Frugal Leon is cooking on gas

Seat's new economy superstar, the Leon Ecomotive 1.6-litre diesel, is about to hit UK showrooms.
With a creditable combined mpg figure of 74.3, which translates into almost 900 miles on a tank of diesel, the Leon's CO2 emissions have also been slashed to just 99 g/km. British Gas has ordered 500 – and the 118mph Leon Ecomotive is priced from £16,840, depending on trim.

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First Brighton... then the future

The London to Brighton Veteran Car Run is to be preceded this year by a new motoring contest for electric, hybrid, and low-emissions cars. The Royal Automobile Club has launched the Brighton to London Future Car Challenge, a 60-mile low-energy contest that will journey from Brighton to Regent Street, London, on Saturday, November 6.

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All for one and One For All

Gadget and gizmo firm One For All has come up with a handy portable charger that plugs into a car's cigarette lighter to boost mobile phones, MP3 players, digital assistants and cameras, satnav units, game players, and other devices. The £16.99 Universal Charger has seven interchangeable tips and Comet stores sell it – or go online to oneforall.com.

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Is it time for a ‘holey’ row with the council?

Drivers are having a perilous ride over potholes, says online consumer motoring expert Honest John. Local councils are said to be rejecting legitimate pothole-damage claims by UK motorists, and Honest John's advice is to first check on whether the pothole was reported to the authorities before making a claim. To do this, go to websites fixmystreet.co.uk, or potholes.co.uk. If it was, and the pothole was not filled within a reasonable time – a week – then drivers have a clear case for compensation John states.

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Vauxhall Insignia Tourer

Vauxhall has put its 41.7mpg 2.0-litre diesel engine into its 4x4 Insignia Tourer. The new model will go on sale in September.
Prices of this 129mph estate will be revealed closer to the launch, but it should  further lift sales of more than 55,000 cars so far.

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