New Mercedes B-Class Interior Pics Released

Mercedes' new B-Class will debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show next month as Mercedes' new mini-MPV. 

Unsurprisingly the interior borrows features from the rest of the Mercedes range, including the C-Class and E-Class switchgear, the CLS' steering wheel and air vents taken straight from the SLS and SLK. 

The overall effect is an interior that makes the car stand out from the others in its class, absolutely reeking of quality and refinement as soon as you enter the cabin. The comfort does not stop there either, as the sheer space inside the car is also said to be class-leading. 

The car is based on Mercedes' MFA platform, also used on the new A-Class, GLC and CLC. 

The interior can be specced with a leather-stitched dashboard and a touchscreen centre module that will control most of the interior controls.  

BMW Reveals 2011 1-Series Prices

The new 1-Series, due this September, will be available from £19,375. The car will have a choice of two petrol and three diesel engines, ranging from the base 136bhp 116i costing £19,375 to the range topping 184bhp 120d, from £23,490.

The car is quite different from its predecessor - 30 litres more luggage space in the boot; 17mm wider; 85mm longer and a cabin with 21mm extra legroom. 

As a BMW, all models are rear-wheel drive and come with either a 6-speed manual or 8 speed automatic gearbox. 

Mini Launches Soho Editions

Mini is launching special Soho editions of its three door Cooper and Cooper D models, following the Soho Clubman edition of 2010.

They will come with White Silver metallic paint, 17-inch Black Star Bullet alloys, Xenon headlights, black interior reflectors and white indicators.

The cars will come with a 3-spoke sports leather steering wheel, Anthracite headlining and Piano Black surfaces on the interior.

Available until March 2012, both models will be priced differently depending on their body style. The 1.6 litre Cooper will cost £16,765 in hatchback form or £19,060 as a convertible. The 1.6-litre Cooper D will cost £18,045 and £20,135 respectively. 

2012 Jaguar XE

Image courtesy of Autocar

This 2012 model will be Jaguar's first new sports car since the E-Type, a full 36 years ago. It is being targeted specifically at the Porsche Boxster, so that in September at the Frankfurt Auto Show it will upstage Porsche's new 911. An ambitious target, but Jaguar is on a bit of a roll at the moment.

The car has been styled so that its appearance reflects the fact that it is made entirely of aluminium. Jaguar has created the car with a lightweight theme, much like the XK, only smaller. The styling has apparently been inspired by the E-Type, rather than being a modern interpretation of it.

An entirely new roadster platform has been created for the XE, as it is shorter than the XK by 450mm, but about as wide. Most of the length has been cut from behind the seats and behind the rear wheels, giving the XE a look distinctly similar to the E-Type that has proved very popular over time - the long bonnet, short boot layout.

To ensure that the convertible is structurally sound and handles very well, Jaguar has riveted and pressed together the aluminium panels and added aluminium extrusions in the centre section of the car, between the bonnet and the boot where convertibles are at their weakest. Relatively the car is still not that lightweight, though - at 1.5 tonnes it is 50kg heavier than the Boxster and for a car this size that is fairly hefty.

Jaguar has not yet revealed whether it will sell a coupe version, as the concept will be a convertible, but cars like the Nissan 370Z have sold well, so the reasoning is there for Jaguar to make one.

The car will use V6 engines, either naturally aspirated or supercharged, although a four-cylinder petrol turbocharged engine could be added as well. The car will have an 8 speed automatic gearbox with start/stop technology, so its range should be impressive. So far there has been no word on a diesel unit.

A high performance model will be added, presumably called the XE-R in keeping with Jaguar's past models, with a V8 engine. However, Jaguar will be revising its model naming so the car may not even be called the XE, it is simply the codename for now.

Jackson Strong's Front Flip

This is the first ever front flip seen in a motocross competition, courtesy of Jackson Strong. Needless to say he won a gold medal at the X Games for this.