If the “Highline” model wasn’t fancy enough, Volkswagen have launched an “Exclusive” edition for the Passat priced at an equivalent Dhs 165,637 for the sedan and Dhs 171,634 for the Varient wagon in Europe.
Driving while sitting two inches away from a raspy high-revving engine is rather uncommon for most people. It’d mean you’re either driving a Ferrari 458 or a Toyota Hiace. But somewhere in between is the Porsche Cayman, supposedly the most balanced sports car in the world. We can now confirm that, after our stint with the Cayman R.
With the possibility of a Polo R to spice up the already-crowded Volkswagen GTI line-up looking bleak, VW has gone ahead and released two R-Line aesthetic packages for its smallest hatchback.
Our freebie Volkswagen Passat CC has now completed its break-in period, so we’re finally getting to open up the throttle and listen to that 3.6-litre V6. The same engine powers the new VW Touareg as well as the pricey Porsche Cayenne V6, and we loved the motor in those SUVs.
The new generation of Hino 300 Series light-duty truck has been launched in the UAE. Apparently it took 12 years of continuous development to roll out this version, and it can now be had with an automatic transmission.
It’s time to close the chapter on our 2000 BMW M Roadster, our first attempt at owning a near-exotic car. We bought it in early 2008, and sold it last month, barely driving it for 7,000 km in more than three years. Here’s a rundown of what you need to know if you plan to buy a premium sports car on a budget.
Infiniti sponsored the Red Bull Renault F1 team this year, and as luck would have it, Sebastian Vettel went ahead and won the 2011 championship already on points alone. Now Infiniti is celebrating in the UAE with a “pit stop” competition.
Mahindra, a leading Indian automaker prominent only in the Indian automotive scene, is probably one of the rarest of brands in the Middle East. Despite attempting to compete with the automotive giants by launching models, like the Scorpio that has won several accolades in India, Mahindra’s failure in the international scene was miserable and inevitable, largely due to the outrageous quality issues, dated styling and horrendous driving experiences. However, Mahindra has now seemingly realised their blooper and gained some sense, apparent from the launch of their all-new visually-stunning XUV500 (read as “5-double-oh”) crossover.
Competition in the sub-compact segment is heating up, with entries such as the Hyundai Accent, the Honda Jazz and the Ford Fiesta pushing the boundaries of what is possible with small cars. And soon after we drove the 2012 Chevrolet Sonic for the first time, we were invited to the UAE launch of the all-new 2012 Toyota Yaris. Thus far, the Yaris has remained the segment leader, but we were eager to find out if it could maintain that lead.
Back in the early days of summer this year, we asked Volkswagen Middle East if they’d be interested in providing us with a long-term car. We were fine with any car, as long as it was for a decent amount of time, and we even offered to pay part of the cost. They soon got back to us, offered us a VW Passat CC V6 for no cost, and even let us choose the colour. While we didn’t ask for any specific colour, we found it rather astounding that VW would import a brand-new unmolested car from Germany just for our test.