Vivek Menon, Author at DriveArabia

First drive: 2013 Toyota Fortuner 2.7 in the UAE

by Vivek Menon. September 3, 2013.

There we were, a Ford Raptor in our parking lot, and the only logical thing to do was to venture into the desert wilderness. So we were on the lookout for a rental 4×4 as a backup vehicle for desert-testing something as big as a tank, in case it needed to get pulled out! While we were looking for nothing less than a powerful V6 at least, we ended up with a 2013 Toyota Fortuner 2.7, thanks to the ridiculously ill-informed staff of an international rental agency.

First drive: 2013 Chevrolet Trailblazer 4x4 in the UAE

First drive: 2013 Chevrolet Trailblazer 4×4 in the UAE

by Vivek Menon. August 10, 2013.

So if you thought that every car manufacturer was going the ‘Ford Explorer’ way when it came to overhauling their existing midsize SUVs, you’d be wrong. There are a few manufacturers who decided to try the opposite route, taking a step backwards by choosing to transform a commercial pick-up into a four-wheel-drive wagon in a half-hearted bid to create a viable replacement for their already-cancelled midsize SUV. So what was essentially competing with the refined Toyota Prado, now tries to go after the simplistic Toyota Fortuner. That new wagon is none other than the all-new Thailand-built 2013 Chevrolet Trailblazer.

All-new Duster-based Nissan Terrano revealed in sketches

by Vivek Menon. July 12, 2013.

Almost every car enthusiast would be familiar of the Terrano moniker, an off-road capable mid-size SUV from Nissan, that was offered during the 90’s and early 2000’s, and which is still not entirely extinct. It was later taken off the production lines, giving way for the newer range of Nissan SUVs. However, the Japanese automaker now intends to bring the nameplate back beginning with the Indian market, although in the form of a Renualt Duster-based soft-roader, competing with the likes of Ford Ecosport, and has even divulged the official sketches.

First drive: 2013 Hyundai Tucson 2.4 in the UAE

by Vivek Menon. June 11, 2013.

This one has been a long time coming, even before the Lamborghini that I test-drove recently. It wasn’t bias; it is just that this cheap crossover is actually quite popular regardless of our review, so much that you might end up counting at least as many of this vehicle as any popular Japanese crossovers on the road. And ‘this’ crossover, which we sourced from a close friend, is none other than the 2013 Hyundai Tucson 2.4, aka “Tuck-Sun”, as it is known to most people, including some of the local dealer’s sales staff.

First Drive: 2013 Lamborghini Gallardo LP 550-2 on Yas Marina Circuit

by Vivek Menon. March 28, 2013.

So it was the usual monotonous evening when the big daddy of DriveArabia rang up to “offer” me something that I had least expected to come my way, before the world ended — to test drive a Lamborghini Gallardo, that too, on a racetrack. I was truly surprised, as much as he was by the friendly gesture from the Lamborghini dealers in Dubai, for the opportunity to briefly take the wheel of the luxury supercar manufacturer’s entry-level offering, the Lamborghini Gallardo LP 550-2.

First drive: 2014 Kia Cerato in the UAE

by Vivek Menon. January 26, 2013.

Korean carmaker Kia needs no introduction, as the masses already know them as a brand that has transformed from virtually nothing into a fairly strong game-changing contender in almost all of the hotly-contested car segments, all in a surprisingly short span of time. In recent months, Kia has been rolling out several new models, and their latest offering is the all-new 2014 Kia Cerato, which was officially launched at a media test-drive event in Dubai.

First drive: Nissan Sunny 2011 manual in the UAE

by Vivek Menon. January 5, 2013.

The Nissan Sunny is one vehicle that needs no introduction, as every driver would have driven one, mostly while learning how to drive, or during some phase of their lives where a bullock-cart and a Chevy Spark would have been the only other cheaper alternatives. Many wouldn’t have known the fact that Nissan had actually gone ahead and offered some variety in their Sunny models at one point, by bringing in a Japanese model, and another one made by the Apple-biting manufacturers from the Land of “Gangnam Style”. In fact, we were so mesmerised by the Korean pop number,

Piaggio reveals three new two-wheelers

by Vivek Menon. December 17, 2012.

The Piaggio group, an Italian conglomerate encompassing seven brands of scooters, motorcycles and compact commercial vehicles, has unveiled the latest two-wheeler machines from its subsidiaries Vespa, Moto Guzzi and Aprilia, during the EICMA International Motorcycle Show.