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

Hyundai ix35 Review (2012): Premium 1.7 CRDi 2WD

We have Hyundai’s impressive looking ix35 compact SUV come crossover in for a week for review in 2WD guise with Premium trim and the 1.7 CRDi engine. We’ve wittered on endlessly about how impressive Hyundai’s efforts have become in the last few years; from Halford’s special to credible alternative in less time than it takes from one Olympic games to the next. But it’s one thing turning small, budget family cars in to real competition for the established market leaders, but is it a stretch too far to think Hyundai can take on the might of car makers like Ford and VW in the compact SUV market?

USED CAR BUYER CONFIDENCE “UNLIKELY TO IMPROVE” IN 2011 SAYS RAC

USED CAR buyer confidence is unlikely to improve significantly in 2011, meaning that demand for safety net products such as extended warranties will remain strong, says RAC Warranty. The company points out that at the end of 2010, used car warranties are still being enhanced – by both length of time and depth of cover – at around the same rates as during the worst parts of the recession, indicating that the mood of consumers remains cautious. Ian Simpson, sales and marketing director, said: “Next year, the measures that the coalition Government has undertaken to reduce public spending will really start to bite and that will have a definite impact on general confidence.

Mountune will upgrade your Focus ST, Fiesta ST

UK-based Ford tuner Mountune set up shop in the U.S. just a couple months ago, and is already offering upgrades to the Ford Focus ST and the Ford Fiesta ST. Mountune is Ford's official partner in Europe, and their experience goes back 30 years Mountune comes from a slightly different branch of Ford tuning that North American buyers are used to -- their specialty has been tuning Ford's smaller cars in Europe rather than muscle cars, and they've worked on everything from Escorts to Focuses (though perhaps not the Escorts and Focuses that we're used to).