UDrive and Ekar pay-per-minute rental car services launched in UAE
Two new rental car services have been launched in the UAE that offer a by-the-minute payment option if you don’t need a rental car for the whole day.
Dubai
First drive: 2017 Porsche Panamera in the UAE
Porsche has a history of creating cars that cause a negative reaction, even if only temporarily. Aging enthusiasts will remember the 914 from the 70s. Millennials will remember the first Cayenne. And more recently, there was the Panamera, the German carmaker’s first ever sedan which was actually a stretched hatchback. But while derided when launched, all three went on to become bestsellers, much more so than the iconic 911. For 2017, there is a new Panamera hitting the streets, but no one can say any more that the styling is found wanting.
So we got a 2017 Honda Civic 1.6 LX
Honda has been busy trying new things lately, and while we may never see the fruits of their labour when it comes to the NSX or the Type-R, we are now getting a base version of the latest Honda Civic with a 1.6-litre engine. Spec it up for a few bucks though, and it’s hard to tell it apart from the 2.0-litre version.
Long-term update: Our Toyota FJ Cruiser gets puked on
Our manual Toyota FJ Cruiser has been chugging along trouble-free. There’s absolutely nothing to report except the cost of the latest service as well as someone puking in it.
So we got a 2016 Audi SQ5
The Audi Q5 has been around externally unchanged since late 2008. That’s an eternity in car years, but the German carmaker has been keeping the line-up fresh with new engine options and trim levels. One of those is the SQ5, which is the quickest version of the Q5 you can currently get. It’s a little late in the year to test an outgoing model, considering our more “prominent journalists” have already driven the all-new Q5 model in Europe recently, but this is actually our first time behind the wheel of any Q5.
So we got a 2017 Mazda CX-9
Mazda has been on a roll lately, with their latest models appealing to everyone from commuters to enthusiasts, which no one else has been able to replicate. But there was one sore spot in their line-up which, oddly enough, is their flagship model — the midsize CX-9 crossover. It was a fairly competent vehicle, but it had been left unchanged for almost a decade. So we were really looking forward to driving their all-new 2017 CX-9.
Brand new Honda S2000 sold in Australia last month
The internet is going wild over news that a brand new Honda S2000 was sold in Australia last month. Before you get confused, it’s a 2008 model that a Honda dealer in Australia kept aside for display purposes (probably to make the brand look more sporting than it is currently), but they’ve finally sold it to an unknown customer.
We ride along in a Radical racecar at Dubai Autodrome
Recently, the LoadME Racing Team contacted us to experience the Radical race-car at the Dubai Autodrome. The team are taking part at the ongoing Radical Middle East Cup (RMEC) series which started around October and ends in April next year.
More powerful 2017 Nissan GT-R on sale in the UAE
The facelifted 2017 Nissan GT-R is now available in UAE showrooms. The recent revamp adds superior aesthetics, track-focused chassis enhancements and more power to the Japanese supercar.
First Gulf Concours event held at Burj Al Arab, Dubai
The inaugural Gulf Concours, the Emirates’ first Concours d’Elegance event, was held at the Burj Al Arab Terrace over the weekend.
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