A couple of months ago, if you remember (before the whole debacle over Nissan’s CEO pay in Japan that has nothing to do with the products), some new variants of the Patrol Y61 were launched just for the GCC, joining the Patrol Super Safari that debuted a year earlier. We actually drove some of these new models, marking our first time properly driving a Y61 after all these decades in the UAE.
Our cars are parked on the street. As much as people like to baby their cars, some of us truly have no time to fiddle with microfibre cloths or doddle around at manual car washes. So we do what the majority of people do — get a dude to clean it. These dudes use dirty cloths and muddy waters, but there’s not much you can do about it unless you like sitting and supervising these things. Regular paint protection loses its shine in months and barely lasts a year, as per our experience. So we decided to try out the new-fangled “nano-ceramic”
Even while a new Toyota Corolla has been announced in some other markets, the model is continuing unchanged for 2019 in the UAE and GCC. It is now available in an exclusive variant in the UAE.
Ford made headlines a few months ago when they announced that they’ll stop selling sedans and hatchbacks in the United States due to high costs and low profit margins compared to crossovers and SUVs. The Mustang will survive there too, but everything from the Fiesta to the Taurus will get the axe in a couple of years. It is entirely possible that the same strategy will be followed in the Middle East, as the car line-up doesn’t get much attention any more, and the next-generation Focus will not be launched here (which we drove and liked). Word is that twin-model Mondeo may go the way of the dodo in Europe as well.
| The Good: – Classic good looks – Premium cabin appointments – Power, handling, offroading |
The Bad: – Hard to tell old from new – Some low-rent quirks remain – Sky-high price |
Our Honda had its last major service at the end of last July. Here’s what it costs at the dealership.
The Volkswagen Touareg has always occupied an awkward niche in the midsize SUV segment. Not quite mainstream, but not quite premium either, it’s left to do battle with everything from Jeep Grand Cherokees to BMW X5s, while even targeting lower-end Toyota Land Cruisers and Nissan Patrols in terms of price (and VW admitted as much). Now there’s a new-generation Touareg in town, and its objectives are clearer.
Redesigns for American pickup trucks come about only once in a blue moon. However, Ford’s F-150 and GM’s Silverado/Sierra twins are raising the bar by reducing the time between redesigns and facelifts, as both have undergone notable changes over the past decade. In that time, the Ram 1500 has remained relatively stagnant, save for a couple of minor under-the-skin upgrades and a brand-name change (remember when it used to be the Dodge Ram? Some people still call it that). There is finally an all-new model for 2019, on sale in the Middle East for a couple of months already, and we got some wheel-time in a couple of variants.
The G-Wagen finally got its first ever major revamp since it debuted in the late 70s. Sure, there have been numerous facelifts, interiors and engine upgrades over the years, the basics underneath always remained the same, and it was horrendous to drive (once you take off the fanboy glasses). The new 2019 model changes all that. Mostly.
The Cullinan is a big deal for Rolls-Royce. And you know the new SUV is important to our region when the model hits UAE roads within weeks of the international drive event in the United States. While we weren’t invited to that U.S. one, we did get to try out the British carmaker’s first offroader in Dubai, if only on a strictly onroad drive.