The Americanised Volkswagen Passat has been around since 2012, when it caused a few ripples by separating from the smaller European Passat and transforming into a larger car with class-leading space for a midsize sedan. Since then, it’s been a bit muted in public minds, but this timely facelift for 2016 should see it garnering some interest again, with some new features.
Kia credits themselves with being the inventor of the crossover SUV, a title that is usually usurped by Toyota. The truth is Kia’s Sportage came out a full year before the first-gen RAV4. However, it was conceived back before Kia merged with Hyundai, and therefore the Sportage was better-known for 1-star crash test ratings and recalls for wheels falling off while driving. Somehow, it still managed to have a fan following over its decade of existence. Fast-forward a couple of decades, and the recent Sportage does 5-star crash ratings and among the top sellers in its segment. Now that’s an impressive transformation.
The Hyundai Elantra is a subcompact that has been around since a long time. Although not much of an attention grabber, it is apparently a sales success in the Middle East, owing to the great exterior design and price tag. However, the Koreans’ penchant to continually evolve meant that Hyundai finally went all-in to make the car a more complete package rather than just a looker. And how the all-new 2016 Hyundai Elantra has grown from its past is what we were to witness when the local dealer invited us for a day-long media event that included an extensive test-drive.
Downsizing is rampant nowadays, and the same goes for premium cars. We’re not talking about job losses, but the size of cars. The Audi A3 started life as a lacklustre hatchback about a decade ago, and we called it out as such back then. However, it’s changed over the years, and the new sedan version of the latest A3 has been getting some attention lately. And with good reason, from what we saw.
Porsche is going to rebadge their Boxster and Cayman as “718” models this year, complete with 4-cylinder turbo engines, the first of which have just been revealed. However, the GTS models will get a stay of execution from the turbo era for now. We drove the last of these naturally-aspirated mid-engined Porsches late last year in Stuttgart, Germany.
When you think “entry-level,” it conjures up images of Hyundai Accents and call-centre workers. However, in the world of premium cars, even “entry-level” has a wholly different meaning. And we’re not talking about stuff like BMW and their 1.6-litre 1-Series. We’re talking about McLaren and their new 570S, part of their entry-level Sports Series cars that are positioned as a rival to the Porsche 911 Turbo S, which is essentially the flagship of Stuttgart’s legendary rear-engined range.
When we drove the redesigned second-gen Chrysler 300C about four years back, we wanted to like the car, but it was a bit of a boat in terms of handling, even though its sister-model, the Dodge Charger, was a pretty decent corner-carver. Fast-forward to 2015, and the Chrysler 300 range has received a facelift to inject some aggression into the car’s overall character. And there’s a new trim level — the Chrysler 300S.
With a governmental push for “green” initiatives, the ubiquity of hybrid cars is inevitable in the UAE, even if the current lukewarm sentiments are due to lack of actual subsidies to reduce the higher prices of hybrid cars, as in Western countries. However, a few local car dealers have taken it upon themselves to offer hybrid models that make sense to cost-conscious consumers. One such model is the Nissan Pathfinder Hybrid, which costs almost the same as a regular Pathfinder at Nissan’s dealership in Dubai.
The McLaren 675LT is the limited-edition “Long Tail” version of the 650S, featuring lighter weight, more power and extra-aggressive styling. With only 500 being built in this coupe form, the car already sold out within months of its debut this summer. So it came as a surprise that McLaren offered us an all-too-brief test-drive with one.
Let’s get the obvious out of the way. This is the new Lamborghini Aventador LP750-4 SuperVeloce Roadster. Is it very very fast? Yes it is. Is it a good handler? Yes, if you’re brave enough to push Dhs 2.5 million of carbon-fibre car around a corner. Does it look good? Clearly. Does it have a very long name? Yes it does. Now with that out of the way, what is it like to drive a Lamborghini Aventador LP750-4 SuperVeloce Roadster on the streets of Dubai for half a day? More adventurous than you think.