The Audi Q7 was first conceived back in 2005, when the first generation car debuted at the Frankfurt Motor Show. It’s been a huge success for the brand – so much so that it has since spawned smaller Q5 and Q3 variants – as well as a second-generation model from 2015. • Best SUVs on the market Designed to rival the Land Rover Discovery, Volvo XC90 and BMW X5, the Q7 is a seven-seat SUV based on the new MLB Evo platform that will later underpin the next VW Touareg and Porsche Cayenne models – as well as other front-engined Audis like the new A4 saloon. Weighing an astonishing 325kg less than its predecessor, the Q7 is cheaper to run and better to drive than ever before. It’s the most technologically advanced Audi ever, and is able to brake, accelerate and steer itself at speeds of up to 37mph. Image 7 of 35 Audi Q7 - front tracking It still does the basics brilliantly though. Despite being slightly narrower and shorter than the old Q7, there’s still room for seven inside, along with all their associated luggage. An optional four-wheel steering system makes it more manoeuvrable at low speeds and more stable when you up the pace, while optional adaptive air suspension is well worth having for the cushioned ride and exceptional refinement. Only one engine is available from launch – a quiet and powerful 268bhp 3.0-litre TDI, returning 47.9mpg and emitting 153g/km of CO2. A few months later a lower powered version with 215bhp will be available (returning 52.3mpg and 144g/km) for around £2,500 less. Our choice: Audi Q7 3.0 TDI S line Engines, performance and drive 4.7 It’s clear that Audi is targeting the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport with the new Q7 because the driving experience is all about luxury. With the optional adaptive air suspension fitted (designed to keep the body level at all times), the Q7 sails smoothly over even the bumpiest surfaces and would prove massively beneficial to anyone dodging potholes and speed humps on the school run. Annoyingly it used to be standard on the old car but is now only available as part of an option bundle which also includes a wide range of largely unnecessary driver aids. Scroll up through the Audi drive select modes (or set you own individual parameters for steering, throttle and suspension in ‘Individual’ mode) and the Q7 is certainly more agile than its predecessor, and you can feel more of what is going on through the seat than ever before. Image 2 of 35 Audi Q7 - rear cornering Image 2 of 35 That’s largely thanks to its new MLB evo chassis that uses 71 per cent aluminium, combined with high-strength steels, and helps to cut 325kg from its predecessor’s kerb weight. In Comfort mode the steering is still light and lacks feedback, but it’s far more willing to change direction and stability is rock solid at high speeds. That’s helped by a new four-wheel steering system, again optional, that turns the rear wheels by two degrees in parallel with the front wheels at high speeds. At lower speeds they turn by up to five degrees in the opposite direction to the fronts, cutting the turning circle by a metre – and beating the current Audi A4. This is a 4x4 you can drive incredibly quickly, too. Ramp things up to dynamic mode and the Q7 immediately feels more alert – it’s never harsh, but the body control is tauter, which gives you more confidence to push the car harder. Permanent quattro four-wheel drive gives excellent traction, too. The steering isn’t full of life, but there is some feel, and by flicking the smooth eight-speed auto box up and down with the steering wheel paddles, it’s a surprising amount of fun to hustle this big SUV around. Image 1 of 35 Audi Q7 - front cornering Image 1 of 35 Only one engine gearbox combination is available in the UK to begin with – a 268bhp 3.0 TDI with 600Nm of torque combined with an eight-speed automatic gearbox. That’s enough to propel the two-tonne Q7 from 0-62mph in 6.5 seconds, but such is the smoothness of the power delivery that accelerating hard is still a relaxing experience. There's a lower power version of this engine with 215bhp and 500Nm that can still do 0-62mph in 7.4 seconds. However, in reality it feels a lot less punchy and is also slightly louder, emitting a distinctive diesel rattle under load. These problems certainly aren't worth the £2,350 saving on the list price and slighty superior 52.3mpg so we'd go for the higher power option. Anyway, those after outright economy should wait for the diesel-electric Q7 e-tron plug-in hybrid with quoted economy and emissions figures of 166mpg and 50g/km. The normal diesels each get an eight speed Tiptronic automatic gearbox. On the whole it responds quickly to inputs and is very smooth - though on occasion it can cluck down into first when pulling up at a junction. Although it’s not designed to match a Range Rover off-road, the Q7’s quattro system is more than capable of hauling it through a muddy field or up a slippery path. In normal operation it splits the torque 40/60 front/rear, but can send up to 85 per cent of the torque to the rear axle if required. In reality few Q7s will ever leave the road, and overall the car is very pleasing and relaxing to drive either in town or on the motorway. It helps that the seats are comfortable and that very little outside noise enters the cabin - all you really notice is a little wind whistle round the windscreen pillars at higher speed.

Mazda revealed the all-new Mazda CX-3 to the world at the 2014 Los Angeles Auto Show. The all-new crossover SUV is the fifth model in Mazda’s line-up of new-generation vehicles to feature the full suite of the company’s award-winning SKYACTIV technology along with a stylish KODO – Soul of Motion design. With the global market launch set for Japan in spring 2015, the CX-3 is set to become a core member of Mazda’s model line-up. Click here for our detailed coverage of the LA Motor Show>>> European models will have a choice of three engines: the petrol SKYACTIV-G 2.0-litre in two power versions and the new SKYACTIV-D 1.5-litre clean diesel. Six-speed SKYACTIV-Drive automatic and SKYACTIV-MT manual transmissions will be offered either in front-wheel drive format or with Mazda’s new-generation all-wheel drive system. The all-new Mazda CX-3 will feature Mazda’s latest i-ACTIVSENSE active safety systems as well as superb passive protection from its lightweight yet stiff SKYACTIV-Body. Suited to the needs of a modern market, it also offers a generous infotainment package including the MZD Connect in-car connectivity system. The Mazda CX-3 will be on display throughout the 2014 Los Angeles Auto Show along with the all-new Mazda MX-5, the 2015 Mazda CX-5 and the 2015 Mazda6, which are also making their debuts. The show is open to the public from 21-30 November. What do you think of the new Mazda CX-3 crossover SUV? Share your thoughts and opinions with us through comments below.

Hyundais, they’ve come a long way. From being the butt of jokes in the West, today’s Kia/Hyundai range of cars are winning accolades and topping sales charts across the world. On that note then, a ravishing concept from the Korean manufacturer appears. This is the Hyundai HCD-16 Vision G Coupe Concept, and has been unveiled at a media event at the Los Angeles Country Museum of Art, before its public unveiling at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance this weekend.

Vision G Coupe Concept


The Vision G is a large grand tourer, has a coupe bodystyle with a “slingshot-like” profile, seats four and features styling that is “purposefully understated”. Hyundai insists that the design has a “chivalrous” theme going around it, with the car not having to stylistically shout to get noticed and respected. The Vision G Concept was designed in California, US, with the design team led by Christopher Chapman.

Vision G Coupe Concept

The insides are sumptuously appointed, with quilted ivory leather upholstery, golden accents and fine wood overlays. When the driver approaches the Vision-G, the doors automatically open, as if by a valet. Hyundai calls the “valet door” feature. The HCD-16 in the nomenclature represents Hyundai California Design center, and the number 16 denoting the 16th concept to come out of that facility.

Vision G Coupe Concept

The Vision G is powered by Hyundai’s 5.0-litre V8 petrol engine, which produces 420 bhp at 6,000 rpm and 519 Nm of torque at 5,000 rpm. Like the brand’s flagship Genesis sedan which also employs the same engine, the Vision G does away with conventional Hyundai badges, and gets winged Genesis badges, both inside and outside. The Vision G gives a fairly accurate representation of what a Genesis with two doors and more panache could look like.

It’s a bit of a mind bender this. You’re probably wondering what the hell is going on here. Well, the digital realm knows no boundaries, so one of India’s most popular cars in recent times just played the core of a premium brand’s entry level model in Photoshop. ‘Automotive Manipulator’ Theophilus Chin has imagined what a sub-Evoque, Range Rover SUV could look like; and he chose the Hyundai Creta as the base for what will essentially be Land Rover’s cheapest.

Most of the bodywork from the Creta has been shaved off, and digitally re grafted with Range Rover Sport elements; apart from the glasshouse and the roof. The front end is straight off the RR Sport, with a few tweaks to accommodate itself into the Creta’s volume. Range Rover or Land Rover branding above the grille would have sealed the deal. The rear view mirrors also come off a Range Rover, we believe.

Hyundai Creta Land Rover Render (2)

The sides also have a distinct Range Rover touch, with Evoque like wheel arch trim and a waistline that emanates from the front fender. A rear quarter window has been added, which gets a prominent kink at the bottom. New alloy wheels come off the new Discovery Sport. The back end of this automotive anomaly seems like the new Range Rover Sport rear ended into a Creta, while some wittiness has gone into making those Creta-Range Rover hybrid tail lamps. The roof rails and “shark fin” rear antenna are still retained from the Hyundai though.

A sub-Evoque Range Rover, if it happens at all, will draw swords against the likes of the BMW X1, Audi Q3 and Mercedes-Benz GLA Class It’ll be an interesting car, but won’t look anything like the renders above, which is just some good food for thought.

Hyundai has introduced an Audio Video Navigation System in the Elite i20 Asta (O) and i20 Active SX models. The system features a large 17.78cms (7”) Touch Screen with pre-loaded Maps, satellite-based voice guided navigation, rear camera display and other in-car entertainment and connectivity features.

The system comes with Bluetooth Connectivity that lets the user sync their phone with it and implement functions on screen including dialing, answering and sync their music. The built-in navigation features intuitive and suggestive keyboard allows the user to search locations and helps to reach their destination conveniently. It also imbibes pre-saved routes for easy access.

Using the multimedia’s touch screen and paired compatible Bluetooth mobile phone, one can browse contacts, place calls and even navigate to contacts’ addresses all without touching the phone.

The Buddh International Circuit makes a fitting location to thrash out Yamaha's potent new, twin-cylinder 300, the YZF-R3. The Japanese company shook the Indian sportsbike scene with its YZF-R15 a few years back, bringing with it a rich pool of bike technology at the time – fuel-injection, liquid-cooling, four valves per cylinder, a steel spar perimeter frame, six-speed gearbox and a lot more. The bike maker has already upped that game with the V2.0, making the R15 sharper, and adding premium bits including an alloy swingarm, which makes now the right time to introduce Indians to a whole new next level, the R3, a serious Ninja 300 challenger.


You can see the R3 lives up to its rich YZF lineage, looking racy, faired and ready to attack a race track. Where Honda's CBR bikes seem to look tamer today, the YZFs are getting sharper, sleeker and a touch wilder looking. The R3's steeply raked front fascia stares ahead with a macho, twin-light 'don't mess with me' air. The visor bubble is smartly integrated, easy to peer through and works well on track to provide excellent wind protection. Instrumentation is smart and modern with all essential information prominently displayed on a soothingly lit backdrop, and the R3 comes with all the high-quality feel you can take for granted on any Yamaha bike in India.

Grips offer top-notch, plush feel, and the switches, though little used at Buddh, are crisp, and smooth to operate. The levers are easy on your fingers and mirrors solid feeling, and easy to adjust. As with all track-focussed sportsbikes, the R3 comes with a forward biased riding position, that worked perfectly at the fast, flowing Buddh track but isn't overly aggressive for regular street use either.

Since the advent of democracy in 1976, Spanish politics has been dominated by the two largest parties: the Partido Socialista Obrero Español (PSOE) socialist party and right-wing Partido Popular (PP) party. In the 2011 national, regional, and local elections, the PSOE—in power since 2004—was handed widespread defeats, giving the opposition right PP outright majorities in 8 of the 13 regions that were up for grabs, and, nationally, installing PP party leader Mariano Rajoy as prime minister.

The electorate soured on the austerity measures the PSOE had adopted to cope with the country's considerable economic problems—not the least of them the highest unemployment rate in the euro zone—but the PP government has taken many measures even further: It raised income taxes, introduced labor reforms that make it easier for employers to fire workers, weakened the system of collective bargaining (thus lowering wages), and reduced both the numbers and salaries of public-sector, public-health, and education employees. The months following the election turned the spotlight on the indignados—the “indignant ones”—who gathered in Occupy Wall Street–style protests against the cutbacks in major cities nationwide; demonstrations have continued sporadically since then.

An important element of PP policy is its opposition to any further devolution of powers to Spain’s autonomous regions, which are responsible for their own education, welfare, and health care budgets—and where chronic borrowing and overspending have contributed significantly to the nation’s economic crises. Rajoy’s determined centralism has only added fuel to separatist sentiments, especially in Catalonia, where parties advocating outright independence won the regional elections in late 2012. In 2013, the regional parliament set the date for an independence referendum in 2015, although this is unlikely to go ahead because it’s unconstitutional.

THE ECONOMY
The introduction of the euro in January 2002 brought about a major change in Spain's economy, as shopkeepers, hoteliers, restaurateurs, and real estate agents all rounded prices up in an attempt to make the most of the changeover from the old currency, and the country became markedly more expensive. This did little to harm Spain's immense tourism machine, at least until the recession began to take its toll in 2009. A weaker euro and an improvement in global economic conditions brought the hospitality industry bouncing back in 2012 and 2013; this reflected, in some measure, a return on the government's €1.5 billion loan to "de-seasonalize" the industry (reducing its dependence on the summer beach-bound holiday market) and expand both the eco-friendly and the upscale cultural components of the Spanish travel experience. With the economy staging a slow recovery (the economy shrank by some 1.2% in 2013), tourism remains a bright spot: Spain's 60-million-plus visitors contribute around 12% annually to the country's GDP.

RELIGION
The state-funded Catholic Church, closely tied to the right-wing PP and with the national Cadena Cope radio station as its voice, continues to hold considerable social and political influence in Spain, with members of secretive groups such as Opus Dei and the Legionarios de Cristo holding key government and industry positions.

Despite the church's influence, at street level Spain has become a secular country, as demonstrated by the fact that 70% of Spaniards supported the decidedly un-Catholic 2005 law allowing gay marriage. And although more than 75% of the population claims to be Catholic—attendance at Mass has been bolstered over the last decade by strongly Catholic South American and Eastern European immigrants—less than 20% go to church on a regular basis.

More than 1 million Muslims reside in Spain, making Islam the country's second-largest religion.

THE ARTS
Spain's devotion to the arts is clearly shown by the attention, both national and international, paid to its annual Principe de Asturias prize, where Prince Felipe hands out accolades to international high achievers such as Philip Roth and Annie Leibovitz, and to homegrown talent such as the golfer José María Olazábal and writer Antonio Muñoz Molina, who has taught at the City University of New York.

Film is at the forefront of the Spanish arts scene. Acclaimed director Pedro Almodóvar notched another triumph in 2013 with his comic take on air travel in I’m So Excited!, starring Spanish leads Antonio Banderas and Penelope Cruz (who also teamed up with her husband, Javier Bardem, under the direction of Ridley Scott for The Counselor).

In contrast, Spanish music continues to be a rather local affair, though the summer festival scene, including the Festival Internacional de Benicàssim and WOMAD (World of Music and Dance), serves up top names to revelers who come from all over Europe to soak up music in the sun.

While authors such as Miguel Delibes, Rosa Montero, and Maruja Torres flourish in Spain, few break onto the international scene, with the exception of Arturo Pérez Reverte, whose books include Captain Alatriste and The Fencing Master, and Carlos Ruiz Zafón, author of the acclaimed Shadow of the Wind, The Angel’s Game, and Prisoner of Heaven. Spain's contribution to the fine arts is still dominated by three names: the Mallorca-born artist Miquel Barceló; the Basque sculptor Eduardo Chillida, who died in 2002; and the Catalan abstract painter Antoni Tàpies, who died in 2012.

SPORTS
With Real Madrid and FC Barcelona firmly established as international brands, and La Liga recognized as one of the world's most exciting leagues, soccer remains the nation's favorite sport. The national soccer team, known as La Roja ("The Red One"), is the only team in the world to have won the European Cup twice and the World Cup in succession. La Roja was a serious contender for its second successive World Cup in summer 2014, but was eliminated early in the group stages. After fútbol, what rivets the Spanish fan's attention are cycling, tennis, basketball, and motorcycle racing. Alberto Contador, who won the 2012 Vuelta de España; Rafael Nadal, the first tennis player to hold Grand Slam titles on clay, grass, and hard court; brothers Pau and Marc Gasol, who play for the Los Angeles Lakers and the Memphis Grizzlies respectively; and Marc Márquez who in 2013 was the youngest winner ever of MotoGP, are national heroes.