Brakedust

AWD coming to Mercedes AMG A-Class Can't wait for this to arrive. It should be superb. But without a 5-cylinder engine will it match my RS3?

2013 Porsche Panamera Turbo facelift spied Proof that you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. This car is ugly. Period. Let's hope that Porsche under VW will redesign this car and give it the elegant flowing lines it deserves.

Chrome McLaren MP4-12C revealed at UK dealer launch [video] This car is so achingly gorgeous in so many diverse ways. Its looks have really grown on me. I love its tech. I love the fact that McLaren has firmly established itself as the British Ferrari. What a car!

2012 Mercedes-Benz A-Class spied for first time Looks like the leaked patent office pictures were right, then? Surprised that these weren't shown for comparison purposes. It's hard to know what to make of this car. I don't dislike what I see or find it wrong that M-B should build such a car. I thought the original A-Class was a brave move. It certainly broke the mould and its interior packaging was excellent. Unfortunate then that it looked like a plumber's van. So maybe M-B were wise to admit defeat and go for a more traditional hatchback design? Being a Merc, the new A-Class hatch should be appealing - high standard of engineering, powerful yet frugal engines, solid build quality and an excellent ownership proposition; but... ..this is M-B's first hatch. The new BMW 1-Series is BMW's second iteration, while Audi's third generation A3 will leverage 40 years of VW Group Golf experience, a killer range of engines, superb build quality and class-leading dynamics. Clearly, the next A3 is going to be the car to beat. Can Merc do it? Well, ride quality and steering have traditionally been areas of weakness for Audi while the same attributes are traditional M-B strengths. If Merc can inject genuine big car refinement into the new A-Class while making it responsive and sexy, it should run the Audi A3 very close.

Mercedes A-Class revealed in patent filing I hate be a party pooper, but? ?this is not the new A-Class. It is a very good photoshop attempt to suggest what it will be like. Several ?mistakes? give the game away: 1. The rear lights are wrong. The new CLS previews a new look and feel for rear light design which the A-Class concept also incorporated when it was revealed at the Shanghai Show. These lights have nothing in common with any existing or planned future light styling ? they?re simply a figment of someone?s imagination. 2. The front and rear door treatment has been lifted from the existing C-Class design. The entire shape of the mid-section resembles the current C-Class so closely it can only be the source of the 'design'. There is also an awkward kink in the rear window that looks as if it has been reshaped to fit the body. MB designers would never copy an existing design so shamelessly and if they did they'd do a better job than this 3. The front end and cabin details look as if they are two separate designs that have been joined together. This is often a photoshop giveaway. The engine compartment is too long relative to the passenger compartment. 4. Gorden Wagener (Mercedes-Benz Head of Design) said that the A-Class Concept shown in Shanghai was very close to the production version. The only things that were due to change were the number of doors, depth of the window frames, the front head lights and the grille. Crucially, he said the overall proportions would stay the same. This seems too different and ugly to be the production version. So, nice try, but no cigar.

Mercedes Concept A-Class revealed - debut in Shanghai [videos] Wow! Mercedes-Benz gets radical! Overall, I like this new styling direction very much. The next A-Class promises to be a much more exciting car than the current one. With dual clutch transmissions, powerful and economical engines and stunning interior design, I think this car will sell like hot cakes. What I don't like about it, or indeed about any other current Mercedes-Benz design is the headlight treatment. It is a mess. The C-Class had a beautifully crafted front-end that was royally screwed-up by the facelift. Gordon Wagener, head of design, seems to love these bulbous, oversized glass monstrosities when everyone else is producing much slimmer sleeker more integrated lighting modules. let's hope that the production A-Class sorts it out.

Audi RS4 Avant mule spied @accousticjama Yeah, i know what you mean about Audi recycling the 4.3 litre V8. It was good in its day though. All in all, the RS4 is too little, too late and it'll cost a bomb. I actually think the RS3 is a better proposition: small, compact, gorgeous engine, stellar performance and more sensible price.

Audi RS4 Avant mule spied RS4 does not get new 4.0 litre TFSI but same 4.2 litre V8 of the RS5 developing around 450 bhp. Having done the development work on the RS5, it was relatively easy to transfer the settings to the standard A4 Avant chassis. There will be no saloon version of the RS4. Given the lukewarm response to the RS5, I don't expect the RS4 to be much better. That said there should be two notable improvements. One is better steering and the other is improved ratios for the S-Tronic gearbox. If you hanker after the new 4.0 litre TFSI V8, don't worry. it'll be here by the end of the year in the S6. Developing 408 bhp, it should be a very nice car - and economical.