Ariens 01213200 Heavy-duty Flat Idler Sten#280-594 on 2040-parts.com

Volvos get a facelift: V70, XC70 & S80 get tweaked

2011 Volvo S80 Facelift - tweaks to cosmetics and diesels Well, if you’re going to have a fiddle with one car, you may as well have a fiddle with three. That seems to be Volvo’s point of view as it performs a bit of plastic surgery on the Volvo V70, Volvo XC70 and Volvo S80, and fettles the oily bits in to the bargain. Under the skin, it’s tweaks to the diesel lumps that dominate, with both the D3 (2.0 litre) and D5 (2.4 litre) getting some work.

Jaguar XKR-S (2011) at 2011 Geneva motor show

Jaguar has turned up the power and sharpened the handling on the flagship XKR coupe for the 2011 Geneva motor show. The result: the XKR-S, claimed to be the fastest production Jaguar sports car ever. For 2011, Jaguar is returning the XKR-S to the top of the XK range. CAR readers may recall the well regarded 2008 limited edition that last carried the badge.  The XKR-S has an uprated version of the 5.0-litre supercharged V8 found in the standard XKR. Power moves up to 542bhp (from 510bhp), and torque swells to 501lb ft (up from 461lb ft) thanks to lots of ECU tweakage.

Ford starts big push on redesigned Explorer, touting fuel economy and capability

Ford Motor Co. will emphasize fuel economy, off-road and towing capability and a smoother ride when it launches TV and print advertising for the redesigned 2011 Explorer next month. In other words: Different build but better capability, Ford says.