wordl cars: May 2012

Thursday 31 May 2012

Mercedes Benz-regarded as the first automobile

Mercedes-Benz (German pronunciation: is a multinational division of the German manufacturer Daimler AG, and the brand is used for automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. Mercedes-Benz is headquartered in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The name first appeared in 1926 under Daimler-Benz but traces its origins to Daimler's 1901 Mercedes and to Karl Benz's 1886 Benz Patent Motorwagen, widely regarded as the first automobile.

Mercedes Benz

Opel's GTC tugs at the heart strings

From once being a fairly charismatic brand – I remember lusting after the Superboss Kadett in my pubescent years – the lightning slash lost some of its sporty allure as it became more grown up and fuddy-duddy over the years.

In recent years the passion’s been reignited with cars wearing high-performance OPC badges, and the introduction of the Astra GTC coupé to bring some style and aspiration to the Opel party. The previous GTC three-door sold here from 2006 until 2009, and in March this year the latest generation was launched on local shores, fresh from its international debut at the Frankfurt Motorshow in September 2011.

Though it shares a basic platform with the Astra five-door hatch, the GTC isn’t simply a three-door version and the two cars don’t share a single body panel. The GTC coupé is wider, lower and has a longer wheelbase than its five-door cousin, giving it much cooler curves. It’s styling that makes women go weak at the knees while the car’s broad “shoulders” give it a masculine and hunkered-down look that goes down well with the lads too.

Engine power isn’t quite as athletic as the styling, and the model choices in the new Opel GTC are an Enjoy version powered by a 103kW 1.4-litre unit and a 1.6 Sport with 132kW on tap – both turbocharged petrol engines.

The 132kW version on test here doesn’t quite make it into hot hatch territory, and is down on power from the 147kW 2-litre turbo engine that powered the flagship version of the previous Astra GTC that sold here a couple of years back.

Opel

Passo Daihatsu Boon is a subcompact car

The Daihatsu Boon is a subcompact car/supermini produced by Japanese automaker Daihatsu since 2004, and also sold under Toyota Passo and Daihatsu Sirion

Outside of Japan, the first-generation Boon is sold as the second-generation Sirion, the first-generation Sirion was sold as the Daihatsu Storia in Japan.

passo

2013 Lexus ES350 and ES300h Test Drive

2013 Lexus ES350 and ES300h Test Drive
With finer furnishings and hybrid drive, Lexus makes its mainstream sedan more luxurious and more frugal at the same time. Bonus: It's more engaging to drive too.

Read more: 2013 Lexus ES350 and ES300h Test Drive - Lexus ES350 and ES300h Review - Popular Mechanics