Autos

Nissan’s competition should really be the ones taking Notes. The newly designed Nissan Note made its world debut at the Osanbashi venue in Yokohama, Japan. The previous Nissan Note resembled that of a small MPV but its successor is designed to fit more into the small hatchback category. The car is designed to have a more spacious feel thanks to the taller roof which Nissan describes as an “air cabin” and apparently, it can’t be found on any other vehicle in this class.

Not only does the Nissan Note look a lot sexier than the previous generation, the Note is also extremely fuel efficient. The Japanese variant will come in two engine options, a 1.2-liter three-cylinder gasoline engines in naturally aspirate and supercharged. Both engines will feature the next-generation XTRONIC CVT with IDS (Idling Stop System).

Okay, the picture you see above is what everybody was hoping for when Mazda released the final details on their 2014 Mazda6. The vehicle pictured above is the 2011 Takeri concept which the Mazda6 is based on. Although the 2014 Mazda6 is certainly inspired by the concept, I think people were hoping for something…..more?

The 2014 production model of the Mazda6 may not be as aggressive as we were expecting, it is still considerably more handsome than the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord in my opinion. Improvements have been made throughout the vehicle including exterior, interior, and new technologies to reduce fuel consumption. In Europe, the 2014 Mazda6 will also be available as a station wagon.

I’ve been lusting/drooling over the 6^th generation BMW 3-Series sedan (F30) for a while now; I really like the “angry bird” front styling and the overall look of the car.  I haven’t driven it yet but have read reviews and watched hours of videos on the car and hopefully I’ll get to review it soon.  As much as I like the car the way it is, there’s always room for improvements and that’s where AC Schnitzer comes in.

The AC Schnitzer tuning package for the BMW 3-Series F30 sedan consists of a minor appearance package and increase in power.

Skoda may be an unfamiliar vehicle brand on the North American shores but it’s a different story over in Europe. Skoda Octavia made its debut in 1996 and went on sale in the UK in 1998 quickly becoming a popular family vehicle due to its practicality and affordability. The all-new 2013 Skoda Octavia uses Volkswagen’s MQB platform which is also used on vehicles such as the Audi A3 and the VW Golf MK7. At first glance, the Octavia does look very “VW Jetta’ish”.

The third-generation Octavia is a bit bigger than the previous generation and is now wider and longer which translates into more interior space as well as leg room for the rear passengers. The vehicle now also offers more head room making it a class-leading vehicle in the C-Segment (compact) when it comes to interior space. The larger interior also has updated look and feel featuring soft touch materials.

We’ve been writing about the refreshed E-Class cars over the last few weeks and it was only natural to save the best for last.  Today we bring you the most powerful E-Class cars, the 2014 Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG Sedan and Wagon.

The 2014 E63 Sedans and E63 Wagons get the same facelift as the less powerful coupes and sedans, but get a different front bumper with bigger air-intakes and a lip spoiler.  Mercedes is also offering an E63 AMG 4MATIC version this year.

My eyes are still sore from the hideous BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo and now the company has officially unveiled the BMW 3 Series Gran Turismo which is the same thing but on a smaller scale. It seems like the ugly genes just keep on spreading in the German automakers world like an out of control disease. It’s a bit surprising to see this variant of the 3 Series being released considering the 5 Series GT isn’t exactly a hit in the market place. We’ll see how the sales are when the BMW 3 Series hits the US show room floors later this year.

The overall length of the 3 Series Gran Turismo is 7.9-inches longer than the BMW 3 Series Touring (which is a far better looking vehicle) and the GT’s wheelbase is 4.3-inches longer while standing 3.2-inches taller than the Touring model. The only useful thing about the 3 Series GT is the additional cargo space this design has to offer. The GT variant features 18.36 cubic feet of space which is almost one cubic foot more than the 3 Series Touring.