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

Jaguar Land Rover open new engineering test centre in Dubai

Jaguar Land Rover are growing at a tremendous rate, and that means more and more testing of cars to make sure they can cope with the extremes of climate they’re subjected to by owners around the world. So as part of their growing test programme, JLR have extended their testing and engineering facilities in the Al Barsha area of Dubai so they can test durability, calibration and hot weather testing for heat and humidity as well as test the powertrains, chassis, HVAC and, as this is Dubai and it has plenty of sand, they can also give the Land Rover Terrain Response systems a proper workout. JLR has been hot weather testing in Dubai for more than 12 years – an area where temperatures can reach 50 degrees Celsius – and the new facility replaces a much smaller one in the same area, and joins Jaguar Land Rover’s other test facilities at the Nurburgring, Arjeplog in Sweden and Phoenix and International Falls in the States to ensure all JLR’s new cars get subjected to everything from extreme hot and cold to track work.

Don’t text and drive says Volkswagen – very effectively (video)

Cinema goers in for a shock in VW’s don’t text and drive campaign We’re not the biggest fans of putting drivers in a bubble of concentration behind the wheel, which is what law makers seem to be trying to do. Don’t take a sip from that water bottle, don’t change the channel on the radio, don’t have a conversation with your passengers, don’t smoke, don’t take hands-free phone calls – in fact, don’t do anything but drive. But it’s a foolish trend as it’s the little things going on that keep drivers alert; focusing just on the driving is a sure fire way make drivers’ brains go in to a fug and lose concentration.

Nissan Note (2013) first pictures of Euro-spec supermini

Nissan has designed, engineered and will build its new Note mini-MPV in the UK. The second-gen Note packs better safety and driver assistance tech into an altogether more fashionable body than its cute but uninpsiring predecessor. Does it have enough talent to cause nightmares for the Ford Fiesta and Honda Jazz?