We were on the lookout for a smooth rental highway runner on a restrained budget, but something with more poise than a regular Camry. The cheapstakes in us intentionally never looked beyond a basic Dodge Charger or a Ford Taurus, but what ultimately and least-expectedly came our way was something cheaper and more premium — a 2013 Mercedes-Benz E300.
While German luxury carmakers created the small premium crossover segment with half-hearted attempts like the BMW X3 and the Mercedes-Benz GLK, it was the Range Rover Evoque that blazed a path by showing that these things can actually be desirable rather than just be dull-looking wagons for soccer moms in Europe, considering the German early-birds never caught on in the GCC. Later attempts like the overpriced Porsche Macan are much more style-conscious, and the Americans are now trying their hand at this game too. This here is the 2015 Lincoln MKC, and it’s now on sale in the UAE.
Dubai Police has taken possession of a Lexus GS police car.
The 2014 Middle East Car Of the Year (MECOTY), held for the first time, concluded recently with the results being announced at a gala dinner held at the Meydan Beach Club in Dubai. The final winners were decided by a jury panel from 14 different publications around the Middle East, including DriveArabia.com. Individual awards were given to cars according to their categories, with the main 2014 Middle East Car Of The Year award going to the Mercedes-Benz S-Class.
Red Bull Racing’s Sebastian Vettel may have predictably lost this year’s Formula 1 championship to Mercedes-AMG as Lewis Hamilton finished off the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in first place, but the team is still up to their usual public hijinks. Late last week, a Red Bull F1 race-car played the UAE national anthem using its computer-controlled engine revs during the Infiniti F1 Showrun at SkyDive Dubai, as seen in this video by Karage TV.
Lexus continues its transformation for a luxury brand known for conservatively-styled comfortable cars to aggressively-styled sporty cars with the RC Coupe, essentially a 2-door version of last year’s new IS 350 sedan. And following the demise of the IS F, there’s the RC F Coupe debuting in the UAE as well.
How does a fuel-tank range of 1000 km sound? It sounds great, especially if you don’t know your car even had that capability. You see, The Toyota FJ Cruiser has been around since 2006, and reached the Middle East in 2008, but it’s always suffered from a pathetic 72-litre fuel tank. However, in 2013, Toyota quietly added an 87-litre secondary tank to the FJ, effectively doubling its petrol capacity to 159 litres.
The all-new 2015 Mercedes-Benz C-Class is probably the most desirable model in its class at the moment, not least because it looks like a mini S-Class if seen from a distance. We drove the C 250 version for a night, so got a brief look at if there’s any substance beneath the skin.
The 2014 Gulf Bike Week was held at the Dubai Media City Amphitheatre last week.
The Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) announced the calender of events to take place at the 2014 Dubai Motor Festival.