The 2020 Land Rover Defender 110 recently made its way to our local shores as one of the most anticipated cars of the year, received with mixed reactions before its limelight was stolen by far more retro Ford Bronco and maybe the upcoming Jeep Wrangler V8. We had a go at it on UAE sand to see if the modernised new model does justice to the nameplate.
If ever there were roads least suited to a hypercar, here they are. The ribbon of tarmac that stretches ahead is littered with an assortment of lumps and bumps, with some sections of bitumen having crumbled away altogether. The snaking route is also so narrow in parts that there’s just enough space for two cars to pass in opposing directions without rubbing shoulders.
We have been following the rise of Chinese cars in the Middle East with a lot of interest now. The barrage of new brands and models has been ongoing for the past decade now, but all the offerings have been lacklustre in one way or the other. They are getting better with every iteration though. So when we got the new Haval H2 for a test-drive, we were hoping China’s carmakers have finally caught up to the competition.
Hard to believe that it’s been 8 years since the Volkswagen Passat’s last full redesign in 2012. That was the year when the European Passat and the American Passat diverged into two distinct cars, as the latter became a larger car with class-leading space for a midsize sedan, but also less sophisticated in terms of execution and features. The GCC market gets the American one. And it’s now on its second facelift, the first one being back in 2016.
Mazda has built a bit of a reputation with enthusiasts on a budget. Building cars that drive well, no matter what category they play in, it is popular among certain younger buyers. Of course, the problem is most buyers aren’t of the enthusiastic variety, and Mazda has always been way behind when it comes to the basics of space and comfort, thereby giving up market share to brands which understand their respective segments better. Does the new Mazda 3 change that?
As millions of cars sit around unused in the midst of the global lockdown, the coronavirus pandemic may actually be a catalyst for some major changes in the way consumers “buy” cars.
Let’s not beat around the bush. Car sales have crashed in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. There’s no avoiding its effects, as stock markets, retail and travel have also been murdered by the unprecedented COVID-19 crisis, with no sign of relief any time soon and people are losing their jobs in these and others sectors. If you still feel like buying a car, there are some options, but on the whole, there probably won’t be any new cars to buy soon as several carmakers are switching focus for the time being.
Car shopping is probably one of the most stressful activities you’ll ever undertake, thanks to the amount of money involved and the utter disdain for customers at most car dealerships. Add the generational shift towards app-based on-demand and subscription services for everything from hailing a taxi to watching TV shows, the urge to actually own a car for mobility is diminishing among certain sections of young affluent consumers. As a logical progression, now there are even car subscription services where you can sign up to use a car for a month using your smartphone, pay a monthly fee with all service and maintenance included without being locked into a multi-year lease,
The Lincoln Nautilus is basically the facelifted version of the outgoing MKX. As the Ford-owned American luxury brand steers clear of the ill-conceived “MK-whatever” naming convention that was introduced just a decade ago, proper names are back on the tailgates of Lincoln models, all of which are now taking design cues introduced on the flagship Continental sedan and made familiar with the new Navigator.
We went for a quick drive in the all-new 2020 Ford Explorer before its launch in the Middle East. This one is a RWD hybrid model, but there are more variants on the way.