New SEAT Ibiza ST

SEAT has released details of their stylish new Ibiza ST estate car, which will be available in a choice of five engines and an array of modern equipment. The Spanish manufacturer is renowned for its sporty credentials and this is evident in the expressive, dynamic design.

New SEAT Ibiza ST

The new estate measures 4.23 metres in length and the base load capacity is 430 litres, which can be increased by folding the rear seats. The engine units are three petrol and two TDI units, with four of them operating with direct injection and turbocharging.

The outputs span from 85PS to 105 PS and the new Ibiza ST optional equipment will include SEAT’s impressive dual clutch DSG automatic/sequential manual gearbox. Prices and full vehicle specification details will be released later in the year, with an “on sale” date this summer.

BMW availability

The following list will provide you an update on BMW car availability, courtesy of Inchcape Retail, one of the UK’s largest dealership groups. If you are looking for a new BMW then you may find you have to wait quite a few weeks before your new car arrives, unless you are flexible on your vehicle specification, so it is always best to order early and specify your future delivery date.

BMW stock availability and factory order lead times

BMW 1 Series Convertible and Coupe – low stock with 10 weeks factory order.

BMW 1 Series Hatchback, 3 Series Saloon, 3  Series Coupe, 3 Series Convertible , 3 Series Touring and all 5 Series – low stock availability with an 8 week factory order lead time.

BMW 6 Series- average stock and 8 weeks factory order.

BMW 7 Series- high stock and 10 weeks factory order.

BMW X1 – low stock and 12 weeks factory order.

BMW X3 - high stock and 8 weeks factory order.

BMW X5 – high stock and 12 weeks factory order.

BMW X6 and BMW Z4 – high stock and 10 weeks factory order.

Mazda6 Estate

The second generation Mazda6 has won another award at the Caravan Club 2010 Towcar of the Year Awards in the £20,000 to £25,000 Class. The Judges said,”Towing 1,347kg, the good looking estate car romped up the long 14% hill in third gear and tackled a 17% stop-and -restart quite easily. A super car at a super price”.

The exact specification of the car that was tested is the Mazda6 2.2-litre Diesel Estate TS2 163ps Manual. Twenty-eight cars were put through their paces at the Millbrook Proving Ground and whether you are looking to tow a caravan, a horse box or a jet-ski trailer, the Mazda6 offers a great vehicle specification and could be for you, with 26 models in their line-up.

Jaguar XF in Police-spec

Jaguar UK has launched a new high performance Police pursuit vehicle based on the award winning XF Diesel S model. This is the first ever Police-spec Jaguar XF to be evaluated by Police forces across the country. The Jaguar XF has the right credentials with a combined mpg figure of 42mpg, and a Co2 emissions figure of 179g/km.

Geoff Cousins, UK Managing Director for Jaguar Cars, said ” Police forces are looking for vehicles that represent value for money, have good environmental credentials and deliver the power and performance of a pursuit vehicle”.

The Police-spec Jaguar XF is the 275PS 3.0-litre Diesel S engine and has a unique parallel sequential turbocharger system. The twin-turbochargers work sequentially to deliver unrivalled response and best-in-class torque, delivering huge power at all engine speeds. Mr Cousins went on to say ” We hope that with this amount of “torque on tap” and a 0-60mph time of 5.9 seconds, we will meet and exceed the exacting standards of any Police Officer driving this car”.

The car in the photograph is based on a Jaguar XF 3.0-litre Diesel S Luxury and includes the additional Police specification features of:

- Roof mounted light bar with 3600 blue flashing lights and integrated side alley lights.

- Blue and white flashing LED lights inside the front grille.

- Side mounted blue flashing LED lights.

- Blue and red flashing LED lights intergrated in the rear light clusters.

- Home Office-specification electronics “Police pack” to power a full suite of emergency lights, radio and other electronic equipment.

This car certainly has a high vehicle specification and follows a similar launch by Vauxhall with the Insignia Tourer Police-specification model.