Kawasaki Kx100 2009 Frame #4918 on 2040-parts.com

2015 VW Passat price & specs – costs from £22,215

The 2015 VW on sale 7th October from £22,215 The latest Volkswagen Passat – the eighth generation, no less – was revealed in July as a sleeker, lighter and more upmarket Passat – one which could be an Audi if the badges were changed – as VW try once again to deliver a Passat that will make a real mark in its sector. Based on VW’s MQB platform, the new Passat gets a more rounded look, swept back headlights and a back end that looks more appealing and is set to go on sale on 7 October in VW’s UK showrooms. VW are only offering diesel engine options at launch, with a choice of a 118bhp 1.6 litre, a 2.0 litre with 148bhp or 187bhp and a 2.0 litre bi-turbo with 237bhp, DSG ‘box and 4MOTION.

New BMW X5 gets a range of M Performance goodies

The new BMW X5 gets a range of M Performance goodies It wouldn’t be a BMW unless you could make it look like it can go faster, even when it can’t. So it’s good news for buyers of the new BMW X5 that they can opt for the cheapest, and least powerful, X5 sDrive25d and adorn it with enough goodies from the new X5 M Performance option list to make it look like it’d eat an X5 M50d for breakfast. But its not just the lowliest model in the new X5 range that can have any of the new M Performance parts bolted on; BMW will be happy for you to bolt on the extras to anything from the sDrive25d to the xDrive50i.

Mercedes SLS AMG Electric Drive sets Nurburgring production EV record

The Mercedes SLS AMG ED (pictured) set a new EV lap record at the Nurburgring Just as Audi decides that the R8 e-Tron isn’t a production viable option, Mercedes decides to prove there is potential for electric cars at the very high end. The Mercedes SLS AMG Electric Drive has been to the Nurburgring and set a new lap record for a production electric car of just 7 minutes 55 seconds. The SLS AMG ED, which goes on sale very soon at more than £300k, may weigh a chunk more than a regular SLS (550kg more), but it gets plenty of help from its four electric motors – one at each corner – to overcome the weight of its batteries with 751bhp and 737lb/ft of torque on hand.