The previous Dodge Durango was a dud on such a massive scale that it remained on showroom floors right up till 2010, even while production ended in 2008. That fullsize 4×4 is now dead, but its replacement, a stretched midsizer, might very well be among the best in its class.
The Dodge Charger, one of the last American rear-wheel-drive sedan nameplates left in existence, has gone under the surgeon’s knife and come out the other side with few changes. Or so it seems. What you see here is a 2011 Dodge Charger SE, the one with the new 292 hp 3.6-litre V6. We’re possibly the first ones in the UAE, and possibly the GCC, to review one on local roads. And we are absolutely blown away by this car. Compared to the old one, this new model is from a different planet altogether.
The Chevrolet Captiva is the forgotten crossover. Competing in the hot compact segment dominated by the Honda CR-V and the Toyota RAV-4, we never gave the original one a second look. But the General offered us a drive of the facelifted 2011 model, and it could possibly be the best compact crossover SUV that no one has heard of.
This is the 2011 GMC Acadia Denali. It is the Denali version of the Acadia. The Acadia is a stretched midsize crossover that debuted in 2008. The Denali nameplate signifies a more luxurious variant of a GMC. That ought to cover the introductions.
Kia has come such a long way in such a short time. Once the maker of unreliable tin cans that wouldn’t sell even though cheap, now they are among the best carmakers in the business, with class-leading build quality, ground-breaking styling and still keeping it all relatively cheap. Their bestseller in the UAE is obviously the Kia Sportage. Out since late last year, the 2011 model is already a common sight on Dubai roads. So when we picked up this white tester, we knew we weren’t going to come up with a convincing review. Many people were already convinced.
Choices for sporting two-door coupes are limited in the GCC market if you’re on a budget. There’s the Hyundai Genesis Coupe that is saddled with badge-perception issues and a dealer reluctant to import manual ones. There’s the Ford Mustang, which is built like a Ford Mustang. There’s the Chevy Camaro, whose interior is about as pleasing as an airplane toilet. There’s the Honda Accord Coupe and the Nissan Altima Coupe, neither as sporting as they’re expected to be. There’s the VW Scirocco, a fake “coupe” that really is a photoshopped Golf. And now, there is the Peugeot RCZ. And it takes budget coupes to a whole other level.
Yet another crossover SUV. The market is flooded with crossover SUVs. Here is the latest one from General Motors, the all-new 2011 GMC Terrain. It joins the Traverse, Acadia, Captiva and Cadillac SRX in the General’s civil war against the Ford Flex, Escape, Edge, Explorer and MKX, not to mention other brands. Cayenne, M-Class, CR-V, RAV4, Pilot, RX350, X-Trail, Veracruz, Tucson, Sportage…the list is endless. So what makes the Terrain any different in a sea of wannabe 4x4s?
We weren’t aware that there were any changes planned for the Honda Jazz anytime soon. So when Honda’s Middle East office offered us a test-drive of the 2012 Jazz, we were wondering what had changed. Turns out it is just a facelift.
The first affordable hybrid has landed in the UAE. The Lexus CT 200h is the first hybrid in the GCC that actually fulfills the purpose that hybrids were created for — to save fuel. The rest of the hybrids in the market are overpriced oversized vehicles that do nothing but inflate egos of those who want to appear to be “doing something” for the environment.
This drive was a long time coming. The “Xtreme” package for the Toyota Land Cruiser has been around since late 2008, with any of the LC trims and engines. Modified by an Icelandic firm called Arctic Trucks at their Dubai-based workshop with a full UAE dealer warranty, the Xtreme makes a Land Cruiser look hopped up on steroids, and is now available for the “new” 5.7-litre V8 model that debuted in the GCC recently.