Lexus IS 300h promises unrivalled ownership costs

The new Lexus IS - launched at Detroit in January and costing from £26,495 for the IS 250 in the UK – actually offers ownership costs that eclipse diesel offerings from the likes of Jaguar, BMW, Audi and Mercedes, say Lexus. Despite the logical assumption that the complex hybrid powerplant in the IS 300h would cost more to maintain, Lexus say the opposite is true. Because it has no clutch and the starter motor and alternator are integrated they require no servicing or replacement and Lexus has fitted a timing chain instead of a timing belt, so it won’t need regular replacement either.

Citroen C4 Grand Picasso (2013) first official pictures

This is the cavernous new Citroen C4 Grand Picasso, a bigger version of the C4 Picasso MPV we recently tested. The Grand Picasso stands 4590mm long – the same as its predecessor – but sees its wheelbase stretched to the longest in its class for maximum cabin space and enormous door openings. What it does share with the regular Picasso is a lightweight body structure and frugal downsized engines.

Renault Megane Sport Tourer Extreme launched

Renault has introduced a new entry-level Megane Estate - the Renault Megane Sport Tourer Extreme It sounds as if a Renault Megane Sport Tourer Extreme should be a rival for a Renaultsport, but it’s not. It’s the new entry-level package on the Megane Sport Tourer. But there’s nothing wrong with that, even if the ‘Extreme’ designation is a bit of an oxymoron (unless you think of it in terms of at the bottom extreme of the range).