Mercedes begins selling like-new classic cars through its official museum

Mercedes-Benz’s official museum has launched a lucrative new business called All-Time Stars that specializes in selling high-quality classic cars.

All-Time Stars’ inventory is divided into three distinct categories called Premium Edition, Collectors Edition, and Drivers Edition, respectively. Premium Edition cars are all-original machines with low miles that have been fully restored in-house by the experts at Mercedes-Benz Classic. Cars that fall in the Collectors Edition category are in excellent condition inside, outside, and under the hood, but they wear more patina than Premium Edition cars because they haven’t been fully restored.

Finally, Mercedes explains cars in the last group are aimed either at buyers who are looking for a vintage daily driver — instead of a better-than-new, concours-ready vehicle — or a small restoration project. Nice enough is as rough as it gets in Stuttgart, and All-Time Stars doesn’t dabble in ran when parked-style rust buckets, full-on projects or parts cars.

The oldest car currently offered for sale by the museum is a 1929 Type 630 Kompressor (pictured) listed at €850,000, a lofty sum that converts to about $912,000. The newest model is a 1999 SL 55 AMG Mille Miglia Edition, a 350-horsepower roadster of which only 10 examples were ever built. Other highlights include a 1979 450 SEL 6.9 with low miles, an ultra-rare 1967 230 S Universal station wagon, and a like-new 1993 280 TE wagon.

All cars regardless of how old they are and what category they slot into are given a thorough, 160-point inspection by an experienced Mercedes mechanic to ensure they’re described as accurately as possible to potential buyers. The inspector also notes what parts are original, what parts aren’t, and what components have been changed over the car’s life cycle.

All-Time Stars’ full inventory can be viewed online, but prospecitve buyers are encouraged to check out the cars in person by visiting the vast Mercedes-Benz museum in Stuttgart, Germany.

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2015 MINI COOPER S FOUR DOOR REVIEW

The Mini Cooper S is a toy for grownups, and that's a wonderful thing

The Mini Cooper S is a go-kart disguised as a daily driver, with all the fun and impractical implications that come with it

It’s hard to call the Mini Cooper S four-door a car. Sure it looks like a car, with wheels, an engine, and even four(!) seats. The Mini can even do all of the things you might expect a car to do, like transport humans and their various possessions from place to place but calling the Mini a car is missing the point, really. It’s a toy for grownups; and before I am deluged with angry comments, that’s not a bad thing

As with most cars not made by Honda or Toyota, the Mini is about much more than just practicality. The difference is that, where other cars make pretenses that they are practical or dignified, the Mini is all about fun, and remember: this car was made by Germans, so that is really saying something

It’s a me! Mini-Kart

The Mini Cooper S’s power and acceleration figures don’t jump off the page, but that hides some truly sublime qualities

For starters, there is the 2.0-liter turbocharged firecracker under the bonnet. The little four cylinder may push out only a 189 horsepower, but the 207 pound feet of torque in the small Mini feel like they came out of a Dodge Hellcat. Mated to a six-speed automatic, this package will push the Mini Cooper S to sixty in 6.2 seconds

Still, probably the best thing in the Mini’s performance arsenal is the steering. For starters, it is racecar quick, with a mere 2.5 turns to lock. It also has some of the best feedback and loading of any electric power steering systems I have used. The result is that, despite being only marginally smaller than a Golf GTI, the Mini Cooper S feels like a racing go-kart half the VW ‘s size

On back-roads, this makes the Mini more fun than 3.2 barrels of monkeys. The problem is that the Mini just can’t give up on the go-kart impression even on the daily commute. The incredibly stiff suspension and chassis that make the Cooper S take corners flat and level create a bone jarring ride on uneven urban pavement, and the fast steering creates jittery movements and transient responses. In a less-than-practical sports car like the Alfa Romeo 4C, these sorts of flaws would just be a cost of doing business, but in a fashionable city runabout, the sporting character seems frankly a bit extreme

All about that Bass

The interior and styling of the Mini Cooper are as extreme as its driving characteristics. Short of cars made by insane companies like Pagani, the Mini Cooper has just about the most styled interior you can find. There is the standard collection of retro touches, including round gauges and the massive round infotainment cluster, and more toggle switches than you can shake a vintage stick at

There is more than just kitsch to the interior. The designers, seem to have a 1958-inspired mentality when it comes ot the interior LED lighting. Everything in the inside has lights on it – the door sills, the infotainment screen bezel, the footwell – everything. In fact, the interior of the cabin is so bright as to be a hassle during night driving. I found my night vision was instantly cooked if I looked away from the windshield

Still, I can’t say that I dislike the interior. Its aggressive styling may be a turnoff for some, but for a car that is made or broken on how it looks and feels, the cabin had to be extreme. Fortunately, unlike some other extreme vehicles the Mini Cooper’s interior is at least made of quality materials and very well put together

A fact that is highlighted by the earth trembling, bone pulverizing, car alarm activating stereo. The epic Meridian-sourced stereo may be capable of setting off more seismographs than a stadium full of drunk Seahawks fans, but the interior holds up without so much as a rattle or squeak

Don’t think that this means that you will be able to share your massive speakers with more than one of your friends, because any adult with a complete set of limbs will never manage to squeeze in the back seat

No Comparison

Those crowded back seats bring me back to my original point, namely that the Mini Cooper, even in its four door guise isn’t really a car. After all, it is tempting to compare the Mini to something like a Golf GTI and wonder why you are getting less car for significantly more money

This kind of comparison isn’t fair, because the Golf GTI wants to be a car, and the Mini wants to be a fashion item. After all, a reusable grocery bag is larger and more durable than Coach handbag, but we all understand why the handbag costs more.
Like that handbag, the Mini nominally has a practical purpose, but really the reason to buy it is that almost entirely divorced from it. This might limit the people who would consider buying a Mini, but the people who will are going to appreciate every last LED light and vintage line. Looking at it that way, it’s almost a good deal

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NEW SEAT Alhambra From £25,380

Exterior

Many MPVs have a boxy appearance, and it’s no coincidence; boxy is always best when you’re looking to maximise space. The Alhambra follows this recipe unashamedly, but although its lines aren’t exactly what you’d call ‘flowing’, the looks aren’t too bland. All versions come with alloy wheels and colour-coded bumpers and DOOR handles, along with a chrome surround for the radiator grille. Go for the SE car, which most buyers will, and you also get chrome window surrounds, darkened rear windows and chrome roof rails. SE Lux and FR-Line cars, meanwhile, have a panoramic roof.

Interior

Life’s pretty sweet at the wheel of the Alhambra. You get a cracking view out in all directions – which helps you manage the car’s cumbersome size during low-speed manoeuvres – and all versions have the added security of front- and rear-parking sensors. Everything on the dashboard is logically located and really easy to use, and there’s a feeling of substance and solidity because most of the materials look and feel very nice indeed. Some of the plastics are a little hard and unappealing in places, but it all looks like it’ll last a lifetime.

Running costs

The Alhambra is significantly bigger and heavier than a lot of seven-seat MPVs, so it’s never going to be the cleanest option, but even so, it doesn’t do too bad a job. The cleanest version, the 2.0 TDI 150 Ecomotive S, returns 56.5mpg, along with CO2 emissions of 130g/km, and all versions bar the petrol will better 50mpg. Purchase prices are very competitive, especially considering the amount of space and kit you’re getting for your money, and resale values aren’t half bad, either.

Reliability

The Warranty Direct Reliability Index tells a bit of a mixed story where the Alhambra is concerned. As a manufacturer, Seat doesn’t do too badly, hovering around the mid-table mark in the brand rankings. Look at the results for the older version of the Alhambra, though, and the reliability score is about as low as it’s possible to get, with engine troubles being the biggest cause of mechanical issues. The owner reviews on our own website also report some rather nerve-wracking stories about the car’s dependability. A rather average three-year/60,000-mile warranty package is included.

Safety

We always like it when the safety kit you get in a car is the same no matter whether you have the most basic version or the range-topping version, and the Alhambra is one of those. Stability control, tyre pressure monitoring, tiredness recognition and multi-collision braking (which locks on the anchors after a shunt to prevent further collisions) are all provided, along with no less than seven airbags including a driver’s knee ‘bag and curtain ‘bags that cover all three rows of seats. 

The only thing that’s really missing is autonomous city braking, and it’s not even available as an optional extra. Nevertheless, the car has achieved the full five-star rating in Euro NCAP crash tests, even though that was back in 2010 and the tests have become considerably harder since then.

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Scion iA First Review 2016

The auto industry has a long history of pragmatic alliances, often resulting in surprising marketing arrangements. And the new Scion iA provides an excellent example of the phenomenon. It's built by Mazda, in Mexico, and it's basically a Mazda 2, the company's subcompact sedan

Mazda sold a hatchback version of the 2 in the U.S. but disappointing volumes led to its disappearance. Mazda refrained from offering the sedan version to American buyers, but Toyota's Scion division is poised to do so

The car that will roll into showrooms is essentially all Mazda. The front fascia is supplied by Toyota, and Toyota consulted with Mazda regarding interior appointments. But beyond that, it's Mazda's chassis, sheetmetal, and powertrain

Fiesta fighter

At 171.7 inches in length on a 101.2-inch wheelbase, the iA is similar in size to Ford's Fiesta sedan, though the Fiesta is almost two inches longer and nearly an inch wider. Like almost all cars today, regardless of size, the iM is rated as a 5-passenger vehicle, and like all the cars at this end of the spectrum the center rear seat is uninhabitable for any human much over three feet tall

Similarly, though there is actual legroom in the outboard rear seats, there isn't much of it, and putting a couple adults back there requires considerable cooperation from those up front. But this, too, can be said of many subcompact automobiles

However, if passenger volume is typical of the class, a couple other elements are not. For one, interior materials are a cut or two above what one might expect to find in a car priced under $17,000. For another, the standard equipment inventory includes a rearview camera, automatic climate control, push-button start, tilt/telescope steering, a pair of USB ports, 6-speaker audio, Bluetooth, voice recognition, and a 7-inch touch screen display set up for navigation, one of very few iA options. A tachometer is conspicuous by its absence, but with this powertrain it's pretty much extraneous

Styling a cut above

Like the interior, the iA's styling looks a cut or two above its class and price. The front fascia looks more like contemporary Toyota than Scion, but it lends a sporty touch to a slick package, and the standard 16-inch alloy wheels-as distinct from the more common steel wheels with plastic covers-raise the car's curbside appeal

The suspension components-MacPherson struts front, beam axle at the rear-are standard fare for most subcompacts, but the combination of firm tuning, a solid chassis, and a sharp electric power steering system add up to a level of agility that rates with the best in this class

It may be that some will find the ride quality a little stiff. But be that as it may, the iA is nimble. The badge may say Scion, but there's Mazda zoom zoom in the reflexes

Pre-collision system standard

The safety inventory includes yet another feature you wouldn't expect in this class-Scion calls it the Low-speed Pre-Collision System. Like other similar systems, sensors determine whether the driver is paying attention in sluggish urban traffic (between 2 and 18 mph), and if system brain concludes that intervention is warranted, it's capable of stopping the car

If there's any soft suit in the iA resume, it's power. Mazda's 1.5-liter engine is tuned for fuel economy, and it delivers: 31 mpg city, 41 highway with the standard 6-speed manual transmission, according to the EPA, 33/42 with the optional 6-speed automatic. The automatic has a sport mode, raising shift points for a little more go power. But manual or automatic, 106 hp doesn't generate much in the way of haste, even in a car weighing around 2400 pounds, and back road passing requires careful planning

The iA enters the subcompact derby with an MSRP of $16,495, $17,595 with automatic transmission. It's a one-size-fits-all price-a single trim level with a couple of options (automatic transmission, navigation). It won't be perceived as a thrill ride, but the iA's combination of good looks, fuel economy, athletic dynamics, and exceptional standard features add up to a strong value proposition

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Porsche 911 Carrera 4 goes turbo 2017

 the 2017 Porsche 911 Carrera 4 and 4S Coupe, receive the same minor visual and infotainment enhancements to their chassis and a new AWD system

Although smaller than the current 3.4-liter naturally aspirated flat-six, the new turbocharged 3.0-liter engine is more potent and efficient. The standard version will make 370 horses and 331 lb-ft of peak torque versus the current 350/287 figures while the S-spec engine ups output to 420 and 368 compared to the 400/325 numbers of the 2016 S models. Despite the extra muscle, the new engines offer better low/mid-range response and are roughly 12 percent less thirsty on the European driving cycle, a factor that bodes well for their still-pending EPA ratings. All versions of the 911 Carrera/Targa 4/4S are marginally quicker than the existing models and can be fitted with a standard 7-speed manual transmission or optional 7-speed PDK twin-clutch transmission

Sharper handling

Culled from the 911 Turbo, the revised electro-hydraulically controlled all-wheel drive system reacts more quickly and precisely to driver inputs. Paired with the lower-riding PASM (Porsche Active Suspension Management) system standard on all versions of the car, these new all-wheel drive 911s promise to be the most capable ever produced. And significantly enhanced shocks improve both ride compliance and roll control in corners. Like the rear-drive models, the S-spec cars can be upfitted with rear-axle steering, also borrowed from the 911 Turbo and GT3. Cars fitted with the available Sport Chrono Package boast a new 918 Spyder-like rotary control on the steering wheel to quickly dial up one of four driving modes  as well as a Sport Response Button that allows for 20 seconds of sustained full-throttle operation. All versions will offer a splitter-saving front lift system to raise the nose by about 1.5 inches when encountering a steep drive entry or speed bump

On the creature-feature front, these new AWD 911s will come with an all-new and more capable Porsche Communication Management system that features a 7.0-inch multi-touch center display and an integrated navigation system that recognizes typical smartphone-style inputs and better integrates various devices via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or cable. The one-year subscription brings real-time traffic alerts as well as things like Google StreetView and Internet radio

Pricing for the 2017 Porsche 911 Carrera 4 will start at $97,295 with the Carrera 4S commencing at $111,295. The 911 Carrera 4 Cabriolet and Targa 4 are set to open at $109,595 while the 911 Carrera 4S Cabriolet and Targa 4S kick off at $123,595

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Hyundai i10 Price £9,250 - £13,540

Hyundai i10

Price : £9,250 - £13,540

PROS:

• Very comfortable
• Spacious interior
• Fun to drive

CONS:

• Lack of badge appeal
• No diesel engine available
• Interior quality poor in places

Review :

This Hyundai i10 1.2 SE fits our requirements perfectly. When researching potential replacements for our Mazda 2, I was especially influenced by the lack of serious complaints about reliability and design shortcomings for the i10. The car looks stylish to me. I chose sleek silver paint; a £550 option, which I think really suits the shape but white and morning blue are no cost options. The interior is well assembled. There is no soft touch trim inside but the design looks clean and bright with all of the shut lines close fitting and even. There is very good storage; a decent sized glove box, several useful cubby holes, bottle and cup holders, USB and 12v connections, steering wheel controls for entertainment, trip and cruise functions plus 5 doors with 4 fully opening windows which are standard on all model specifications. It is therefore a very practically equipped vehicle for a cheaper price than obtaining all of these features on many other A segment cars. I especially like the driver information display which has the usual trip computer but includes an outside temperature readout, tyre pressure monitor and an ice warning symbol and alarm which bleeps when the outside temp drops to 4C; a shock when it goes off for the first time when cruising at speed. Now with several thousand miles covered, the Hyundai i10 is proving a very likeable little car in its own right but comparing it to the two cars I have recently owned for 7 and 11 years respectively, there are some surprising similarities. The i10 is exactly the same length and width as our Citroen C2 but can seat 4 average sized adults comfortably and still has a boot as big as the larger Mazda 2 it replaces. The 1.2 Kappa engine also has near identical power and torque as the Mazda 1.3 TS2 but like the Mazda it produces it’s maximum torque at quite high revs; 4000rpm in the 1248cc i10 and it does not pull happily up even a gentle gradient at 30mph in 4th so town driving can lead to frequent gear changes; one of the few irritations. Above 3000 rpm it pulls with increasing flexibility and motorway and dual carriageway cruises are quiet, comfortable and economical. The car is stable and well planted at speed, visibility is good and all of the controls have a well judged cohesion that make this a very pleasant car to drive and a relaxing mode of transport for passengers. It handles well if cornered smoothly. It is not as accurate as the Mazda if driven enthusiastically but the ride is far more comfortable. The gearbox is light and precise and I can claim from experience, a close match for the fabled Mazda manual boxes. The average fuel consumption over several thousand miles is shown on the trip computer as 55mpg. This is a pleasing result as many of the journeys have been short. Longer drives at sustained cruising speeds has the trip showing 58mpg. The seats are very supportive. A spacesaver spare wheel and not a near useless can of foam, is now standard on SE models and above but only a £50 option on the S model. In summary this i10 is rather like driving a 5 door version of our Citroen C2 (an ultra reliable, best pal for eleven and a half years, so far) but with the passenger room, boot space and engine of our belated Mazda 2. Yet, it is much more economical on fuel than either. I really like this car and would put it in the top three of the dozen or so cars I have owned over the past 42 years.

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