Uc132-obs New Ultraflex Sterndrive Hydraulic Steering Cylinder on 2040-parts.com

Mercedes-Benz G-class to get V12 power

Mercedes-Benz has slyly revealed a lightly facelifted version of the 33-year-old G-class prior to its planned public premiere at the Beijing motor show next month. The reworked version of the German carmaker's iconic military-grade SUV, planned to go on sale in European markets in June with North American deliveries slated to begin by the end of this year, can be seen in the background of an official photograph of the facelifted GLK posted on the Mercedes-Benz media Web site. Among the subtle changes made to the G-class's classic square exterior is a restyled grille with three prominent slats in place of the older model's seven slats, new headlamp inserts with horizontally mounted LED running lights and redesigned mirror housings.

Ford Energi drivers use all-electric mode 60 percent of the time

Ford has noticed quite a few interesting things by researching how owners use their Ford plug-in hybrids. It appears that Ford owners are driving their hybrids in electric mode nearly 60 percent of the time, using their cars' 21 miles of gas-free all-electric range. This figure contrasts quite a bit with the 41 percent of all-electric drive time earlier in the year, demonstrating that winter driving patterns differ quite a bit from summer driving.

Driven: BMW 335i Cabriolet

The 3 series has come a long way. While the original 1975 E21 was initially only available as a two-door sedan, it was soon transformed into a cabriolet thanks to an aftermarket conversion kit by Baur. In 1982, the E30 was a two or four-door sedan until several years later, when BMW offered the "Touring" wagon and the full factory-produced cabriolet.