The new 2011 Volkswagen Jetta model released

VW have released their new 2011 Jetta and have made a strong focus on keeping the price affordable. The starting price is around $16 000, which is very cheap but obviously the price will change quite a bit once the vehicle is for sale in South Africa. The 2011 Jetta will be available in America this October, there is no date set for a South African release though.

Under the hood the US version of the Jetta will be released with 4 different engines, each available in automatic and manual, including a 2.0 turbo diesel. This engine will reach 0-100km/h in just 8.7s which is not too bad considering the price of the car. There will also be a 6 speed DSG transmission available on the 2.0 TDI and 2.0 TSI.

The exterior has been completely redesigned, including the wheelbase and car length which are now both bigger. The look has been sharpened to make the Jetta look more stylish and elegant. Regarding the interior, with the extended vehicle length, the new Jetta has a massive amount of legroom, and best-in-class rear legroom. The center drivers console is aligned towards the driver and controls car climate, radio and navigation.

Lastly safety has not been ignored with the new 2011 VW Jetta and features various crash safety improvements.

Source: Volkswagen

Kelley Blue Book names its coolest cars under $18k

Kelley Blue Book, or just KBB for short, has long been the trusted source for book values for new and used cars. They have no recently released their list of what they believe are the coolest cars for under $18k which works out to around R144 000. Although you cant take that at face value, as the actual cost of the car once it has reached our shores it a lot more than that, but anyway, back to the list!

What exactly makes a car cool according to KBB? They take into consideration that x-factor, with emphasis on cool to own as well as cool to drive. This is obviously a very subjective list but they tried to not just consider the normal safety issues and the like but rather which cars are the most fun. While the list consisted of their top 10, here are the top 5, as no one really bothers with anything worse than 5th on a list anyway.

• 1 2011 Ford Fiesta
• 2 2010 Honda Civic
• 3 2010 Honda Fit
• 4 2010 Hyundai Elentra Touring
• 5 Kia Soul

Once again the 2011 Ford Fiesta comes up tops. Its great price tag along with its sporty and fun looks seem to be make it a favourite the world over. That added to its great fuel economy and style and you have an extremely well made car.

Source: Kelley Blue Book

2011 Ford Fiesta is the most economical car in its class

In an era that is dominated by being green and saving money, the 2011 Ford Fiesta has stepped up to the plate and has been named the most fuel efficient car in it's class. The Ford Fiesta has been given a rating of 40mpg (miles per gallon), which translates into around 17km per liter. This rating is given by the 'Environment Protection Agency' or EPA.

This rating of 40mpg puts the 2011 Ford Fiesta ahead of it's competitors regarding highway driving. At 40mpg it is 5mpg less than the Honda Fit and 4mpg less than the Toyota Yaris. The Fiesta is able to achieve this impressive fuel economy thanks to a number of fuel saving features. The engine is a 1.6 liter Duratec with Twin Independent Variable Camshaft Timing, a deceleration fuel shutoff and a system that reduces the power needed to run the aircon and alternator.

To further add to this mpg rating, the car is aerodynamically designed to reduce drag and has electric-power assisted steering. The transmission is a 6 speed automatic.

Source: Ford.

The new 2011 BMW X5 xDrive35i details released

The details have finally been released on BMW's new 2011 X5 xDrive35i. The 2011 X5 however is somewhat underwhelming in it's changes from the 2010 X5. There are obviously improvements but nothing to write home about, or even to make you feel bad for owning one of the older X5 models.

The X5 comes with an automatic 8 speed transmission as standard, as well as obviously being 4wheel-drive. There are a number of different engines variants available, including:

• xDrive50i - V8 Petrol engine with TwinPower turbo, 300kW
• xDrive35i - 6 cylinder petrol engine with TwinPower turbo, 225kW
• xDrive40d - 6 cylinder diesel engine with TwinPower turbo, 22kW
• xDrive30d - 6 cylinder diesel engine with Turbo charger, 180kW



The X535i drives 0-100km/h in just 6.8 seconds and a top speed of 235km/h. The average fuel consumption clocks in at just 10.1 litres/100km and a CO2 emissions level of just 236 grams/km.

Looks wise, the BMW X5 xDrive35i remains much the same as its 2010 predecessor, with only minor changes being made. These changes though are almost not noticeable, and all the major differences coming under the hood, as listed in the number of engine variants.

The 2011 BMW X5 xDrive35i goes on sale in May and has a starting price of $47 000.

Source: BMW

2011 Audi TT: With updated looks and performance

Audi has released details about their 2011 Audi TT Roadster and Audi TT Coupe models. The most exciting bit of info being the inclusion of a 4 cylinder version. The 2.0 TFSI will develop 155kW of power (211 hp) and most importantly features a dual-exhaust!.

The updated models are slightly longer in length with the other dimensions remaining unchanged. There are 12 LED Daytime running lights underlining the headlights and fog lights set in chrome rings. There are some new colour options available to the 2011 Audi TT with increasingly suspect names:

• Scuba blue
• Oolong gray
• Volcano red
• Dakota gray



The interior of the 2011 Audi TT range offers a large amount of space with sport styling and sport leather seats. Many of the interior applications have received an aluminum look and improved styling. The seats have been treated especially to reduce thermal heating when the car is parked in the sun.

The 2 liter engine accelerates from 0-100km/h in just 6.1 seconds with a top speed of 245km/h. The 6 speed manual gearbox continually transfers power to the wheels. Another option is the S tronic dual clutch transmission which changes between the 6 gears with almost no interruption to the supply of power.

Source: Audi

Volkswagen Showcases Second Generation Touareg Featuring Hybrid Powertrain

Showcased at the 2010 New York International Auto Show, the new Volkswagen Touareg boasts some impressive new stats. The focus is largely on fuel consumption and low co2 emissions across the 3 available engines.

V6 FSI Gasoline

V6 TDI Clean Diesel engine

V6 TSI Gasoline Hybrid engine



The focus point for the new Touareg falls in line with the 'green' movement that is happening world-wide. The 8 speed automatic gear box runs at 21 mpg during inner city driving. Added to this is the clutch which can disengage the transmission from the engine when the engine is not powering the Touareg, further reducing emissions and fuel consumption.

The styling of the Touareg has also been updated, with a narrower grille and a muscular appearance. Like many new cars these days, the Touareg has a chrome finish and LED illuminated lights. Compared to the previous Touareg, the 2011 Touareg is wider and shorter and has a longer wheelbase for a strong sturdy feel. Also the space inside the cabin has increased and the overall weight of the car has decreased, thanks largely to use of new materials

Source: Volkswagen

SUZUKI Debuts 2011 Kizashi Sport at New York International Auto Show

Suzuki has chosen the New York International Motor Show to debut their new 2011 Kizashi Sport. The Kizashi Sport is set to go on sale in America in August with pricing being announced close to the time that the car is available for sale.

There have been a few modifications done to the 2011 Kizashi compared to it's 2010 predecessor. It comes with quite a few changes in its looks, with chrome finishes, sill extensions and a trunk mounted spoiler. Added to this are custom light-weight 18 inch allow wheels.

Inside the 2011 Kizashi Sport is a specially designed sport steering wheel with perforated leather grip. Following the design of the car, the seats are form-fitting leather sports seats with a driver-centric cockpit. The Kizashi Sport will be available in 4 levels, from entry level to luxury models.

It's still not known if the Suzuki Kizashi Sport will be made available for South Africa, guess we will just have to wait and see.



Source: Suzuki