Proud Jaguar XKR owners

Jaguar XKR

How would you like to get your hands on a Jaguar – with Premiership appeal? England hero Michael Owen was the proud owner of this Jaguar XKR 460 Typhoon. Over £25k was spent on the jet black Jag increasing power to 460bhp, lowering the suspension and fitting a SuperSport exhaust. Star striker Owen was the first owner of the unique coupe which has covered just over 27,000 miles and has a full service history.

For more used Jaguar XKR convertible cars, check the Auto Trader’s Jaguar hub.

A convertible Jaguar once owned by Liverpool striker Craig Bellamy was sale on Auto Trader. The 1999 XK is powered by a 4-litre V8, producing 290bhp. Sitting on 20-inch alloys, the Jag accelerates from 0-60mph in 6.5 seconds and has a limited top speed of 155mph.

A stunning Jaguar XK Convertible previously owned by England and Portsmouth hotshot Jermain Defoe was on sale. Defoe is the only owner of the Jaguar XK which has covered just 6,000 miles over the past 12 months. Under the bonnet of the used Jaguar XK is a 4.2-litre V8 engine which develops 300bhp and 310lb/ of pulling power – enabling 0-62mph in six seconds and an electronically limited top speed of 155mph. Compare prices of used Jaguar cars on Jaguar car hub.

 

Fast & Furious stars in London for the UK Premiere

Hollywood stars Vin Diesel and Paul Walker have hit the red carpet in London’s Leicester Square for the UK premiere of Fast & Furious. Hundreds of car-loving cinemagoers surrounded the famous location to get a glimpse of one of their favourite stars.

Read Full Story

 

The British Motor Show – UK’s Premiere Motoring Extravaganza

It has survived two world wars, the great depression of the 1930s, Birmingham, and the internet – but now it seems the British Motor Show has had its final curtain call.

Organisers have confirmed the British Motor Show will not be a permanent fixture on the calendar of worldwide automotive events, closing a motoring showcase stretching back to 1903…

Celebs at the British Motor Show

 

Citroen C2 – The most affordable Supermini

Citroen C2

The Citroen C2 is a small and compact supermini that was supposed to replace the Citroen Saxo as the symbol of fondness of the youth generation. The new C2 car is based on a slightly shortened Citroen C3 platform and is positioned in the ‘City Car’ market alongside competitors like the Ford Ka. This funky car comes along with a noticeable front end.

The interior of Citroen C2 consisting of everything that is required for a town ride. Beyond the steering wheel the analogue rev counter arcs above the digital speed and fuel counter. The C2’s are not much for comfort. The seats are adequate but the ride can be rather rough at times, and the cabin does a decent job of eliminating road and engine noise.

While most C2s are destined for urban motoring they can happily stretch their legs on the open road. The Citroen C2 Stop & Start technology makes the driving experience more thrilling. Citroen claimed the Stop & Start concept can decrease fuel consumption by up to 15 per cent. It comes with a three year/60,000 warranty with service intervals every 20,000 miles.

There is choice of four petrol engines one diesel model (for which Citroen claim the best fuel economy of any mainstream car in the UK) – ranging from the 61bhp 1.1-litre model to the 1.6-litre 125bhp model. If you use a tank of fuel a week you’ll be saving more than £1,000 a year. The resale value for the C2 may be low but will depend largely on future performance and popularity.

The Citroen C2 is an extremely cost effective car. Cheap to insure, which was surely the point from Citroen – even the sporty-sounding VTR is only Group 6. Running costs are low, petrol and diesel engines provide good fuel economy and insurance rates are among some of the lowest in its class.

Citroen Cars:

• Citroen C4
• Citroen C6
• Citroen C5

 

Rugged looks and good quality engineering means the Suzuki Grand Vitara

The Suzuki Grand Vitara is cheap but lacks appeal. It stands out for its off-road performance, powerful engine options and roomy interior. However, it simply can’t compete with top crossovers in its class due to a somewhat bumpy ride in around-town driving.

The five-door Suzuki Grand Vitara looks exactly how you would expect; stout and solid. It is bit more habitable than the three doors. The three-door is pretty poor – no rear seat space, a terrible ride, and it’s noisy. The large rear door gives access to a wide load bay which can be increased in size from 398-litres to 758-litres by folding the rear seats down.

“The Vitara has good overall vision, a spacious cabin, and straightforward controls. Its side-hinged, rear cargo door provides quick and efficient access and the Suzuki has the feel of a multi-use ranch vehicle. Beyond its appealing price, it may not do anything as the best in its class. But it does most things well.” – The Weekly Driver

The Suzuki Grand Vitara is preferred for its off-road performance, powerful engine options and roomy interior. However, it simply can’t compete with top crossovers in its class due to a somewhat bumpy ride in around-town driving.

With respect to the Reliability, the Grand Vitara earns a good score. This could be due to its quality engineering. Proven technology and a good reliability record mean there are few causes for concern.

Suzuki has worked hard to make it a quiet engine, but it’s still fairly noisy when you accelerate hard. It is available in 1.6, 2 litre and 2.4 litre petrol engine and 1.9-litre diesel. The 2-litre petrol model returns 32mpg, while the diesel can achieve an average of 38.2mpg.

With the genuine off-road ability, Suzuki Grand Vitara stands out from the rest of its rivals. It can be an expensive car to run with not so good petrol engine.

Suzuki Swift

Suzuki SX4

 

Listing the Sexiest Cars of the World

What is your definition of sexy car? Its curves? The power of muscle-bound BHP banger? The control of one-and-a-half tonnes of steel, plastic and leather? Does countless curves on Ferraris make it sexy?

Its hard to pen down characteristics of a sexy looking car. Some have suggested the feeling of being in charge of a highly dangerous machine at high speeds provides a thrill.

Sexy for others could mean finding human characteristics onto cars. The ‘face’ of a car, represented by its headlights, grille and front spoiler; the car’s ‘rear’; the ‘waist’, or midriff.

Some of the so called sexy cars are listed below –

• Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione
• Lamborghini Gallardo
• Aston Martin DBS
• McLaren F1
• Audi R8
• Corvette Z06
• Koenigsegg CCXR
• Pagani Zonda
• Nissan GT-R
• Aston Martin DB5
• Jaguar E-Type.

Many would agree with this list but there sure to be some more to this list. Whatever this notion of ‘sexy’ translates as, the world is brimming with endless motors built for one thing – to set pulses racing.

 

Toyota to recall 45,000 cars in UK

Toyota is to recall more than 45,000 cars to fix the seat belt defect. The car owners of Toyota Yaris 2006 and 2007 models will receive letters informing them about the fault.

Toyota spokesperson reported that the seat belt pre-tensioner which is the safety measure that locks the seat belt in place during a collision, could heat up and cause a fire in high speed-on crash.

One case of fire was reported in Japan due to the faulty seatbelt design, which could cause a noise-absorber device to melt when the seatbelt tensioner is activated in a collision, Toyota said. There have not been any reported cases of accident due to this happening.

He said: “We can use chassis numbers to identify the cars involved and then trace the owners through the DVLA to ensure the right people are sent letters.”

A total of 1.3 million vehicles are being recalled worldwide.

 

Hyundai profits fall despite the rising sales: South Korea

Hyundai has released details of its last year’s performance indicating rise in 2008 sales. The sales revenue rose 5.1% to 32.19 trillion won helped by a richer product mix and the sharp depreciation of the Korean won against major currencies.

However, the Profitability of Hyundai declined by 13.9% to 1.448 trillion won from a year earlier.Operating profit dropped by 3.5% to 1.877 trillion won due to higher marketing, dealer and brand development expenses.

“The rate of decline was abated by widely implemented cost-cutting efforts and continuous efforts to diversify the settlement currency. By prudently diversifying its global sales footprint, the company isn’t overly affected by the economic volatility of any one region,” a statement said.

It added that it expected sales momentum to continue to build with the launch of the i20. Used car market and motor industry analysts CAP say the i20 will retain a greater percentage of its original value after three years than a plethora of highly-regarded rivals. This includes those renowned for holding their value such as the VW Polo and Toyota Yaris, as well as big players like the Vauxhall Corsa, Peugeot 207 and even the new Ford Fiesta. The newly launched i10 and i30 were well received.

In China, Hyundai registered 27.1% growth in sales, whereas in eastern Europe, the Middle East, Latin America and other developing markets, Hyundai registered 19.5% growth.

Source: Just Auto

 

Factors to consider while Buying A Car

Car Reviews

Few basic things to know about THAT car you are buying…

• What’s your Budget?
• What features are you looking for?
• What Type of car?
• Eco-friendly – how much CO2 emitted?

Let’s look at the above factors one by one.

Budget – It’s very important to decide on your budget first. With so many popular car manufacturers competing, it might be difficult to eliminate the options. So, it important to know how much you would be willing to spend to buy a worthy car.

Features – Choose wisely and figure out what features are more important and does your car match them –

1. Passenger capacity: Most of the vehicles have the capacity to seat five individuals. It would be ideal for a small family or small group of friends. If you have a larger family then its worth considering a seven or eight seater MPV. Single & sporty motorists usually go for two or four seater cars.

1. Size: Depending on the passenger capacity and luggage room you can decide upon the size of your car. It’s good to ask yourself how much of Boot utilization would you require. If you have bulky equipments to carry think of going for a family hatchback with a roof rack.

1. Appearance: This is the first thing that comes into mind when you decide to buy a car. The appearance of the car is what others will see – so be careful. Would you go for something bright or dark, curvy or less curvy, small or long or sleek? Consider extras like metallic paint, modified body kits etc. The interior look and feel of the car is another vital thing to think of.

1. Safety: Sometimes this feature is neglected – but this in fact is the first factor to be taken into consideration. Ensure the number of airbags it has and always check the Euro NCAP’s star rating for each car before you buy.

1. Performance: If you are a frequent motorways user then an acceleration time between 0 to 60mph may be crucial. Also would be the brake horse power. Evaluate your engine size depending on your insurance budget. Higher the performance, higher is the engine cost.

Type of car – Yet another important fact you ought to know. Is it Hatchback, Supermini or Sports?

Type of Cars in detail

Eco-friendly – The more the CO2 the car emits, higher is the car tax. So, make sure you calculate how many miles to the gallon your car burns. If you are looking for an eco-friendly vehicle you may choose electric, bioethanol or hybrid cars.

Six of the best Tax – Free cars.

 

Number of cars being licensed reduces this year

Yet another bad news for the Automotive Industry; 2009 beginning does’t look colourful, with the number of cars being licensed dropping down. The statistics agency has confirmed 19% drop in new cars being licensed compared to the previous year. There were about 146,500 new cars licensed in 2009. The number of cars licensed in December 2008 is half the number in December 2007.

Source: Belfast Telegraph