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

Consumer Reports gets top vehicle picks mostly right

Despite the publication's uncomfortably broad definition of reliability -- it spans everything from "the engine fell out" to "the touchscreen display shows fingerprints too easily" -- automakers still clamor to get on the Consumer Reports recommended vehicle list. This year's winners cover a broad spectrum of vehicles, and for the most part, we're in agreement with the magazine's editors, with one significant exception at the top of the list. Best overall vehicle went to the Tesla Model S.

Aston Martin V8 Vantage S (2011) at 2011 Geneva motor show

Good news for fans of Aston Martin's V8 Vantage, and especially those who found it a touch slow: the new, musclier V8 Vantage S.  The Aston Martin Vantage S is a tweaked-up version of the regular Vantage, and a full production model. It's the fastest Vantage yet! The biggest change is under the bonnet. The 4.7-litre V8 now has a stouter 430bhp, which makes it 20bhp more powerful than the Vantage N24 and 30bhp up on the N400 special editions.

Mercedes SLS AMG – Leaked Photo

First leaked picture of the Mercedes SLS AMG Gullwing Today we get a leaked ‘Official’ image of the SLS, which does seem to be real. It appears to be taken on a mobile phone – probably from magazine artwork at car magazine Autobild, and doesn’t look like a Photoshop job – it appears to be a photo. Which tends to suggest that Mercedes may have given them the detail for their next issue to coincide with the official release of the pictures, and the first solid detail.