Lexus plans a 7-seater battle with BMW, Mercedes and Audi

Spy shots show what appears to be an elongated Lexus RX with larger rear doors - something that suggests that a 7-seater is just over the horizon.

Expected to go on sale towards the end of 2016, the engines are highly likely to be carried over from the new and refreshed (5-seater) RX. Those being 3.5-litre V6 units, one solely petrol and the other a hybrid, both developing in the region of 300 bhp.

With the firm’s recent XE and XF models planning to rival the hugely successful German saloons, it’s likely that Lexus has the £60k Mercedes GL-Class, £50k BMW X5 and £48k Audi Q7 in mind as its main rivals, although the £45k Volvo XC90 is more realistic. With the current 5-seater RX priced at £45k, it’s likely to lose many sales to the equally-desirable Land Rover Discovery Sport.

Mercedes GLC Coupé preparing to rival BMW X4

Spy shots show the semi-uncovered GLC Coupé SUV on test, reminding us of its near release date.

Although the 3.0-litre biturbo V6 seen in the Concept GLC Coupé is unlikely to make production at the beginning, the GLC Coupé takes great inspiration from the first prototype.

We’re likely to see the engines found in the new GLC SUV, 2.1-litre 4-cylinder diesels in the form of the 220d and 250d, although petrol engines will probably make an appearance as well as the possibility of a plug-in hybrid variant. Four-wheel-drive versions are a must due to its SUV character, although front-wheel-drive powertrains are to be expected too, in favour of improved fuel economy and lower CO2 emissions. It wouldn’t come as a surprise for Mercedes-AMG to release plans for a GLC 63 Coupé boasting the new C63 Coupé’s twin-turbocharged V8.

When it comes to design, the cockpit will replicate that of the GLC SUV which in turn has been taken from the C-Class on which it’s based. And although the front end resembles its SUV counterpart, the rear end takes on a sloped outline although not to the same extent as the GLE Coupé.

All photos are owned by WorldCarFans:

Find their article here: http://www.worldcarfans.com/115082698192/mercedes-glc-coupe-spied-will-battle-the-bmw-x4

All-New 2016 Kia Sportage Spotted Camo-Free

Kia’s all-new 4th generation Sportage has been spied on test free of camouflage, so what can we draw from what we see?

A completely new design has been taken onboard, with the most obvious features being Kia’s lower ‘tiger nose’ grille and ‘ice cube’ LED daytime running lights which are incorporated into the bumper with inspiration clearly taken from the Kia Cee’d and Pro_Cee’d GT, although whether this will be standard equipment on entry-level models is unknown yet.

Luxurious touches have been taken from its bigger brother, the Sorento, and the similarly plush Optima saloon. The materials seen in the pictures appear to be of high quality, even down at levels not normally seen from a regular driving position, whilst the infotainment display takes centre stage surrounded by two equally large air vents.

Sharing its platform with Hyundai’s brand new Tuscon means it’s likely to share the engines too. If so, the range would consist of a 132 PS 1.6-litre petrol unit and another 1.6-litre turbocharged 177 PS petrol, whilst diesels would include a 116 PS 1.7 and a 2.0-litre unit with two power outputs of 136 and 185 PS.

It makes sense that front-wheel-drive Sportages will be the primary offer, with all-wheel-drive variants being available higher up the spec. Identifying itself as the sportier Korean brand, we could even expect higher outputs from the engines.

It’s set for its public debut on September the 15th at the Frankfurt Motor Show where we can hopefully expect some more details.

UPDATE - 27/08/15

Kia has released 3 official images of the all-new Sportage ahead of its Frankfurt Motor Show debut:

New 4th Generation Renault Mégane Spotted

Renault’s new and much-needed Mégane has been spotted being tested.

Having been on sale since 2008 and only selling some 8,000 units last year (in Britain), the Mégane is evidently reaching the end of its life.

From what can be made out using the pictures, it appears to be taking styling hints from the Clio and Capture, adopting a sleeker more sporting look.

Looking through the window, it’s possible to make out a tablet-style infotainment system which is used in the Espace, Talisman (both sold in mainland Europe) and Kadjar. Higher quality materials and detailing can be found inside too.

Although Renault has released no facts to date, we can expect the usual TCe turbocharged petrol and dCi turbodiesel, but a new engine lineup could be just as likely.

Its debut will be at the Frankfurt Motor Show in mid-September where we are more likely to expect a lot more details. It’s expected tha only the 5-door hatchback will be on display with the 3-door coupé and estate following afterwards.

We can even prepare ourselves for a RenaultSport model with in the region of 300 bhp to compete against the Civic Type-R and understated Golf R.

Speedy C63 AMG Joins C-Class Coupé

Mercedes-AMG will release the C63 for sale with the C-Class Coupé, but how does it differ from the standard model?

Styling upgrades like the aggressive bumper, grille and bonnet all hint towards the car’s sporting dynamics, all topped off by the boot-mounted spoiler.

But it’s what’s under the revised bonnet that really matters. And that’s a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 which produces 476 bhp and 650 Nm of torque. That’s good for 0-62 mph in 4.0 seconds and on to an electronically-limited top speed of 155 mph.

That’s unless you go for the C63 S which uses the same engine to produce 510 bhp and 700 Nm. That will get you to 62 mph in 0.1 of a second quicker than the standard C63.

Whichever variant you go for, expect it to emit between 200 and 209 g/km of CO2 resulting in an annual tax bill of £265 to £290. Fuel economy will be around the 32 mpg mark.

Could this be the new Mercedes-Maybach E-Class?

It is believed that Mercedes’ new division, Mercedes-Maybach, is planning to add to the currently lone S600. Back in January, S-Class project manager Martin Hulder suggested a Maybach SUV with the ultra-luxury GLS being the most obvious choice. Not long after, Mercedes-Benz USA CEO Steve Cannon stated that the next model to have the Maybach treatment would most likely be the E-Class.

Half a year later and pictures begin to crop up of what spies believe to be the Mercedes-Maybach E-Class. Things like the distinctly longer wheelbase, elongated rear doors, third side window behind the C-pillar and tinted rear windows all point towards the possibility of a new Maybach E-Class.

There is the possibility that the spied car could be a long wheelbase E-Class, but the difference between the wheelbase of the 2016 E-Class (W213) and that of the camouflaged prototype is far greater than the difference between the current generation E-Class and E-Class LWB (offered solely in China).

Kia Soul

Back in 2014 Kia unveiled its second generation of the Soul. It employed more dramatic styling, bolder lines and higher levels of standard kit.

Despite its rugged, off-roady looks, all models are limited to front-wheel-drive only, seeing as Kia had decided that buyers "desire the appearance, semi-elevated driving position and perceived safety advantages" of an SUV, but the efficiency and practicality of a 2WD car. That's not the only limitation though - there isn't a wide choice of engines. You're stuck with a 130 bhp 1.6-litre GDi (petrol) unit or a 126 bhp 1.6-litre CRDi (diesel), both mated to a 6-speed manual 'box with the 6-speed auto being offered for just the diesel engine.

On the subject of engines, efficiency ranges from a claimed 38.7 to 56.6 mpg, far from impressive by today's standards. CO2 emissions aren't great either - 132-170 g/km.

Despite being a poor contester with its powertrains, the Soul is very practical. Growing in length and width but being shorter has given the Soul a more modern, sleek appeal. Ease of use is is what Kia was focused on with this update, as the 62mm wider boot opening means the 354-litre boot is super-practical (volume up by 4%). Behind the 60:40 split folding rear seats is a 994-litre space, or 1,367 litres should you choose to fill to the roof. Shame about the giant load lip and the lip created when the seats are folded.

Standard equipment includes DAB, a tyre pressure monitoring system, colour-coordinated bumpers, door handles and mirrors, air conditioning, all-round electric windows, electrically adjustable door mirrors, a multifunction steering wheel, USB and auxiliary inputs and 6 airbags.

That's all on entry level Start. Step up to Connect for 17-inch alloys, front fog lights, a reversing camera, cruise control, automatic lights and Bluetooth. Connect Plus ups the game with an Infinity premium sound system, an 8-inch touchscreen and automatic air con. Mixx brings 18-inch alloys, LED daytime running lights, rear privacy glass, front heated seats, electrically folding mirrors and the 2-tone paint job. A panoramic sunroof, leather upholstery and front and rear parking sensors all come as standard on top-of-the-range Maxx models.

Oh, and did I mention there's now a Kia Soul EV? A fully electric version which only means one thing - no poor running costs. It comes with 16-inch lightweight alloys, super low rolling resistance tyres, an 8-inch touchscreen, reversing camera, automatic dual-zone climate control, LED DRLs, heated front seats and steering wheel, keyless entry and go, DAB, privacy glass and a special upholstery individually tailored for the EV model. It uses a 27 kWh lithium ion polymer battery  to produce 109 bhp. Realistically, you'll achieve the lower end of Kia's claimed 60-132 mile range if you were to drive it in a 'normal' way.

It's suitably priced and cheaper than the Citroën C4 Cactus, Renault Captur, Peugeot 2008, Nissan Juke, Škoda Yeti and Mini Countryman. The Cactus' CO2 emissions start at just 82 g/km, and even the worst in the list, the Countryman, kicks off its emissions at 118 g/km. The Cactus, again offering the best, is said to achieve 94.2 mpg at the best, whereas most cars will achieve more than 50 mpg.

So the Kia is way behind in terms of running costs and engine choices in general. If Kia were to address this issue, I could definitely see the sales of the Soul shoot up. It's a nice car that stands out from its crowd of rivals and is impressively well-equipped. It's a shame that potential buyers are overlooking it in favour of more economical cars.

Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupé

Something has really bugged me since Mercedes introduced its new C-Class. And that's that it was alone for a while. The C-Class Coupé remained unchanged for months, until now that is. Mercedes has opened the lid on the new Coupé for the lineup and it looks better than ever.

It's 95 mm longer and 40 mm wider than the previous generation. Throw that and its smooth yet muscular flowing lines into the equation and you have a coupé that stands out from the crowd. It also shouts out to its older brother, the new S-Class Coupé, with which it shares many of its design features.

As with other cars in the range, Mercedes will be offering the C-Class Coupé with AROMATIC air suspension as an optional extra, although DYNAMIC SELECT comes as standard where the driver can choose between ECO, Comfort, Sport, Sport+ and Individual.

No less than 6 engines will be on offer - the 1.6-litre 156 bhp C180 kicks off the collection, followed by three 2.0-litre units, the C200 (184 bhp), C250 (211 bhp) and C300 (245 bhp). If you're more of a diesel person, you have 2 options yet to be named, but producing 170 and 204 bhp. As opposed to being the Cxxx CDI, they will be called Cxxxd thanks to Mercedes' updated nomenclature (full explanation here).

Safety tech comes in the form of ATTENTION ASSIST, COLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST PLUS, DISTRIONIC PLUS with Steering Assist and Stop&Go Pilot, BAS PLUS Brake Assist System, Enhanced Active Lane Keeping Assist and PRE-SAFE® PLUS. An Active Parking Assist is also available as well as a 360-degree camera, camera and navigation-based Traffic Sign Assist and Adaptive Highbeam Assist Plus. All of which are designed with safety in mind, but most of which being paid extras!

'When is it out?', I hear you ask... December this year. Pricing and further tech specs are to be expected nearer that date, but I can't stop thinking 'why?'. Why so late? Why would the German premium brand have 2 generations of C-Class on the go at once? I think this should've been done altogether as a family, not one-by-one, but I'm sure there must be method behind the madness...

Honda Jazz

After months of anticipation, Honda has released the pricing and specification for its all new Jazz. Previously (well, currently) being sold from £12,195, the motor company will be starting the range at a higher but still manageable £13,495. SE models which are placed in the middle of the lineup will be offered from £14,595 where high-spec EX comes in at £15,715. Prices climb as high as £17,000 exclusive of options. You'll be able to buy the delightfully refreshed Jazz as of September with the new '65' plates, too. It won't be unbearably pricey to buy on PCP either, with monthly payments from around £139 and a 5.9% APR when a 30% deposit has been contributed.

Some of the Jazz's key features are the highly practical 354-litre boot which extends to 897 litres after having folded down the rear seats, Honda's Magic Seats which are of course present in the new Jazz as with its other vehicles, and air conditioning, cruise control and automatic headlights which are all fitted as standard.

Replacing the old 1.4-litre petrol engine is the new 102 PS 1.3-litre i-VTEC. A real selling point would be CO2 emissions of under 100 g/km, but that simply isn't the case with the lowest emissions being 106. It can be specified with a 6-speed manual gearbox or a newly developed CVT, both aimed at fuel economy and all said to deliver more than 50 mpg.

Renault Twingo

What is it?

The Renault Twingo is an unusual car for its segment. Using a rear-engine rear-wheel-drive layout, it has some pretty sporty credentials. It's the cheapest car in Renault's refreshed lineup, an entry point if you like.

That engine. How can it fit in the back? Doesn't it eat into the limited space?

There's no other way of saying this - of course it's going to eat into the space out back. But by doing this, Renault was able to cut down on the front overhang, making the Twingo a very cute car to look at. The engine is mounted at an angle under the boot floor to avoid eating into the space excessively. By doing this, the boot floor was raised which has one positive outcome. The load lip is non-existant. Combine this with the flat-folding 50:50 split folding rear seats and you have a pretty versatile city car. If you want to carry 2 rear passengers, you have a 188-litre boot which can be extended to some 219 litres by moving things about a bit. Fold the seats down though, and you uncover a total load area of 980 litres. A neat feature is the front passenger seat, which on models equipped with it, can fold down to allow room to carry items as long as 2.31 m.

It sounds pretty practical.

It is! None of that climbing into the back seats malarkey! The Twingo has taken a page out of the Clio's books and opted for the 5-door-only guise with hidden rear door handles. It boasts 33 cm more cabin space than the Twingo II thanks to a 12 cm longer wheelbase, despite being 10 cm shorter overall, at 3.59 m. Its 8.59 m turning circle isn't quite good enough to compete with the London taxis though.

What other improvements are there?

Fuel economy has been said to have had an increase of up to 14 mpg, with CO2 emissions improved by as much as 35 g/km. With a 45:55 rear-biased weight distribution, it's certainly more agile than most of its rivals whose distributions resemble something more like 30:70.

What about inside?

If you're the one to keep everything at hand in the cabin as opposed to hidden away in the boot, the Twingo's a good contester. It boasts more than 50 litres of in-car storage, from 3-litre front- and 2.9-litre rear-door pockets, a 6.4-litre glovebox and 29 litres of space under the rear seats with optional nets available.

Have the engines been refreshed?

Certainly. The new SCe 70 is a 1.0-litre naturally aspirated unit which produces 70 bhp and 91 Nm. Unfortunately, most of its power comes in at 6,000 rpm meaning you have to hold on to gears for longer, thus resulting in a poor 0-62 mph time of 14.5 seconds. It's true to say that this car is more at home in the city, but then again that's the class in which it sits.

The 0.9-litre turbocharged TCe 90 produces, no surprise, 90 bhp. Add to that 135 Nm of torque to achieve a 0-62 mph time of 10.8 s.

Both 3-cylinder engines come mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox at the moment, and whilst the TCe 90 comes as standard with Stop & Start, the SCe 70 can be specified with or without. All models are said to achieve more than 60 mpg, and all Stop & Start models emit under 100 g/km of CO2.

An important note is that, ok, the engine's in the back, but the battery and fluid reservoirs remain at the front. Good luck opening the bonnet though, as it's far from normal! I'll give you a clue, it slides off frontwards.

Is the Twingo as customisable as its rivals?

Definitely. Just have a flick through the brochure, and you'll see so many "Personality Packs" - Fashion, Retro Racer, Party, Techno, Casual Chic and Urban.

As regards paint jobs, three non-metallics come in the forms of white, a duck egg blue and yellow, whereas the metallics are red, an ocean blue, brown and black.

Interior Style Packs change the upholstery, door panelling and storage compartment lid below the centre console. They're available in 'Standard' white, red, blue and 'Sport' which is a mixture of red, black and some white.

If you've opted for one of those, it'd be wise to also go for an Interior Touch Pack in order to change the wheel inserts, centre console surround and air vent surrounds to match. These come in blue, red or black.

The Exterior Touch Pack, in white, red or blue, brings life to the grille insert, side door strips and door mirrors.

Seeing as the entry-level models don't come with alloys, Renault offer 3 wheel trim options in addition to the 4 alloys wheel designs.

What about the options list?

I would go for a central armrest, it's only £128 and includes a 1-litre storage container. You can go for a Standard or Premium 'Delivery Pack' which adds mats and a safety kit in a handy bag which includes essentials like a warning triangle - either £45 or £65.

If all that is optional, what comes as standard?

Entry-level Expression comes with an AM/FM/DAB radio, Bluetooth, aux-in and USB and R&Go. The front windows are electric but the mirrors are manually adjustable. LED daytime running lights and halogen headlights are standard too.

Next is Play. This brings manual air conditioning and driver's seat height adjustment.

Dynamique is, in a way, the top model. Standard equipment includes cruise control, front fog lights and electrically adjustable and heated door mirrors.

Dynamique S is a sporty model (well, maybe sporty isn't the best choice of words). Design features include aluminium pedals, the Red Interior Touch Pack, part leather red and black upholstery, 16-inch Sport diamond-cut alloys, the Exterior Touch Pack and a matt black side decal.

What's the best way to specify your car?

That completely depends, if you're all about personalising your Twingo, I'd settle for Play and throw in a couple of design packs. If you're a fan of premium products in your city car, Dynamique is an attractive prospect.

How much money do I need to buy Renault's Twingo III?

Expression in £9,495. Add to that just £500 to step up to Play. Dynamique is an additional £1,000 and to add the 'S' termination, throw another £850 in Renault's direction. All in all, you can have the Dynamique S for £11,845. Not bad.

How would you specify your Twingo?

In a very expensive manner. Technology is key for me, but so are the looks. Saying that, £15k for a fully-loaded highly-practical city car isn't that bad! Ok, 150% the base price, but it's in line with competition.

Renault Twingo Configuration