We’ve driven several cookie-cutter BMWs. We’ve tested many Bentleys. But we never brought home a Rolls-Royce. We were saving it for a very special occasion, whatever it might be. However, that special occasion never quite seemed to require actually borrowing a Rolls. So when they themselves called us up and offered us a second-gen Ghost, we simply took it. At least mini-Mash would get to ride in one, even if he won’t remember it when he grows up.
In 2014, the new Ford Fusion was a long-awaited entry into the rather stagnant midsize sedan market that’s dominated by the Japanese. If you remember, we ran a set of articles about the Ford Fusion comparing the midsizer to its rivals in various aspects (and for the record, they were clearly labelled as sponsored by the carmaker, unlike the unmarked paid “reviews” that most other publications run for various brands). We were proud of those stories, largely because we brought some truth to advertising as we had complete control on what to write about, rather than just calling it the best car ever built,
It took long enough, but we finally got a Range Rover Sport Supercharged for an extended round. And it did not disappoint.
Truth be told, we’ve become a bit bored with super-sedans nowadays. They look like their cheaper brethren, with a few subtle styling tweaks that only nerds notice, while packing a big motor whose power you cannot use anywhere legally. Big deal. We like the way Jaguar did it though — the XFR-S styling tweaks are a little more aggressive than the norm, while the motor makes all sorts of real supercar noises, even when parked. Eat your heart out, BMW.
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.
This dark-orange Opel Corsa OPC has been doing the rounds of local media since the beginning of this year. It is the Nurburgring edition, apparently making it very exclusive. And being a manual, it will be even more of a rare sight here.
Who would’ve thought that, 3 years ago when the Range Rover Evoque debuted, it was a sign of things to come, as the new face of Range Rover. Could it be that the Evoque is now the new “original” Range Rover? Anyway, our last experience with the Evoque wasn’t very satisfying, with its lethargic drivetrain and non-adjustable suspension in the mid-range version we drove. So we asked for it again, and this time, it’s equipped with a new 9-speed automatic and dynamic suspension.
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.
The first time I drove the Toyota FJ Cruiser, it was late 2007, I was only 6 months out of college, I owned a 1990 junker, this site was still growing, and I was barely getting any invites to automotive media events. Fast-forward to 2014, and I’m married, I own three cars, the site is a successful behemoth…and I’m still barely getting any invites to automotive media events. That’s how long the FJ has been around. But I digress. The Missus just got her driving licence after a month of lessons, and a manual one at that. As with any noob driver,
The Honda City has always held an odd spot in the market, too expensive to compete with other sub-compacts and too small to compete with larger compacts. But the all-new 2014 model has undergone a radical transformation, and it can finally justify its price now.