How Shocking: Electrical Issues Plague Modern Cars

With modern cars fitted with more and more electronic equipment, it is logical that electrical problems are popping up much more frequently than in past years. According to a Warranty Direct survey in the UK, electrical faults account for 27% of all car malfunctions every year.

That’s a 17% rise over just five years ago, with more than four out of 10 cars each year facing breakdowns due to electrical problems that are mostly rather complex, and expensive to fix.

Topping the list of the most problematic cars is the 2002-2009 MY Renault Megane, with a 34.66% chance of electrical failure, followed by another French car, the Peugeot 607, with 31.28%. But, as you can see from the list that follows, electrical gremlins plague not just the French models, but also the German and British.

However, there are no Japanese or Korean car in the Top 10.

So, next time you walk into a showroom to buy a new car and drool over the options list, bear in mind that all those wonderful gadgets, which are often unnecessary, might cause you quite a headache in the long run.

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2012 Range Rover Sport Benefits from 8-Speed Auto and More Powerful Diesel

After the introduction of the updated Discovery 4, Land Rover released details on its 2012 Range Rover Sport that features similar mechanical changes and equipment upgrades for the new model year.

As with the Discover 4, the Range Rover Sport’s more powerful 3.0-liter SDV6 diesel engine receives a 10HP boost lifting output from 245-horses to 256HP and is now mated to Land Rover’s new ZF 8HP70, 8-speed automatic gearbox. As a result, CO2 emissions have been reduced from 243g/km to 230g/km while combined fuel economy has improved from 30.7mpg to 32.1mpg UK.

Along with the new 8-speed transmission, the Range Rover Sport SDV6 now comes equipped with the 'Drive Select' rotary gear shift and steering wheel-mounted paddle shift.

Thanks to a low-flow fuel injection system, CO2 emissions for the entry level 211-horsepower diesel engine have been reduced from 243g/km to 224g/km.

The range-topping 5.0-liter supercharged V8 gasoline engine remains unchanged for 2012, continuing to deliver 510-horses and a 0-60mph (96km/h) sprint time of 5.9 seconds.

Other changes to the 2012 Range Rover Sport include new colors for the exterior and interior trims, a restyled powered single piece tailgate that is standard across the range, enhanced audio and infotainment systems and a next generation 7-inch touch-screen that is available with optional Dual View technology.

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Rumors: Range Rover Mulling “Grand” Evoque

The Range Rover Evoque hasn’t even hit the market yet, according to a report from UK’s Autocar, Land Rover’s people are debating whether or not to add a bigger version to its line-up, which at the time being, consists of a "coupe-ish" 3-door model and a more practical 5-door variant.

If the British company goes ahead with this plan, it would allow them to bridge the gap that exists in the marque’s (Range Rover, not Land Rover) range between the Evoque and the Range Rover Sport.

This “Grand” Evoque would bebased on the LR-MS platform that underpins the other two versions, stretched by around 300 mm to provide more ample space for passengers as well as a larger boot and may also spawn a (long-rumored) Jaguar SUV.

The design is expected to retain most of the Evoque’s rather striking characteristics, since Land Rover’s designers believe that there is a market for sporty and distinctive, yet not overtly aggressive (such as BMW’s X6) large SUVs.

As for the drivetrains, the logical choice would be to keep the Evoque’s 2.0-litre petrol and 2.2-litre diesel engines, in front and four-wheel drive configurations.

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