Mercedes A 180 CDI ECO SE & B 180 CDI ECO SE launched

Mercedes A 180 CDI ECO SE & B 180 CDI ECO SE launched The key to the wallets of many car buyers – especially those who have to pay BIK on their company provided cars – is frugal official economy, which means low CO2 emissions and lower tax bills. So Mercedes has decided to drop the current A 180 CDI SE and the B 180 CDI SE and replace them with new versions offering better economy credentials- the A 180 CDI ECO SE & B 180 CDI ECO SE. Available from January 2014, both the new eco A and B Class have been subjected to weight saving measures and tweaks to the aerodynamics and powertrain to yield emissions of 92g/km for the A Class and 98g/km for the B Class.

One Lap of the Web: Aural delights and a Citro

-- Ayrton Senna positively dominated the 1990 Monaco Grand Prix: he came in with the fastest qualifying lap, started on pole, set the fastest lap, led every single one of them, won the thing, beating rival Alain Prost in the process, then went on to win the 1990 World Championship. The above video was what it's like to ride onboard with the brilliant Brazilian in his McLaren-Honda, which screams like a madman down the Monaco tunnel. -- Five Citro

Test your car's audio quality with iTunes playlist

General Motors audio engineer Matt Kirsch, who did the sound work for the Chevrolet Cruze, has developed an iTunes playlist that helps drivers test their cars' audio quality. The “10 Songs for an Audio ‘Test Drive'” playlist includes: “Don't Know Why” by Norah Jones “Diamonds and Rust” by Joan Baez “No One” by Alicia Keys “Hotel California” by the Eagles “Boom Boom Pow” by the Black Eyed Peas “Rock That Body” by the Black Eyed Peas “Hide and Seek” by Imogen Heap “He Mele No Lilo” by Mark Keali'i Ho'omalu (from Lilo & Stitch) “Bird on a Wire” by Johnny Cash “Packt Like Sardines in a Crushd Tin Box” by Radiohead While “Boom Boom Pow” and “Rock That Body” should have accurate and powerful bass beats, “No One” and “Bird on a Wire” should feature clarity in the vocals. Kirsch's playlist is available for download at http://tiny.cc/c2ach.