Sealed Power V2451x Exhaust Valve on 2040-parts.com

Mercedes launch new 9G-Tronic gearbox on E350 BlueTec

New Mercedes E350 BlueTec (pictured) gets 9-speed 9G-TRONIC auto It’s not exactly a million years ago that automatic gearboxes offered poorer performance and economy than manual gearboxes, and came as standard with just three gears. But now, automatic gearboxes are so good they can  change quicker than any driver and, with the proliferation of eight-speed auto ‘boxes, offer improved economy and performance too. The next logical step is even more ratios in an auto ‘box, and Land Rover has already revealed they’ll be fitting the Evoque with a 9-speed ZF ‘box from 2014, and the new Jeep Grand Cherokee gets a nine-speed auto ‘box too.

Upgraded Mazda MX-5 hits the UK

[ad#ad-1] Back in December we brought you news of the updates to the Japanese MX-5 – The Mazda Roadster – and as expected they’ve now filtered through for UK Cars, with the first cars appearing in showrooms in April. The MX-5 has, quite rightly, dominated the little, open sports car market for ever. It does so much so very right, and so little wrong, it is an example of how to dominate a niche.

2015 Subaru WRX and STI prices revealed

Subaru enthusiasts will be able to get into a 2015 WRX starting at a base price of $27,090, including destination, for the standard six-speed manual model. That's a bit more than the 2014 model, which started at $26,790, but with Subaru’s entirely new platform, we’d like to think the extra $300 is worth it. This 2015 WRX will sport a 2.0-liter direct-injection turbo flat-four engine under the hood, making 268 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque.