The all-new 2015 Mercedes-Benz C-Class is probably the most desirable model in its class at the moment, not least because it looks like a mini S-Class if seen from a distance. We drove the C 250 version for a night, so got a brief look at if there’s any substance beneath the skin.
Unlike Ferraris, which have life-cycles as long as Toyotas, Lamborghinis have a much longer shelf-life. The Gallardo ran from 2003 till 2013. Some of its older brothers ran for even longer with minimal changes. The latest entry-level Lamborghini, the Huracan LP610-4, will likely have to remain fresh for the next decade. Which means that, right now, it’d have to be far more advanced than anything else in the market. We checked out a fresh example of the future, right here in Dubai.
The Lotus Evora has been available in the UAE for the past year now. And it’s been around in Europe since 2009. Then what’s new about the two Evora S cars we’re piloting here? Nothing really. Given our unfamiliarity with the British brand’s products, we asked for our first experience, and the local dealer obliged. The yellow one is an automatic, while the white one is a manual. Yep, manual.
Flying to the United States is a test of patience, but there was a compelling reason for us to do so last week. We attended the global media-drive event of the 2015 Ford F-150 in San Antonio, Texas. Quite possibly the American carmaker’s most important model, the new one is touted to be the most advanced truck in its class, and from what we saw, we’d have to agree, especially since they had the Chevy Silverado and the Ram 1500 available for comparison, that too for a trial-by-fire by drag-racing!
How fast do you need your sports car to be? Porsche seems to sell one for every level of speed. If your threshold for velocity is over-the-top on the sanity meter, the 2014 Porsche 911 Turbo is for you.
The “new” Nissan Patrol has been around for a while now, receiving its first facelift in 2014 since its launch in 2010. You may be familiar with the new look, having seen it up close on your rear-view mirror.
There are very few cars that generate the kind of hype that the all-new 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray has. The hype is warranted, judging by its initial photos and specs-sheet alone. But what is it like in real life?
Salalah really is an eye-opener. Having spent an entire day there driving around in the all-new 2015 Nissan X-Trail, apparently we were witnessing the tail-end of rainy “khareef” season, which is when the desert sprouts enough greenery to rival European forests.
Jeep is an absolutely amazing brand that earned its heritage the hard way. It wasn’t by becoming popular as the ride of choice for dictators or royalty. It wasn’t by taking part in racing events that entertained a niche crowd. And it wasn’t by building cheap reliable transportation. Oh no, the “hard way” meant winning World War 2. Times have changed though, but current-owners Fiat-Chrysler seem to have strived hard to make sure some of that legendary heritage has rubbed off on the all-new Jeep Renegade.
One little-known fact about us is that our first officially-provided test car was the 2005 Cadillac CTS 3.6. It was a very nice car, but after the initial euphoria died down, we realised it wasn’t particularly well-built and nowhere near as good as the BMW 3-Series we drove after that. Two generations later, the 2014 edition is quite something else.
