Mercedes supercars

By Tim Pollard 29 July 2008 09:00 The SLR is the fruit of a strange motor industry marriage. Collaborating as they do in motorsport, Woking and Stuttgart decided to build a road car that showcased their full-bodied technical know-how. Perhaps the mixed messages from F1-centric McLaren and luxury brand Merc, or the untold pressure of the seminal F1, were too much, for the SLR has failed to worm its way into our affections.

Mazda 2 facelift (2012) with SkyActiv revealed

The Mazda Demio facelift - that's Mazda2 to me and you We’re back to the old story of car reveals for the Japanese Domestic Market (JDM) pointing at reveals to come in overseas markets, with the reveal of the facelifted Mazda Demio telling us all we need to know about the next Mazda 2 Facelift. Although the Mazda2 has had the car surgeon’s knife lightly applied to freshen things up a bit, the big news is the oily bits, where Mazda are busy showing us that there are better alternatives to frugal cars than electric or hybrid. The new Mazda 2 gets the direct injection, 1.3 litre SkyActiv engine which features a raft of technology to squeeze every last drop of energy out of the petrol it uses, together with a CVT ‘box which does the decent thing and offers a seven-speed manual mode.

2013 Toyota Rav4 reduces powertrain options

Many vehicles are moving to smaller engines for improved fuel economy, and the 2013 Toyota Rav4 is no different -- which is one reason the 269-hp V6 engine option has hit the road. Low sales were another. Associate editor Blake Z.