Dede Sophie

Many years ago, when it used to be a 2 lane highway, it used to be everybody’s favorite pit stop . It didn’t matter whether you were a truck driver, a motorcyclist or a family traveling by car, you wanted to stop here, feel the breeze, hear the sound of waves thrashing next to the road and soak in the stunning views of two water bodies straddling either side of the national highway. Today, the 2 lane highway has been replaced by a 4 lane highway. And in spite of the change, this place still continues to be the highway rider’s favorite pit stop. I am talking about Maravanthe beach located by the National Highway 66 on the West coast of India. To the West of the highway lies the Arabian Sea and the sound, smell and breeze of the ocean. And to the East lies the Sowparnika river that runs parallel to the highway before it travels south and joins the Panchagangavali river and dumps into the Arabian Sea. While hues of blue greets you on the ocean side, the river side greets you with hues of

Full details of revisions to the CLA Coupe and Shooting Brake variants have been detailed by Mercedes-Benz, writes Brian Byrne. The exterior changes include modifications to the front apron and radiator grille, and to the rear diffuser. There are also changed graphics in the LED headlamps, now standard across the range. New paint colours and wheel designs have also been introduced. Inside the MBUX infotainment system has 7-inch and 10.25-inch screens as standard, with the option of two 10.25-inch available. There are new trim elements, and seats in part-leather and 100pc recycled fabric are also standard. All petrol engines are electrified, power outputs between 136hp-224hp, with mild-hybrid and PHEV options, the latter with faster charging and more powerful electric motors. Rated electric range is between 68-82km. There are diesels with outputs from 116hp-190hp. Mercedes-AMG variants have their own revisions, including engines up to 421hp. 

Peugeot’s new 308 small family car is the latest version of the hugely successful nameplate with more than seven million worldwide sales over the generations – the first unveiled in 2007 as a replacement for the 307, the second in 2013 (voted European Car of the Year 2014), and the third in 2021 which saw the inclusion of a hybrid powertrain, writes Trish Whelan.   The new 308 is built on a multi-power platform developed to incorporate a petrol engine along with an electric motor whilst preserving space on board and boot volume. Particular attention was given to weight reduction and balance to make sure the driving experience is as rewarding as possible.  The 308 has always been one of the best-looking small cars on the market but with this latest model the Lion brand has dared to change the body shape quite dramatically. Peugeot were very brave in their design continuing the model as a hatchback and bucking the current trend of upscaling cars to crossovers or SUVs.  The result is a ca