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High five for Citroen's new medium SUVhttps://www.stuff.co.nz/motoring/road-tests/109909709/high-five-for-citroens-new-medium-suv Citroen has always been more keen on quirky people movers than high-riding SUVs. It's a very Continental thing. Except that it's becoming less of thing as time goes on, which is why the French brand has finally created something that competes in New Zealand's most popular single new-vehicle segment: medium SUVs. So say "salut/gidday" to the new C5 Aircross, a European Car of the Year nominee that's heading here in September. Perhaps because it's come so late to the SUV party, Citroen reckons the C5 Aircross answers buyer concerns about the relative lack of comfort and practicality in the latest fashion-led soft-roaders. It's based on the same front-drive platform as the Peugeot 3008, but it's 55mm longer in the wheelbase (and stretched by the same amount overall). The idea is that the C5 Aircross is more spacious on the inside than your average medium SUV, more comfortable with Citroen's new-generation Advanced Comfort Seats (15mm surface foam, mattress-like filling and more memory foam underneath) and especially more practical. The rear seats are split 40/20/40, all three sections slide individually and the backrests can be adjusted for rake, meaning luggage capacity ranges from a generous 580 litres to a very impressive 720 while maintaining five chairs. Not exactly luxurious for rear occupants in the latter position, but hey - you can do it. It's all very people-mover-like. You can see what they've done there. There's just one high-specification model for NZ, powered by a version of Peugeot-Citroen's familiar 1.6-litre turbo-petrol with 132kW/250Nm. That's more grunt than you get in the top-line 3008 petrol models (121kW/240Nm) and it's matched to an eight-speed automatic gearbox. The comfort ethos continues in the suspension with Citroen's Progressive Hydraulic Cushion (PHC) dampers, a unique system originally developed for the brand's rally cars that has extra baby dampers at the top and bottom of the main units to smooth out the up-and-down movements, while maintaining good control in the mid-range. So at a projected price just under $50k, you're potentially getting a larger, more powerful and better equipped SUV (stuff like adaptive cruise will likely be standard on the Kiwi C5 Aircross) for a little less money than the equivalent 3008. It's expected to account for at least of half of Citroen's Kiwi volume when it comes on stream in September, although with no price-leading model and the fact that it's a new thing for a niche brand, it'll still be a fairly small concern. The local distributor reckons the 3008 will still outsell the C5 Aircross three-to-one. At Citroen's international media launch in Morocco. Marrakech in fact, from the chaos of the city where you're constantly dodging battered Peugeot 504 utes, out into wide open spaces and around the foothills of the Atlas Mountains. An ambitious drive-location and obviously one chosen to showcase the squishy underpinnings and long cruising legs of the C5 Aircross. ​The so-called "180" (that's horsepower) version of this engine is a gem: perky and punchy, even if it gets a little raucous up top. The eight-speed transmission is seamless and smooth at a cruise, although it can get a bit fidgety when you ask the big questions with the throttle. The roads in Morocco are famously bad in places: narrow, ruts and plenty of big potholes. A tough test then. As with the PHC-equipped C4 Cactus we tested in NZ late last year, we found the C5 Aircross chassis had a tendency to occasionally crash into broken tarmac at urban speeds, but cruised serenely on the open road, combining the right degree of classic Citroen "waft" with good body control. It's a ride-handling combination that suits the medium-SUV C5 Aircross much better than the city-oriented C4 Cactus. And don't mistake comfort-oriented dynamics for a sluggish feel: the C5 Aircross is literally light on its feet, with a kerb weight of just 1430kg. We ventured off-tarmac a little, although take note that as with the sister 3008, the C5 Aircross is front-drive only. Kiwi models will likely ride on 19-inch wheels, but if you're willing to step down to 18s you can have Grip Control as an option - a drive-mode selector that adjusts traction control and transmission calibration for low traction surfaces. What really stands out? Character: a more fluid low-speed ride would be welcome, but overall the Citroen's deliberately non-sporty demeanour and strong visual character are hugely refreshing. The interior ambience is pretty chill as well - lounge-like in its styling and high in equipment. The controls are pleasingly simple but there's hi-tech on board, including a neat virtual instrument panel. The choice of materials is more in the cheap-and-cheerful mould, though: the textures are interesting but a lot of the plastic is pretty hard. It's nothing like as premium as the touchy feely environment of a 3008. Why would I buy it? Because it proves that medium-sized SUVs don't have to be generic boxes. Because it really does blend SUV style with a touch of people-mover practicality. Or because Citroen is doing some pretty cool stuff these days that's full of character without being self-consciously quirky, and you want in.

WASHINGTON: The Milky Way contains at least 17 billion planets the size of Earth, and likely many more, according to a study out Monday that raises the chances of discovering a sister planet to ours. Astronomers using NASA's Kepler spacecraft found that about 17 per cent of stars in our galaxy have a planet about the size of Earth in a close orbit. The Milky Way is known to host about 100 billion stars, meaning that about one of every six has an Earth-sized planet around it. The finding does not mean that all those planets beyond our solar system, or exoplanets, could be habitable, though it increases the chances of finding planets similar to Earth. In order to host life, and allow water to flow in liquid form, a planet must be at a distance from its star that allows surface temperatures to be neither too hot nor too cold. The Kepler craft detected possible exoplanets when they passed in front of their star, creating a mini-eclipse that dims the star slightly. During the first 16 months of the survey, Kepler identified about 2,400 candidates. Francois Fressin, of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, and his colleagues used the results to determine which signals were true and to list the exoplanets by size. They found that 17 percent of stars have a planet 0.8 to 1.25 times the size of Earth in an orbit of 85 days or less. About a fourth of stars have a super Earth (1.25 to twice the size of Earth) in an orbit of 150 days or less, with a same fraction having a mini Neptune (two to four times Earth) in orbits up to 250 days long. Larger planets are a much rarer occurrence. Only about three percent of stars have a large Neptune (four to six times Earth) and only five percent have a gas giant (six to 22 times Earth) in an orbit of 400 days or less. The researchers presented the analysis at a meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Long Beach, California. Separately, NASA's Kepler mission announced it had discovered 461 new possible planets. Four of them are less than twice the size of Earth and orbit their sun's "habitable zone," where liquid water might exist on the planet's surface and thus make life possible. The findings, based on observations conducted from May 2009 to March 2011, showed the number of smaller-size planet candidates and the number of stars with more than one candidate steadily rising. -AFP/ac

Has anyone noticed that all the mid-sized Korean and Japanese sedans no longer seem to be available. Camry, Accord, Teana, Legacy, Sonata, Optima are no longer available in showrooms. They're mostly not even listed for sale either by ADs in SG carmart . The Mazda 6 seems to be the only mid-sized Japanese sedan that's available now. Anyone know if, and when, any of these cars will be back in our showrooms soon? 2018 models?

Hi guys.............i having a hard time now as i looking for shoes but hard to find shoes that is my size about 11 or 12 for smart casual shoes...... any1 have lobang pls tell me

At Tampines Mall Kopitiam yesterday. The food court was crowded and the ah mah was slow in clearing the tables, so the fat bitch lost her temper and gave the ah mah one punch in the eye and scolded her vulgarities. It took 10 men to restrain the fat bitch, other patrons also came forward to protect the ah mah from further assault by the fat bitch http://news.omy.sg/News/Local%2BNews/Story...526-339774.html

Going to put a full sized spare instead of a spacesaver in the boot. Question: Must I use non-directional, symmetric tyre on the full sized spare, or can I just use any tyres? Any recommendations for 215/45R17?

http://australia.to/2010/index.php?option=...&Itemid=201 SINGAPORE, Aug 9 (IPS) - Just a month after the buzz from the vuvuzelas ended at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, Singapore is busy preparing to host the next major event in the world sports calendar the Youth Olympic Games. But few seem to know, or care, about the inaugural youth version of the venerable Olympic Games. An online survey by state-controlled media Channel News Asia found that some 88 percent of 6,430 respondent said they were

Another version of Grande Punto........got this news from clubfiattitude. Check out here: http://www.autoblog.com/2007/08/02/pint-si...unto-1-4-t-jet/