2010 Aston Martin Rapide

It is probably the most anticipated car of the year and it is coming in 2010. Aston Martin has released official pictures of its first 4 door offering in almost 25 years. The design chief for the Rapide said they wanted to make the most beautiful four door sedan in the world and they have not missed the mark here, i think it is so pornographically beautiful.

Aston Martin have not released the specs yet but am sure it will be a whisker shy of the current DB9 with expected 0-100 figures in the low 5 secs and a top speed of 160mph. The price could be in the $200,000 region. Lets all wait for the real thing.

The all New Renault Megane

The Megane has lost its famous butt! It looks beautiful, more that the previous one, it can not compete with the new Golf but it is however a medium hatch which can stand the heat in its segment.

There will be four dCi diesel engines available with a power output ranging from 62kW to 96kW. Two more powerful engines will join the range later.

Petrol power comes from 1.6-litre engines with outputs of either 73kW or 80kW. There is a naturally-aspirated 2.0-litre unit with 102kW and a turbocharged TCe engine generating 32kW.

The interior look very plastic and cheap, no suprise there and the dash spot a digital speedo meter next to an anlogue rev counter.

How safe is your Car?

We always take safety of our cars for granted. Manufacturers almost never tell us the safety rating of their cars and we never seem to care. We only look for the va-va-voom but safety is one thing we cant afford to ignore.

There are so many car testing bodies around the world and its good to review rating for the reputable ones. These bodies are independent and transparent, in that they will release shots, videos and comprehensive reports on particular tests. The most reputable bodies include Euro NCAP, AAA in America and ADAC in Germany.

The Euro NCAP is the most popular one and it is reliable. They test cars for adult occupation safety, child occupation safety, pedestrian safety and safety assists. The cars are rated from 0 stars to 5stars which is the most safe rating. If you want to see how safe your car is got to http://www.euroncap.com/results.aspx and enter the make and model of your car.

Another good website is http://www.safercar.gov/, here you can get all the defects and recall reports, safety ratings for tyres, air bags and child safety seats. You can even register your child safety seat and gets safety updates.

Better be safe than sorry, use these resources every time you want to buy a car.

NEW SAFER TOYOTA VERSO

MPVs are made to carry more people and goods about. Many people have them as run around vehicles. People used to use them for school runs but then the safety was very questionable. That why most people these days buy SUVs to use as family cars, they can carry the whole family, children's toys and the dog, they are safer than MPVs and they are better looking too. Most also happen to have off road capabilities. The problem is they are expensive. No one can deny the fact that a large percentage of SUV owners will never go offroad, so why spend a lot of money on something you wont use to the fullest? This brings me to the new Toyota Collora Verso.

The new Verso has crossed barriers to become an MPV that is desirable. It is safer and better looking too. The New Verso has a five star safety rating, thanks to the improved safity features.

New Verso comes equipped as standard with a full range of active safety systems, including the latest-generation ABS with Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD) and Brake Assist (BA).

It is also equiped with Toyota’s intelligent steering assist VSC+ system which counteracts under or oversteer The Traction Control (TRC) works to prevent wheelspin, while the Steering Torque Assist helps to counter vehicle yaw movements under braking or acceleration.

Another standard-fit feature is Hill-start Assist Control (HAC). This automatically engages to prevent the vehicle from rolling backwards when pulling away on uphill gradients, as the driver moves his or her foot from brake to throttle.

Airbag protection is provided all around the cabin, including driver and front passenger front and side airbags, driver’s knee airbag; and curtain shield airbags that extend the full length of the cabin to protect occupants in both rows of rear seats – a feature that is rare in the compact MPV segment.

All these make it almost as safe as most cars and you can trust it to carry your children in it. Now Soccer moms can leave the SUVs for grown boys, the Verso is a perfect car for you.

Its closest competitors incllude the Mazda5 and the Nissan Livina but as it is now the Verso stands out. I will buy it at any given day.

Tesla Model S Electric car

The new Tesla Model S was finally unveiled. I have taken a journey through cyberspace to see what the fuss is all about. This , unlike the Tesla Roadster, is more affordable and it is tipped to be THE electric car of choice, the same way the Prius is THE hybrid.

What fascinating about the Model S is that it is a proper car, unlike other electric cars, it has all the toys you would expect in a mid size sedan. Air con, sat nav, electric windows.

One draw back of electric cars is the range and how long it takes to charge, the Model S charges to 80% in 45 mins and fully in 2-3hrs. The range is 300 miles, which is alot. It is a performer too 0-60 takes 5.6sec and the top speed is 120mph which is very impressive.

It is well crafted too, it is a beautiful car outside and the interior is exquisite, it seats 7 people 5 seats for adults and 2 rear facing seats in the back for children. It has a big boot too.

We don't know yet when it will be available in Africa but orders are being taken and delivery will start in 2011.

Tesla are not new to the world of electrics, they also produce the Tesla Roadster, which is very successful in the USA.