Feature Stories

The 2012 Hyundai Accent isn’t a car anyone was anxiously waiting for. That isn’t to say no one anticipates sub-compact cars with sweaty palms. The launch of the next-generation Toyota Yaris is going to be a big event in the lives of many in the UAE. Nothing else comes close to the Yaris in popularity. The Accent has always been sidelined. However, we just drove the all-new 2012 Hyundai Accent from Dubai to Fujairah and back, and it’s a car that can give Toyota some sleepless nights.

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The 2011 Ford Mustang GT, the 2010 Dodge Challenger and the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS all have three things in common. All three are retro-styled Americans, all three are V8-powered muscle cars, and all three have more than 400 horses. Each. This comparo has been a long time coming. Everyone else has already done their armchair evaluations, simply comparing manufacturer figures, snapping a few photos and calling it a day. It took us a spread of six months to be able to drive all three of these direct competitors. We have neither the time nor the resources to pull in all three cars together.

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Late last year, on the sidelines of the Mitsubishi ASX crossover launch event at the Dubai Autodrome, Mitsubishi had an egg on four wheels parked outside the halls, plugged into the wall like a blender. We quickly recognised that to be the Mitsubishi i-MiEV, the Japanese firm’s first commercially-available electric car.

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Here is an absolutely amazing visual guide to every Batmobile ever created by the various artistes for Batman. And by every Batmobile, we mean every Batmobile, dating back from the 1940s comic till the latest movie. It’s a nice way to spend a lazy weekend going through it all.

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The new Mini has looked pretty much the same since its debut as a lifestyle car sometime in late 2001. There was a major refresh in 2007, with a facelift and new engines. We drove all the body variants since then, including the Cooper S hatchback, the Cooper S convertible and the Clubman S. Then the next big change came in 2010, with a switch to a turbocharged 1.6-litre with a smidge more power for the Cooper S. That engine also made it into the “Mayfair” special edition. We’ll now see what makes it so special.

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Some say that Lexus invented the luxury crossover genre back in the late 1990s. Catering only to the U.S. market, the original RX 300 became such a massive hit that it is the ‘L’ company’s best-seller to this day, and helped Lexus become the top luxury brand in the States. Of course, the market dynamics of the Middle East are completely different. In the UAE, the latest RX 350 lives under the shadow of the LX 570. But it is the RX that is the more interesting vehicle in terms of luxury tech.

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Forget the 0-100 sprints and the lap times. When it comes down to a muscle car like the 2011 Ford Mustang GT, it needs to be practical to sell. Otherwise, if cars sold solely on its performance credentials, Ford would just build a two-seater with no boot, and no leather, and no radio.

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The 2011 Cadillac CTS Coupe is probably the most eye-catching car built by the General’s luxury arm since the tail-finned chrome barges of the 1960s. The fact that we snagged the V-series version of the coupe simply adds flame to the proverbial fire. The story is that we skipped the Lebanon launch event for the CTS Coupe in September, so we were promised an early look at the car when it became available for tests here. We suspect that, after losing two CTS-V sedans to retarded journalists, GM is a bit wary of handing over their expensive hypercar to amateurs now,

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Back in 2008, Ford has released their full-size Five Hundred in the GCC, and it was a nicer alternative to the classic Crown Victoria. While it had potential, the dull exterior and interior were a let down. However, for 2010, Ford redressed the Volvo-based platform, and renamed it the Taurus. So what is the new Taurus? Just a redesigned Five Hundred? I purchased a 2010 Taurus SEL in Riyadh this summer, so let’s find out.

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BMW had a track event at the Dubai Autodrome racetrack last week. Dubbing it “X Meets M Roadshow”, it was an attempt by BMW to legitimise the X5 M and the X6 M as true sporting vehicles worthy of the M badge, while also having the M3 as well as regular X5 and X6 models at hand for comparison. Interestingly, it was even open to the public, and all you had to do was sign up on BMW’s regional website for a slot. The only problem was BMW’s local outfit chose to advertise this event on everywhere except the Middle East’s most popular car website,

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