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

Mercedes A, B & CLA-Class get more frugal engines & new 4MATIC 4WD options

The Mercedes A,B & CLA-Class get more frugal and get new 4MATIC options The new Mercedes A-Class, B-Class and CLA-Class may not have been with us very long, but that’s not stopping Mercedes playing with what’s on offer with more frugal engines being launched and the option of 4MATIC 4WD being extended to the Mercedes A 200 CDI and 220 CDI. With an official fuel consumption of 54mpg and emissions of 125g/km, the latest Mercedes CLA 250 manages to improve emissions and economy figures by 7 per cent using a lean-burn process, without affecting performance. The Mercedes A 200 CDI gets a bigger engine – up from 1.8 to 2.2 litres – and 136hp and 221lb/ft of torque and, with the 7Speed DCT ‘box fitted, manages official consumption of 72mpg and emissions of 102g/km – 7g/km less than the old 1.8 litre A 200 CDI.

MG3 Trophy Championship Concept previews MG Hot Hatch

MG3 Trophy Championship Concept (pictured) previews a future MG Hot Hatch The revival of MG so far has been about delivering rather prosaic Chinese cars given a gloss of credibility with and MG badge. But if MG are to succeed they really need to use some of the heritage of MG to grab buyers attention. That probably means a credible hot hatch rather than a traditional MG Roadster, so the arrival of the MG3 Trophy Championship Concept at MG’s 90th birthday celebrations at the weekend is perhaps a good pointer of the sort of direction we could see from MG in the coming years.

Roof leaks dampen Autorama

The Detroit Autorama was marred last weekend by a leaky roof that spilled salty, rusty water onto several custom cars. The leaks were caused by a combination of heavy precipitation--Detroit has had one of the snowiest winters in recent memory that gave way to an early March rainstorm--which pummeled an aging roof. Water fell to the show floor in six spots, temporarily damaging seven or eight cars.