The very-first MINI Countryman

The MINI which is not a mini the Mini Countryman is here.



What makes it different from the previous Minis?

At 4.1m it is the largest mini ever and has 4x drive.It has a 1.6-litre supercharged engine which delivers 181bhp. It is also roomier and comes with four doors.

Volvo wants to build large luxury saloon

According to an article in the Financial Times, Li Shufu, the new chairman of Volvo and co-chair of Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, wants to build a car to compete with the likes of the "to compete with the BMW 7-Series and Mercedes S-class".

The Chinese company recently finalised it's purchase of Volvo from the Ford Motor for US$1.5bn.

BTW, just check out the new S60 from Volvo.

David Coulthard drives the SLS AMG

Former F1 driver, David Coulthard takes the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG for a spin around the Isle of Man. Check out the drifts and handbrake-turns. Lucky fan, Carl Borthwick got the chance to ride along. I heard Coulthard took the car up to 160mph.

Check out the video:

Cars in your Dreams

As I was sat in my office working, a trio of exotic cars drove past my window. My colleague and myself started to talk about our dream cars and we came up with a list of cars we would like to own if we could and why. I thought that you might be interested in my selection. The five listed are cars which unfortunately, unless I win a lottery, will never be able to own. Still… one can dream…

1. Lamborghini Reventon

Driving in the Lamborghini Reventon is what I can only imagine to be the perfect driving experience. The two-seater open top is the dream vehicle of choice for many a thrill seeker. It has a luxury sleek style and with a 6.5l twelve-cylinder engine it can zoom from 0 to 62mph in only 3.4 seconds.

2. Lotus Exige S 240

This masterpiece of English manufacturing is one of the most sought after cars available today. With a fixed-roof, this sleek sports car is totally suitable for everyday street driving, but can reach top speeds of 150mph and from a standstill 100mph comes up within 4.1 seconds. Sadly, this 1.8 litre is out of reach for many, with a price tag of around £45,000, though it is still one of the most affordable dream cars around.

3. Ferrari Enzo

Ferrari is perhaps the most famous super car producer in the world and the Enzo certainly lives up to expectations. The high performance sports car has an extremely beautiful body and comes in Ferrari red. As well as a carbon fibre body, this dream machine features a V12 engine with four valves per cylinder.

4. Aston Martin DB9

No wonder Aston Martins are a favourite with 007. The DB9 is a high-class automobile with a beautifully sleek design. The Grand Tourer is a favourite among racing fanatics and those who wish to drive around feeling the ‘bees knees.’ Achieving 0-60 in 4.6 seconds, no wonder its one of the most desirable cars out there.

5. Bugatti Veryon

No surprises here that the fastest driving car in the world enters my top five. Many a man’s dream is to own the Bugatti, but with a price tag of £1,150,000 unfortunately it's not remotely affordable by many of us mere mortals. The car can reach a top speed of 253.2mph, which reflects in the price. Despite the price tag, the Bugatti has been voted one of the most desirable cars on the market, as well as being arguably, the fastest in the world.

These are my top five cars and unfortunately it is very unlikely I will ever be able to own any of them. Of course, this doesn’t mean you’ll never be able to experience the thrill of driving one. Try searching for Red Letter Days Discount Vouchers or Red Letter Days Discount Codes on the net and see what deals you can find.

Many ‘Red Letter Day’ trips include driving some of the world’s most supreme super cars. They also make good presents, just imagine how you would feel if you opened a birthday card, only to find you have been given the opportunity to drive one or more of the most inspirational and breathtaking cars ever to have been manufactured.

So what are your dream cars?

Inside the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG

Here's Nikki's in the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. She said she was holding on for dear life but she did get some amazing footage. You can almost get a feel of how fast the car is doing.



Thanks for the link Nikki.

Check out the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG blog for more info about this amazing car.

The Bridgestone Eco-Rally 2010

The Bridgestone Eco Rally is a convoy of alternative-fuelled vehicles (cars, bikes, scooters, taxis and limousines) taking place on Wed 7th July 2010. It will start from Brighton’s seafront all the way to London’s Hyde Park.

This is the 4th year of the event and the convoy will be lead by F1’s Ross Brawn. Other celebrities confirmed so far include Eddie Irvine, Oliver Heath, Quentin Willson, Gail Porter, Lisa Rogers and F1's Patrick Head and Nico Hulkenberg.

Major manufacturers taking part in this year's event include Lotus, Tesla, TH!NK, MINI and Honda, who will be showcasing their new CR-Z said to be the the world’s first sporty hybrid.

Go to the Bridgestone Eco-Rally for more information.

How to reset the service indicator on the Volvo S40

I serviced my car a few weeks back at my favourite garage "MOT Centre Services" in Stoney Stanton Rd which was previously known as Taxi & Car Repairs.

I was about to drive away after the service when I noticed that the service indicator light was still on. This warning light comes on to indicate that it was time to service the car.

They told me that they had not been able to shut it off. Something about not have the proper software or something.

Seeing this warning every time I started the car was really irritating. I was tempted but didn't go to TMS Coventry, the official Volvo dealer in Coventry as I knew that they would charge me a nice "official" price just to reset it and I would probably have to leave the car there for a whole day.

I don't know why but it never occurred to me to look it up on the net. It was only this Monday I suddenly remembered my car and Googled "reset service indicator on volvo s40" and discovered that I could reset the service indicator in just 4 steps:

1. Turn Key to position I (Intermediate position)
2. Push in the tripmeter reset button while turning key to position II (Drive position).
3. Hold down the tripmeter reset button until service reminder starts flashing (about 30 seconds)
4. Release the tripmeter reset button.

I didn't get it to work the first time but after the third try, the indicator light just went off.