2010 Mercruiser Gimball/transom Assembly on 2040-parts.com

2014 Nissan Qashqai: The tease for the new Qashqai begins

The new Nissan Qashqai is an important car for Nissan as it needs to keep the momentum going that the first Qashqai started as a real alternative to a small family hatch. And with just 10 days to go until the new Qashqai gets revealed, Nissan has started the tease with the single photo of the new Qashqai (above) lurking under a dust sheet. We’re expecting the new Qashqai to take strong styling cues from the new Nissan X-Trail revealed at Frankfurt, and much of what underpins the new Qashqai is similar to the new X-Trail.

2015 VW Passat price & specs – costs from £22,215

The 2015 VW on sale 7th October from £22,215 The latest Volkswagen Passat – the eighth generation, no less – was revealed in July as a sleeker, lighter and more upmarket Passat – one which could be an Audi if the badges were changed – as VW try once again to deliver a Passat that will make a real mark in its sector. Based on VW’s MQB platform, the new Passat gets a more rounded look, swept back headlights and a back end that looks more appealing and is set to go on sale on 7 October in VW’s UK showrooms. VW are only offering diesel engine options at launch, with a choice of a 118bhp 1.6 litre, a 2.0 litre with 148bhp or 187bhp and a 2.0 litre bi-turbo with 237bhp, DSG ‘box and 4MOTION.

New MoT failure figures reveal surprises

BETWEEN January and August 2013 253,000 vehicles failed their first MoT, according to new data. 70 million records from the Vehicle Operation and Services Agency (VOSA) were examined to reveal the patterns of failure for cars receiving their first MoT, required three years from the date of first registration. However, while the best performers have pre-existing reputations for reliability, the bottom of the table reveals some surprises.