James's Weekly Used Car Chatter - 14th June 2011

By James Preston
makeandmodel.co.uk
14 June 2011
What’s been going on this week?

Wow what a Grand Prix it was this weekend! Who would of thought that Jenson Button could have come from last place and end up finishing first? I guess it shows that Sebastian Vettel is human after all! I don't think that he will feel too down about it though, he still leads by 60 points.

Mercedes have officially unveiled their next generation M-Class ahead of its public debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The confirmed UK models are the ML350 Bluetec which has a 254bhp 3.0-litre V6 diesel and the ML63 AMG that will be powered by a 536bhp twin-turbo 5.5 litre V8. A diesel-electric version called the ML300 Hybrid will be released in late 2012. The new M-class has kept the same design as before but with a more updated feel, no word on price yet.


I can't say I ever been a big fan of Vauxhall cars, however the new Astra GTC looks very sharp! Its main rivals will be the Volkwagen Sciorcoco and the Renault Megane Coupe. The world premiere will be at next month’s Goodwood Festival of Speed (July 1-3), showing the importance of the UK market to this model. The Astra GTC will launch with a choice of a single diesel or three petrol engines and is available now with prices starting at £18,495.


I was planning to write about the new Renaultsport 265 Trophy but unfortunately as I was writing someone got there before me! So...instead I thought I'd talk about the car of the moment, the BMW 1 Series M Coupe. Press the start button and you've got a 335bhp 3.0-litre turbocharged six-cylinder engine. It's quite a lightweight car too, weighing only 1,495kg and as a result it gets from 0-62mph in 4.9 seconds, however top speed will of course be limited to 155mph. The only problem is arguably the price - £40,000 but it is the best M badged car in a long time so you are paying for something special and who knows, it could end up being a future classic....


Have a good week!


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