European spec VW Jetta

Following the unveiling of the new North American specification Jetta a few months ago, Volkswagen has now taken the wraps off the European model.

On the face of it, both versions appear almost identical. However, a big difference is that European cars will get a superior four-link rear suspension system similar to the Golf’s, instead of a simple torsion beam.



What goes under the bonnet has been changed, too. For the time being, North American buyers have a choice of two petrol engines: a four cylinder 2.0 litre with only eight valves and a single overhead camshaft that produces a miserable 115 bhp (85 kW / 116 PS), or a 2.5 litre inline five with four valves per cylinder and double overhead camshafts which manages a more respectable 170 bhp (126 kW / 172 PS).



By contrast, the European engine line-up will consist of much more efficient TSI petrol engines, plus a couple of TDI diesels:

• 1.2 TSI (103 bhp / 77 kW / 105 PS)


• 1.4 TSI (120 bhp / 90 kW / 122 PS)


• 1.4 TSI (158 bhp / 118 kW / 160 PS)


• 2.0 TSI (197 bhp / 147 kW / 200 PS)


• 1.6 TDI (103 bhp / 77 kW / 105 PS)


• 2.0 TDI (138 bhp / 103 kW / 140 PS)

Volkswagen is now pitching the Jetta as a completely separate model, even though it still sits on a modified Golf platform. To further differentiate it, the new generation Jetta has grown by 90 mm and is now 4,644 mm long.



But that means it’s getting uncomfortably close the recently facelifted Passat saloon, which measures 4,769 mm. That could cannibalise sales of the (slightly) larger car, a situation that won’t be helped by the very similar appearance of the two models.

Spot the difference: 2011 Jetta...

...and the recently launched 2011 Passat

UK sales of the new 2011 Volkswagen Jetta, which is to be built in Mexico, are due to start in early 2011. Prices and final specifications will be announced nearer the time, but the entry point will probably be around £17,000.





Related post:

New VW Jetta revealed

BACK TO THE ANDY WARHOL MANSION

MTV President Splurges on Warhol's 66th Street Mansion
By Deborah Schoeneman and Carmela Ciuraru
January 23, 2000 | 7:00 p.m
Andy Warhol lived at 57 East 66th Street from 1974 until his death in 1987, dwelling there longer than anyone who has since tried to call the town house home–first a Spanish family and then an American gentleman. Maybe they were spooked by the secret trap door in the master bedroom or tales of the sordid findings of the appraisers who scoured the place after Warhol's death: green boxes of wings stacked near a television set, a medicine cabinet filled with makeup tubes and perfume bottles, and women's jewelry nestled in the four-poster canopy bed.
Now it's Tom Freston's turn. The Warhol mansion was purchased by the chairman of MTV for around $6.5 million in early January. Mr. Freston confirmed that he purchased the house, but did not wish to comment.
The 8,000-square-foot house is a hefty piece of memorabilia. Warhol bought it for $310,000 and hired decorator Jed Johnson. Together they merged their tastes in art deco with primitive contemporary paintings (none of his own) and religious emblems. Soon after Warhol's death, someone stole the street number–57–from the facade. (That prompted the Spanish family who purchased the house from Warhol's estate to erect a gate out front, which has since been removed.) On Aug. 6, 1998, in celebration of Mr. Warhol's 70th birthday, Barbaralee Diamonstein-Spielvogel's Historic Landmark Preservation Center dedicated a plaque to the town house to honor the artist–the first memorial to Warhol in the city. There was, of course, a large gathering in front of the residence for the occasion.
One broker considers $6.5 million a fair price. "It's a great old house," the broker said. "Andy never did a major rehab of it. He left a lot of detail that people appreciate like trade moldings and fireplaces." The Spanish family paid the estate $3 million, but never moved in, and the last owner, who purchased the house in 1993 for $3.35 million, did some upgrading but kept the architecture intact.
The five-and-a-half-story neoclassical house has four bedrooms, a library with Juliet balconies, six fireplaces, central air-conditioning and an elevator.
Vincent Fremont, a friend of Warhol's, remembers house-sitting for the artist while he was in Japan for two weeks in 1974. "Very few people ever got into the house. It was a private hideaway," he said. "It had a nice parlor, a staircase and a formal dining room, which Andy never used after the late 70's because he liked to eat in the downstairs kitchen."
Mr. Freston and Warhol met over Warhol's television show Fifteen Minutes , said Mr. Fremont, who produced the show. Fifteen Minutes ran on MTV from 1986 to 1987. "It's kind of interesting that after all these years he bought it," said Mr. Fremont. "It's kind of terrific."
The fate of Mr. Freston's TriBeCa condominium on the top floor of 39 North Moore Street, which he bought in 1994, is unknown.

Honda CBR250R first look

With the Ninja 250R, Kawasaki has had the quarter-litre sports bike class pretty much to itself of late.



But now that’s set to change. Honda has just announced the CBR250R, which is designed to plug the gap in its supersports range between the CBR125R and the CBR600RR.

Due to make its debut at next month’s EICMA Motorcycle Show in Milan, power for the CBR250R will come from a 249.4 cc PGM-FI fuel injected engine driving through a six-speed transmission. There’s no word on output yet, but it’ll need to be close to the 32 bhp (24 kW / 33 PS) of the Ninja 250R to be competitive.



However, unlike the Kawasaki which features a parallel twin, the Honda is a single cylinder bike. Although it gets a counterbalancing shaft to help combat any inherent roughness, it might well be that some buyers just prefer a multi-cylinder set up.

The styling of the CBR250R, particularly around the fairing, is reminiscent of the Honda VFR1200F. That’s either a good or bad thing, depending on whether or not you like the unusual looks of the VFR.



Beneath the bodywork lies a steel frame, connected to which are non-adjustable 37 mm forks at the front and Honda’s Pro-link rear suspension with five-position preload adjustment at the rear. Braking is taken care of by single discs, and ABS will be an option.



The Honda CBR250R will be available in North America for the first time, where buyers will get a choice of black or red / silver colour schemes. It’ll also appear in Europe, painted white / blue / red or black, although it’s to be confirmed whether that includes the UK.

Pricing has yet to be revealed, but one thing’s for sure - it won’t need to cost much more than the Kawasaki Ninja 250R, which currently retails for £4,099 (plus government charges) in the UK, and $3,999 (MSRP) in the US.

Justin Bieber to Perform at the American Music Awards

It was just announced that Justin Bieber will be making his American Music Awards performance debut this year! Other acts that will be taking the AMA stage include: Katy Perry, Ke$ha, Christina Aguilera, Bon Jovi, P!nk, and Usher.

Justin is nominated for four awards including Artist of the Year. You can vote for Justin and all your faves at amavote.com through November 12.

The American Music Awards will air live from the Nokia Theatre in L.A. on Sunday, November 21 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

What song do you want Justin to sing?

J-14

Rib Cage Tattoo

Rib cage tattoos are considered to be private as the area is not always exposed for all to see, hence it opens the doors to some unique and personal tattoo designs. Some say getting a tattoo was one of the best experiences they have ever had with art, going through a little pain to create something beautiful felt like a spiritual journey for some. Using your body as a canvas for rib cage tattoos is a great idea because the artist gets a large space to work with. Tattoos have been used since time immemorial and nowadays are quiet popular with many celebrity endorsements. 'Transformers' star Megan Fox has 'Those who danced were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music' inscribed on her right rib cage.

A tattoo is forever and if you want to remove it you will have to under go expensive cosmetic surgical procedure. It is imperative that you think before you choose a tattoo design for your rib cage, generally big and expansive designs look good in this region. If you are going to get a colored tattoo then choose colors that will complement your skin tone and the tattoo design. If you have decided to get rib cage tattoos then be ready to bear a little rib cage tattoo pain as the area has many underlying bones.

Getting a tattoo on an area which has bones underneath like the ankle or rib cage is slightly more painful than fleshy areas like the biceps. In ancient times tattoos were used to express loyalty to the tribe or to mark the rank of a warrior. Tattoos are not only trendy but are also used to express your views and beliefs.

2010 South Korean GP

Following his victory at the Yeongam construction site, venue of the inaugural South Korean Formula 1 Grand Prix, Fernando Alonso is now set to win the 2010 drivers’ championship.

That’s if the odds currently being offered by UK online bookmakers are anything to go by. They all seem to have the moaning Spaniard as favourite.

Driver	Betfred	Paddy Power	Ladbrokes	888 Sport
Fernando Alonso	1/2	4/6	4/6	8/13
Mark Webber	9/4	2/1	2/1	15/8
Lewis Hamilton	12/1	10/1	8/1	10/1
Sebastian Vettel	16/1	11/1	12/1	12/1
Jenson Button	500/1	N/A	250/1	250/1

Indeed, Alonso could secure the title at the next round, which is in Brazil, if he wins that race and nearest challenger Mark Webber finishes fifth or lower. Otherwise, the fight will go to the season’s final event in Abu Dhabi.



2010 Championship standings after the South Korean Formula 1 Grand Prix:

Pos.	Driver	Team	Points
1	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	231
2	Mark Webber	Red Bull-Renault	220
3	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren-Mercedes	210
4	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull-Renault	206
5	Jenson Button	McLaren-Mercedes	189
6	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	143
7	Robert Kubica	Renault	124
8	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes GP	122
9	Michael Schumacher	Mercedes GP	66
10	Rubens Barrichello	Williams-Cosworth	47
11	Adrian Sutil	Force India-Mercedes	47
12	Kamui Kobayashi	BMW Sauber-Ferrari	31
13	Vitantonio Liuzzi	Force India-Mercedes	21
14	Vitaly Petrov	Renault	19
15	Nico Hulkenberg	Williams-Cosworth	18
16	Sebastien Buemi	Toro Rosso-Ferrari	8
18	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber-Ferrari	6
19	Jaime Alguersuari	Toro Rosso-Ferrari	3
20	Heikki Kovalainen	Lotus-Cosworth	0
21	Jarno Trulli	Lotus-Cosworth	0
22	Bruno Senna	Hispania-Cosworth	0
23	Lucas di Grassi	Virgin-Cosworth	0
24	Karun Chandhok	Hispania-Cosworth	0
25	Timo Glock	Virgin-Cosworth	0
26	Sakon Yamamoto	Hispania-Cosworth	0
27	Christian Klien	Hispania-Cosworth	0

JUSTIN BIEBER is SINGLE && 25 things to know about him