Dubai

The previous-generation Lexus IS 300 was a compromised but attractive sedan, easily the carmaker’s sportiest offering for the better part of a decade, if we were to overlook the overpriced (and overrated?) LFA. It was going to be a tough act to follow in terms of styling, although it was a given that the replacement also needed to address the issue of interior space. After the rather good GS sedan, every model in the Lexus range got a “spindle” grille and now looks like clones of each other, so their designers had to do something drastic to make the new IS be more than just a GS-lite.

Read More …

The sub-compact market is a lucrative segment that’s dominated by a select few. With the Toyota Yaris and the Nissan Tiida laying waste to competition by everyone from Chevrolet to Volkswagen, the latest entrant to try their luck is Peugeot. They already had the little 208, but needed more of an edge in terms of space versus price. And so, we have the Peugeot 301, a car designed for “emerging markets” that concentrates on cabin space above all else.

Read More …

A never-mentioned fact about us is that, back in early 2005, a month or two after we started this website, the first test car we officially got offered was an Aston Martin DB9. What’s even worse is that, just as I sat in that car to drive off, we found out that none of us in the crew were eligible to drive it, since we were all under 25 at the time and insurance wouldn’t cover us. In the end, all I got to see was the fancy door handles and the cool interior with the button-operated gearbox, both giving a sense that the Aston was way ahead of its time.

Read More …

There’s nothing much to report on the Honda. It is a Honda after all. The only niggling thing was that, a few months ago, it was taking a few seconds too many to start, which was the sign of a weak battery. This was confirmed by the dealer workshop during its last service. But we chose to get our battery replaced via A&F Auto Parts’ battery delivery service.

Read More …

The other day when we went to pick up a Peugeot 301 test car from the Peugeot showroom in Dubai, we were surprised to see the 408 sedan there. It seems the local dealer is quietly offering the Chinese-built Peugeot 408 sedan as a 2014 model in the UAE.

Read More …

We used to own a 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee right up till last year. Despite what hype you may hear, the Grand Cherokee has never been a Range Rover rival; more entry-level luxury rather than premium luxury. But the real reason we bought one back then was because it was the cheapest way to get behind the wheel of a midsize SUV with a big V8 under the bonnet. The latest Grand Cherokee still offers the same formula for those who prefer it, with a little more premium gadgetry now thrown in.

Read More …

Well, not exactly prototypes. Ford invited us to hang with their engineering team who are responsible for testing whether upcoming models can handle the hot weather that we’re blessed with in the UAE. While all three of these cars — the 2013 Ford Fusion, the 2013 Lincoln MKZ and the 2013 Ford Ecosport — are already out in some other markets, the three cars that we drove are actually early pre-production models, and not cars that were just taken from a showroom in America or elsewhere. They’re being prepared for GCC release as 2014 models later this year.

Read More …

One of the comments we keep hearing from the general public is how the Toyota Avalon should now be redundant, considering there is the Toyota Aurion on one end and the Lexus ES on the other end. We, for one, believe that it does have a spot in Toyota’s line-up, and that is to fit exactly between those two aforementioned cars, both in terms of price and size. It’s not rocket science to figure that out. Incidentally, Toyota shipped in their chief engineer for the Toyota Avalon to Dubai straight from the United States to talk to the press about the car.

Read More …

Nissan’s UAE dealer, Arabian Automobiles, reports that sales of the Nissan 370Z have increased by “750%” after its “repositioning” in the market this year in terms of price. That’s basically a roundabout way of admitting they had overpriced the car to Porsche Cayman levels for the past several years, and have now brought it down to realistic levels after following the Toyota 86’s lead.

Read More …