GCC

All 2010-2011 Jaguar XK and Jaguar XF models fitted with the 5.0-litre V8 are being recalled for a fuel starvation issue.

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The 2011 BMW 5-Series sedan and the 2010 BMW 5-Series GT, both barely out on the streets yet, have all been recalled for a faulty fuel gauge that shows more fuel than is really there. We had a Gran Turismo for testing recently, and while we didn’t have this problem, it’s probably a good thing we didn’t let it hover too close to empty.

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In their attempt to fill every possible niche with cars that looks pretty much the same, Volkswagen has launched the 2011 Audi A7 Sportback, a seemingly larger version of the A5 Sportback that is based on the A8 platform. The overall design is the usual copy-paste job that Audi is now famous for, with a slightly-distorted version of the A5’s rear end. And the engines are just the usual corporate VW fare.

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After bothering people via a dedicated Facebook group for months, Ford has finally unveiled the all-new 2011 Explorer. As known earlier, the new Ford Explorer is based on the same platform that underpins the Taurus and the Flex, which unfortunately means the demise of the outgoing body-on-frame Explorer platform and its inherent off-road capabilities. Rather, Ford claims to “reinvents the Explorer SUV with best-in-class fuel economy, improved driving dynamics and terrain management system, all wrapped in a modern, weight-saving design.”

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The 2011 Mercedes-Benz CL-Class was recently unveiled, sporting a new front end with LED bumper lights and a mildly-changed rear end, with a couple of new engines. Now the AMG version of the 2011 CL has been released, in CL63 and CL65 guises, with two more new engines.

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We still hold fast to our belief that Twitter is the biggest waste of time since the advent of the internet, but occasionally, about 1% of the time, it can be a source of fresh news. The awful Dodge Durango, still in showrooms as a “new” car in the U.S. and the U.A.E. after it went out of production in 2008, is going to be replaced by a new version based on the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee. And some media hack leaked a photo of one on Twitter.

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The other day, at a press event for some car here, all of us media people were sitting at lunch together, and they were all excitedly talking about their upcoming free trip to the United States to test-drive the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The ironic bit was it seemed like I was the only one not invited, and I was the only one who actually owns a freaking Jeep Grand Cherokee, while Chrysler Middle East knew that about me too. So much for brand loyalty. That international Jeep media event is over now though, and the reports are already coming in.

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The 2010 BMW 5-Series Gran Turismo has apparently been out for a while now, but this test vehicle is the first one I’ve ever seen on UAE roads. At a price point that competes directly with the handsome BMW X5, while looking like it does, it isn’t hard to see why it will remain rare. However, simply by its oddity does it stand out. When was the last time you bothered giving an X5 a second glance? You will definitely be staring at this one.

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The current generation of the Nissan Murano has been out for a year now in the GCC, and is a rather rare sight on Dubai roads, partly due to an massive increase in price and partly because that increase came in the middle of the worst recession ever. However, the newly-premium Murano had actually debuted two years ago in Europe, so their version has received a facelift for 2011.

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The Hyundai Genesis Coupe debuted for 2010 with much fanfare, being directly compared to the Infiniti G37 Coupe by the foreign media. It was launched in the UAE in only a single V6 trim level, priced almost half as much as the tiny Nissan 370Z. We never drove it, but we did feel it up at the Dubai showroom. The interior was a let-down in terms of materials, but it looks like Hyundai has addressed that for the 2011 model year.

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