What makes a sports car? Should it have two seats or are five acceptable? Should it have two doors or is four okay? Should it only be rear-wheel-drive or will all-wheel-drive do? While Audi is generally seen as a maker of cookie-cutter sedans, they’ve been breaking conventions for a while now with a few of their niche models, such as the Audi TT Quattro and the Audi S3 Sedan. We drove both of them at the GCC launch event in the UAE.
Lexus continues its transformation for a luxury brand known for conservatively-styled comfortable cars to aggressively-styled sporty cars with the RC Coupe, essentially a 2-door version of last year’s new IS 350 sedan. And following the demise of the IS F, there’s the RC F Coupe debuting in the UAE as well.
The all-new 2014 Ford Fusion has been on sale for a couple of months now, while the 2014 Ford Ranger is basically a carryover model, having been redesigned just a couple of years ago. But Ford decided to give us a taster of these two important models at the Dubai Autodrome recently, to highlight their best attributes. It was a generic event, like any other, but they then threw us a curveball in the form of the Toyota Camry and the Toyota Hilux, both there for us to compare with the Fords.
Privately-owned midsize pickups are a legitimate market segment in several Asian and even Western countries. Here, they are almost exclusively used as commercial vehicles, driven by sweaty hard-working men who quietly laugh at moisturiser-toting management types trundling to office in oversized American pickup trucks. However, Isuzu feels there is a gap in the market for a good-sized “lifestyle” pickup, and hence, we have the Isuzu D-Max GT.
This week’s motoring news round-up includes one of Nissan’s UAE dealers winning an aftersales service award, Valvoline launching a GCC-spec engine oil, the Porsche GT3’s Dubai race conclusion, and Bridgestone’s new air-free tyre.
Nissan Middle East debuted the 2013 Nissan GT-R “For Track Pack” in Dubai last week at the Dubai Autodrome. The new model isn’t a big change, aside from a retuned suspension and further weight loss, and we didn’t get to drive it either. But Nissan had two 2012 GT-R test cars lined up on the track, with pro instructors in the passenger seat. With Nissan GT-R creator Kazutoshi Mizuno and his team hanging around. And we were told to bring in a couple of our Facebook fans as well for a drive!
The Porsche World Roadshow is an event held around the world almost every year by the German carmaker’s dealers, to showcase their latest models to potential customers in the comfort of, well, a racetrack. We’ve attended the UAE event in years past, but for whatever reason, we did not get an invite from Porsche this year. But then an invitation came in from the most unlikely of places — Emirates NBD Bank!
The Automobile and Touring Club of the UAE (ATCUAE) officially launched a new season of motor sport in the Emirates with aims to build for the future by attracting and developing young local talent.
For a little recap, the Audi TT in its current guise has been around in the GCC since 2007. The first generation was produced from 1999 to 2006, which impressed with its controversial shape, which while certainly different, was not to everyone’s taste. Still, several thousands were sold all over the world for the way it looked, if not for its notorious handling.
The Dubai Autodrome racetrack played host on the 27th April to the first editon of the Dubai Chase, also being dubbed as a “street-racing festival” of sorts. All sorts of tuner cars from various clubs were displayed at the paddock area, with some driving activities taking place as well. There was drag racing on the main straight, autocross in the paddock area and apparently drifting somewhere else on the track. There was also an R/C drifting competition and a gathering of cars with big sound systems. Photos by Salma Sultana.