Nissan gets adventurous with limited edition Navara Salomon Pick-Up.

• Limited edition Navara Salomon rolls into UK showrooms
• Based on popular Tekna trim with bespoke interior and exterior styling enhancements
• Available from £27,845 OTR including free £250 Salomon voucher

Nissan builds on current Navara success by working with Salomon, the leading mountain sports brand to add the Navara Salomon edition to its popular pick-up range. Limited to just 500 units, the Navara Salomon is based on the Tekna trim and features a long list of additional equipment and styling cues to make it unique.

Starting on the outside, styling enhancements such as the chrome front bar and door handles plus chrome fog light surrounds differentiate the Salomon from the rest of the range. This is complemented by unique Salomon branding on the front, side and rear of the vehicle which is available in Metallic Black, Twilight Grey, Starburst Silver or Alabaster White.

Moving inside, the Navara is complemented by Salomon entry guards, a metal plaque and Salomon floor mats. The value for all of this additional equipment would total over £1,300, however, the Navara Salomon costs just £750 more than the equivalent Tekna model giving the customer a saving in the region of £550. Prices start from £27,845 OTR and each Navara Salomon retail customer will get a £250 voucher to spend on Salomon gear.

For added functionality, customers can specify an automatic transmission for £1,755 and Nissan Connect Premium, which includes HDD satellite navigation, 9GB Nissan Music Box, DVD playback and a rear parking camera – costing £1,650.

The Navara is supremely capable at carrying the load thanks to 2.36m² load area with a maximum payload of 1,250kg. Its 2.5-litre 190PS turbodiesel engine also means it has more than enough power to tow items up to 2,600kg making it one of the most versatile and rugged pick-ups available.

15 Million Boxer engines, 14 Million AWD cars, & going stronger than ever, it has to be SUBARU.

• Major milestone for Subaru’s iconic horizontally-opposed ‘Boxer’ engine
• 49 years since the introduction of the first Boxer engine in the Subaru 1000
• 14 million Symmetrical All Wheel Drive vehicles manufactured

Production of Subaru’s horizontally-opposed ‘Boxer’ engine has reached 15 million units since the engine was first developed 49 years ago. The Boxer engine has become synonymous with Subaru vehicles all over the world, and remains one the hallmarks of a Brand which continues to tread its own path when it comes to engineering.

The first Subaru model equipped with a Boxer engine was the Subaru 1000, introduced in 1966 with a horizontally-opposed, water-cooled, four-cylinder aluminium engine. Since then, the engine – famed for its ‘punch, counterpunch’ layout – has powered almost every single Subaru production car sold around the globe.

The latest Boxer engine can be found in the all-new Subaru Outback, which goes on sale in the UK from 1 April 2015 with a 2.5-litre naturally-aspirated petrol engine and a 2.0-litre turbo Boxer diesel.

Subaru’s Boxer engines are renowned for their smooth power delivery and the benefits that are derived from its compact dimensions. Pistons are laid out symmetrically to cancel out the inertia force of each other, resulting in less vibration, greater rotational balance and a smoother, free-revving power delivery than a traditional four-cylinder in-line engine.

The horizontally-opposed design allows the engine to be fitted lower in the engine bay, helping to lower the vehicle’s centre of gravity to improve driving stability and handling performance.

14 million All-Wheel Drive vehicles

Subaru has achieved another significant milestone with the production of its Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive (AWD) system, which has now been fitted to over 14 million cars since its introduction in 1972.

First fitted to the Subaru Leone Estate Van, Subaru’s Symmetrical AWD system remains central to the appeal and capabilities of much of its model range, contributing to class-leading stability, predictable handling and driving pleasure.

Price & specs announced for 367PS Audi RS 3 Sportback ahead of March on-sale date

• All new second generation RS 3 Sportback available to order in the UK from March 2015 priced at £39,950 OTR - first customer deliveries in summer
• Most powerful production five-cylinder engine in Audi RS history with 367PS and 465Nm from 1,625rpm to 5,550rpm
• 0 – 62mph in 4.3 seconds – 0.3 seconds faster than the previous model – 155mph governed top speed can be raised to 174mph on request
• Lower weight, faster-shifting S tronic twin-clutch gearbox, faster-reacting quattro drive

The all new 367PS Audi RS 3 Sportback is now en route to the UK, and as the most powerful compact hatchback currently in series production will be even more adept at catering for sports car devotees who also need to take care of everyday necessities like the school run and the supermarket sweep.  

Capable of snapping at the heels of exotica with its 4.3-second 0-62mph sprint time and potential top speed of up to 174mph, the new five-door, five-seat Sportback will weigh in at £39,950 OTR. It will become available to order in March and reach its first UK customers in the summer.

The new entry point to the formidable Audi RS range is born of impeccable breeding – it is based on the current World Car of the Year and features the latest evolution of the evocative 2.5-litre five-cylinder TFSI – winner of the International Engine of the Year Award in the 2.0 to 2.5-litre category on no less than five consecutive occasions since 2010. 

Equally reassuringly, it shores up the extraordinary performance and handling produced by bringing these two elements together with the latest generation of quattro all-wheel-drive. 

The 367PS output from the aurally characterful 2.5-litre TFSI is complemented by peak torque of 465 Nm (343.0 lb-ft), which is available right from 1,625rpm through to 5,550rpm, ensuring that huge reserves of performance are always at the driver’s disposal.

With a power-to-weight ratio of 241PS per ton achieved by trimming an additional 55kg compared with the previous RS 3 Sportback, the latest car needs just 4.3 seconds to hit 62mph from rest, and with a suitable stretch of Autobahn to hand could continue to an electronically governed 155mph top speed. Drivers looking for optimal performance can also specify an optional increase to 174mph.

EU6-compliant

Compliance with stringent EU6 emissions legislation confirms that the latest edition of the classic five-cylinder unit is as frugal as it is feisty. With the help of a recuperation system, a demand-controlled oil pump and a new generation start-stop facility which increases the duration of engine ‘downtime’ at each stop, the latest RS model is capable of returning up to 34.8mpg, corresponding to CO₂ emissions of 189g/km.

Butterfly valves in the exhaust system control the exhaust flow and deliver a suitably full-bodied and characterful note that varies with engine load and speed. For the first time in an Audi model at this level, a sports exhaust upgrade which deepens the tone even further is also available as an option. The driver can control the volume and depth of the output in both set-ups via the standard Audi drive select adaptive dynamics system.

A seven-speed S tronic twin-clutch transmission reworked to offer even faster shifts directs the power to the quattro permanent all-wheel drive system with its redesigned and lightened multi-plate clutch and torque vectoring capability. The clutch is mounted on the rear axle in the interest of balanced load distribution, and the parameters its bespoke RS 3 software works to can be controlled via the Audi drive select system.

Depending on the situation, it can send between 50 and 100 percent of the available torque to the rear axle, and when Audi drive select is in dynamic mode and the ESC Electronic Stabilisation Control system is in its sport setting, power is transferred to the rear sooner and in greater amounts for even greater agility and more direct turn-in.

The state-of-the-art all-wheel-drive system adds a further measure of control and composure to the inherently agile RS-specific chassis with its wider track front and rear, uprated MacPherson strut front suspension with purpose-built lightweight aluminium pivot bearings and four-link rear set-up. The new electromechanical progressive steering system which is capable of varying its ratio as a function of steering input also helps to emphasise the quick-witted feel.

From the driver-focused section of the options list the Audi magnetic ride adaptive damper system can be added to level out ride and handling to an even greater degree, and the steadfast RS-specific disc brakes with their efficiency-boosting wave contour discs, eight-piston calipers and bespoke lightweight friction rings upfront can be further upgraded with carbon fibre-ceramic front brake discs – a first for a car at this level.

Standard LED headlamps for UK versions

Classic RS visual references signal the special qualities that all these features confer to the outside world. In UK specification versions the nose with its high-gloss black, honeycomb-look singleframe grille and pronounced air intakes is set off by standard LED headlamps and daytime running lights. In profile the standard 19-inch alloy wheels snugly filling their arches, flared front wings, chiselled sills, matt aluminium-look mirror housings and large roof spoiler also catch the eye, and the rear with its remodelled bumper and high-gloss black diffuser insert is dominated in each corner by a large, oval RS tailpipe.

Customers can choose from a palette of eight paint finishes to either accentuate or subtly play down the purposeful look – it includes the two new shades Nardo grey and Catalunya red, metallic, the latter available exclusively for the RS 3 Sportback.

In the equally focused interior the standard sports seats are upholstered in Fine Nappa leather with contrasting stitching in rock grey, and the driver’s is perfectly positioned in relation to the flat-bottomed RS multifunction sports steering wheel with its leather and Alcantara trim. 

Stainless steel pedals, Alcantara door inserts and inlays in either 3D design black or optional Aluminium Race or Carbon also signal intent. High-quality applications in gloss anthracite black frame the instruments, which include black-faced dials with red needles and white scales, plus a driver‘s information system enhanced by a boost pressure indicator, an oil temperature gauge and a lap timer.

In addition to LED headlights, standard equipment highlights for UK RS 3 Sportback models include the acclaimed MMI radio with its electrically folding colour screen, navigation preparation, Audi Music Interface iPod connection,  Bluetooth mobile phone connectivity, front seat heating and the parking system plus with acoustic and visual guidance. 

Choice options include newly developed RS bucket seats bringing a 7kg weight saving over the standard sports seat, an RS 3 interior design package with red accents on the seats, knee pads, air vents, floor mats and seat belts and MMI navigation plus with MMI touch, which through its Audi connect function beams internet-based services to the car.