Dubai

So we got a 2014 Opel Insignia OPC

So we got a 2014 Opel Insignia OPC


Opel has a relatively non-existent rep in the GCC. Their cars have been available here on-and-off for decades now, but they had recently disappeared for a few years in between. Now that the brand is back, with no support from parent-company General Motors, they face an uphill battle to re-establish themselves in the fickle UAE car market. We’d say the best part of their re-emergence is that they brought over the entire OPC line of models, including this Insignia OPC sports sedan.

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First drive: 2014 McLaren 650S Spider in the UAE

First drive: 2014 McLaren 650S Spider in the UAE


“Why’s everybody staring?” asks my passenger. “Of course everybody’s staring. It’s a McLaren.” “But no one’s taking any pictures.” And that’s true. When we had the previous MP4-12C parked anywhere, it caused hordes of impromptu-paparazzi to teleport from out of nowhere to pose with the car and take photos. This time, our 650S Spider tester should’ve been even more of a selfie-attraction, with its P1-derived front-end and bright-orange paintjob. But based on what we noticed, maybe McLaren-fatigue is setting in among the general public, as the 650S doesn’t appear to be anything more than a facelift of a 2-year-old model.

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So we got a 2015 Toyota Yaris

So we got a 2015 Toyota Yaris


Truth be told, I like this car. I’ve liked it ever since I saw photos of it a year ago. Yes, it’s been around that long in South-East Asia while we were still seeing that generic Japanese-built one around here. This new one’s built in Thailand, but from what we saw, that hasn’t made an ounce of difference in quality — it feels just as cheap as the Japanese one.

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First drive: 2015 Toyota Avanza in the UAE

First drive: 2015 Toyota Avanza in the UAE


It’s here! The car you’ve been waiting for! You people keep complaining about everything. “It’s too expensive, there’s no third-row seat, it doesn’t have Bluetooth, it doesn’t have USB ports, it’s not fuel-efficient, it doesn’t have alloys, it’s not rear-wheel-drive, it’s not as reliable as a Toyota, blah, blah.” Well, here’s the car for you — the all-new 2015 Toyota Avanza. For only Dhs 54,900. Now stop whining.

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