Hot Cars

Hyundai Introduces Santa Fe Limited

The highly acclaimed Hyundai Santa Fe range is joined in the showroom this August by a limited edition model, Hyundai Santa Fe Limited, offering £900-£1,100 worth of additional equipment over the usual CDX model.

Diesel powered, the Hyundai Santa Fe Limited is available as either a 5 seater for £23,795 or a 7 seater for £24,895; automatic versions are priced at £25,195 and £26,295 respectively. Metallic and Mica paint are an additional £375.00.

This strictly limited edition model includes integrated running boards and wheel arch trims, privacy glass, reversing sensors, sports mesh grille, limited badges and a choice of four colours – Ebony Black, Sleek Silver, Gun Metal and Black Pearl. The highly visual special equipment package would usually cost consumers £1200 for the 5 seater and £900 for the 7 seater.

The Santa Fe range is still receiving plaudits from the media. In July Santa Fe CRTD CDX won a group test in Auto Express beating the newly introduced Chevrolet Captiva and the well established Honda CR-V. In addition What Car? placed the Santa Fe CRTD CDX ahead of the Chevrolet Captiva and Mitsubishi Outlander, praising its spacious cabin, practicality, refinement, comfort and warranty package.

Specification levels for the Hyundai Santa Fe Limited include high levels of safety equipment such as an Electronic Stability Program, ISOfix child seat fittings, side impact bars, traction control, active head restraints, multiple airbags and adjustable head restraints all round.

Inside the new highly specified Santa Fe Limited standard fittings include leather seats, seven speaker audio system with MP3 compatibility, air conditioning, electric driver’s seat and much more.

Fuel consumption is 38.7 mpg on the Combined Cycle, delivering a potential range of over 600 miles.

The new Santa Fe Limited comes with the famous Hyundai warranty package that includes 5 year unlimited mileage warranty, 6 year anti-perforation warranty as well as 3 year Hyundai RAC assistance.

Enhance Your Image With Vauxhall Styling Accessories

New styling accessories to help discerning Vauxhall drivers stand out from the crowd are now available from participating Vauxhall retailers throughout the country. Owners of Vectra and Signum models can make a strong visual impact with exclusive mesh grilles just launched by Irmscher, the Vauxhall styling experts.

Manufactured in stainless steel woven wire mesh, the upper and lower grilles are designed specifically for Vectra and Signum cars from the 2006 model year onwards. They can be dealer fitted in less than 20 minutes.

Substantial discounts are available until the end of September on selected alloy wheels from Irmscher for the new Corsa range. The special offer covers Softstar and Gamma 14 inch and Stila 15 inch wheel sets.

They are suitable for Expression, Life and Club models fitted with 14 and 15 inch steel wheels. The original tyres can be transferred directly to these alloys wheel sets, saving existing owners additional expense.

Details of all styling accessory offers are available from participating Vauxhall retailers.

Volvo Adds More Power And Models To Flexifuel Range

Volvo is continuing its long standing commitment to environmental care by adding two new engines and models to its FlexiFuel bio-ethanol range. To power the all new Volvo V70 estate and the new Volvo S80 executive saloon, a two-litre FlexiFuel unit will arrive later this year and will be joined by a five-cylinder 2.5-litre turbocharged engine in 2008.

The new four-cylinder 2.0F produces 145PS and 185Nm of torque and offers fuel consumption of 24.4mpg in the Volvo V70 and 25mpg in the S801. The 2.5F five-cylinder turbocharged FlexiFuel will deliver a power output of 200 PS2 .

These new FlexiFuel models join the 125PS 1.8F, which is currently available in the Volvo C30, S40 and V50. With five models now available in FlexiFuel guise, Volvo offers the broadest bio-ethanol range in the UK and expects 10,000 global sales this year.

“Flexifuel has considerable potential in larger models too. That is why we plan to continuously expand the implementation of this technology over the coming years. It’s a move that is being driven by the extended availability of biofuels throughout Europe. Biofuel standardisation and guidelines for sustainable production within the EU would make the fuel’s development even smoother,” says Lex Kerssemakers, Senior Vice President Brand, Business and Product Strategy at Volvo Cars.

The FlexiFuel engines run on renewable E85 bio-ethanol fuel which emits up to 80% less fossil carbon dioxide emissions than petrol3. Running a FlexiFuel vehicle is simple, should E85 not be available, the car can also be powered by petrol – both fuels can go into the same tank in any mixture thanks to the car’s innovative engine management system which monitors the blend and automatically modifies the injection and ignition timings to optimise performance.

“No single renewable fuel can replace petrol and diesel by itself. We believe in a multi-energy society where many different fuels and technologies are developed in parallel. E85 is a strong alternative that reduces dependency on fossil fuels, and our Flexifuel programme is an important part of our strategy to contribute to sustainable personal mobility,” says Volvo Cars President and CEO Fredrik Arp.

KIA cee’d Three Door Revealed

Kia Motors Corporation has released the first preview image of its exciting new Kia three-door hatchback model which will make its World Premiere at this year’s Frankfurt International Motor Show on 11 September.

The new model will be named Pro-cee’d. Based closely on the earlier ‘pro_cee’d’ concept shown at the Paris Motor Show in 2006, the new production model has been developed by Kia’s design team in Europe under the direction of Chief Design Officer, Peter Schreyer.

“Longer, lower and lighter than its five-door sister car, the new Kia Pro-cee’d is going to be a great drive,” enthused Mr Jean-Charles Lievens, Senior Vice President Kia Motors Europe. “Combining real style and genuine practicality, our new three-door cee’d is sure to delight existing Kia customers and attract a new group of European consumers who have not yet considered our brand.”

Manufactured in Slovakia, Pro-cee’d will be the third member of the Kia cee’d family, joining the popular cee’d five-door and the soon to be released cee’d SW models to make Kia an especially strong challenger for C-segment sales in Europe.

Production of the Pro-cee’d model range is scheduled to begin in November with first customer sales during the early months of 2008.

2008 Honda Civic MUGEN Si Sedan Set for Fall Release

A factory-prepared 2008 Honda Civic MUGEN Si Sedan will debut in mid-October, American Honda Motor Co., Inc. The Civic MUGEN Si Sedan is equipped with a high-performance suspension, forged aluminum wheels, aerodynamic body styling and a sport-tuned exhaust system.

“Honda enthusiasts have long been asking for factory-installed MUGEN performance products similar to what the company offers in Japan,” said John Mendel, executive vice president of American Honda. “We’re enthusiasts, too, and the ultra-premium Civic MUGEN Si Sedan offers exclusive style and elevated handling performance with legendary Honda refinement.”

The track-tuned suspension, tested at the Twin Ring Motegi racing circuit in Japan, lowers the vehicle by 0.6 inches with aggressive spring and damper tuning for enhanced handling performance while still maintaining a high level of ride comfort. Compared to the conventional Civic Si Sedan, front and rear damping force (both bump and rebound) was increased between 8- and 24-percent.

Lightweight 16.98-pound 18×7.5-inch forged aluminum wheels (27 percent lighter than the stock 17×7 alloy wheel) and high-grip BFGoodrich® g-Force KDW 215/40ZR18 summer tires help to create MUGEN’s unique, rewarding and well-balanced handling performance character. The full-vehicle aero-package adds a front spoiler with a sports grille, side spoilers, a rear bumper diffuser and a rear wing.

The sport exhaust system reduces back pressure from the catalytic converter back. The Civic MUGEN Si Sedan will be available exclusively in Fiji Blue Pearl and include front and rear MUGEN emblems. Inside, a MUGEN Limited Edition placard is located on the center console along with a spherical 50 mm MUGEN aluminum shift knob.

The name MUGEN symbolizes Honda performance throughout Asia and around the globe. MUGEN, under license by M-TEC Co., Ltd., of Japan, has been closely associated with Honda for more than three decades in the design and manufacture of racing and premium aftermarket performance products.

The limited-production vehicle (maximum of 1,000 units for the 2008 model year) will have a retail price of less than $30,000 when it goes on sale and include a full factory warranty. A prototype of the Honda Civic MUGEN Si was shown at the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show in fall 2006.

New Ford Mondeo Named Car Of The Year

Troubled car giant Ford has been given a welcome boost by the news that the new Mondeo has been named Car of the Year.

The Mondeo was voted the best new car by experts at Auto Express, Britain’s biggest-selling weekly motoring magazine. And it was also named best in the family car class and best estate car too in the magazine’s annual New Car Honours.

“The new Mondeo is Ford’s finest ever car,” said Auto Express editor in chief, David Johns. “Each and every model, whether hatchback, saloon or estate, has been designed and engineered to the highest standards.

The car oozes quality, especially in the cabin which has levels of equipment and comfort which sets new standards for the class.”

Ford - which is struggling with huge debts and facing having to sell-off Land Rover and Jaguar from its empire - beat rivals including prestige German makes, Porsche, BMW, Mercedes and Audi to the overall Car of the Year title.

Other major winners included:
- Vauxhall Corsa - Best Supermini
- Honda Civic - Best Compact Family Car, and Best Hot Hatch (for the Type R)
- Citroen C4 Picasso - Best MPV
- Kia - for its industry-leading seven-year warranty

The Auto Express New Car Honours are the result of the biggest new car assessment programme carried out by any UK motoring magazine - with over 1,100 new cars independently tested each year on a wide range of key buying criteria, including practicality, value for money, performance, handling and safety. Uniquely, Auto Express also gives every car tested a green rating for environmental impact.

This year’s winners were selected in 19 classes covering every size and class of car.