Road Test
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Road Test Reports of Cars & SUV's in Dubai, U.A.E., Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Oman & Kuwait.
The Audi A4 has always figured towards the top of the premium mid-size sedan league because of its agility, its ability to score from a wide range of perspectives and its athletic all-rounder million dollar sponsorship looks. But can it still live up to the hype and run rings around the opposition?
Call this car bold, ‘pimped-out’ or just plain crazy, call it what you want, but there is no escaping the super-styled CTS – this is a car you just have to look at.
First glance at the all important facts and figures, and the fast, focused and sometimes ferocious new Chevrolet CSV CR8 would surely seem to be one of those heart-felt purchases that only a very few of us can really justify.
The whole Hybrid ‘hoo-ha’ has kind of passed us by here in the UAE, because as luck would have it, we pay an absolute minimum for our petrol and whilst we do have a little bit of greenery around and about, the whole save-the-planet issue hasn’t been forced right down our throats with all the ferocity that our European and American cousins have had to suffer for the last few years.
The new Focus looks nice enough and definitely has a different, European-look to it; a welcome and refreshing change to the legions of Japanese cars that cruise the Dubai streets, looking as they do, almost identical to one another with a mostly very bland, over-computer-aided design style. At least the Focus looks like it has had a little bit of human time and soul invested in its styling.
So, the new compact SUV from GMC, the Terrain, is like the new kid on a very crowded block. Will it be bullied out of sales by the likes of the funky Toyota RAV-4 or the versatile Honda CR-V?
The Accord coupe test car provided to us by Honda Middle East was a well-equipped model with the 3.5-litre V6 power plant under its belly, 5-speed automatic transmission, leather upholstery and a host of luxury oddments that's standard in this category of cars.
Kia is positioning the Mohave in the opposite fighting corner to the likes of the Mitsubishi Pajero, Nissan Pathfinder, Toyota Land Cruiser and Volvo XC90, and at first glance, if price is your primary reason for buying, then the Mohave will suit you well as Kia have pledged to undercut the Japanese makers, although no pricetag has yet been announced.
When Nissan engineers designed the 2007 Altima Sedan last year, they had the Coupe planned right from the start. They never had a 2-door Coupe in the Altima lineup before, but this time they knew they wanted one.
For those of you who don’t, and trust me you won’t be alone, ‘Qashqai’ (cash-kai) is the name for a tribal confederation of clans of Turkic origin in Iran. Of course! Now it becomes clear as day why a Japanese car manufacturer would give their compact SUV such a title. Well, actually it doesn’t, and there are several aspects of the Qashqai that are equally as peculiar – but more of that later.
2008 Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet Road Test Report | Dubai, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and rest of Middle East
The looks are pleasantly understated, the performance and driving characteristics are very enjoyable and the levels of comfort and cruising capability are also to be admired; the only slight I problem I foresee though, is that the V6 Passat sits on the consumer fence too much - premium brand cruiser, or cracking driver’s car?
The Volkswagen Phaeton is a car for people who don’t drive. ‘How does that work,’ I hear you say. Simple really; the Volkswagen Phaeton is a car for people that get driven, chauffeur-style. This is VW’s answer to the top of the range stretched sedans from the likes of BMW, Mercedes and Jaguar,
If you’re anything like me, when you hear the words ‘V’ and ‘8’ said together, you’re eyes will light up, your smile will broaden and there might even be some slight tingling as the hairs on the back of your neck stand to attention. A powerful V8-engined car is the stuff of school boy’s dreams…
And to make sure you’re reading a truly comprehensive TIIDA road test, we’ve bought together both the sedan and hatchback models side by side, ensuring you the ultimate comparison.
Renault has made a great name for itself over in Europe, where fuel-efficient, practical and good-value motoring has been at the very top of many new car buyers’ wish-lists for many years. With serious constraints put on many purchases, simply by the cost of petrol; a car that can deliver value-for-money transport, while still expressing a certain amount of style and flair has always been a good-seller in the European markets, and the French carmaker knows this.
Volkswagen's new Jetta is one of these products which strikes a good balance between size, price, and quality. It's nicely sized – not too big nor too small – and is loaded with a measured amount of German luxury and quality, which is fantastic for a mid-size sedan. In this regard, it definitely counts as a genius.
This is not your average everyday SUV! With a 6.1-litre Hemi waiting to be unleashed under the hood, the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 is one helluva machine that introduces itself by its enormous grunt, being spot-on to take on its competition. Read on…
Toyota’s Aurion is a replacement for the old-model Camry V6. Using a fusion of Greek and Latin, Aurion means ‘First Light’. It would seem apt though as with this new car, Toyota hopes to give a semblance of sporty aspiration to its mid-size car range.
This is the year when Audi steps up the offensive with a slew of new models. First the R8 and now the new A5 and S5 twins, and come September the all-new A4 will be out, sending a strong warning to its German rivals. Watch out!
The new Pathfinder arrives in the Middle East with a bigger interior, more seats, a bigger engine and thus more power, and more trim level options. It fact, it is a completely new design, despite its new body being underpinned by a separate chassis.
The new ship of the desert? Well, almost! Porsche's 521PS Cayenne is not only the most powerful production car from Weissach currently but is also an accomplished dune dueller. Shame it will reside more in the urban jungles all over the world.
What’s the point to abandon the confines of a warm, cozy bed in the middle of the night if you can’t wake up your neighbours with the howl of an acoustically tuned V8 or a power-crazed twin-turbo inline-six or for that matter a wailing, tuned 400-bhp inline-four?
A new kid on the block, the Caliber is Dodge's take to the likes of the Volkswagen Golf and Peugeot 307, but the Caliber is no mere hatchback. Dodge's approach has been to take the hatchback formula and graft it onto that of a Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV), creating something really quite unique in the process.
Packing eight cylinders with a capacity of 5.5-litres with power and torque to propel effortlessly past the 250 kph mark and with manners that would do a nobleman proud, we experience the new Mercedes-Benz S500 which has other luxury barges in its sights, as easy meat.
A geological hotspot, the island of Iceland became an automotive hotspot when Mercedes Benz decided to conduct an international media drive event for the all new Mercedes GL here.
In this day and age of being socially correct where doing everything the correct way is the norm, the Hummer H3 tries its best to fall into the realms of society. You know, kind of like warm and cuddly – or think of it like having lite butter instead of full cream, high cholesterol. Get the drift…
The V8 Vantage Roadster is good. Not perfect, but immensely pleasing to look at, to travel in, and, most important of all, to drive
A problem is a chance for you to do your best and when the likes of Toyota, Hyundai, and Chevrolet etc are your competitors, the chances to do your best become just a little more challenging. The 2006 Jazz might not look it but it plays a strong note in the mini car segment, partly due to Honda’s all new i-series super efficient ‘next generation’ 1.5-litre engine. And just how strong a note is it? We find out.
Yet another traditional car manufacturer jumps onto the SUV bandwagon. Is riding piggyback on GM’s GMT360 platform the way forward for Saab to signal its intentions in the big, bad world of sports utility vehicles?
The new ES350 is European in design and style but borne out of Japanese culture and a need to create a distinct identity. Thus, L-Finesse appeals to world markets, especially the European market with a consistent global design message that is all so Japanese.
Any which way you look at it, the new Rio looks absolutely stunning…for a Korean product – and I am not being sarcastic, mind you. Just cover the Kia badge and this hatchback can easily pass off as an Opel or any other contemporary European model.
There are two ways to view the Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart: as the ultimate and most painful tease for the Lancer Evolution, or as just a really nice little car with a dose of extra attitude. There are plenty of super-high-performance cars out there, but how often can you actually wring ‘em out?
A coupe, in true American spirit, the original Charger was an iconic car and a star in its own right. Fast forward to present times and the Charger name has resurfaced in a form that is not only far removed from its original but has also sprouted two additional doors.
If the old Porsche Cayenne was only ever approached with cynicism, then the new one is a car, err SUV that inspires hope. Porsche, being Porsche, now endows the new Cayenne with a drive that mirrors its sports car sibling ever so more and it is all thanks to the electronic wizardry under the botox injected skin.
It's not everyday that a new Corvette rolls out, but when it does everybody takes notice. With the Corvette C6 it does seem that General Motors is following in Porsche's footsteps which by careful evolution of the 911 has had the money coming in. The Corvette has been America's most revered and respected home-grown sports car for sometime, and was last evolved in 1997.
It was, therefore, with special anticipation that I approached my test of the Range Rover SC, the most powerful Range Rover ever built. However, as we were driving alone, the drive was confined to the tarmac and just a little bit of off-roading (keeping the highway in view) out towards Hatta, close to Oman’s border with the UAE.
Infiniti – the luxury arm of Japanese auto maker Nissan - is on a roll cranking out new models with the speed of a rollercoaster. Whereas earlier it was just a one model brand in the Middle East region with the Q45, it now boasts many products – both on- and off-road models. And now adding further to the allure is Infiniti's latest addition to its line-up – the G35 sedan.
When I first saw the brilliant dynamic package of the new Octavia, I was totally blown away – this brand can still teach the competition a trick or two - like how doors should sound when slammed shut...
Trying to invent a new market segment is a bold venture in the 21st century, and Renault is not too far from it. They too wanted a piece of the growing line of solid-topped convertibles and hence hot-on-the-heels of French rivals – the five-in-one Citroen Pluriel and Peugeot 307 CC – Renault’s Megane CC (the CC denotes “coupe-cabriolet”) follows a now-familiar formula of a folding hardtop roof in a stylish four-seater package.
Introduced in early summer, this is the little brother of the hugely successful Porsche Cayman S, which was introduced at the end of last year. The only significant difference between the two models is that the ‘S’ enjoys the benefit of a 3.4 litre power pack, while the new Cayman has 2.7 litres.
Easily the best-looking Volvo in more than a generation, Volvo’s flagship S80 is luxurious, roomy and safe. New for 2007 is the fitment of a V8 powerplant up front and all-wheel-drive. Inside as well as out, the S80 is welcoming, attractive and understated.
Although the Commander is based on the mechanicals of the Jeep Grand Cherokee, it is as different as chalk from cheese. For one, the Commander does not favour the soft-looking design elements of the Grand Cherokee – it draws inspiration from the hard-nosed, boxy Jeep Cherokee that helped launch the SUV craze back in the USA in the 1980s.
Some time back we had described the Toyota Camry – the affordable sofa on wheels which has just got a complete makeover, both inside and outside. But how does it drive? Is there a marked improvement in ride and handling? We have the answers...
Sporting a new ‘face’, revised rear styling, updated interior and seats as well as the Dynaudio sound system as an option, the new Touareg carries on with its success story. We check out the 3.6-litre V6 FSI.
The Lexus LS460 is put to the grind and for a change the testers are arguing in not wanting to drive the car, instead insisting on being a passenger on the right rear seat. To find the reason, read on….
The 2007MY RAV4 has definitely lost some of its flab – it’s appears a lot leaner though, the meanness is somewhat lost in the transformation. It’s become some sort of a very acceptable family compact SUV compared to the youngish crowd it was more attracted to in its previous outing.
Toyota has fired another salvo in the burgeoning Middle East small car segment stepping up a gear with its Yaris supermini. We took this cute little ‘yo-yo’ out for a date and found out that the small Yaris swings just right and surprises in big doses.
