1998 Lincoln Continental Floor Center Console Gray 2568568 on 2040-parts.com

Merc to revive straight six, plus 4cyl and smaller V8s

Mercedes has just signed off a new engine family which will see most full-sized Mercs in future run four-cylinders, downsized V8s and… straight sixes. A friendly Mercedes engineer recently met CAR to disclose the engine plans for future models, including the surprise disclosure that Merc plans to switch to straight sixes, like its rivals over in Munich.  It's fair to say I almost choked on my breakfast croissant when I found out the details of the next MB engine generation which has just been signed off for release in 2015. Mercedes' future four-cylinder engines Again, there will be a family of new low-cost fours, and the big-bore V8s will be replaced by a series of downsized turbocharged 4.0-litre units.

Fiat 500: Suspension tweak and 2-pot engine

The Fiat 500 is to get stiffer suspension and a range of 2-pot engines It’s not hard to see why the Fiat 500 has been a runaway success. It has the cute factor going on, but on the right side of pastiche; prices are much more reasonable than its rival in the ‘small car icon revisited’ stakes – the MINI, and Fiat have done a sterling job on the marketing side. And it’s not just been the tin-top, bog-standard  Fiat 500 that’s flown out of showrooms.

Ram 1500 EcoDiesels are selling like hotcakes so far

We've been anticipating the arrival of the Ram 1500 EcoDiesel -- and speculating about what it means for the pickup market -- for months. On paper, the truck seems to make perfect sense: The 3.0-liter V6 in the 1500 EcoDiesel returns 23 mpg combined (20 city/28 highway) while producing 240 hp and 420 lb-ft of torque. After taking it for a spin, the $30,465 base price didn't seem too bad, either.