NEWS

Introducing Rayvolt Cruzer & Torino retro styled E-Bikes

The eye-catching, retro designs of Rayvolt E-bikes are the ultimate in retro cool. They boast style and sophistication, advanced technology, and they really stand out in any crowd, with their custom leatherwork, copper accents and retro-style accessories.

Easy to charge and easy to ride, you can have full customisation of both frames and accessories, as well as the fully adjustable motor settings via the Rayvolt app. Using this technology, all aspects of the bikes’ performance can be tweaked to suit the rider, from the regenerative braking settings, through to throttle response and top speed.

Both bikes feature fast charging - with a full charge achievable at home in just 4-6 hours. The lightweight, high-power batteries give a range of up to 50 miles using electric power alone, and more if you use a bit of pedal power.

While both E-bikes are powerful machines, with up to 1000 watts of power available from a compact 48V motor, intuitive control is made easy for the rider with a thumb-controlled throttle and motor cutout activated by touching the powerful hydraulic brakes.

Watch a short film about the bikes - https://youtu.be/gJs6sM-kySM

prices start at £2,400 more at » http://www.rayvoltbike.co.uk

Defender Silhouette lives on with BOWLER

Land Rover has given Bowler permission to produce vehicles using the classic Defender shape in the next phase of development for the UK based manufacturer of all-terrain performance cars and rally raid vehicles.

The new agreement paves the way for Bowler to develop a new family of high-performance models, beginning with a project codenamed ‘CSP 575’, a new road-going vehicle with Bowler’s own rallyproven CSP high-strength steel chassis, aluminium alloy Defender 110 Station Wagon body panels and Land Rover’s 575PS Supercharged V8.

This project will supplement the ongoing motorsport developments that are the foundation of Bowler’s past, present and future plans.

Initial renders of the planned 4x4 provide a glimpse of the rally-derived model, which will be the first new Bowler since 2016. Full details will be revealed early next year, but the competition-inspired off-roader promises to combine potent performance and motorsport-honed durability in a classic Defender 110 Station Wagon shape capable of accommodating four passengers.

Founded in 1985, Bowler pioneered the production of dedicated off-road competition cars in the UK. Jaguar Land Rover acquired Bowler at the end of 2019 and its expert team has been developing a number of exciting projects as part of Special Vehicle Operations. Bowler customers are already benefitting from this relationship as Land Rover SV engineers are helping develop Bowler vehicles and using their engineering expertise to test Bowler products at Special Vehicle Operations’ world-class facilities.

Land Rover’s decision to issue Bowler with a licence agreement to build vehicles using the classic Defender shape is a natural progression of this relationship and the new station wagon project represents a unique undertaking – integrating the technology, components and engineering excellence underpinning Land Rover’s SV products with Bowler’s motorsport expertise and experience.

The new model will be manufactured in very small quantities at Bowler’s headquarters in Derbyshire, UK, by the same engineers and technicians producing its competition 4x4s. Targeted at customers in the UK and select overseas markets, indicative pricing for the new model is around £200,000 in the UK.

For more details, please see www.bowlermotors.com

LAND ROVER'S New Discovery revealed

Land Rover’s new Discovery features the latest generation of powerful and efficient six-cylinder Ingenium petrol and diesel engines, advanced Pivi Pro infotainment and superior comfort and practicality, meaning that the new Discovery remains one of the most capable, connected and versatile full seven-seat premium SUVs in the world.

Despite more than3 decades of design evolution there are still certain Discovery DNA design cues that remain, including the clamshell bonnet, the stepped roof and the highly visible C-pillar. To give a new bold and confident road presence it has new signature LED headlights, a revised front bumper on the R-Dynamic features a wider body-coloured graphic and new side vents combine for a more purposeful and dynamic appearance. At the rear there’s new signature LED lights, which are joined across the back of vehicle by a new Gloss Black panel that incorporates the trademark Discovery script, providing a cleaner rear graphic.

Inside, New Discovery benefits from enhancements to Land Rover’s cutting edge Pivi Pro infotainment system, a completely redesigned centre console that houses a 48% larger 11.4-inch, full HD touchscreen, that I personally feel is a distraction when driving.

That said, customers have the option of a full-colour Head-Up Display, putting high-resolution driving information directly into the driver’s eyeline, removing the need to look away from the road ahead.

Family versatility is a hallmark of the Discovery, and its optional hands-free Gesture Tailgate can detect the wave of

a foot beneath the rear bumper to open the boot while the Powered Inner Tailgate restrains loose items in the huge 2,391 litre loadspace and doubles as a handy bench. Even with seven seats in use, the boot provides 258 litres of luggage space and all occupants have somewhere to charge electronic devices.

New Discovery is available in Discovery S, SE and HSE trim levels, in sporty R-Dynamic guise or as a practical Commercial model with a 2,024-litre cargo area, additional underfloor stowage lockers and the same maximum 3,500kg towing capacity as the rest of the range.

New Discovery introduces a trio of new straight-six Ingenium engines, both petrol and diesel, featuring 48V Mild Hybrid Electric Vehicle (MHEV) technology.

With an optional Terrain Response 2 technology, New Discovery is always automatically primed to suit the driving conditions while the new Wade Mode optimises the vehicle for deep water fording - even applying the brakes automatically when the driver disengages Wade Mode, to restore full performance from the first application of the brakes.

Configurable Terrain Response allows drivers to fine-tune the Discovery’s throttle mapping, gearbox shift points, steering and suspension settings to suit their preferences and requirements, so customers can personalise the driving experience for a specific journey.

This is just a short snippet of information about the new Discovery, I could have easily filled a further four pages, so for more info and to build your vehicle, visit www.landrover.co.uk

Oh, and prices for the passenger models are priced from £53,050 in the UK.

Fiat Panda range get a refresh for 2021

In its 40th year on sale, the Fiat Panda is enjoying a refresh for the 2021 model year as well as an overhaul of the Panda range and trim levels.

A fan favourite, the Panda is still available as a 4x4 with the Fiat 0.9-litre 85hp Twinair engine, with the rest of the range using the 1.0-litre mild hybrid unit with 70hp that debuted earlier in 2020.

At the bottom of the pile, the Panda Life has body-coloured bumpers, 14” steel wheels, air conditioning and DAB radio with MP3 compatibility and USB connectivity.

Next up is the Panda City Life, then the Panda Wild 4x4 that tops the Panda Life range but adds all-wheel drive, rear differential gear locking, and front and rear skid plates.

Skipping over the Panda Sport model that joins the Panda line-up for the first time, and we come to the Panda City Cross that comes with features never-before-seen on Panda. On the outside, LED DRL headlights, black door mirrors, handles, roof rack and side sills, 15” alloy wheels, body-coloured bumpers and skid plates complete the look.

The new line-up is completed by the Panda Cross 4x4 that receives an all terrain selector with three modes (Auto, Off-road, Hill Descent Control), all-wheel drive, rear differential gear locking and rear parking sensors.

The standard specification is completed with red front tow hooks, electrically adjustable and heated body-coloured door mirrors, front and rear bumper with silver skid plates, silver side mouldings and roof rails and dark tinted rear windows. Inside, the new dashboard is made from processed waste wood, while the new black and grey two-tone seats feature fabric in the centre panel made from at least 37% recycled material.

The new Fiat Panda range is available to order now and priced from £11,895 OTR for the Fiat Panda 1.0-litre 70hp petrol to £17,995 for the Cross 4x4.

For more information on the new Fiat Panda visit www.fiat.co.uk/panda.

FORD unveil EcoSport Active

Ford have unveiled a new Active version of the Ford EcoSport compact SUV, from £21,645. Featuring unique exterior and interior styling alongside increased ride height and additional body protection for greater rough road capability, the EcoSport Active will help adventure-loving customers get the most from their active lifestyles.

The Active shares most of its standard equipment with the Titanium, meaning buyers get silver roof rails, automatic headlights, cruise control, rear parking sensors, a rear view camera and an 8” touchscreen infotainment system with support for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

There’s just one engine choice on offer and that’s Ford’s turbocharged 1.0-litre 3-cylinder petrol unit. The engine develops 123bhp and 170Nm of torque, which Ford says is enough for a 0–62mph time of 11 seconds and a top speed of 111mph. The unit is mated to a six-speed manual gearbox and can return up to 47.9mpg on the WLTP combined cycle.

Other Ecosport models include the ST-Line for buyers seeking sporty style and Titanium for those wanting luxury and high-level comfort.

For more information visit: www.ford.co.uk

Mazda’s latest challenging drive across Kazakhstan

In its centenary year, Mazda’s latest challenging drive event has seen the Mazda CX-30 and its all-wheel drive system put to the test with a 520-mile drive across Eastern Kazakhstan to the border of China, taking in sections of the legendary Silk Road trading route to experience the barren beauty of remote central Asia.

Mazda’s love of using a drive to challenge man and machine is as strong today as it was in 1936 when a group of pioneers set out to demonstrate the durability of Mazda’s first vehicle - a threewheeled open truck called the Mazda Go. An early example of Mazda’s willingness to take on an ambitious drive, five Mazda-Go models (type KC and DC) set out from the southernmost tip of Japan’s main island chain, and showcased the Mazda Go over 1,680miles of dusty, muddy and backbone-rattling trails, arriving in Tokyo 25 days later.

The 2020 Mazda CX-30 Epic Drive in Kazakhstan allowed for the perfect demonstration of Mazda’s i-Activ all-wheel drive system. Featuring Mazda's new-generation Skyactiv-Vehicle Architecture, the CX-30’s evolved generation of i-Activ AWD works in harmony with G-Vectoring Control Plus (GVC Plus) to control torque distribution between the front and rear wheels, to deliver an even more engaging driving experience.

The 520-mile Kazakhstan Epic Drive route offered a real mix of driving conditions to put it and the CX-30 to the test – from city streets to modern dual carriageways, to rutted tarmac and offroad gravel tracks this drive had it all.

Starting in Almaty - Kazakhstan’s biggest city, the CX-30s left the modern heart of the city taking on ruthless traffic jams on the way out of the sprawling city and onto the modern A3 highway heading towards the Aityn Emel National Park. Here the CX-30s headed away from tarmac roads onto gravel roads for a dusty and challenging drive to the famous Singing Dune.

While not an outright off-road SUV, the CX-30’s AWD system ensured excellent traction on the low grip Kazak National Park roads. From the stunning 150m Singing Dune - named due to the way the winds and moving sands create an eerie almost chorus like sound- the route headed back out of the sub-desert plains with their roaming camels to the town of Zharkent, which is just a stone’s throw from the Chinese border at the South Eastern edge of this vast country.

On day two the Kazakhstan Epic Drive route took the cars south towards the Charyn Canyon and more challenging gravel roads through a series of incredible canyons that look strangely familiar to the wilds of Nevada yet sit in the heart of remote central Asia. After this the route headed west back towards Almaty skirting the vast Kapshagay Reservoir.

The Mazda CX-30s completed the Kazakhstan Epic Drive with ease, proving the adaptability of Mazda’s latest SUV and the abilities of the i-Activ AWD system.

To experience the Mazda MX-30 Kazakhstan Epic Drive virtually, the full experience can be seen in the incredible film below.