Lexus IS facelift (2011) revealed

The Lexus IS Range gets a facelift for 2011 The Lexus take on the BMW 3 Series – the Lexus IS range – has been with us pretty much unchanged for five years. So it’s certainly due a tweak or two plus it needs that certain little something many cars need at the moment – updates to conform with Euro 5 emissions which come in to play in January 2011. Across the IS range there are styling changes to mark out the 2011 models.

Fiat 500L Trekking goes on sale: Price from £17,095

The Fiat 500L Trekkiing (pictured) is now on sale in the UK The Fiat 500L – Fiat’s 500 on steroids – went on sale back in December (and we’ve also had the 7-seat 500L MPW revealed), and now we get the rufty-tufty version of the 500L – the Fiat 500L Trekking – arriving in the UK, and costing from £17,095, just £700 more than the equivalent 500L without the butch bits. The 500L Trekking comes with Fiat’s Traction+, a clever traction technology that gives the 500L more grip on slippery surfaces, more rugged front and back treatments, bits of black plastic cladding and a set of 17″ alloys to make it look more suited to the boot sale car park than the regular 500L. Specification is based on the 500L Lounge – which means stuff like 5″ Touchscreen, Bluetooth, Hil Hold, electric door mirrors, Cruise, Climate, auto lights and wipers, electric windows and front fogs all come in the price.

Honda speeds up major changes to the Civic

Honda will bring out a significant mid-cycle change to its embattled Civic compact this fall, just 18 months after it launched, a high-ranking executive told dealers here. The move is a rush to improve the Civic in time for the 2013 model year. The Civic's cheapened interior and other reductions in content got a critical reviews from The Wall Street Journal, and Consumer Reports removed the model from its recommended list.