first look

Here we are, trundling around in the all-new 2014 Toyota Corolla 2.0 Limited again. This time we have it for a longer period, so we can dig further into its features and mannerisms.

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There were quite a few mini-4x4s around before the Renault Duster popped up in our market and actually proved that these things can sell with the right kind of marketing. Ford is hoping to replicate the Duster’s success with the Ecosport, their very own little SUV.

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The current Dodge Charger is one of the most irrefutably great cars that we’ve ever come across. And that’s our opinion by just driving the V6 version from two years ago. This here is the SRT8 version. You know, the one with the 470 hp nuke under the bonnet.

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This is our very first encounter with the Maserati brand. The closest we’d come before that was a tour of their shared pre-owned showroom. Then there was the time we had the sudden urge to pick up a used Quattroporte, but it wasn’t a compelling-enough car to make us follow through on that urge. And now here we are, trying out the redesigned Quattroporte, and wondering how compelling the new model is.

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The current Jaguar XJ is one car that we’ve always been interested in trying out, but had been delaying for one reason or another. We did drive one briefly a year ago, but it was a 240 hp 3.0-litre V6 version that was somewhat underwhelming. However, the entire range underwent an engine upgrade for 2013, so a “V6” badge on the fenders now means there’s a 340 hp 3.0-litre supercharged motor under that long bonnet. As we found out, that makes a huge difference.

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It’s been more than a year since Bentley launched the V8 version of the Continental GT. Up until now, we’ve only been snagging test-drives of the various W12 models, and figured the V8 wouldn’t be as good as the pricier versions. But boy were we wrong.

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Who would’ve thought that the all-new 2014 Nissan Tiida would be one of the most anticipated cars of this year. When we drove the new BMW 335i last year, not even one soul even bothered to give it a first look, let alone a second one. On the other hand, people kept staring at our Tiida, and a few even came up to us to ask about it.

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We landed ourselves a drive with the new Jaguar F-Type, apparently we being the first media to try it out on UAE roads. This is the first Jaguar we’ve brought home in years, aside from the one we bought recently, although if memory serves us right, they’ve never built anything like it in decades.

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The Ford Escape used to be the meanest-looking crossover around, ready to take on anything in its path. Not that it means much to be a mean-looking crossover, because it’s never going to leave the pavement. So we feel Ford made the right decision in making the Escape more “contemporary” in its styling, finally ready to take on the other pavement-pounding crossovers on equal terms.

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We drove the redesigned VW Golf recently and found it to be a pretty good car. Of course, around here, nobody cares about the regular Golf. With a huge chunk of Golf sales, up to 50% by some sources, in our region accounted for by just the pricier GTI, it’s obvious from the start that the latest GTI was a hotly-anticipated car this summer.

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