All New KIA

The McLaren 720S went out of production at the end of 2022, but the gap it has left in Woking will not remain empty for long. Its replacement, known internally as the McLaren 750S, It will arrive this year updating the 720S recipe with a new style and, above all, more power.

At the end of last year, Nicolas Brown, president of McLaren in the United States, gave the first clues about the new model, assuring that it would be a refined version of the McLaren 720. He did not give more details, but he did reveal to Automotive News that it will not be “an all-new, next-generation vehicle.” The same medium now collects the latest information on this vehicle.

The British brand has not commented on the data provided by the aforementioned source, whose identity is kept secret. Based on the information you have provided, the production of the McLaren 750S will be limited, so a circulation of several hundred vehicles can be expected.

a couple of variants

It will be available in two variants: coupe and convertible. Both would arrive at launch, which is unusual for McLaren in that it usually launches the second a couple of years later. As it points out, there will be no LT (Long Tail) version. The McLaren 750S would be the “perfect combination” between the 720S and the 765LT: “It will not be as extreme as the 765, but it will be a little more aggressive than the 720.”

the options of personalization They will be numerous, offering, thus, new colors for the bodywork, new interior materials and there will also be innovations in the design of the wheels.

Both the exterior and the interior they borrow some of the design elements from other McLaren models. However, the 750S will feature a redesigned front bumper, larger lower air intakes and an adaptive rear wing similar to the 765LT, but larger for more downforce.

Inside, the McLaren 750S will debut a new instrument cluster Column-mounted high-definition steering column similar to that of the McLaren Artura and Elva.

The last one not electrified

The McLaren 750S will be the last non-electrified conventional model: future vehicles will be hybrid or fully electric. It will be powered by the 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 from the McLaren 720S, but it will add 30 horsepower to, as the name suggests, reach 750 horsepower.

The source cited by Automotive News ensures that at the end of February, the British will give the first clues about their new creation: the launch would be scheduled for April. The price has not yet been revealed, but it suggests that it will cost 10% more than the McLaren 720S… which started at 284,700 euros.

Who would have thought that just a few years ago. We tallies still remember those years, almost two decades ago, in which Kia landed as a brand in Spain, with tremendously modest and cheap products. At that time, Rafa Nadal had not yet won his first Roland Garros. Without a doubt, that would be one of Kia’s best bets. The man from Manacor would become the image of the Korean brand at the beginning of his professional career, with a profitable relationship that has continued to this day.

Lovers of the most passionate cars, and of the purism of internal combustion and gasoline, can feel to some extent aggrieved by the irruption of the electric car and by the fact that, either by hook or by crook, that It will be the only future of the automobile.

But the electric vehicle will most likely hold big surprises for us. surprises like the arrival of the most powerful Kia in history, with nothing more and nothing less than 585 CV of power.

585 CV of power and 490 liters of trunk

One of Kia’s most exotic products is undoubtedly the Kia EV6. The electric ones have served as an excuse for many general manufacturers to address one of the great challenges that many others have attempted in the past, that of launch premium positioning products, high-end. And try not to be a resounding failure.

With aid from the MOVES Plan included, the Kia EV6 is an electric that starts at €43,319, with a good trunk of 490 liters, in a crossover-looking body, but not excessively high and long. With or without aid, it is not the most expensive of the Kia models. But if the only Kia for which you could be presented with a budget of €72,790 and also the only one that has reached 585 CV of power in its EV6 GT version.

Its figures are comparable to those of a Tesla, or even to some versions of the Porsche Taycan:

• 160 kW front electric motor: 218 hp
• 270 kW rear electric motor: 367 hp
• Total combined power of 430 kW: 585 PS (maximum torque 740 Nm)
• 0 to 100 km/h in 3.5 seconds
• 260 km/h top speed
• 774.4 kWh battery: 424 kilometers of autonomy

As we told you, the Kia EV6 part of the €43,319, including aid from the MOVES Plan. While the Kia EV6 GT is priced at €72,790 and, due to aid requirements, you cannot apply for MOVES Plan aid.

As alternatives to Kia’s we find the most obvious, but also those of other manufacturers that, like Ford, have opted to launch electric vehicles with a high-end and performance approach in the most powerful versions:

• He Tesla Model Y is priced at €40,970with aids included, but in its 534 CV Performance version it already reaches €63,990
• He Ford Mustang Mach E stands at €46,072, also with aid included, thanks to the significant discounts that Ford has incorporated these days to its most distinguished electric. With these discounts, and incorporating the aid that could not be requested before, in a matter of days the prices of the cheapest Mach E have been reduced by almost €20,000. The Ford Mustang Mach E GT, in any case, is priced at €86,262.

The Municipal Police of Madrid launches patrol cars: throughout this they will receive 472 new models in their fleet. The first installment featured the two new models that they will use to patrol the streets of the capital: some of them, yes, will do so in camouflage and, in addition, many of them will be equipped with a license plate identification system.

The first batch of vehicles received by the Municipal Police of Madrid is made up of 42 units: 22 of them are labeled and the other 20 are camouflaged. The local council, in the official press release, does not talk about brands or models… but the photos reveal the models chosen for both games.

22 labeled and 20 camouflaged

The 22 patrol cars that will be labeled are a BMW 2 Series Active Tourer: specifically, it is the 225xe iPerformance version. Yes, the Madrid Municipal Police will do their job aboard a plug-in hybrid, which bears the DGT Zero label. The two dozen vehicles that will carry out their mission completely camouflaged are a Škoda Superb with a diesel engine. They will immediately join the different Comprehensive District Units (UID) to start providing service.

The equipment: license plate recognition

Both the BMW 2 Series Active Tourer and the Škoda Superb will feature improved ballistic protection, a built-in navigation system and some of them will be equipped with an automatic license plate recognition system to identify vehicles and potential violations.

They will also have all season tires that allow circulation without problems, regardless of the weather: the SUVs will also have snow shovels. Those that are intended for the transport of detainees will have a video and audio recording system in the part of the passenger compartment intended for transfer.

Today we have received the visit of the Delegate Ms. Inmaculada Sanz Otero, @InmaSanzOin the presentation that has been made in the dependencies of the Municipal Police Headquarters of the new patrols that are put at the service of the citizens of #Madrid.#WeAreYourPolicepic.twitter.com/rQdtSIzBMl

— Madrid Municipal Police (@policiademadrid) February 1, 2023

A lease agreement

The 472 cars destined to renew the Madrid Municipal Police fleet will arrive through a leasing contract that will last five years and will cost 34.4 million euros. in operation 140 patrol cars, 184 SUVs, 28 SUVs, 36 sedans and 84 vans are included. It remains to be seen which brands and models will be chosen for the remaining 430 vehicles.

During this term, the City Council has acquired a total of 775 vehicles for the Municipal Police. Starting from the existing vehicles in the fleet in 2019 and subtracting the casualties produced, the mobile fleet of the Municipal Police has gone from 1,058 to 1,339 vehicles in this mandate. A total of 775 units have been acquired, which represents an increase of 26.6%.

In the gaming world there is no hobby as expensive as simulation. Can reproduce the real world environment at home And that means adding lots of accessories for maximum realism. Steering wheels, pedals, cockpits, gear levers, information screens… a veritable ocean of possibilities for all budgets.

We will leave the choice of computer aside, without forgetting that to have a good experience you need a mid-range or high-end computer.

The screen configuration to use is another important choice that we already discussed in this other post.

So let’s go focus on peripheralsincluding cockpit, backet, steering wheel and pedals as something basic, but we could add gear levers and handbrakes, or keypads to access different options for each simulator.

Less than €1000

A basic cockpit, steering wheel and pedals would be the lowest possible setting and the recommended for a occasional use. The cheapest cockpits have a simpler structure and materials, so they do not have the necessary strength for good comfort and precision in the simulation. But you could enjoy.

A playseat challenge and a steering wheel Thrustmaster T150 They would be enough to start without spending more than €500. Raising the level a bit, we would choose a somewhat more robust cockpit and a slightly more expensive steering wheel such as a Logitech G29 and we would still be below €1000.

The pedals that usually come with the steering wheels The basic ones are not of great quality, but they are good for an initial experience in the simulation.

Between €1000 and €2000

From €1000 we can start talking about more serious simulators, with structures in better materials and mid-range steering wheels. Here we already add low or medium range pedals. It would be the most popular setup in the sim racing world.

As for the cockpit, we would be in ranges from €300 to €1000. You can find from a Playseat Evolution still Next Level Racing Elite ES1going through the Zalem Alu ProThe Playseat is still a basic cockpit, while the NextLevel would already be a first step towards the professional simulator, with top quality material and great solidity.

In some cases the cockpit already has the backet incorporated and in others it does not. But you can find backets from around €100.

The two most popular wheels in non-professional simracing are the Logitech G29 and several Thrustmaster models, among which I would highlight the Thrustmaster T300 or something more advanced like the Thrustmaster TS-PC. Although you can find other brands with similar options with prices from €300 to €500.

In both cases pedals are included with the wheel, so in this case it would not be necessary to add separate pedals. However, the pedals that accompany these wheels are not the best, so you could add some more professional pedals of the lowest or commercial range. There are quality pedalboards starting at €300

The same goes for the gear stick. Some steering wheels include the gear stickbut if you want to install it separately you can find gear levers like the Thrustmaster TH8A from about €180.

More than €2000

We entered the most professional terrain of simracing. Either because you are going to compete online or because you are going to pass many hours in your simulatoryou need high quality material: a robust cockpit that supports the enormous forces that you are going to do with the Direct Drive steering wheel, plus some high quality and hard pedals.

There is high-end cockpits from €1,000 to €3,000. Various materials and many configuration options, depending on the steering wheel and pedals that you are going to mount or if you are going to include a gear lever or handbrake.

As for the steering wheel, we already talked Direct Drive flywheels only. In many cases, the steering wheel base and the rim itself are purchased separately, although you can also find all-inclusive deals.

Within this high range we will find flyers from €800 to €2400, depending on the base and the ring that we are going to choose. The advantage of these steering wheels is that they all use the Quick Release system (which allows the steering wheel rims to be interchanged), so that you can have a different base and ruffles depending on the simulator or type of car you are going to use.

we have left the pedals, perhaps an underworld within racing simulation, since here personal taste and especially the simulator to use have a lot to do with it. There is a wide variety of brands and solutions on the market, from around €500 to around €3,000.

I advise you to tinker a lot through the specialized pages due to the immense range of possibilities. In simtechpro either jynracingshop you can find all these options that we have talked about.

The possibilities for improvement do not end here. If you wanted to set up a top-quality simulator, you would have to think about budgets above €6,000.

Some brands like Simtechpro offer the possibility of assemble the complete simulator (including the gaming computer and the screens), from €3,200reaching authentic “toys” of €17,450 such as the Simtechpro Stage 5which has practically everything.

Electric cars are more expensive because we are not only buying a body, equipment and all the technology that surrounds it. Mostly we are buying a huge heavy battery with four wheels at the ends. Batteries account for a large part of the cost of an electric vehicle and, therefore, they are the reason why, and generally speaking, an electric car is usually more expensive than its gasoline and diesel alternatives.

The cost of batteries has dropped significantly in recent years. Something reasonable, on the other hand, if we take into account that over the last decade energy storage technology has improved and, above all, the volume of cells and battery packs produced has increased significantly, to meet demand growing number of electric cars and plug-in hybrids.

However, How has the price of batteries evolved in the last year? Is this one more problem for the electric car?

Batteries account for a large part of the cost required to manufacture an electric car and therefore of the price that the customer pays when buying it.

Tesla Model S.

The most expensive thing in an electric car, the battery

Bloomberg has prepared a study for analyze the evolution of battery prices. The study stops short of detailing how much electric car drivers are paying for their batteries. But it is very valuable for quantifying the cost of the batteries, in the exchange between suppliers and car manufacturers, obtaining the price of the cell per kWh and the price of the complete battery pack per kWh and breaking it down by type of vehicle.

Bloomberg reportedly obtained the data from more than 200 different sources, including suppliers and receivers of the batteries. And while it is true that these data offer an average and a global image, worldwide, they are very interesting for analyzing the situation of the electric vehicle market.

A first data. The cheapest battery packs are those assembled in China, with a cost of 127 dollars per kWh, 24% less than those assembled in the United States and 33% less than those assembled in Europe. An interesting fact that already gives us clues about the wave of electric cars made in China that are arriving in Europe with very competitive prices and how European manufacturers are no longer only receiving batteries assembled in China, but are even betting on producing in the Asian Giant (Automotive News).

The cost of batteries has risen 7% this year, with China-assembled packs being the cheapest and plug-in hybrid-equipped packs by far the most expensive.

Interior of the MG4 Electric.

The cost of batteries increases by 7% this year

The Bloomberg study also determines that in the last year the price of batteries has increased by 7%. The average price of the battery pack for passenger cars in 2022 stood at 138 dollars per kWh. For an 80 kWh battery that would mean a total cost of the battery pack of 11,040 dollars, 10,489 euros at the current exchange rate at the time of writing this article.

draw attention how expensive it is to transform a car with an internal combustion engine into a plug-in hybrid, equipping it with electric motors and lithium batteries to enjoy an electric autonomy that is generally around 50 kilometers, although it is true that there are more and more cars that approach autonomy of 100 kilometers or even exceed them. The price of the battery pack would be above $350 per kWh. A 12 kWh battery would cost more than €4,000 in a plug-in hybrid.

Although the price of raw materials required to produce battery cells has fallen in recent years, The fact that the price of nickel, cobalt and lithium has increased in 2022 compared to previous years has caused this price increase of 7%. However, it is expected that in the coming years the prices per kWh of cells and battery packs will continue to fall. And not only that, that the batteries that equip our electric cars are getting better and better, in terms of energy density (and therefore price and autonomy), reliability and fast charging capacity.

Reliability is one of the most important characteristics that we can look for in a car and therefore it is vital to know how reliable a car manufacturer is to avoid serious headaches and holes in the checking account. For this reason, if you want to avoid having to visit your mechanic more than necessary, you should take good note of which ones are the 10 most reliable car brands in these moments and What are the most common problems that force us to go through the workshop.

From the hands of JD Power, one of the most recognized consultancies in the analysis of the reliability of car brands in the United States, we find the latest study carried out in terms of reliability. This analysis measures the number of incidents recorded per 100 vehiclesfocusing on cars up to 3 years old (from 2020 onwards) and for a period of 12 months.

Problems in infotainment systems are the most common, far ahead of any other component in the car

And the result is extremely interesting, discovering that the measure of problems registered in a total of 32 brands examined stands at 186 incidents for each vehicle analyzed (186 pp). In this study, different categories are taken into account, ranging from mechanical problems to multimedia systems, through bodywork, air conditioning, seats or driving assistance. And as expected, breakdowns related to infotainment systems have become the most common problems with 49.9 pp and in the reason that most forces us to go through the workshop, far exceeding the rest of the categories examined.

The 10 most reliable car brands in 2023

So things, JD Power’s reliability ranking for this 2023 would be as follows with the 10 most reliable car brands: 1st Lexus (133 pp), 2nd Genesis (144 pp), 3rd Kia (152 pp), 4th Buick (159 pp), 5th Chevrolet (162 pp), 6th Mitsubishi (167 pp), 7th Toyota (168 pp), 8th Hyundai (170 pp), 9th MINI (170 pp) and 10th Nissan (170 pp).

This study also reveals a clear difference between premium and general brands, since premium brands register more incidents in sections such as infotainment or driving assistance, precisely due to the greater technological load that their cars have. Premium brands register an average of 205 pp, while generalists remain at 182 pp.

The 10 least reliable car brands in 2023

The most reliable car brand according to JD Power is Lexus, while the least reliable is Land Rover

And finally, it’s time to talk about the 10 least reliable brands in 2023 according to this study by JD Power, ordered according to the number of registered breakdowns: 1st Land Rover (273 pp), 2nd Lincoln (259 pp), 3rd Audi (252 pp), 4th Ford (249 pp), 5th Tesla (242 pp) , 6th Mercedes-Benz (240 pp), 7th Jaguar (229 pp), 8th Chrysler (226 pp), Volkswagen (216 pp) and Volvo (215 pp).

Source: JD Power

Why do we buy SUVs? It is not lost on anyone that SUVs attract buyers, and are commercially successful, by design. But beyond its aesthetics and its visual appeal, other qualities are expected from SUVs, such as spaciousness, space for cargo and passengers, and a certain rolling comfort.

And the car in question, which also enjoys one of the most interesting offers these days, is undoubtedly one of the SUVs in its category with a better relationship between space and comfort.

The Citroën C5 Aircross is available these days from €25,881.5 and with a promotion with installments of €240/month which, unlike what is usual, involves financing the purchase with really favorable conditions compared to other offers of new cars.

The Citroën C5 Aircross is one of the most spacious and comfortable cars in its category

580 liters of luggage space in a spacious and comfortable SUV

The Citroën C5 Aircross has a trunk with a capacity of 580 liters – in its versions with internal combustion engines – and 4.5 meters in length, being larger and more extensive, to take a reference in the market, than the SEAT Ateca that offers 510 liters of capacity in 4.36 meters in length.

The cheapest version of the Citroën C5 Aircross uses a Feel finish and a 130 hp 1.2 PureTech gasoline engine. It comes really well equipped as standard, with 18″ alloy wheels, digital instrumentation with a 12″ widescreen, and dual-zone climate control.

when we say it is one of the most comfortable and spacious SUVs in its category – in my opinion the most – obviously we appeal to a subjective appreciation. Regarding space, good proof is in the photographs with which we have illustrated this article, which show us in considerable detail the capacity of its trunk, or the use of three independent sliding benches in the rear row to distribute the space. Regarding comfort, in my impression the Citroën C5 Aircross is the most comfortable in its category, due to the design and softness of its seats, and also due to good acoustic insulation and a suspension setting (and hydraulic shock absorbers) that make it absorb very well the irregularities of the terrain.

In recent months we have seen it cheaper, but the interesting thing about Citroën’s offer this month is its financing with a fee of €240/month and very low fees and commissions, for what has been common when financing cars

One of the best SUV deals this month

The cheapest offer is a Citroën C5 Aircross for €25,881. Until a few weeks ago, and throughout the final stretch of 2022, it could be purchased for less than €25,000. In any case, the conditions it enjoys thanks to this month’s offer are much more advantageous if we choose to finance it in installments of €240/month.

Citroën proposes financing in 48 installments of €240/month, with a TIN: 3.99% and APR: 5.37% (very low for what we find in financing new cars in recent months). The proposed financing requires a very low down payment of €2,776.99, so the total amount owed is €27,217.86 and what we will pay in total for financing the Citroën C5 Aircross is €29,994.85. It is 15.89% more than the offer price and, under the proposed conditions, It is not an excessive amount in commissions and interestfinancing practically the entire purchase, and if we take into account that in many offers of this type it has been common for up to 25% or even 30% to be paid in commissions and interest.

• He SEAT Ateca from €24,540 It is one of the most interesting alternatives. SEAT currently has an offer with installments of €270/month. But it is important to remember that this offer is not financing to use, but a renting to individualswith an entry of €7,940.
• He Hyundai Tucson from €27,125 It also has engines with an ECO label, although these already amount to €35,775 (microhybrid diesel) and €37,575 (microhybrid gasoline).