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

New MINI 5-door Hatch revealed – but will you fit through the back doors?

The 5-door MINI hatch arrives We’ve already had the more BMW-like new MINI arrive, and now, for the first time, we get a MINI 5-door hatch to try and extend the appeal of the MINI range to families. The 5-door MINI gets an extra 72mm in the wheelbase and a pair of doors at the back – which do look very tight for full-size people to use – and there’s also an extra 15mm of headroom, a bigger boot and seating for three in the back. In terms of design, there’s little to choose between the 5-door and the 3-door, but the new 5-door does look a bit like the off-spring of the new MINI and the Countryman; just a little dumpy.

Bypass booster seats with travel vest

Sick of moving that booster seat from car to car whenever your child heads to grandma's? A new product, the Ride-Safer travel vest, claims it can remove the booster seat from your life altogether. Like a booster seat, the purpose of the Ride-Safer vest is to position the lap and shoulder portions of a seatbelt in a way that optimizes safety for child-size passengers.

A humble call for some civility

I made an all-too-rare appearance at my local gym the other day. I could tell it was too rare because people looked genuinely surprised to see me. Got there around 7 a.m.