Volkswagen Single Port 1200cc, 40 Hp Heads, Mpn: 113.101.371c on 2040-parts.com

Try a prestige car from Europcar before you buy. Or you could just go to a dealer.

You can hire a BMW 5-Series (pictured) from Europcar before you buy It’s always good to have a promotion to get punters through the door, but the latest PR promo from Hertz does seem to have a very visible flaw in its logic. According to Europcar – the leading car hire company in Europe, don’t you know – the best route for trying out a new prestige car before you buy is to give them a call and book a day or three in the cars of your choice. Europcar say you can have anything from a 4×4 to a luxury saloon and performance cars, with the suggestion you can pit a Mercedes SLK against an Audi TTS or check out the differences between a new E-Class or new 5-Series.

Honda to offer second-gen Element

Although the Element has been a disappointing seller, Honda plans to offer a second generation of its quirky crossover rather than treat it as an experiment. The company is hitting a key demographic with the Element that it does not reach with the vehicle's platform sibling, the CR-V, said John Mendel, American Honda Motor Co. executive vice president.

Vauxhall ADAM with new 1.0 ECOTEC 3-Cylinder engine will debut at Geneva

The Vauxhall ADAM (pictured) gets the new 1.0 litre 3-pot ECOTEC engine At the Frankfurt Motor Show last year, Vauxhall announced they would be offering the Vauxhall Adam with their new 1.0 litre 3-cylinder ECOTEC engine in 2014, and we now know it will debut at the Geneva Motor Show next month before going on sale in the spring. The new 1.0 ECOTEC 3-Cylinder engine is Vauxhall’s answer to Ford’s 1.0 litre EcoBoost proliferating across Ford’s range, and if it’s half as good as Ford’s unit it should make the 3-pot Adam a fun and appealing option. Available in two states of tune – 89bhp or 113bhp – with both delivering 122lb/ft of torque and with a new 6-speed manual ‘box that’s 30 per cent lighter, the new engine delivers 30 per cent more torque than Vauxhall’s 1.6 litre petrol but can manage 62mpg and emissions of 99g/km for the 89bhp version.