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by Mashfique Hussain Chowdhury
The new Chevrolet Cruze sedan is selling well in many parts of Europe. The car was just introduced in the United States too, and the car is already on sale in South Korea and Australia under Daewoo and Holden badges respectively, making it a true “world” car. Sales in the Middle East have yet to pick up, but we actually have one in our fleet right now to investigate further why it is so popular elsewhere. General Motors is hard at work to extend their market share however. Europeans love hatchbacks more than sedans for some reason, so the Cruze hatchback is a logical conclusion. Continue reading »
by Mashfique Hussain Chowdhury
The U.S. market has just received a new SX trim level for the 2011 Kia Sorento. The Sorento SX comes with a unique new front bumper, LED tail lights, 18-inch wheels, chrome trim and, most importantly, new “Dual Flow Damper” shock absorbers that make the ride more comfortable while retaining car-like handling. Interestingly, there were so many complaints about the regular Sorento’s harsh ride quality over bumps that Kia has decided to make the “DFD” shocks standard on all U.S. Sorento models for the 2011 model year. Continue reading »
by Mashfique Hussain Chowdhury
The U.S. NHTSA safety agency has announced a recall on the 2010 Kia Soul and the 2011 Kia Sorento, apparently to replace interior lighting wiring harnesses. Continue reading »
by Mashfique Hussain Chowdhury
The Dodge Durango, once a full-size 4×4 joke that was so bad, that production ended in 2008 but you could still buy a brand new one in 2010, has been completely revamped for 2011, now that it is based on the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee platform. Continue reading »
by Mashfique Hussain Chowdhury
Ford has revealed its newest “pursuit-rated” vehicle, namely the 2012 Explorer Police Interceptor Utility, for police department units that need to haul more cargo or have a need for at least some offroad capability. Continue reading »
by Mashfique Hussain Chowdhury
The grey 2010 Chevrolet Cruze is back with us again! It almost feels like I own this car, having driven it twice before, once for the initial review and once as a courtesy car from GM when they took away our Malibu long-termer for a week. This time, we’re getting to keep this car for an entire month, during which time we’ll settle down and play with its features further and explore its fuel economy capabilities. And just in time for Eid too. Continue reading »
by Mashfique Hussain Chowdhury
While browsing our own website, we came across Google Adsense text ads by Mercedes-Benz that links to a survey. The online form seems to be gauging interest for the possible launch of the Smart ForTwo micro-car in the UAE. Continue reading »
by Mashfique Hussain Chowdhury
Suppose you are a wannabe “American” and have fulfilled your lifelong dream of buying a pickup truck for the sole purpose of commuting to your office desk-job and back. However, you suddenly realise that your fuel costs are through the roof and the sheen of acting all “cowboy” is quickly wearing off. The following entertaining video explores several known methods of improving the fuel economy of your pickup truck. Continue reading »
by Presley Reese
McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton won a dramatic Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday, leading throughout and beating Red Bull’s Mark Webber by 1.5 seconds despite one agonising moment, as the rains came on lap 35 and he slid momentarily into the gravel at Rivage. In the process, on a day when title rivals Jenson Button, Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso all failed to score, Hamilton moved back into the lead of the world championship with 182 points to Webber’s 179. Vettel remains third on 151 ahead of Button on 147 and Alonso on 141. Continue reading »
by Mashfique Hussain Chowdhury
While some say that car sales are picking up around the world, the recession is busy taking names and beating up stragglers in the automotive marketplace. Manufacturers are keen on cutting models that are underperforming in terms of sales, either because demand has subsided or because they were niche models in the first place. Here is a list of eight good cars that have either been confirmed for cancellation soon or have rumours circling in the media about their demise. Continue reading »
by Mashfique Hussain Chowdhury
Just launched in the UAE, the Korean-built Renault Fluence is a new-for-2011 model that competes in the compact segment in terms of price, features, performance and general demeanour. It is a rather underwhelming car, as most cars are in this segment, but it has one ace up its sleeve. A longer-than-average wheelbase means it is more spacious than many others in the compact class. Continue reading »
by Mashfique Hussain Chowdhury
We figured we were done with how the 2011 Hyundai Accent will look, when the Chinese-market Hyundai Verna was launched this April at the 2010 Beijing Auto Show. However, it seems Hyundai is introducing multiple variants of that car in different markets. The Hyundai “RB Concept” was just launched at the 2010 Moscow Auto Show, looking very showroom-ready, and destined for local production and sale in Russia. It is possible that this is the car that will reach the GCC as the Hyundai Accent. Continue reading »
by Mashfique Hussain Chowdhury
The Toyota Corolla, quite possibly the most popular car in the world, is being recalled in the U.S. over engine stalling issues. So far, the recall is only for 2005 to 2008 models built in the United States. Continue reading »
by Mashfique Hussain Chowdhury
The European-spec Lexus IS has been facelifted, but with no real mechanical changes. However, the changes are so minor that we’re hard-pressed to figure out what they are. Continue reading »
by Mashfique Hussain Chowdhury
At least some local reports suggest that about 70% of all cars in the UAE are Toyota-branded models. As far back as 10 years ago, we read stories that the Toyota Corolla was the top-selling car in this country, and it still might be. So what can word-of-mouth do for a car? Apparently, 90% of all cars in the impoverished state of Afghanistan are Toyota Corolla models, all imported and many as old as 20 years. Continue reading »
by Mashfique Hussain Chowdhury
The Chevrolet Suburban is, or was, very popular in the United States and continues to be popular in GCC countries such as Saudi Arabia, where the ability to carry your ten children over rugged terrain is a daily necessity. Surprisingly, the Chevrolet Suburban has been in existence for 75 long years, and GM estimates that up to 2.4 million have been built. General Motors decided to celebrate by bringing together all the iterations of the Suburban over the years for an American media jaunt, while conveniently ignoring the rebadged GMC version. Models from 1936, 1946, 1951, 1966, 1972, 1990, 1999 and 2002 were at hand from GM’s U.S. Heritage Center, while a 75th anniversary Diamond edition of the current Chevy Suburban was introduced. Continue reading »
by Mashfique Hussain Chowdhury
There is a lot of hype over the investigation into 1993-2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee models, like the one we own, over it catching fire, but only when hit from the rear due its rear-mounted fuel tank. Only 44 cases have been reported among the 2.3 million sold, and the “fix” is as simple as installing the optional metal skidplate that already comes in offroad models like ours. In contrast, the Ferrari 458 Italia has been on sale for maybe four months now, and maybe 200 are estimated to be on the streets so far. And 10 have already gone up in flames, with one even while sitting in a warehouse doing nothing. Update: Recall and reasons for the fire have been announced. Continue reading »
by Mashfique Hussain Chowdhury
Renault has launched the new Latitude midsize sedan model in its continuing bid to become more mainstream rather than quirky. The Latitude’s world debut was at the 2010 Moscow Auto Show, and will be built in Russia for their local market, but the car is already on sale in Korea as the Samsung SM5, and it is this Korean one that will probably make it to the GCC eventually as a replacement for the Renault Safrane. Continue reading »
by Mashfique Hussain Chowdhury
Xenatec, a custom and armoured vehicle manufacturing specialist, has launched operations in the region with a base in Dubai under the name of Xenatec Middle East & Africa this month. Xenatec is headquartered in Germany and builds special modified vehicles such as stretch limos and armoured cars, supplying components in the bodywork process and interior in-house. The company creates complete vehicles from concept development to design and prototyping, through to production. Continue reading »
by Mashfique Hussain Chowdhury
Ford Racing, a division of Ford that occasionally offers factory racing parts and cars for purchase by the general U.S. public, has announced an all-new 2.3-litre twin-screw supercharger for the 2011 Ford Mustang GT that will make it more powerful than the Shelby GT500. Continue reading »
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