Afco 80745 Twister Pliers on 2040-parts.com

Vauxhall Astra facelift (2012) first official pictures

Vauxhall has treated its strong-selling Astra range to a minor facelift, and plumbed a 192bhp twin-turbo diesel motor into the GTC three-door model. The revisions will complement the new Astra VXR flagship, which goes on sale this month. Vauxhall Astra facelift?

VW Touareg BlueMotion hits the UK

Volkswagen has announced the VW Touareg BlueMotion for the UK Offering improved economy and lower emissions, the Touareg BlueMotion manages to drop in to a lower Co2 band by emitting 219g/km (a reduction from 244g/km on the V6 TDi) and it delivers 34mpg as opposed to 30.4mpg on the V7 TDi. These improvements have been achieved by the usual ECU tweaking, low rolling resistance tyres, some aerodynamic tweaks and a lower ride height (exactly the same sort of stuff that Ford has done on the EConetic range). And the penalty for the lower emissions and better economy is very slight, with the Touareg BlueMotion still managing the 0-60mph in 8.5 seconds and a top speed of  126mph.

New Porsche Cayenne – the Lumma CLR 550 GT version

The Lumma CLR 550 GT There’s something about the Porsche Cayenne that attracts the tuners and modders to lose the plot. Perhaps it’s the fact the Porsche Cayenne is no oil painting – and frankly, the new Porsche Cayenne is no better – that makes everyone think that whatever they do it can’t look worse. But it can.