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Power Boost For Vauxhall’s Sporty Astra GTC

VAUXHALL has boosted the performance of its three-door Astra GTC with the inclusion of a new 1.6-litre turbo petrol motor. Slotting in below the firm’s hot VXR variant, this latest addition to the Astra range boasts 197 horsepower and is the same unit that also powers Vauxhall’s premium drop-top, the Cascada. On-paper performance figures promise a brisk driving experience, with the 1.6 turbo Astra GTC topping out at 143mph and capable of sprinting to 60mph in 7.3 seconds.

Mercedes GLA goes subterranean

FOR SUV owners looking to test their cars’ off-road credentials, the obvious place to put them to the test probably isn’t nearly 200 metres underground. But that’s exactly where the new Mercedes GLA found itself as it descended into Winsford Rock Salt Mine, 620 feet beneath the Cheshire countryside. The working mine, which supplies much of the UK’s gritting salt for wintry roads, played host to four standard (apart from extra driving lights) GLA models, which were lowered down into the mine nose first before being let loose in the 130-mile network of tunnels.

Maybach, or not Maybach? That is the question.

Maybach - off to Gaydon? Actually, whether to keep Maybach on the Daimler life support system is a question that has taxed the brains of many a Mercedes exec,  almost since the Maybach brand got its revival under Mercedes and turned in to a cross between a stretched old S-Class, a Playstation and a glitterball. Because despite the efforts of Mercedes to position the Maybach above the S-Class – and in to competition with Rolls Royce and Bentley – the Maybach has somehow conspired to be less desirable than the S-Class.