Audio stream – Download audio file (zacs150.mp3)

In this week’s episode, with Trevor on the launch of the new Fiat Punto, Patrick and Christo get to talk all about performancecars. And rallies. Fun stuff, basically.

BMW’s unveiled press photos and information on the new M6 coupé and convertible, both of which will be coming to local shores later this year. The new grand tourer shares an engine with the M5 – the 4.4-litre V8 twin-turbo M-power engine. 412kW, 680Nm, 7sp dual clutch transmission. But possibly missing the point a bit, as Patrick says, because the M5 is far more subtle with its wolf-in-sheep’s-clothing appeal.

Click through for a gallery of more photos!

The TT-RS gets a power hike, because it wasn’t quite rapid enough to start with. The 15kW and 15Nm increase (for a total of 265kW and 465Nm) makes it slightly quicker in a straight line, bringing the 0-100 sprint down to 4.1 seconds in the 7sp S-tronic variant. Audi’s no stranger to these “Plus” models, having offered something similar with the older turbo V8 RS6 Plus.

It's a regular TT-RS, with a bit more power. And badass wheels.

The highly anticipated Subaru and Toyota collaboration will finally see the two cars hit showrooms this year. Toyota’s 86 has already been shown off and driven, but Subaru’s BRZ will have its official unveiling at the Geneva motor show in March

It keeps the blue paint, but the gold wheels are a 90s relic, it seems. Pity.

Meanwhile, Car Magazine’s Hannes Oosthuizen was privy to a private viewing of the Toyota 86. We weren’t invited, but can share what Mr. Oosthuizen had to say. The car will be sold sans GT badging in SA – simply 86 for us – and Toyota will offer a bunch of extras, including TRD bits, body kits and Brembo brake packages. Hannes says that a good guess for pricing would put it at about R320 000… The Golf GTI is sort of the benchmark for 200hp fun cars, and it costs R340 000, while that other, oft-forgotten Japanese rear-wheel drive sports car, the MX5, now retails for an eye-watering R356 000.

It looks pretty hot with this bodykit - click through for the full article on Car's site.

Our very own Trevor van de Ven attended the local launch of the 2012 Fiat Punto. New engines, spec levels and technology are available for the tiny Italian, bringing it right into “class leader” territory, as well as being excellent value for money. Pricing starts at R130 000 and tops out at R209 000 for the Abarth-engined lounge spec – click here for his launch drive impressions, along with more info.

For those who need a not-quite Voyager, the Dodge Journey’s received a slight facelift which is mostly just an engine update. Both SXT and R/T variants of the American people carrier are now available with the fantastic Pentastar V6 producing 210kW.

210kW means you should probably move over when you see this in the rear view mirror.

Chevrolet’s iconic Trailblazer badge will come to SA later this year when it brings the small-by-American-standards SUV to local shores. Here’s an artsy pic of what one will look like if you walk with a bad limp.

We're promised the whole car will make it to South Africa.

Finally, there’s the new Kia Sedona. The headline change here is the move from a 2.9-litre turbodiesel engine to a smaller and far more efficient 2.2-litre turbodiesel mill – the same one used in the Hyundai Santa Fe. It produces 143kw and 436Nm, which is plenty for lugging around the whole family, some friends, and a trailer with loads of luggage. Other toys include a 6-disc CD player, USB ports, and electric tailgate. Prices start at R420 000, which includes a 50-year/100 000km maintenance and warranty plan.

Somebody else said this is the poor man's Chrysler Voyager. But it's actually rather nice.

Episode 150 download 

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Too many dials, gauges and buttons can be distracting. The new Ford Focus and Renault Megane both suffer from this – buttons, button everywhere!. Sometimes… simplicity is the best. And that’s the theme for this week’s selection of wallpapers. Something plain and elegant, where the objects of our automotive desire are the main focus.

*All photos are property of their respective copyright holders. If you see a photo that is yours, please get in touch and we can credit you, or remove it from this posting.

It’s been a while. We apologise. We’ve been working hard on rounding up more high quality hoonage from around the web, and the return of this regular feature sees us start off with a twist.

We’ve asked the folks from the Forza 4 thread, over at the Something Awful Forums, to let us have their best snaps from that game. The game looks great, and it has the option to output some high-resolution images (great for printing out, or using as your desktop wallpaper). So we asked some of the Forza photographers to give us their best, err, shots.

Now this is the part where you have to read carefully: we want you to vote for your favourite wallpaper in this week’s selection. Voting will close at 23h59 on the 30th of November. And we’ve arranged a nice, game-related prize for the winner. See? We do like giving back to the community that supports us.

So get with the downloading and voting, as you feast your eyes on these.

Cinque, by AK Gara

 High res download

Javelin, by biglads

High res download

512, by Cute as Heck

 High res download

DBR1, by Ether Frenzy

High res download

Coronet, by I said come in

Z, by Kilonum

 High res download

Pantera, by Sunday Punch

High res download

Modern? Classic? Does it really matter? Well, some would argue that the mid-90s gave us some of the worst American cars in the history of forever, so it kinda does matter. But if we look at the pony car revival of the 2000s, some nice cars have come out of it. The new Mustang is brilliant, the Camaro is – for lack of better words – shit hot, and even some struggling Chrysler’s offerings are pretty sweet.

Lest we forget, the classics are what these modern heroes owe their heritage to. The GT40, classic Vettes, and all those fat-tyred monsters are still sought after, and can easily shame their high-tech offspring on the quarter mile. So here’s a selection of both old and new, to celebrate displacement.

*All photos are property of their respective copyright holders. If you see a photo that is yours, please get in touch and we can credit you, or remove it from this posting.

Sometimes the selection of colours from a manufacturer doesn’t quite cut it. If it’s not bland, it’s just not crazy enough. Since those who love cars see their vehicles as an expression of themselves, it only makes sense for them to be a little custom…

We’re not talking about “Fast and Furious” levels of insanity, here. Just a nice paintjob, or vinyl wrap for those who don’t have the balls to permanently drive around in a pink Bentley. Today’s selection of wallpapers shows off some of the eye-catching finishes on some exotics and a few limited-availability paint options on some other cars. What colour would you paint your car, given the chance? Sound off in the comments, on Twitter or join us for the discussion on Facebook.

*All photos are property of their respective copyright holders. If you see a photo that is yours, please get in touch and we can credit you, or remove it from this posting.

Sometimes a car has to bare it all for us to see what really makes it so appealing. That machine under the bonnet (or bootlid, in Porsche’s case) can be responsible for stomach-churning acceleration, hair-raising wails and many joyous victories. And sometimes – just sometimes – they can also be pretty spectacular to behold.

So here’s to the internal combustion engine. May its many thousands of explosions per second continue delivering thrills for the next few decades.

*All photos are property of their respective copyright holders. If you see a photo that is yours, please get in touch and we can credit you, or remove it from this posting.

A sexy tail light. A badass wheel. Perhaps it’s even just the little glass louvres on the engine cover. Most cars have awesome little design details that make them a little special. This week’s Wallpaper Wednesday selection showcases some awesome closeups of a few cars that have some great design details, along with a few just-plain-cool macro shots of iconic badges. Hopefully one can find a home on your desktop.

What’s your favourite detail on your car? Or details other cars you like? Let us know on Twitter] or Facebook.

As always, just click on a picture to enlarge it and drag it to your desktop to save it.

*All photos are property of their respective copyright holders. If you see a photo that is yours, please get in touch and we can credit you, or remove it from this posting.

It’s Monday, so why not take a few minutes of your time and get some nostalgic chills running down your spine?

This is the story of Marlowe, and old man from California, and his bright green Dodge Charger 440 R/T. Rather than harp on and share a motoring anecdote, we’ll just let you get on with watching this great video.

Marlowe from ALCHEMYcreative on Vimeo.

This week we thought it would be prudent to pay attention to important developments in the motoring world. Green motoring is all about saving fuel, energy efficiency and low carbon emissions. With that in mind, we hope this week’s selection of the greenest cars we could find, find a happy home on your computer’s desktop.

As always, just click on the pic for a bigger version, and drag it to your desktop to save it.

*All photos are property of their respective copyright holders. If you see a photo that is yours, please get in touch and we can credit you, or remove it from this posting.

64kbps stream Download audio file (zacs117.mp3)

32kbps stream Download audio file (zacs117_low.mp3)

We’re joined this week again by well travelled and infinitely cooler John Beale from Trendspotting again who lends his thoughts and opinions into the week’s motoring news which includes the International Engine of the Year Awards for FIAT and Ferrari, the unlikely or perhaps appropriate, agricultural show unveiling of Ford’s new Ranger, Toyota’s FJ Cruiser and VW’s Amarok single cab. We also review two of VW’s fuel fairies, the VW Polo BlueMotion and VW Golf BlueMotion. So, take a listen and as always, offer feedback.

Small twin pot, puts out more power than most 1.4 engines. Click on the image for a link to the news

Cool to the power of lots. Is it too late, though?

Built Ford tough, just like the old days, no doubt. Will be a hit in the East Rand and Mpumalanga

Good brand, good bakkie, but does the Amarok have the ability to sway the buyer to go with a smaller diesel engine in South Africa?

Completing the corporate-face for the Hyundai lineup, the i10 still offers value in a tough market, even if it's basically a prettier AtoZ.

South Africa became the laughing stock of the American's when they hear Chrysler launched this in South Africa, what do you think?

ZACS Test: VW Golf BlueMotion (click the text for a link to the specs, listen to the podcast for the review)

ZACS Test: VW Polo BlueMotion (click the text for a link to the specs, listen to the podcast for the review)

Both are very good cars, but one is much better than the other, listen to the podcast to find out why.

Episode 117 hi-fi download (24MB)
Episode 117 lo-fi download (12MB)

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