Kawasaki Kz 1000-a1 Owner's Manual on 2040-parts.com

Ecclestone wants to bring the noise

FORMULA ONE supremo Bernie Ecclestone has vowed to address growing concerns surrounding the sport's lack of an appealing noise. Following Sunday's season-opening Australian Grand Prix, Ron Walker, chairman of the organising company that stages the race, complained to close friend Ecclestone about the lack of sound. The piercing scream of the old V8 engine has gone, and in its place we now have a huskier tone, complete with whistles and whirrs from the 1.6-litre V6 turbo as F1 tries to become greener.

BMW X1 gets updated for 2014

The 2014 BMW X1 (pictured) gets a tweaked front end The BMW X1 arrived back in 2009 as a high-riding Sports Activity Vehicle (BMW’s preferred description for their compact SUV come crossover) and had a bit of a facelift for 2012 to keep it fresh. Now, two years on from the last facelift, BMW has decided they need to up the ante a little (especially with more competition arriving in the shape of the new Mercedes GLA) so the BMW X1 is getting a mild makeover for 2014. The only real changes you’ll notice are tweaks to the front end of the X1 with new accents on the bumper and a bigger air intake, daytime running lights across the X1 range, new 17″ alloys and the availability of Sparkling Brown metallic to the paint colour options.

2015 Audi A3 sedan configurator goes live

The 2015 Audi A3 sedan will be appearing in dealerships in a few months, and the trim and pricing details have been announced for the U.S. market. The engines on offer on this side of the pond are a 1.8-liter turbocharged four-cylinder making 170-hp and 200 lb-ft of torque, and a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder coupled with Quattro all-wheel drive, making 200-hp an 258 lb-ft of torque.