Articles by CarsGuide team

The all-new Volkswagen Golf will get a global unveiling at Paris motor show in September, but fresh details show we can expect a sleeker, lighter car. Volkswagen says the Golf has increased 56mm in length and 28mm in width, but has shaved 28mm off the height. The cabin gets a space boost with more length, leg and shoulder room, while a  top-up of 30 litres luggage capacity to bring the boot area to 380 litres – now accessed through a wider opening. Ergonomics experts have been through the interior, resulting in more steering column adjustment and changes to the placement of the driver’s seat, gear lever and pedals. Thanks to a new lightweight platform and some revised production processes – coupled with more use of aluminium and even trimming strategies for components and wiring -- the 2013 Golf has also managed to shed around 100kg. That means some good news on the fuel economy front, with Volkswagen claiming an improvement of 13.9 per cent across the range and with some models up to 23 per cent better than the outgoing ones. The equipment list will include a choice of infotainment monitors, high-tech camera parking assistance, adaptive cruise control, lane assist, fatigue warning, emergency braking and a new system that adds more brake booster in a collision. New petrol and diesel engines are on the menu. The petrols range from a turbocharged 1.4-litre mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission to the 165kW turbo 2.0-litre destined for the golf GTI. On the oilburner side there’s a 77kW 1.6-litre turbodiesel which VW claims returns 3.8L/100km.  

Major European vehicle safety organisation Euro NCAP, has highlighted the all-new Mazda CX-5, already rated as one of the best performers in its safety tests, for being at the forefront of its drive to equip all models with life-saving autonomous emergency braking (AEB). The system is not yet available here on the CX-5.  The European New Car Assessment Program organises crash-tests and provides fleets, company car drivers and private motorists with an independent assessment of the safety performance of some of the most popular cars sold in Europe. Now the organisation has called on motor manufacturers to fit AEB as standard on all cars and says that from 2014 it will include the technology in its crash test program star rating.  Mazda's AEB system that takes over braking control if necessary, is called `Smart City Brake Support' and CX-5 is one of the few models on sale in the UK that has the potentially life-saving technology fitted as standard across the range. Typically available on more expensive luxury cars, real world performance data suggests AEB systems can reduce accidents by up to 27 per cent, according to Euro NCAP.  

Jag's new F-Type all-new aluminium two-seater sports car will make its global debut in production form at the Paris Motor Show on 27th September. The F-Type will be launched as a convertible with a choice of three petrol engines: two versions of Jaguar's new 3.0-litre supercharged V6, and a new derivative of its existing supercharged 5.0-litre V8. All will drive the rear wheels through an eight-speed transmission and will be equipped with Stop/Start technology. Following the F-Type's `camouflaged' public drive at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in June this year, testing of the final verification prototypes has continued in some of the harshest environments in the world.