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

Volkswagen Passat Alltrack: The VW Allroad arrives

The VW Passat Alltrack - debuts in Tokyo Volkswagen has jumped on to the Allroad bandwagon with its own take on Audi’s faux off-roader, with the reveal of the 2012 VW Passat Alltrack. As you would expect, the Passat Alltrack is a butched-up Passat Estate with a raised ride height, extra bits of plastic round the bumpers, skid plates, flared side sills and 4WD – VW’s 4MOTION – for more traction in boot sale car parks. But when you don’t need the 4WD, around 90 poer cent of the drive is through the front wheels – saving fuel – with the rear wheel drive only coming in to play when you start to slip and slide.

Mazda 6 launched at 2012 Moscow motor show

Mazda has unveiled its new 6 saloon at the 2012 Moscow motor show – a nod to the significance of the Eastern European markets for the Japanese car maker. This third-generation Mazda 6 will be the second model in Mazda’s line-up to feature both its suite of innovative SkyActiv drivetrain and chassis technologies and the company’s ‘Kodo – Soul of Motion’ design language. That’s a clunky design title, but the new 6 is anything but - it’s a handsome looking car in our eyes, and takes its riffs from the Mazda Takeri concept first seen at the 2011 Tokyo motor show.

One Lap of the Web: Rolls-Royce in Thailand, 130-mph lawn mowers and Formula One in Canada

We spend a lot of time on the Internet -- pretty much whenever we're not driving, writing about or working on cars. Since there's more out there than we'd ever be able to cover, here's our daily digest of car stuff on the Web you may not otherwise have heard about. -- Check out some factoids about Formula One in Canada and how drivers have faired at Canadian tracks over time.