Feature Stories

Another month, another Bentley. This GTC V8 is the fifth variant of the updated Bentley Continental GT we’ve driven in the past 18 months, and heck, it never gets old.

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The 2013 Dubai International Motor Show, held once every two years, has grown to become the largest auto show in the entire Middle East region. Regional new-model debuts included the Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupe Chicane, the Peugeot 2008, the Ford Fusion and Ecosport, the Lincoln MKZ, the Toyota Corolla, the McLaren P1, the Nissan Patrol and Pathfinder Hybrid, the Alfa Romeo 4C and the SRT Viper, among others. Concepts shown included the Mercedes-Benz S-Class Coupe, the Ford Atlas, the Hyundai Genesis, the Lexus LF-LC, the Jaguar C-X17, the BMW X4 and the Jaguar Concept 7. Here’s as much of the highlights from the show as we could possibly cover.

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The Ford Taurus is a bit of an oddity in the market. It’s not an obvious choice for most, and given that its direct competition includes the well-regarded Dodge Charger, you’d be forgiven for dismissing the Taurus altogether. However, the Taurus is aimed at a far more niche market than the Charger.

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Al Futtaim Motors didn’t hold back at this year’s event when launching the all-new 2014 Toyota Yaris sedan in the UAE. It is, after all, one of their best sellers. With the new Yaris, Toyota are probably going to maintain their lion’s share of the sub-compact market once again, thanks to the new looks and cheaper entry-level model.

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Let me start off by saying that I was missing in South Korea for the past one week, not for a test-drive event, but to be part of a new programme by Hyundai, dubbed the Hyundai Global Club Invitation. It’s an event that involved flying in around 35 people from 14 countries who contributed to the cause of promoting Hyundai, mostly by starting local Hyundai clubs and such, while a handful of “bloggers” were along for the ride. Somehow I was representing the UAE there, although I didn’t know that when I agreed to go for this trip. Between the long flights and 4 days of touring Hyundai’s facilities as well as South Korea itself,

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When shopping for a hot hatch in the UAE, the VW Golf GTI is on every potential buyer’s shopping list, usually as the only choice. But when shopping for a compact car here, the “regular” VW Golf is never on anyone’s shopping list. In fact, the GTI actually outsells the standard Golf here. The Golf is generally pricier than its rivals, but we’ll see if the extra cost is justified as much as it is in its GTI sibling.

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The UAE is not a minivan market. Most of the vans trundling around the streets of Dubai are of the commercial variety, ferrying workers to work and tourists to resorts. In the midst of this, Honda has dropped their own minivan — a proper one, built in America and designed for families. While a somewhat popular segment in the States with several players, here in the GCC, the Odyssey finds itself almost alone in the face of a crossover onslaught. Still, Honda is doing well enough with local sales that they’ve now launched the facelifted 2014 version here, and shipped one to us for a run.

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Yep, we’ve reached our peak. There’s nothing left to aim for any more. Being among the first bunch of people to test-drive the Rolls-Royce Wraith at an international media launch event in Europe is about as high as you could go up the ladder when it comes to overseas trips. The icing on the cake was the event itself — the sportiest Rolls-Royce ever, driven in the Austrian countryside with no chaperones!

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As we’re sitting here, doing nearly 200 kph in a 2014 Bentley Flying Spur, sometimes it makes us wonder if a big car like this really needs the ability to do 200 kph. Or even 320 kph, which is the rated top speed of this redesigned limousine. How about the ability to do 0-100 kph in well under 5 seconds? In a car designed to carry royalty!

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The all-new 2014 Range Rover Sport has finally hit the road in the GCC. The previous generation was Land Rover’s best-selling model since it was first launched here in the UAE back in 2006. The bar was set high already. Don’t let the new sleeker looks fool you into thinking it’s become soft; just the opposite.

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