Minn Kota Propeller Prop 2031130 Mkp-5 1378120 on 2040-parts.com

2012 Ford Focus ST gets 297bhp

Those clever chaps at SuperChips have given the 2012 Ford Focus ST a bit of an ECU tweak to deliver 297bhp and an extra 85lb/ft of torque. When we reported last week that WTC outfit Arena had in roped Ford’s tuner of choice, Mountune, to give the new Ford Focus a makeover, we were a tad disappointed to discover that they were tweaking the rather journeyman Focus Zetec S. That meant the Zetec S got 200bhp – a handy jump – but we bemoaned the fact that they hadn’t fiddled with the Focus ST to give us a car to fill the void left by the absence of a Focus RS in the current iteration of the Focus.

Congestion charge to rise by 15%

THE LONDON congestion charge is to rise from £10 a day to £11.50; a sudden 15% increase. The increase, the first since 2011, will take effect from June 16, Transport for London (TfL) has said, although the rate for those on the auto-pay system, and also for fleet customers, will be £10.50 per day. TfL said that customer improvements will be introduced next year, including direct debit payments for auto pay customers, online discount applications, and easier NHS patients and staff reimbursement.

2011 VW Passat Price & Model detail

2011 Volkswagen Passat Price & Model detail released Volkswagen gave us the very slightly facelifted 2011 VW Passat a few weeks ago. They like to call it the seventh generation Passat, but when we reported the reveal at the Paris Motor Show we said we struggled to see it as a anything more than six and three-quarters as its underpinnings are identical. Actually, Passat 6.5 might be e better description.