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

Hyundai ix35 facelift to cost from £16,995 – extended model range & specs

The ‘new’ Hyundai ix35 (pictured) costs from £16,995 Hyundai revealed the mildly facelifted ix35 back in March (and a better looking version for the Korean market a couple of months later) and now, with the new ix35 on sale next week, we have news of prices and specs. We covered the tweaks Hyundai have made to the ix35 back in March – and they’re really quite minor – but the trim levels are also changing and the more powerful 2.0 litre diesel is biting the dust. The ix35 range now kicks off with the ix35 S 1.6-litre GDi 2WD manual at £16,995 which comes with 16″ alloys, central locking, USB and AUX, AirCon, Hillstart Assist and Downhill Brake Control (designed to help those who can’t really drive).

New Volvo XC90 (2014) previewed by Volvo designers

Volvo's view on the 2014 XC90 The Volvo XC90 is still a capable cross between a luxury SUV and a Crossover (as we discovered recently when we played with the XC-90 R-Design for a week), but it is now very ancient. Launched in 2002, the XC90 has soldiered on essentially unchanged (bar some tweaks and the R-Design options), yet despite that it’s still a credible option with some very appealing traits. But it’s well past time to reveal a new XC90.

BMW X5 (F15)

This is the new, third generation BMW X5, the biggest-selling SUV in its segment with over 1.3 million sold since the first was launched in 1999. While the previous versions have sat more in the high-riding wagon space (BMW prefers to call them Sports Activity Vehicles), this latest F15 model appears to have shifted closer to a more traditional SUV, appearing taller and less ‘squat', certainly than the car it replaces. This is partly due to the DLO, which dips down behind the A-pillar, creating a deep window.