.

We're anxious to learn more about the concept itself - but we're even more interested in learning exactly what plans Renault has in store for its Alpine brand, which has essentially laid dormant since the discontinuation of the A610 in 1995. Over the past several months, we've heard Renault officials insist they're serious about resurrecting the brand. Rumor has it they're certainly planning on launching a new sports coupe - perhaps atop a platform shared with Nissan and Daimler - that, could pack a 300-hp punch. Executives have also mulled selling the vehicle in both China and North America to amortize costs. If so, and if it continues to wear the Alpine name, it would be the first Alpine-Renault to be officially sold in North America, since plans to sell the GTA in our market in the late 1980s were ultimately scrapped.

For now, it's a wait-and-see process. The first step, we're told, is to wait until Friday, when more images and details are expected to emerge from Renault.

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2013 Subaru Outback Review

Subaru automobile corporation is long acknowledge among the big name in car producer and also has long historical background of producing a top quality car that has Subaru characteristic, that's why many feels that their brand new line of 2013 Subaru Outback might also be as wonderful as it old collections. The mixture of brand new range of modern technology formulate by Subaru and their expertise and deep working experience from their designers make this 2013 Subaru Outback become a tough competitor to other brand new auto in the same classification from other auto challengers.

This 2013 Subaru Outback is a fresh new car which will become obtainable on wide-range of diverse trims; that are the 2013 Subaru Outback 2.5i, the 2013 Subaru Outback 2.5i Premium and the 2013 Subaru Outback 2.5i Limited; all having four cylinder engine. The subsequent version should be the 2013 Subaru Outback 3.6R, the 2013 Subaru Outback 3.6R Premium, and the 2013 Subaru Outback 3.6R Limited; all having six cylinder engine. In this case, the Premium and Limited version would be the utmost expensive mainly because it will provide freight coverage, leather wrapper steering wheel, rear end privacy glass together with power drivers seat.

Currently the Subaru has already made the decision to placed their personalized CVT auto transmission platform as the selectable for the 2013 Subaru Outback, where the basic transmitting designed for the 2013 Subaru Outback will be the six speeds manual transmitting platform. With regards to the engine, there would be basically two type offered, the 2.5 liter 4 cylinder engine for the 2.5i editions; producing for as much as 170 hp and 170 pound feet of torque, while the second engine would be the 3.6 liter 6 cylinder engine designed for the 3.6R versions; having 256 horsepower as well as around 247 ft of torque.

The price for all the 2013 Subaru Outback would be the following; the Standard 2013 Subaru Outback 2.5i will likely be listed for around $24,55K intended for manual transmitting and $25,35K for the CVT auto transmitting, while the 2013 Subaru Outback 2.5i Premium will be posted for about $25,85K in manual transmission in addition to $26,85K for the CVT automated transmitting plus the last 2013 Subaru Outback 2.5i Limited is going to be listed at $$29,85K. Moreover, the particular 2013 Subaru Outback 3.6R is going to be quoted for around $29,35K designed for the Standard version, $30,6K to the Premium version along with the last is going to be $32,95K for Limited type.

Today's tough opposition among auto makers across the world where brand-new vehicles brought directly into public day after day bring a very good condition for the consumer as they now enjoy a handful of options to pick out but in counter it will be a giant mission for Subaru as well as their brand new 2013 Subaru Outback to steal the attention and awareness from their clients and then win the race. As a retrofit variant different from the previous type, the 2013 Subaru Outback expected to deliver a new and different riding atmosphere that's turned into reality by adding new additional features and functions to overpass the outdated edition. Subaru definitely optimist for the success of their fresh new 2013 Subaru Outback prior to implementing loads of brand new facilities and stuffs as per customers desire.

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Nissan Micra 2014 Pictures

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BMW Concept Active Tourer Outdoor 2013 Pictures

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Mercedes-Benz shows S-Class scale models

2014 Mercedes-Benz S-Class scale models 30.07.2013

1:18 model costs 79.90 EUR

Mercedes-Benz is now selling a trio of 2014 S-Class miniatures co-developed with Herpa, Schuco and Norev.

The cheapest 2014 Mercedes-Benz S-Class you can buy would have to be a 1:87 scale model made by Herpa which is available in blue anthracite, diamond white metallic bright and magnetite black. The miniature S-Class is about 5.8 cm long and has more than 26 individual parts. It costs 15.90 EUR and comes along with a printed plinth and a presentation case.

Schuco is offering a 1:42 scale model of the S500 long wheelbase version featuring multi-spoke alloys, LED intelligent light system and a panoramic sliding sunroof. This one is around 12 cm long and encompasses more than 55 components. The hand-assembled model costs 29.90 EUR and can be ordered in diamond silver, diamond white metallic bright or magnetite black. It also comes bundled with a printed plinth and presentation case.

The most expensive miniature S-Class is the 1:18 scale model created by Norev which has more than 145 individual parts. It's also based on the S500 long wheelbase and is approximately 29 cm long. Features include a panoramic sliding roof, multi-spoke alloy wheels and the LED system mentioned above. You can open its doors, hood and boot lid. It can be ordered in diamond white metallic bright, iridium silver or blue anthracite for 79.90 EUR. For this money you will also get a pair of gloves.

These prices are applicable in Germany and include 19 percent VAT.