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Laurence Fishburne reprises Morpheus role for Kia Super Bowl ad

When we drove the Kia K900 recently, we asked, “Do buyers in the BMW 5-series/Mercedes E-class/Audi A6/Lexus GS class want a prestigious nameplate as much as they want radar adaptive cruise control?” In Kia's new Super Bowl spot starring Laurence Fishburne, Morpheus says yes. The Korean automaker's snatched up the erstwhile voice of Cadillac to reprise his beloved character from the "Matrix" trilogy in the hope of suggesting that reality is mutable, luxury isn't about nameplates, and the K900 will open your eyes to a world of improbable possibilities. Despite the explosions, melting dinner utensils and airborne automobiles of the ad, we actually preferred the making-of video released at the same time as the Super Bowl clip, which you can watch below.

Maserati refreshes Quattroporte

By Ben Whitworth First Official Pictures 24 June 2008 08:51 Maserati has given its Quattroporte a mid-life refresh and a power boost. The new flagship Quattroporte S borrows the 424bhp 4.7-litre V8 from the GranTurismo S, while the standard Quattroporte retains the existing 393bhp 4.2-litre engine from before, with both hooked up to the ZF six-speed automatic transmission introduced two years ago. No, fortunately Maserati has decided not to tamper with the Quattroporte’s styling – five years and 15,000 sales from launch and the Pininfarina-penned saloon still looks superb.

Nissan's Qashqai grabs top award

NISSAN'S Qashqai crossover has been voted ‘Used Car of the Year’ by used car pricing experts CAP – for the second year in a row. A panel of judges comprising of used car market and vehicle valuation experts at CAP said: “The Nissan Qashqai has created an entirely new ‘crossover’ sector and prompted other manufacturers to follow by marrying the practicality of a people carrier with the looks of a quality 4x4. By achieving this in a package that also offers economy, handling, strong build quality and reliability the Qashqai has become the perfect used car for our time.” The panel noted that strong demand meant the Qashqai was always highly sought after by trade buyers and customers alike, meaning it depreciated slowly and outperformed the general market.