Last weekend we had absolutely no cars to test. This week we have two 4WDs. We just picked up a Toyota RAV-4 for a two-day test. So effectively, our four-day Chevy Tahoe Z71 will still be with us when we return the RAV-4.
The new-generation Nissan Altima has been out in the United States for many months now, but we in the GCC still get the old model. However one of our readers, Muhammad Talha, managed to snag a few photos of the 2008 Altima undergoing hot-weather testing near the Fujairah mountains in our very own United Arab Emirates.
Chinese cars are starting to make inroads in the Middle East thanks mainly to their price. While we feel they should be even cheaper, people are still starting to snap up some of these cars. The Chinese are also trying to conquer Europe, but they have to pass Europe’s strict crash test regulations. Shown above is the latest car to try, known as the Brilliance BS6, a midsize luxury car.
Anyone living in the Middle East has access to a pretty good set of satellite channels collectively known as MBC. But it seems that they’ve been unhealthily obssessed with MTV’s Pimp My Ride, so much so that they made an Arabic version and constantly bombard audiences with very annoying TV ads featuring modded cars. It seems Toyota has caught the bug too, and decided to release this heavily pimped Aurion for the Australian home market. That’s right. The Aurion is Australian.
For the last few months, Europe has been playing with the new version of the Nissan X-Trail, as well as a new style-crossover called the Nissan Qashqai. While the Middle East gets the Pathfinder/Murano duo in the midsize 4WD class, the compact 4WD class is only held up by the pathetic old X-Trail. It will be interesting to see which new compact 4WD chooses to bring to this region. X-Trail or Qashqai? Or maybe both?
What we have here is our research into the next-generation Toyota Corolla. The current version has been chugging along for six years now, when the standard shelf-life for each Corolla version is usually four years. The current version is seriously outdated, but other markets already have new versions. In fact, Japan and Europe got two different versions.
The 2008 Kia Picanto will get a major facelift, although the body essentially remains the same. Engine options for Kia’s smallest car remain similar as before.
There will be a brand new Honda Accord for the 2008 model year, also to be released as a 2009 model in some markets. Seen here is a prototype of the 2008 Honda Accord sedan undergoing tests in the United States.
These are real photos of the upcoming 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X, the rally-bred version of the next-generation Lancer that will debut in the Middle East by next month.
For almost a year, we begged for a test drive of the 2006 Civic from local Honda reps. Heck, these cars were never even in stock at local dealerships. So we never drove one, even though we got tons of requests for it to be reviewed. Well, my own car just got temporarily incapacitated, so I figured I’ll go rent out a Civic for a week.