Arias Pistons 12.5:1 Compression 82mm Bore Honda B-series on 2040-parts.com

Asian brands top annual Consumer Reports rankings on reliability

Honda, Acura, Porsche and Scion topped the annual Consumer Reports reliability survey released on Tuesday. At the other end of the spectrum, Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz were deemed among the worst. Findings are based on responses about 1.3 million vehicles owned or leased by subscribers to Consumer Reports or its Web site.

GreenGT H2 completes first laps ahead of 2013 Le Mans

Are we entering the era of the eco-friendly racing car? French outfit GreenGT could be spearheading the push, with the announcement its new H2 hydrogen racing car has completed its first successful racing laps testing at the Magny-Cours circuit in France. The wacky-looking hydrogen hybrid racing car will compete in the 2013 Le Mans 24 Hours endurance race, filling the ‘experimental competitor’ pit garage vacated by the radical-looking 2012 Nissan DeltaWing.

2013 Mazda3 MPS & revised Mazda 3 range prices

Mazda has revealed the 2013 Mazda3 MPS hot hatch and announced it is adding the Tamura and Venture to the standard range. The 2013 Mazda3 MPS gets some small titivations (although you do need to look quite hard – there’s even fewer changes than the regular 2012 Mazda3) with some new tail light graphics, a new gunmetal finish for the 18″ alloys and a black Mica finish for the trim at the bottom of the back bumper, door mirrors and inner roof spoiler. Fortunately, Mazda has kept the peppy 2.3 litre turbo petrol that offers 256bhp and can scuttle the little Mazda to 62mph in 6.1 seconds.