Volvo V90 Estate Leaked Before Release

The S90 that was let loose not too long ago was essentially a realised Concept Coupé turned into a saloon.

Well now it's time for the Concept Estate to stamp its feet and become a reality.

Although it's February the 18th that Volvo had planned to release its V90 Estate, images have found their way out nearly a week early. Unfortunately, that's all that has found its way out.

The inside of the new V90 will look equally as luxurious and modern as the S90's and XC90's, no surprise considering they're all members of the same family. The boot space is expected to be class-leading (if not just behind) if Volvo's estate history is anything to go by.

Being built on the same Scalable Product Architecture as the S90 Saloon, we know that only 4-cylinder engines will be utilised. A plug-in hybrid variant, a.k.a. the T8, will develop around 400 bhp thanks to a turbocharged and supercharged 2.0-litre petrol unit and the help of some electricity.

Seeing as Volvo's performance division Polestar has got its hands on the V60, the V90 is bound to have a similar treatment.

Pagani Huayra + 99 bhp - 150 kg = Huayra BC

So the first question we have is why BC? Why not something a bit sportier? The Italians explain in due course that it stands for Benny Caiola, one of Pagani's first customers.

No more than 20 of these hypercars will be produced, but they have all been sold already. And at an eyewatering price of $2.8 million (just over £1.9 million).

So you would hope that Pagani have pulled out all the stops to justify its hefty pricetag, no? Well the Mercedes-AMG-sourced 6.0-litre bi-turbo V12 engine jumps up to 819 bhp. Torque figures haven't leaked yet, although there's bound to be an increase over the already sufficient 1,000 Nm. The regular Huayra charges to 60 mph in 3.3 seconds, so we have good reason to expect a sub-3.0 second time for the BC.

Other than engine modifications, the Italian hypercar has been on a detox and lost 150 kg. The front and rear fenders have been tampered with, with larger air intakes up front, and are joined by aerodynamically designed side skirts. A new rear wing will also provide 500 kg of downforce at 155 mph, aided by active flaps.

BMW M760Li xDrive to Get 6.6-Litre V12 Powerplant

Up until today, the quickest BMW 7 Series has been the 750i, with 444 bhp and 650 Nm delivered by a 4.0-litre V8 petrol engine. Nought to sixty-two is covered in 4.7 seconds. M Performance hasn't tampered with the 7 Series to give us an 'M7'.

But what they have done is announced an M760Li. It gains 148 bhp and 150 Nm, an additional 4 cylinders and another 2.6 litres. The total power output of 592 bhp and 800 Nm as well as all-wheel-drive make it sprint to 62 mph in 3.9 seconds, and on to its limited top speed of 155 mph. Even though it uses stop/start technology and other fuel saving techniques, it only manages to return a claimed 22.4 mpg, emitting 294 g/km of CO2.

It needs two turbochargers, one for each half of the V12, to give it adequate power. But adequate power it does have. Launch Control and an 8-speed automatic transmission help release the full soundtrack of the V12.

Despite being a performance orientated land barge, it doesn't disappoint with equipment. Air suspension, LED lighting, keyless entry and Merino leather trim with Alcantara headlining remind us that the 7 Series is essentially destined to be a chauffeur-driven car. Don't be fooled, though. It's not embarrassed or ashamed to be a performance car, with countless V12 badges inside and out.

The 750i is available from £76,000-£80,000 before options which gives us some sort of indication of the yet-to-be-announced pricing. This will be announced before its late-2016 arrival.

To put the M760Li xDrive into perspective, Audi's S8 Plus quattro gets a tiny-by-comparison 4.0-litre V8. It still, however, succeeds in creating 597 bhp and 750 Nm, making it good for 0-62 mph in 3.8 seconds (0.1 s quicker than the M760Li xDrive). It's competitively priced at a smidge under £100,000.

Jaguar's XJR is almost £6,000 cheaper. Its 5.0-litre V8 produces 542 bhp and 680 Nm. It's a fair bit slower to 62 mph, making it in 4.6 seconds.

Lastly, the bonkers Mercedes-AMG S65 uses another V12, this time just 6.0 litres. No less than 621 bhp and 1,000 Nm are produced, but it still takes 4.3 seconds to get to 62 mph. This can be put down to weight. And its price tag of more than £180,000.

Volkswagen's Touran is the Next Model to Get the R-Line Treatment

The German family car is the ninth model in the lineup to get the R-Line treatment, meaning that just about half of the range can now be equipped with the sporty trim.

This top-of-the range 7-seater is available with the high powered 148 bhp 1.4-litre petrol TSI, or two 2.0-litre TDI diesels rated at 148 and 187 bhp. The 148 bhp diesel should get up to 64.2 mpg mated to a 6-speed manual transmission, emitting 116 g/km of CO2. Even the petrol manages a claimed 51.4 mpg and 127 g/km (DSG automatic).

The Touran is easily identified as part of the R-Line range thanks to uprated bumpers and side skirts, a specific grille, 18-inch alloy wheels and of course R-Line badging. Inside, sporty grey inserts, black roof lining and further R-Line badging continue with the theme.

Before options, the Touran R-Line is available from a little under £28,000 and can go above £31,500. The entry-level Touran is to be had from a touch above £22,000. This places it in the same price bracket as the recently refreshed Ford S-Max Titanium Sport and the competitive BMW 2 Series Gran Tourer M Sport.

Mazda Previews RX-8 Successor and Efficient Mazda3

The 1.5-litre SKYACTIV-D diesel unit already on use in the Mazda2 and CX-3 has now made its way over to the award-winning Mazda3. Figures come in at 74.3 mpg and 99 g/km when equipped with manual transmission.

But as important as running costs may be today, the old RX-8 is something of its own. Its successor has been previewed under the name of the RX-VISION concept, and uses a SKYACTIV-R engine. Rumour has it that the rotary engine could use turbocharging as a manner of getting torque available lower down the rev band, although this has not been confirmed.

Its short overhangs, elongated, low bonnet and 20-inch alloys give it the perfect proportions for a car of its type. At 4,389 mm long, it's almost 16 cm shorter than the Mercedes-AMG GT.  It's 1.4 cm narrower and 12.6 cm lower than the AMG GT too.

Although we can hope that it will be competitively priced, think Ford Mustang, some think it could be in the Corvette territory, or to us Brits, twice the price. Only time will tell.

Opel (Vauxhall) Ampera-e to Improve upon other EVs

Very little information is available at this moment in time, but the fully electric vehicle will launch next year, dubbed the Ampera-e. Although the Ampera left British markets last year, the Chevrolet Cruze (American version) is still going strong with the redesigned 2016 model coming on sale.

Despite the British Ampera's relative failure, the Opel Group plans to introduce no less than 29 new models before 2020, with electric-powered vehicles playing a substantial part.

The 5-door car will seat 5 people and have "a longer range on a full charge than most electric cars" alleviating the preoccupation known as range anxiety. It will also be affordably priced. If the American Chevy Bolt is anything to go by, it will have a 200-mile range and be priced from $30,000 (£20,800). The Bolt takes 9 hours to charge with a 240V power supply, and produces 197 bhp and 361 Nm giving it considerable acceleration.

American Chevrolet Bolt

It's Opel's answer to modern urbanisation, tackling environmental concerns, and ready to take on the likes of the VW e-Golf and BMW i3 (both costing about £31,000).

Peugeot's Traveller Enters the Passenger Car Segment

The Traveller has two main assets, its efficient engines and the space available.

Let's kick off with the latter. It's offered in XS, M and XL guises, with lengths of 4.6, 4.95 and 5.3 metres respectively. The two largest sizes share the same wheelbase, with the XS getting a more condensed design.

The XS is able to carry up to 3,600 litres. Compare that with the long wheelbase full-size Range Rover's maximum capacity of 2,345 litres despite being 5.2 metres long and it becomes clear where the Traveller really excels. Larger models can carry up to 4,900 litres.

In front of the front seat passenger there are two gloveboxes. Elsewhere in the front segment there's a 7-litre refrigerated compartment, another one measuring 5 litres and yet another 5-litre A4-sized box above the instrument cluster, ideal for storing items such as business clipboards or even personal computing devices. There are also two cupholders capable of holding 0.5-litre bottles and 8-litre door bins for the front doors, both capable of carrying two 1.5-litre bottles each. The sliding doors get smaller 5-litre bins.

There are no petrol engines available, instead two sizes of Peugeot's BlueHDi diesels. The entry-level 1.6-litre unit produces 94 bhp. It's mated to a 5-speed manual transmission. The next choice is another 1.6-litre 94 bhp engine, this time with stop/start technology and a 6-speed automatic 'box. The 113 bhp 1.6-litre option gets a 6-speed manual 'box and stop/start, which allows it to achieve a claimed 55.3 mpg and 133 g/km of CO2, the best in the lineup.

Next, we have two 2.0-litre BlueHDi powerhouses which have power outputs of 148 and 178 bhp. The lesser-powered one gets a 6-speed manual transmission, whereas 6-speed automatic transmission makes its way into the top-spec engine. It's this one that achieves the worst economy figures, a not-that-bad 48.7 mpg and 151 g/km.

You can have your Peugeot Traveller with up to 9 seats, built either to be a personal family car or a business traveller. For example, the Business Plus trim gets four face-to-face seats to maximise communication.

Certain Travellers get hands-free sliding doors, a head-up display, automatic headlights and even a glass roof panel, pointing towards a more luxurious and modern MPV. Not a van - exactly what Peugeot's aiming for.

Xenon headlights and 17-inch alloys complete higher spec models, while a child mirror and aeroplane-style front seat-back tables make it a more useable family load-lugger.

More premium features include a voice-command activated navigation system, a 180-degree rear-view camera and a multi-functional roof which comprises of LED lighting and air vents.

Four 12V sockets can be found throughout the cabin as well as USB connectivity and even a 230V socket.

Outside, the headlights borrowed from the 308 and typically Peugeot grille bring us some form of familiarity.

The Peugeot Traveller i-Lab concept builds on the all-new Traveller and uses a bigger-than-big 32-inch touchscreen tablet that forms what looks like a tabletop. It's even able to split into four individual displays for personal use by the rear occupants.