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

Mercedes-Benz CL gets a facelift for 2011

Three years after its introduction, Mercedes-Benz has given the CL a mid-cycle facelift, providing the big two-door with lightly altered bumpers--those up front with new LED daytime running lamps, reshaped headlamps, a more contoured hood, larger exterior mirrors with integrated indicators and revised tail-lamp lenses, among other detailed visual changes. More significant than the styling tweaks, however, are the changes underneath the hood, with the arrival of a new twin-turbocharged 4.6-liter V8 direct-injection gasoline engine--the first of Mercedes-Benz's advanced MoVe powerplants that aim to bring efficiency gains to its lineup. With 429 hp and 516 lb-ft of torque, the new engine delivers 47 hp and 125 lb-ft more than the naturally aspirated 5.5-liter V8 it replaces in the four-year-old CL500--enough to lower the luxury coupe's 0-to-62-mph time by 0.5 second to 4.9 seconds.

Volvo Concept Estate previews upcoming V90 wagon

We flipped over the Volvo Concept Coupe at Frankfurt. We praised the XC Concept Coupe at Detroit. But the Volvo Concept Estate is the member of Volvo's recent show trio that finally reduced us to a large petri dish's worth of gibberish-spouting goo.

Toyota adds i-Road to urban mobility trials

TOYOTA has added its futuristic i-Road concept to its “Ha:mo” urban transport trials. It is the latest vehicle to be added to the rapidly expanding scheme, which is being held at the so-called Toyota City; Toyota’s huge presence in Japan’s Aichi Prefecture. The Ha:mo (Harmonious Mobility network) trials are an attempt to develop a sophisticated, integrated transport system for cities, making use of electric vehicles wherever possible but with the key emphasis on encouraging travellers to use the ‘most appropriate’ means of transport at all times.