Behind The Scenes

One of our readers, Mohamad, pointed us to a thread at nissan-arabia.com, showcasing photos of a consignment of seven American-spec 2008 Nissan GT-R models which have made their way to Abu Dhabi for local customers who can’t wait till next year’s release of a GCC-spec version. The same reader also spotted a GT-R at a Nissan workshop in Dubai, probably used for technician training. Yet another reader, Don, spotted the all-new 2009 Nissan Maxima trundling around at a freezone in Dubai, which is the first real confirmation that the new Maxima is indeed coming to the GCC.

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The week when we picked up our first Infiniti EX35, we also drove a Honda Accord, a Jaguar XF and a CSV CR8, while also covering the Yellow Hat tint install on our BMW M Roadster — a hectic week for sure. I didn’t spend too much time going over the EX35’s features after measuring its performance figures. So we asked for an EX35 again, before I take a break from testing any more cars for a while. This second greyish EX35 is actually a different car than our previous silver tester, but all else was the same,

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If you are interested in taking dynamic photos and videos of your moving car while on the move, instead of having your buddy hang out the window of another car, the better option is to invest in a car camera mount. Car camera mounts are not available at all locally, and have to be ordered from abroad through the internet. Prices range from US$ 50 (Dhs 184) to thousands of dollars for the big ones used in movies, plus shipping. But after extensive searching, we found this unbranded possibly-homemade one on Ebay.com for US$ 25 (Dhs 92), plus shipping from America for US$ 32,

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I’m not too familiar with Peugeot’s various engine offerings any more, especially since Peugeot’s local reps have always been unenthusiastic in dealing with us specifically. However, we recently gave them a call and asked for a 407 Coupe again. The last time we asked for it, it was in 2006, and it got postponed 4 times, so we moved on. Looks like it went missing again. We got a 308 instead, but we’re not complaining.

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Okay, so it is impossible to compare a Honda Accord V6 with a Jaguar XF V8. But both are midsize sedans, both are redefining their genres and both happened to be parked under my place at the same time. So why not?

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This week is turning out to be hectic. After returning the CSV CR8, we drove to a GM/RTA press conference halfway across Dubai in evening traffic in my manual BMW, only to find out it was cancelled and no one told us. Wasting the whole of yesterday night, we had to wake up early today and run around town to pick up two cars. One is the long-awaited Honda Accord V6, and the other is the exquisite Jaguar XF.

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We spent the entire morning today at the Dubai Autodrome, driving around in the most unusual vehicle, at a German manufacturer’s launch event. But we will talk about that drive later, because we came home to have a new unrelated test-drive car delivered to our doorstep. And that new tester is the CSV CR8, which belongs at the track, but just to clarify, it’s not the car we drove at the track. As tired as I am, I took the CR8 for a 2-minute spin before typing out this note. And I am already sold on it. It is the most pleasurable driver’s car I’ve had the opportunity of piloting in the past year.

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I’m just guessing, but this is probably the first Middle East report you’ll see of the 2009 Infiniti EX35, considering all the rags seem busy with the G37 Coupe. Due to tight scheduling competition with all the magazines, we only managed to snag it for 2 random days, but this also happens to be a very busy week for me, so testing was done hurriedly. We’re going to try to get it again later, assuming my moronic PR guy (who probably won’t read this) doesn’t try to aim for a hard-to-get weekend date to show off this car to his weekend date.

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Another rundown of the updates to the New Car Buyer Guide over the past two months. I continue to get some flak for incorrect prices, but then again, I make pocket-change for doing what little I do anyway. As usual, if you cannot see the updates in Internet Explorer, hold CTRL and click on REFRESH in your browser while cursing your internet provider.

Bentley – Arnage
BMW – X6
Chrysler – Grand Voyager
GMC – Terrain, Sierra 1500
Infiniti – G37 Coupe,

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You may have noticed the limited updates on this blog during the past week. It was because we moved to a bigger server as we continue to expand. Considering how awful the local internet monopoly is, expecting any improvement in speed seems like a dream. But I guess now is as good a time as any to announce that we are now an official media partner for the 2008 Sharjah Auto Show in November, which will coincide with our third anniversary. We get a stand and everything!

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