I believe the borrowed car I am driving right now is the only new XKR I’ve ever seen on local roads. This was our ride to the Supercar Show in Abu Dhabi, although we went on the last day of the show simply because Jaguar postponed our date with the car. It’s interesting how this car made us feel invincible. Power to excite. Handling to break backs. And looks that make pedestrians stare at us like we are celebrities.
Mercedes-Benz has officially unveiled a new compact addition to their line-up. It is called the CLC-Class, and is basically a 3-door hatchback that is marketed as a “sports coupe.” And if the car seems too familiar to you, that’s because it already existed long before the CLC badge was conceived.
Yep, after an extensive search for a used rocket, our new benchmark sports car is a 2000 BMW M Roadster. In buying it, we broke all the sensible rules of buying a used car and took the plunge into high-maintenance exotic car ownership. With 321 hp calling, who can resist?
These here are the first images of the 2009 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class. Basically a facelift with a new front end, a resculpted rear bumper and updated interior trim, the car tries to look like a weird version of the 1950s SL which had upward-swinging gullwing doors. Normal doors on this one though.
As Dubai celebrates Bush Day by announcing a public holiday during George W’s visit here, the 2008 Detroit Auto Show in America is in full swing, and one of the first launches include the weird 2009 Volkswagen Passat CC, a so-called “coupe” that still looks like a damn four-door sedan.
Skoda is almost no presence in this region, but they still manage to sell more than a handful of cars in Europe. The Superb, which is based on a stretched version of the Volkswagen Passat platform, has been fully redesigned. So instead of looking like a cheap copy of the Passat, it now has a bit of brand identity, no matter how dull it may be.
Mercedes-Benz is preparing to offer a new compact soft-roader called the GLK for the 2009 model year. To show it off early, Merc has released this lightly-disguised concept, called the Vision GLK Freeside, although I feel there isn’t much here to show off with.
I was highlighting some time ago how the 2009 Nissan GT-R outran many high-dollar exotics at the Nurburgring racetrack in Germany, with a time of 7:38 minutes, better than the Porsche 911 Turbo and the overhyped Audi R8. However, the pricier Porsche 911 GT2 is even faster, at 7:32 minutes. But another upcoming Japanese car is already running circles around it. The prototype Lexus LF-A posted a time of 7:24 minutes, in full camouflage no less.
The Mercedes-Benz SLK has been facelifted for the 2009 model year (or 2008, as they say in European markets). The tweaks include a front end in the style of an F1 car, while the rear gets edged tailpipes and a new bumper. The 2009 model also gets an updated interior with a new instrument panel design. Two new engines also join the line-up.
BMW has announced that they will publicly debut their new X6 “sport activity coupe” at the Detroit Auto Show in January 2008. They have, however, released details on this confused vehicle, which will be powered by a 3.0-litre turbo-I6 and a 4.4-litre turbo-V8.