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

2014 Nissan Versa priced at $12,780

The 2014 Nissan Versa with a five-speed manual transmission -- at dealerships today -- will set you back $12,780, including $790 for destination. Stepping down to a four-cog automatic will cost a grand more. For that price -- the lowest in America, by the way, more on that later -- buyers get a 1.6-liter DOHC four-cylinder engine, available air conditioning, six-way adjustable driver's seat, and a radio with an auxiliary input.

Lexus LF-A on sale in London

The Lexus LF-A has gone on sale in the Lexus dealership in Park Lane You may be surprised to learn that the Lexus LF-A is actually for sale if you were one of the first to read our report last week that you could only lease the LF-A. But if you came later to the story you’ll know that the lease-only deal applies just to the US. Lexus were very quick to contact us after we published the report (all of ten minutes) to say that it was just potential LF-A buyers in the US who would be constrained to a lease-only deal and that the LF-A was up for grabs in the normal way everywhere else in the world.

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.