No 107 July 2010 Oman’s Best Automotive Resource OMR 0.500 AED 5.00 QR 5.

00

EvocativE!
All-new 2010 Lotus Evora promises to rewrite
the segment. The good news is: it’s here in Oman
Also inside our 10th anniversary bumper first drive issue:
Maserati GranCabrio | Kia Sportage | Hyundai Tucson | Renault Koleos
Also driven: Lexus RX350
Ferrari celebrates 800 GP | WRC Turkey & Finland

Visit us online at www.automanweb.com

editor-in-chief
Mohammad Al taie
Korean Dream Run
As the eyes of millions of viewers are tuned to the successes and failures of the teams
participating in Football world cup being held in South Africa, not many of them will
notice that among the 32 teams that qualified, both the Koreas were part of it. At
AL roYA PreSS & PUBLiShinG the time of going to press, the minnows DPR Koreawere out, while South Korea were
Po Box: 343, Postal code 118
into the second round.Perhaps it is mildly prophetic, but we should look out for some
Al harthy complex
Sultanate of oman surprises from the folks from the land of the morning calm. Because in automotive
terms,they are anything but calm. Korea’s manufacturers have seen their share of ups
email: automan@alroya.net
and downs, with corruption scandals, takeovers and even sporadic industrial unrest and
Website: www.automanweb.com
a bankruptcy or two. What this helps underline is the open nature of the economy as
editorial office: well as signs of a coming of age.
tel: +968 24479888 extn 300, fax: +968 24479889
circulation office:
tel: +968 2456 2138, fax: +968 2456 2194 This month’s triple test of the just launched KIA Sportage, Hyundai Tucson and Renault
Koleos gives you an indication of where the Korean-made product is going. Some years
PUBLiSher
ago, the Hyundai KIA partnership was formed and one of the declared goals was to
hatim Al taie hatim@alroya.net
become the world’s fifth largest manufacturer. While you can’t give the conglomerate
editor & GM credit for the problems that hit the reigning big car companies post 2008 and into the
raj Warrior raj@alroya.net
current day, you can certainly praise the single-minded focus that has brought them
execUtive editor on target, well before time. Perhaps the key to this was the self-stated goal, publicly
chandan B Mallik chandan@alroya.net declared and repeatedly avowed. Or what could be more pertinent is the foresight that
saw huge investments in leap-frogging technology. Hyundai used to depend on
co-ordinAtor
Pratibha n Kadam pratibha@alroya.net Mitsubishi years ago for engines and geartrains. No longer – Hyundai supply these to
the world.
deSiGn
Sawsan Al Muharbi sawsan@alroya.info
Current models from the partnership are spot on in terms of what the customer wants
heAd of MArKetinG and reinforce the importance of product in a brand’s arsenal. While reams could be
Maged Aziz maged@alroya.net
written about the Hyundai-KIA duopoly one shouldn’t forget the important strides being
MArKetinG made by other companies. GM-DAT has a great line-up of cars, including the smash hit
Shruti Mehta shruti@alroya.net Cruze. The Nissan-Renault alliance has, on its part, done exceedingly well in getting the
Supreme Philips philips@alroya.net
Samsung car operations on board and internationalising the products from there. And
circULAtion even Ssangyong is finally going to get a better future. Known for years as the maker
books@alroya.net of the Korando, its current generation Rexton and various spin-offs were marginally
successful, albeit due in part to a rapidly aging reliance on Mercedes-Benz powertrains.
finAnce & AdMin
Abraham daniel daniel@alroya.net
Hopefully, its current catharsis will see it get a new owner who knows what to do with
Printer
the brand.More than anything the current day is in Korea’s favour for more than one
ruwi Modern Printers LLc
tel: +968 2479 4167, 2479 8157 reason. The fabled Japan- manufactured product is facing the twin shocks of a strong
fax: +968 2470 0545 currency making exports costlier and a crisis of consumer confidence in the much-
touted reliability. Korea, despite the larger fluctuations in its currency peg still offers
© 2010 value for money to the international market. And because its car makers have seen the
All editorial content of Automan in the magazine and world as their market, their products now meet global needs and more importantly,
its website is copyrighted and may not be reproduced
global desires.Korea as an industrial power has not peaked yet.Only new growth
in any form without the written consent of the manage-
ment of AL roYA PreSS & PUBLiShinG economies are doing better, like China and India, but they still have some way to go to
catch up with the tiger economy.
Automan accepts unsolicited exclusive editorial mate-
rial, but reserves the right to publish any such material.
once published, the copyright for any such material
will vest with AL roYA PreSS & PUBLiShinG

{First drive
Italian carmaker Maserati chose Rome to launch its latest drop-
top model, the 2010 GranCabrio.
| Author: Chandan B Mallik
26
26
{Road Test}
Still flying high
Consider it a luxury car with a difference. In a market
that is getting increasingly comfort biased, the Lexus
RX350 has been a pioneer. Automan tests the car
| Author: Raj warrior | Photography: Shakeel Al Balushi |
58
56
{cover story}
Adding A premium
to hAndling
What would Colin Chapman have made of the new Evora? It keeps
its roots firmly with the heritage of Lotus while trying to appeal to
a whole new audience. Automan tests the car.
| Author: Raj warrior | Photography: Shakeel Al Balushi
B
ritish engineering has been having
quite a tough time over the years.
From being a very industrial revolution
based land of factories and mills, much of the
manufacture of goods has been moving to
cheaper and more prolific countries. Even if
we were to limit ourselves to the automotive
vertical, the country has barely managed to
keep its industry viable. On the other hand,
if you were to think of the application end of
triple test
automobiles, motorsports is still very much
a UK speciality. Formula One teams call the
country home, tracks like Silverstone and
Donnington are known worldwide and the
quintessential small volume British sportscar
{Road Test}
still survives.
36
There was a time when buying a sportscar
B
meant that you invariably looked for a British
car. Signature characteristics of lightweight
body, small, yet powerful engine and a single-
minded focus on handling meant that the
genre of cars that were made in old Blighty
set themselves apart from the cars that were
made anywhere else. That is until Japanese
manufacturers got into the act and began
making sportscars that had most of British
sportscars’ plus points with a lot more –
like driver comfort, reliability and cheaper
costs. What we have now, after decades of
competition and mismanagement are just a
couple of sportscar makers in Britain that can
produce a world-class sportscar. Lotus is one
Kia Motors has just wheeled in the third generation successor
of its highly successful Sportage compact SUV for the
region. Automan finds the new arrival not just a befitting
replacement, but also as a signature of transformation within SUV
and crossover line-up for the marque
12
{Road Test}
Poised with
confidence
Automan discovers the all-new 2010 Tucson as one
successful new chapter in transformation of Hyundai
from a maker of cheap econoboxes to a bonafide
manufacturer of first-class quality global cars
{Road Test}
French
twist
Designed by Renault, engineered by Nissan
and built in South Korea, the all-new Koleos
is the French marque’s first ever 4x4
lifestyle crossover SUV. Question is: can it
cut in the fiercely competitive market? We
find ou
T 107 | July 2010
A
lthough Maserati could be considered as
a conservative car maker, it has in the
past experimented with different forms
of cars with outside help. Not many people
will recall that the car maker did have three
four-seater convertible models in its line-up,
but that was a long time ago. The reason why
are we raising this fact now is because we
need to know how has the thinking changed
at Maserati over the years.
While, the three models referred above
were built by specialist coach-builder Castagna
on a Maserati chassis, one can safely argue
that the 2010 all-new GranCabrio is 100 per
cent Maserati and represents the very essence
of Maserati in terms of open-top cars. It is
a Maserati in the truest sense thanks to its
unmistakable design and engineering.
It was the famous ‘26M’ chassis back in
1932 which spurred those evocative models
and coming back to current times, the all-new
the GranCabrio owes its development to the
highly successful GranTurismo architecture.
Globally, the GranCabrio competes with BMW
6 Series, Jaguar XKR and Aston DB9 Volante
mainly, although the fact it has four usable
seats, it actually pitches more closely to the
Bentley GTC.
Now that it’s no secret that the proven
fundamentals of the GranTourismo deeply
inspired and helped engineers, and it didn’t
take long for Maserati to realize the potential
to create a stylish drop top as an addition to
the existing line-up. Although, dimensions and
proportions make the Pininfarina designed car
look familiar, and that’s quite natural as the
GranCabrio uses the same wheelbase. In the
flesh, I must admit that there exists, perhaps
only a handful number of cars that can turn
heads like the GranCabrio
The car’s elegant body lines are among the
I
n other pages in this month’s magazine,
we look at the range of SUVs that a
certain luxury car marque offers. While
the attempt by the brand there was to bring
out the hardy, terrain-busting characteristics of
even their entry level SUV, the understanding
always remained that all the performance in
the world had to come with a clutch of core
values to make sense for a luxury segment
buyer.
Hence just as much importance would be
given to things like air-conditioned seats,
leather and DVD players and driver related
goodies couched as necessity in terms of
safety or performance. Like adaptive cruise
control, reversing cameras or even the power
adjustable seats with memory functions. At a
certain level the customer is accustomed to a
of them.
Lotus has had its share of ups and downs
as well. Being a low volume manufacturer has
its limitations in being able to invest in R&D,
quality and product development. But new
ownership and investment has allowed the
company to change essentially. And the Evora
is the first new product to hit the roads as part
of the new age of Lotus.
The Evora is targeted to be different from
the existing line-up like the back to basics
Elise or the track-focussed Exige. The need
to move towards moderate volumes and a
profitable future means the company needs
a mainstream car that appeals to a broader
{{Road Test}
audience.
Styling remains one of the key features
of the car. It carries the Lotus look while
exploring the larger dimensions of a car meant
for the mass market. At the outset, there K
are significant variations in terms of design.
The need to accommodate a 3.5-litre V6 in
a transverse layout means that the car has
the width across the rear to justify a growing
outwards. The profile is conspicuous in some
ways with its long front overhang, long
wheelbase and short and almost chopped off
rear overhang. However, despite all the work
on the front fascia, it is the work done by the
designers to the rear of the door that makes
for interesting reading. The bodywork had to
integrate a certain degree of aerodynamic
42 I
46
in this issue
most sensual and flowing in the automotive
world. Perhaps, there’s only one contemporary
car that can rival its beauty, that being Alfa
Romeo’s 8C Competizione. Despite the
obvious similarities with the GranTourismo,
an expert eye, however, can empathise how
the engineering under the sheet metal has
influenced the imposing and dynamic front
end design and execution. At the same time,
the feline and wider rear end speaks a high-
tech language with a wide aerodynamic
diffuser, signed off by large twin chrome
tailpipes. Meanwhile, befitting the nature of
this car, it has been infused with extensive
structural modifications to its basic platform to
cope with the top spec powertrain and safety
requirements.
Other structural changes that are visible
but not so obtrusive are the bigger sills,
modifications on the door structure and the
enclosed compartment that hosts the folding
roof. While the rear will accommodate two
adults comfortably, there’s an out of sight
structural ‘torsion wall’ behind the rear seats.
Up front, under the longish bonnet are two
reinforcing rods across the engine bay that
help maintain torsional rigidity of the chassis by
countering any attempt to flex. Maserati says
measurable torsional and bending stiffness are
just 1.82Hz below that of the coupe. However,
the extra bracing and roof mechanism have
added almost 100kg of weight to the car,
when compared with the GranTourismo.
The GranCabrio’s stance has also been
modified to suit the dynamics of the model.
The centre of gravity is 12 to 14mm lower and
the best part is that weight distribution over the
axles is near perfect with a 48:52 front-to-rear
bias with the roof down, and 49:51 with roof
up. Despite the fluid and sculptured body lines
and similar design flow of the GranTurismo, at
feature set that gives him this package.
Lexus has grown as a brand over the years,
precisely for its ability to identify the need and
the aspiration level of customers. The RX350
evolved as a slightly precocious kid in the block
of ‘soft’ SUVs. At a time when most brands
were still getting models to the concept stage,
the RX served as the Japanese luxury brand’s
very own urban-centred runabout.
Lexus inaugurated the luxury crossover
category with the original RX 300 model in
1998. More than one million Lexus RX models
have been sold worldwide, making it the most
successful luxury utility vehicle.
The car in its current generation has a
look that has been consciously made more
muscular than before. This was partly to add
the promise of the car’s ability to handle the
Road Test}
{Road Test
Road Test}
{Road
{First drive}
a 0.35Cd, the roof up drag coefficient is not
as refined as the GranTurismo’s 0.33Cd. With
the roof down the drag coefficient is Cd 0.39.
The three-layered retractable soft roof is
electrically operated and weighs only 65 kg.
Maserati offers a choice of six colours and it
takes 28secs to raise or lower it and it also
works when the car is moving up to speeds
of 30km/h.
The cabin is typical Maserati which means
in true Italian flair there’s colour, contrast,
style, vivid use of leather and bespoke trim
material. This car also benefits from the same
craftsmanship and gorgeous materials as the
GranTurismo. I particularly liked the Carbalho
wood trimmed car. This Brazilian wood is unique
with each part of it having a different weave
pattern, a sort of fingerprint that guarantees
that each car is truly unique. Meanwhile, the
Poltrona Frau leather which adorns the seats
has been designed to offer supple comfort
and cushioning. Maserati surely knows how
to pamper its clientele with a wide range of
colour and trim options.
Even as a sports car, the GranCabrio gets
a lot of bells and whistles. A state-of-the-art
navigation system is one of many information
systems that the GranCabrio offers with the
package including a seven inch high-resolution
TFT display located in the centre of the
dashboard which shows the functions of the CD
player, navigation system, radio and on-board
computer providing constant information on
the journey and car performance.
As a 2+2 sports car, real accommodation for
rear passengers is always debatable, but not
in this Maserati. However, the comfort levels
vary depending on the occupants’ height and
whether the car is being driven top up or
down. With top down, head room is tight but
Maserati have ensured that rear occupants
27
{Road Test}
rough with the smooth. Of course, you know
that the car will do the school run more often
and with a better sense of purpose than the
sand climb, but it can still do both and that’s
more than you can say of a sedan.
The stance of the car is one of power
and muscle. While the very visible signature
design cues of the front fascia and the region
aft of the C-pillar define the car’s presence,
short overhangs, good ground clearance and
the presence of a powerful engine tell one of
its ability.
The car teams a 3.5-litre V6 engine with
a six-speed multi-mode auto box. Better
designed intake and exhaust manifolds
improve engine aspiration for performance
and economy. There are 275 horses available
in the power band at a sprightly 6200rpm and
57
Porsche 918
sPyder
107
k
10
{Road Test} {Road Test} News 4
From across the region and
Four by 4x4
M
ost of us would agree that the images The old M-class spawned variants of the ML
that the brand Mercedes-Benz conjure and GL are the mainstream SUVs sold in the
around the world
up are of luxury cars like the S-class, region. The GLK has managed to create an
CLS or an SL parked outside a top casino in entirely new market segment, though lately
Monaco or cruising down the boulevards and cars like the Audi Q5 and the upcoming BMW
corniches of the Côte d’Azur or perhaps of a X1 are set to challenge the segment.
heavily armoured Pullman version carrying a
tycoon to an important meeting. Somewhere
The event itself followed the format of most
Safari-like jamborees, with experienced guides
in that land of the quick recall, we forget that
the brand is a lot more and makes many more
leading the participants through a trail that
had been scouted out to offer a challenging
cars. Right from the E-class that greets you drive, yet one that wouldn’t upset the weakest
in its role as Taxi outside Frankfurt airport, to link, which in this case could equally be either
the C-class and the smaller B- and A-class that a poor driver or the GLK, the smallest of the
serve as commuter cars for the urban European brand’s 4WDs.
aspirational type. The range is vast and serves Our group of participants were the second
to highlight Mercedes-Benz’ ability to produce wave and the organisers had seen how well
cover story 12
just the right model for a segment. the first wave had handled the challenges. Day
At the press briefing that served to kick- one of our drive saw the author start the day
off the Dead Sea Trek in Jordan, Frank in an ML350 along with a relative novice co-
Bernthaler,the brand’s sales director for the driver from a mainstream newspaper in Dubai.
Middle East region brought out this point when The drive out from the hotel to the first off-
he explained the reason for the holding of the road section wasn’t too far and we hardly had
brand’s first SUV specific event. Somewhere any time to notice its on-road form before the
along the line, the SUV range of the brand winding climb section up the side of a hill took
seems to have been overshadowed by all the our mind off the quiet journey. It was time
Lotus Evora - could this be
other model lines it makes. So the Dead Sea to engage the whole set of off-road driving
Trek was devised as a means to highlight the tools that the M offers. At the bottom of the
four-wheel range consisting of the drop dead centre console, the switches for engaging off-
serious Gelandewagen (G-class), the top-of- road mode, low gear, differential lock (either
the-line seven seater SUV GL-class, the smaller only centre or both centre and rear) when
5-seat M-class and the segment defining GLK- needed and down-hill assist are partnered
class. with ride height control. Now, while the M is
Some time ago, this author participated principally used to get around town, the off-
in and wrote about the unique experience of road package makes for an interesting addition
007’s next car?
driving the GLK through a rather unexpectedly to its arsenal. It wasn’t as if we thought that
tough route through Salalah’s backyard. That the whole gamut would be required but like
experience led us to view the entire event the instructors were bandying about on the
in a serious light since there was an implicit walkie-talkies, “if you have the tools in the
promise that the two days of driving laid out toolbox, it’s better to use them”.
would exceed that event in its choice of terrain Going from a few hundred metres below sea
20
and itinerary. Of course there was a small level to some hundreds above along the side
presentation that took us through the history of hills was bad enough. Some of the roads
To a brand that is known more for its luxury cars than off-road treks, of the brand’s association with off-road driving,
including multi-axle touring cars designed by
we traversed were literally non-existent and
the path was strewn with rocks and shards of
Mercedes-Benz could not have chosen a better locale or a better and for colonial representatives, second-world
war staff cars and then the twin appeal of the
rocks from landslides. Now the trick was to not
just the cars over the obstacles, but to do so
way than the Jordan Dead Sea Trek to show off its SUV range Unimog and the Gelandewagen. Bringing us without exposing the relatively weaker surface
20
to the present day of course; Mercedes-Benz’ of the tyre sidewalls to the chances of getting
special report
focus on luxurious SUVs is apparent with the sliced or pinched. Of course, the art of four-
| Author: Raj Warrior | Photography: Jorge Ferrari |
three newer additions. wheel driving through the ages has largely
20 21
Checking out the Mercedes-
Benz 4x4 range in Jordan
{Preview} {Preview}
Hybrid madness
first drive
26
The much anticipated Porsche 918 Spyder, is not production-ready
or on the market yet, but a $50,000 non-refundable deposit will
guarantee you one if it gets the green light for production. We look
at Porsche’s plans for this car
Maserati Grancabrio - open
top heritage continues
face to face 34
52 << The two-seater Porsche 918 Spyder mid-engined high-
performance sports car with plug-in hybrid technology clearly
demonstrates a benchmark in new drive technology, but also the
innovative power of Porsche as a pioneer in hybrid drive for sports
With Frank Bernthaler of
Daimler Middle East
cars >>
50 51
{cover story}
first drive
f
Kia Sportage - rewriting the
rules 36
Hyundai Tucson - amazing
confidence 42
Renault Koleos - French with
Korean twist 46
lauNch report 50
Honda Crosstour and bikes
12 preview 52
Porsche 918 Spyder -
hybrid concept ready for
13
production
poster
obituary 57
Hiromu Naruse
also driveN 58
Lexus RX350
motorsports 62
F1 & WRC
chicaNe 72
Taking a second look at
concePt
Jordan
{news}
third GeNeratioN Kia sportaGe lauNches iN omaN
K ia Motors third generation all-new 2011
Sportage SUV was formally launched in
Oman in the presence of senior Kia officials
and VIPs. “Kia Motors has moved into over-
drive with the launch of many new and inter-
esting products. In 2009, we introduced the
all new Cerato, the Soul — our first CUV and
the all new Sorento. Earlier this year we in-
troduced the luxury Cadenza saloon car and
all these models have done exceedingly well,
won positive recognitions for design, quality
and customer satisfaction across the globe.
And there are more new products to come
this year,” said YK Park, President, Kia Motors
4
Corporation, Middle East and Africa.
Meanwhile, complementing the efforts of Kia’s
retail partners, “Our distributor in Oman, Reli-
able International Automotive, under the dy-
namic leadership of Sheikh Mohammed Saud
Bahwan, chairman, Saud Bahwan Group, is
making large investments and putting in tre-
mendous efforts to ensure a world-class expe-
rience for the customers in Oman. Recently,
we have honoured their efforts with the ‘Kia
Award for Excellence and Outstanding Perfor-
mance’, amongst Kia Distributors Worldwide,”
added Park.
Designed under the direction of Kia’s Chief
Design Officer Peter Schreyer, the Kia de-
sign teams have created a third-generation
Sportage incorporating Kia’s new design DNA
and many features from the 2007 Kia Kue
concept car, to be immediately identifiable as
a Kia and stand out from potential rivals in
an increasingly crowded segment. The car is
being offered with two powertrains and sev-
eral trim levels with prices beginning at RO
7,525 for the 2.0-litre LX and topping out at
RO 8,525 for the 2.4-litre EX. [see first drive
report on page 36].

Gull-wiNG sls lauNches iN omaN with Glitz aNd Glamour
NissaN tiida Gets biGGer eNGiNe for 2011
N issan’s Tiida, now in its fourth year of pro-
duction enters the 2011 model year with
a host of enhancements and an attractive new
pricing structure which sees it go on sale with
a bigger 1.8-litre engine but at the price of the
previous 1.6-litre models. With over one mil-
lion global sales to date in 165 countries, Tiida
reNault boosts reGioNal raNGe with saNdero
is Nissan’s best selling model and also one of
its most awarded, too. As before, model will
be available in five-door hatchback and four-
door saloon body styles. Besides the engine,
there are some cosmetic changes also. The
front grille and large taillights have been rede-
signed. Nissan is equipping all Tiida models as
A mong the first of a slew of launches
planned for 2010, Renault has rolled out
the Sandero hatchback in the UAE. The San-
dero was originally developed for the Brazil-
ian market in 2007 uses the Logan platform
and is now also built in Romania, where Re-
nault manufactures and sells cars under the
Dacia brand name. The five-door compact
hatchback is targeted at young and budget-
conscious buyers. The Sandero is powered by
{news}
Z awawi Trading launched the new Mer-
cedes-Benz SLS AMG in the Sultanate
at the Shangri-La’s Barr Al Jissah Resort &
Spa. The new supersports car is the first
Mercedes-Benz with an aluminium body and
chassis and is also the first vehicle indepen-
dently developed by AMG featuring Gullwing
doors. An AMG 6.3-litre V8 front-mid-engine
offers 571hp peak output and 650Nm of
torque. The car has dry sump lubrication,
seven-speed dual-clutch transmission in a
transaxle configuration, and a sports sus-
pension system with aluminium double
wishbones. “The car was designed from
scratch, which means the SLS AMG is not
based on any other Mercedes-Benz vehicle
platform. And, anyone who truly wants to
understand AMG and what lies at the heart
of our performance brand has to drive the
Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG” said Frank Bern-
thaler, director, sales a marketing Mercedes-
Benz Cars, Daimler Middle East.
standard with the 127hp 1.8-litre DOHC 16v
four-cylinder engine with two transmission op-
tions – a six-speed manual or an electronically
controlled four-speed automatic with over-
drive. The USP of the car is more power with
outstanding fuel economy of approximately
13.5km/l for the automatic versions.
a 1.6-litre engine mated to either a manual or
automatic transmission and comes equipped
with ABS. Renault claims that the car has been
extensively tested in the region and adapted
to local driving conditions. To boost custom-
er confidence Renault is offering a standard
three-year/100,000km warranty on the San-
dero and it is now available across Renault
dealerships in the UAE. The car is priced from
Dh39,500 onwards.
5
{news}
2011 porsche cayeNNe steps out amid a spectacular
laser show performaNce iN abu dhabi

P orsche Centre Abu Dhabi, part of the Ali &

Sons Motor Division, launched the brand
new Porsche Cayenne range at a spectacular
event at the Emirates Palace Hotel. The new
generation Porsche Cayenne made its debut in
the UAE’s capital on Monday night amid an im-
pressive laser show and applause. Based on
the manufacturer’s principle of “Porsche Intel-
ligent Performance,” all Cayenne vehicles of of-
fer more power on less fuel, greater efficiency
and lower CO2 emissions.
Strutting its stuff is the ever-powerful
Porsche Cayenne Turbo, with its 500 bhp
4.8-litre, V8 bi-turbo. The latest model boasts
a reduction in fuel consumption of 23 percent.
Wissam Khalil, Brand Manager of Porsche
Centre Abu Dhabi, said at the launch that the
latest Cayenne models represent the perfect
balance between elegant design, powerful
driving dynamics and a high level of comfort.
As a premiere for the Porsche brand this
model is offered as a hybrid version, the Cay-
enne S Hybrid. A highly sophisticated parallel
full hybrid drive ensures fuel consumption of
just 8.2 litres/100 kilometres with CO2 emis-
sions of just 193 g/km. The Cayenne S Hybrid
combines the performance of an eight-cylinder
with the economy of a six-cylinder running on
much less fuel.
“The new Cayenne features a completely
new exterior and newly defined luxury interior.
Yet in today’s world, it’s clearly not enough to
pour on more power; there must be a clear,
simultaneous improvement in fuel consump-
tion. We have optimized this objective to a
maximum by reducing CO2 emissions of up to
26% and a reduction in fuel consumption of
up to 23% less. This car clearly brings a new
dimension to the SUV market”, said Deesch
Papke, managing director of Porsche Middle
East and Africa.

New bmw X5 powers iN the middle east

M ore dynamic, efficient and luxurious
than ever, the new BMW X5 continues
to strengthen its leading position in the pre-
mium four-wheel drive segment. For 2011,
the X5 incorporates several new innovative
design elements and powertrains. The exten-
sive reworked car is a result of over 4,000 new
parts being incorporated into the vehicle. Be-
sides cosmetic modifications to the front and
rear of the vehicle, all versions of the X5 are
now equipped with an eight-speed automatic
transmission as standard. Two new power-
trains have also been introduced to the BMW
X5’s portfolio; the BMW X5 xDrive50i and the
X5 xDrive35i.
Thanks to the application of BMW Efficient-
Dynamics, all versions of the car achieve the
optimum ratio between performance and fuel
consumption in each of their engine classes.
achieved enormous success on a global and
regional level with almost 22,000 units sold in
the Middle East to date. The X5 is one of our
The new top-of-the-range model, the BMW top three selling vehicles in the Middle East
X5 xDrive50i, V8 power unit, features a BMW so we are extremely pleased to now offer an
TwinPower Turbo and direct petrol injection, updated model.”
has an output 407bhp and accelerates from
0-100km/h in just 5.5 secs. The new BMW X5
xDrive35i is powered by 306bhp, straight six-
cylinder engine with BMW TwinPower Turbo,
High Precision Injection and VALVETRONIC
technology and accelerates from 0-100km/h
in 8.1 secs.
Phil Horton, Managing Director of BMW
Group Middle East said: “Since the BMW
X5 was launched over ten years ago it has

6
 {news}

SUMMER SIZZLERS SUMMER SIZZLERS SUMMER SIZZLERS

Zubair automotive are offering a great

moosa abdul Rahman Hassan and Com-
pany is now offering a special, limited time
promotion on its range of GMC Yukons with
top-of-the-range standard options like DVD
Entertainment system and leather seats now
Abdul Rahman & Co., we always provide the
best cars and SUVs available in the market.
Now with this special offer on our line of GMC
Yukons, we would like to put these quality ve-
hicles within the reach of even more people,”
summer deal on the Dodge Caliber SRT4. For
a limited period the stylish hatchback that
comes with high performance with a 285bhp
engine, six-speed manual transmission and
optional electronically-controlled all-wheel
drive system with variable torque at speeds
of 40 to 105 km/h for optimal handling will
be offered from only OMR 9,999 from the
dealership. “The Dodge Caliber SRT4 is set
to raise the benchmark in terms of both per-
formance, specification and looks, all being
attributes that will set this car in a league of
its own on the Sultanate’s roads. This is a
car that exudes confidence, impressive power
and comes with its many exclusive fea-
tures. To experi-
ence the driving JOIN THE
POWER ELITE
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dynamics of the FROM

starting from OMR 15,795. The Yukon is avail- said Viren Agarwal, CEO. The Yukon is based striking Dodge
able in the leather SLT appointment, as well as on GM’s acclaimed full-size SUV platform and Caliber, visit the
higher trims with standard features including features distinctive styling, spacious and re- Chrysler, Jeep and
a DVD entertainment system, rear park assist fined interiors, exceptional driving character- Dodge showroom
system, Bose premium nine-speaker system istics and segment-leading safety features, at any Zubair Auto- DODGE CALIBER
SRT4: 285 hp,
2.4-Liter DOHC
Turbo World Engine,
6-Speed Manual
Transmission

and remote vehicle starter system, in a choice including standard head-curtain side air bags motive Showroom The Dodge Caliber
SRT4 charges
onto the scene
with a get-out-o
features like
f-my-way attitude
SRT-tuned antilock
all its own. Its
brake system
confidence is
rivaled

(ABS) and SRT-spec

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While the US debates on Chevy or Chev- to book a test drive,”

rolet, Camaro fans across the Middle East can says Mark Tomlin-
look forward to seeing their favourite sports son, General Manager for Chrysler, Jeep and
car in an all-new limited edition, in the form of Dodge in Oman.
the head-turning 2010 Chevrolet Camaro Syn-
ergy. The car is based on a Camaro 1LT, with a
3.6-litre direct injection V6, paired with either
a six-speed manual or automatic transmission
with 304 horsepower and 273 lb.-ft. of torque.
The strikingly coloured Synergy Edition is sure fast though, as only 28 vehicles are destined
to make other road-goers green with envy. for the Middle East.
Buyers looking for exclusivity had better move

the headline act of the 2010 Suzuki SX4
range is that it has received a host of up-
grades including improved performance, fuel-
efficiency, safety and convenience. Now this
experience moves into Oman in the regular
saloons and a special all-wheel drive version
that uses Suzuki’s latest intelligent (i-4WD)
systems. The SX4 saloon comes with the op-
tion of two power trains, 1.6- and 2.0-litre of-
fering 111hp and 160hp respectively. The big-
ger engine variant is now being offered from
RO4,995 and the price includes alloy wheels
and fog lamps.
Meanwhile, the AWD versions benefit from a
2.0-litre VVT (Variable Valve Timing) engine
generating 165hp. The i-AWD system offers
4WD-Auto, 4WD-Lock and 2WD modes which
can be accessed with a flick of switch accord- available from Moosa Abdul Rahman Hassan
ing to the driving conditions. All three driv- & Co LLC, the exclusive distributors for Suzuki
ing modes provide excellent traction and safe vehicles in Oman.
drive on all terrains. The prices of the AWD
versions begin at RO5,995. All the models are

SUMMER SIZZLERS SUMMER SIZZLERS SUMMER SIZZLERS

7
{news}
chiNese car quality improves leaps aNd bouNds
Chinese car quality has improved dramatically in the past 10 years, according to data released by the world’s
leading vehicle quality authority, J.D. Power and Associates

A nnual surveys of Chinese car owners show

that Chinese car factories are fast catching
on to the quality levels required to start ex-
porting cars to western car markets in earnest.
The data considers two levels of quality based
on the unique nature of the Chinese market.
In one category are cars made by domestic
Chinese brands such as Chery, BYD and Great
Wall and the other group takes into account
cars made in China by Japanese, European,
Korean and US car companies as joint venture
partnerships with domestic players.
It’s no surprise that in terms of faults per
100 cars, Chinese domestic car-makers still
lag well behind the quality of cars made with
foreign collaboration. This also means that
foreign car makers are bringing with them
valuable vehicle production knowledge and
transfer of technology.
But the quality gap between the domestic
brands and the foreign brands is beginning to
narrow. It’s not that the domestic players are
chasing a mandatory target as the data shows
that the foreign car-makers are also squeez-
ing increased quality out of their car factories
as well.
In 2000, the Chinese domestic brands had
834 quality faults per 100 cars – a pathetic fig-
ure for the industry. In no way could these cars
be exported or for that matter accepted in the
quality and safety conscious western car
markets. At the same time
the Chinese JV brands had around 438 faults
per 100 cars. Although, 50 per cent better, but
still short of western acceptance standards. A
simple deduction meant that the gap between
the domestic and foreign brands was a mas-
sive 396 faults per 100 cars and many industry
watchers felt that it would take the Chinese a
long time before their produce would be any
serious threat in Western markets.
But, the analysts have underestimated the
will power of the Chinese. In barely two years,
the Chinese domestic brands had more than
halved their faults to 399 per 100 cars and
had caught up to where the foreign brands
had been just two years before. Meanwhile,
the foreign brands have also improved to 246
faults per 100 cars.
This means in those two [2000-2002] years,
the gap between the Chinese domestics and
the foreign brands had been closed from 396
faults per 100 cars to 153 faults per 100 cars.
In the latest 2009 survey, domestic Chinese
car-makers were hovering at 258 faults per 100
cars and the foreign brand car makers were
at 142 faults. The gap between the two sides
has impressively narrowed down to
116 faults per 100 cars. By
comparing this data
with J.D. Power
surveys
of US car buyers who bought US brands made
in American car factories, the faults of the
Chinese domestic brands in 2009 may appear
quite a way off, but the faults reported in the
foreign brands made in China are roughly the
equivalent to the faults reported by American
car buyers in their domestic cars in 2002. This
could be interpreted that in 2009 the foreign
brands made in China are about eight years
behind the quality standards of the US car-
makers in America. But significant improve-
ments since then show the gap by 2009 be-
tween the foreign cars made in China and US
cars made in the US was just 30 faults per 100
cars or less than one fault per car difference.
Conclusion: On quality front, it seems that
for now the cars made in China as JVs could
just about be ready to hold their own in the
US market and other markets. In another key
indicator that the Chinese car-makers are on a
roll on car quality, J.D. Power reported that the
number of Chinese car owners “experiencing
problems with their vehicle since owning it”
has dropped from almost 60 per cent in 2004
to 28 per cent in 2009.

int
A n viewpo
Aut o m
At this rate of improvement and confidence, the world’s other car makers
shouldn’t underestimate the technological prowess of the upcoming Chinese
players, who once were at the receiving end.

8

raNGe rover turNs 40
O n 17 June, Land Rover’s iconic Range
Rover celebrated its 40th birthday as one
of the most significant vehicles in the history
of motoring. The Range Rover was the world’s
first vehicle as good on-road as off-road. It
was the first fully capable luxury 4x4 and was
a milestone in the development of the SUV
(Sport Utility Vehicle). In the four decade
timeline, there have been three generations
of Range Rovers beginning with the original
(Classic) in 1970, second-generation (P38a)
in 1994 and third-generation (L322) in 2001.
The model is still going strong and the third
model line will be revealed at the forthcoming
Paris Motor Show.
audi product plaN for 2014
A udi is set to bombard the market with more
new products than ever before and the
carmaker has every segment under the micro-
scope for scrutiny. Their product plan shows
at least three all-new ranges plus a number of
upgrades and additional derivatives. Starting
with the A1 sub-compact premium car, Audi
is positioning itself to become the dominant
automaker in its competitive segment. The A1
has already been unveiled and unlike the the
A1 e-Tron concept, it will not have an electric
motor, but an A1 as a hybrid with a start-stop
system and brake energy regeneration is a
possibility. A performance S1 worth is also on
the cards and so are cabriolet and sportback
versions.
“Range Rover is by far our best selling mod-
el in this region – our flagship Range Rover
Vogue and Range Rover Sport account for
around 80% of our volume and are very popu-
lar with ex-pats and local buyers alike. When
the Range Rover arrived in the region it was
the world’s first luxury utility vehicle, and its
arrival coincided with the regions first major
oil boom, which meant people had the dispos-
able income to purchase a vehicle that was
luxurious but could handle the arduous con-
ditions of the Middle East. This established a
special relationship between Range Rover and
the Middle East and it’s a relationship that en-
dures to this day,” says Robin Colgan, manag-
ing director Land Rover MENA.
Meanwhile, the A2 makes a return to slot
between the A1 and A3. In format, it will be
a supermini with a high roof for extra space
and sport an all-electric powertrain. The five-
seater city car is expected to lead the way
in hi-tech construction solutions and internal
comfort features. Automotive electrification
seems inevitable and Audi has showed an e-
tron based on the R8. The original e-tron goes
on sale in 2012.
In the sports car segment, the venerable TT
has moved upmarket and become quite costly.
In fact, reports suggest a smaller sports car
called the R4 is under development for a pos-
sible 2013 launch. Finally the all-new TT ap-
pears on the scene in 2014.
{news}
ford leads iNdustry
crash ratiNGs
F ive more 2010 Ford Motor Company ve-
hicles – Ford Flex, Ford Fusion, Lincoln
MKZ, Lincoln MKT and Mercury Milan – have
earned Top Safety Picks from the Insurance
Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). The rat-
ing also applies to the Fusion Hybrid and Mi-
lan Hybrid.
Ford has 11 IIHS Top Safety Pick ratings for
2010 model vehicles – the most of any auto-
maker – as well as the leading number of five-
star safety ratings from the National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
Flex, Fusion, MKZ, MKT and Milan previously
earned top possible scores for occupant pro-
tection in IIHS’s front, side and rear tests, but
had to pass IIHS’s new roof strength test to
maintain the rating. Vehicles also must offer
electronic stability control to be eligible for a
Top Safety Pick.
has toyota
trademarKed the fr-s
badGe for ft-86?
In few weeks ago Toyota Motor Corporation
has reportedly applied in both Canada and the
US to trademark the name “FR-S”. Naturally,
many are speculating that it will be the badge
for the production model of the Toyota FT-86
concept. Some believe the term stands for
“front-engine, rear-wheel-drive sports car.”
The Toyota FT-86 is expected to be released
in Japan early in 2011, before a European re-
lease.
9
{news}
Goodwood boNaNza
There’s a whole host of reasons to visit the Goodwood Festival of Speed this year. Despite the economic downturn,
participating car brands hope to make motorsport’s most prestigious annual event even more glamorous than ever
A
s always, the mid-year Goodwood Festi-
val of Speed is one prestigious platform
that attracts motoring aficionados and
merchandise from the past, present and fu-
ture. A bumper crop of new cars debuted as in
the inaugural Moving Motor Show and popular
Festival of Speed events.
Goodwood is an exceptional crowd puller
and over 175,000 visitors are expected over
four days. A full list of new cars due to make
their UK public debut at Goodwood follows
and we detail some of the key highlights.
Porsche
In keeping with the Festival’s chosen Viva
Veloce theme, the Porsche Museum in Stut-
tgart brought in some of the victorious sports
cars from the Targa Florio road race in Sicily,
as well as the Porsche 917 to celebrate a sig-
nificant Porsche motorsport anniversary - 40
years since the 1970 win at Le Mans. The rare
804 Grand Prix car from 1962 was also dem-
onstrated, as part of commemorations of 60
years of the F1 World Championship.
Jaguar, which celebrates its 75th anniver-
sary, will do it in style with a special edition
10
of XKR. In fact, Jaguar Land Rover’s new
CEO, Dr Ralf Speth, initiated the challenge to
the Jaguar engineering team to construct an
XKR to commemorate the anniversary which
would deliver a combination of enhanced per-
formance, superb chassis and steering control
and grip levels to inspire the driving enthusi-
ast. Jaguar engineers came up with a solu-
tion by increasing the power and torque of the
5.0-litre supercharged engine to 530PS and
655Nm respectively for the XKR 75. While the
limited edition model’s top speed is electroni-
cally limited to 280km/h, the car’s 0-100km/h
acceleration time is reduced from 4.6 to 4.4
secs.
Chevrolet
The American brand which has begun sell-
ing cars in Europe wants to reconnect with the
masses with some high voltage stuff. Both of
its US-built supercars, the Corvette ZR1 and
Camaro were seen running in the event’s Mov-
ing Motorshow and also in the supercar run
up Goodwood’s famous hillclimb circuit. The
presence of the ZR-1 marks an emotional re-
turn for the long established Corvette name to
the Chevrolet stable, as from this year onward
it will be distributed in Europe and sold once
again as the Chevrolet Corvette, rather than a
standalone brand.
Honda
Two Honda cars: the CR-Z, Honda’s new
sporty hybrid and the Civic Type R MUGEN –
one of only 20 being made demonstrated the
use its 240PS high-revving engine over the
renowned Hillclimb route.
The Sunday Times Supercar Run proved
a perfect environment for new models to be
showcased for the first time. The first public
world debut of the much-anticipated McLar-
en MP4-12C took place and other supercars
which made their UK debuts included Zagato’s
striking Alfa Romeo TZ3 Corsa, the Ferrari 458
Italia, Spyker C-8 Aileron and Veritas RS III.
Away from the Supercar Run, the FoS-TECH
technology pavilion showcased a variety of
exciting future-focused automotive technolo-
gies. Rarely-seen concepts displayed in this
year’s FoS-TECH included the Audi e-Tron,
Citroen ReVolte, Rinspeed UC, Lexus CT200h
and Vauxhall Ampera.
 new original fragrance for men

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{cover story}
Adding A premium
to hAndling
what would colin chapman have made of the new evora? it keeps
its roots firmly with the heritage of lotus while trying to appeal to
a whole new audience. automan tests the car.
| Author: Raj warrior | Photography: Shakeel Al Balushi
B
ritish engineering has been having
quite a tough time over the years.
From being a very industrial revolution
based land of factories and mills, much of the
manufacture of goods has been moving to
cheaper and more prolific countries. Even if
we were to limit ourselves to the automotive
vertical, the country has barely managed to
keep its industry viable. On the other hand,
if you were to think of the application end of
automobiles, motorsports is still very much
a UK speciality. Formula One teams call the
country home, tracks like Silverstone and
Donnington are known worldwide and the
quintessential small volume British sportscar
still survives.
There was a time when buying a sportscar
meant that you invariably looked for a British
car. Signature characteristics of lightweight
body, small, yet powerful engine and a single-
minded focus on handling meant that the
genre of cars that were made in old Blighty
set themselves apart from the cars that were
made anywhere else. That is until Japanese
manufacturers got into the act and began
making sportscars that had most of British
sportscars’ plus points with a lot more –
like driver comfort, reliability and cheaper
costs. What we have now, after decades of
competition and mismanagement are just a
couple of sportscar makers in Britain that can
produce a world-class sportscar. Lotus is one
12
of them.
Lotus has had its share of ups and downs
as well. Being a low volume manufacturer has
its limitations in being able to invest in R&D,
quality and product development. But new
ownership and investment has allowed the
company to change essentially. And the Evora
is the first new product to hit the roads as part
of the new age of Lotus.
The Evora is targeted to be different from
the existing line-up like the back to basics
Elise or the track-focussed Exige. The need
to move towards moderate volumes and a
profitable future means the company needs
a mainstream car that appeals to a broader
audience.
Styling remains one of the key features
of the car. It carries the Lotus look while
exploring the larger dimensions of a car meant
for the mass market. At the outset, there
are significant variations in terms of design.
The need to accommodate a 3.5-litre V6 in
a transverse layout means that the car has
the width across the rear to justify a growing
outwards. The profile is conspicuous in some
ways with its long front overhang, long
wheelbase and short and almost chopped off
rear overhang. However, despite all the work
on the front fascia, it is the work done by the
designers to the rear of the door that makes
for interesting reading. The bodywork had to
integrate a certain degree of aerodynamic
{cover story}

13
{cover story}

<< lotus has painstakingly developed its own t6e engine

management software for toyota’s all-alloy 2Gr-fe 3.5-litre v6
dohc, with dual vvt-i engine to optimise its compatibility with the
unique requirements of the evora to give a peak power output of
280 ps at 6,400 rpm, while boosting its maximum torque to 342
Nm at 4,700 rpm >>

14

modelling along with the need for structural
strength on a bonded and riveted frame.
Russell Carr, Head of Lotus Design, led the
Evora’s design team with Steven Crijns, Design
Manager responsible for the exterior and
Anthony Bushell, Senior Designer, responsible
for the interior.
“A cornerstone of the design’s success was
working closely with the technical team and
board to develop a package that allowed us
to get the proportions correct,” says Head of
Design Russell Carr, “The asymmetric wheel
sizes, the short rear overhang, long front
overhang and cab forward visor screen all
contribute to giving the car visual movement
and an agile stance. This is incredibly important
to us because we want the car’s aesthetics to
communicate its driving characteristics”
This focus on getting the practicality of
the car to partner with styling led to the car
getting easier ingress due to the doorsill being
cut away and lowered. Now larger frames can
not just enter the car and exit it easily, the
company claims that two full-size Americans
of 6’-5” height can sit comfortably in the front,
while the rear seats are good for children
or small adults, complete with provision for
ISOFIX fasteners for child seats. We had team
members sit in the rear and yes, small size
adults do fit in there. The problem
that they faced was that we
were testing the car
during the
peak
{cover story}
of summer and the noon day sun shines
directly on the rear seat through the sharply
raked rear windshield.
As for the rest of the interiors, the move
upwards and ahead for Lotus has been quite
pronounced. However, don’t expect the
perfection of the Porsche interior here. There
are still some areas that don’t quite feel right
and some where the fit and finish leaves a bit
to be desired. Quality has gone up by leaps
and bounds and the leather surfaces come
across as reasonably put together. The styling
itself is good, everything falls to hand quickly
and the short-shift gear knob is just right.
One bit of advice, take your time in reaching
for it after leaving the car standing in the sun
for long, it can get quite hot!
The fixation with targeting the American
customer is rightly carried to further parts of
the car. The car we tested had remote garage
door openers, cruise control and an unlocking
mode that went one click driver door, two
clicks passenger door. All needed for the US
market.
You may well ask, what is a cruise control
doing on a manual transmission car? Of course
it will disengage if you load up the engine or
drop to a low speed.
The engine and gearbox continues the long
tradition that Lotus have of using Toyota-
sourced powertrains which then undergo
modification to the ECU and also to the gear
ratios. What this has done in the spooled up
performances of the 2.0-litres available on
the two-seaters is well known. The larger
3.5 V6 is meant for the US
15
{cover story}
the chassis: productioN low volume versatile vehicle
architecture
T
he Evora’s chassis is a low investment
cost evolution of the Versatile Vehicle
Architecture (VVA) from the Lotus APX
concept vehicle previously showcased at
the Geneva Motorshow, and allows for the
development of a range of vehicles up to a gross
vehicle weight of 1,900 kg. This architecture
has been designed to be more applicable to
mid-volume applications by utilising our low
capital investment manufacturing processes.
The Evora structure progresses the Lotus
‘bonded and riveted’ technology used in the
Elise family of vehicles with new and unique
extrusions and folded panels, whilst providing
production build modularity and lower cost
repairs.
The low volume VVA chassis has been
designed for scalability so that it can be
extended in width, length and height. The
strength and stiffness of the low volume VVA
chassis can be modified cost effectively by
varying the wall thickness of the extrusions,
16
without altering the exterior dimensions. The
ability to lengthen or shorten extrusions with
the option to tailor the chassis stiffness, vastly
increases the number of vehicles that can
be developed from this vehicle architecture.
Front and mid engine installations have been
considered, as well as hybrid and Electric
Vehicle (EV) applications.
The Lotus Evora employs a composite roof
as a stressed structural member to give an
exceptional vehicle stiffness of 26,000 Nm per
degree. This impressive stiffness is also thanks
in part to the seatbelt anchorage frame, and
partly because the high-tech composite body
panels are stressed items. However, despite
this high stiffness, the complete chassis or tub
and front and rear modules weight just 200
kg, helping to keep the weight of the whole
car to just 1350 kg.
To deliver this high performance structure,
bonded and riveted high grade aluminium
extrusions and simple and elegant folded
sheet elements are used in the lower structure,
building upon award winning Lotus research
projects in this field. Lotus pioneered the
technology of bonded aluminium extrusions
for use in road vehicles and has successfully
developed high performance cars for other
car companies around the world using these
techniques.
The central tub is attached to an extruded
aluminium subframe at the front and a
lightweight welded steel subframe at the rear.
These subframe modules also offer advantages
in terms of convenience and low cost of repair,
and during manufacturing can be brought to
the production line fully assembled, ready to
be attached thereby improving the overall
efficiency of space and time of assembly.
The high technology Lotus Evora chassis is
manufactured at the new Lotus Lightweight
Structures Limited (LLS) facility in Worcester,
United Kingdom.

audience too, in that the driver is used to the
torque and power curve of a V6. The mid-
engine layout results in a kick in the back
when you put the car in first and accelerate on
the quarter mile. The car we were testing had
been through a lot of punishment as part of
the launch event at OAA’s go-kart track. The
heavy clutch is welcome but was a little sticky
and found the going tough a couple of times
through the 1st and 2nd gears. As the engine
opens up though and you move upwards, the
movement smooths out, largely because of
the reduced load. Quick shifts are possible
and the claimed 5 seconds plus that the car
can do is achievable.
Even without trying hard, we were in the
six second barrier most of the time. What is
a bit of a letdown though is the fact that the
NVH has been so thoroughly worked out that
the driver hardly gets a chance to hear the
engine. The roar does increase but with none
of the rawness that is communicated to the
bystander. However starts from signals are
spectacular and it is almost a blessing that the
car looks so good from the rear with its large
taillights and wing like elements. Most road
users are liable to get their only good view of
the car from behind.
The mid-range of the engine matches the
versatility of the gearbox. Passing acceleration
is good. You can do a passing manoeuvre even
in 4th gear by flooring the accelerator and if
you need to do something crazy the gearbox
happily responds to a two cog downshift. The
engine is as sweet as can be, revving freely
upwards and doling out the best performance
in the 5 to 6,000 rev band. On the other hand,
if all you want is a sort of quasi-automatic
mode, leave the gearbox in 4th and purr
along at 2,000 on plains or if there are some
dips and climbs or light traffic, just leave the
gearbox in third.
Any Lotus is designed to outperform other
cars in handling and the Evora does not lack
in this department too. The Evora suspension
wishbones are forged from aluminium to
reduce the unsprung mass. These are similar
in weight to the steel items found on the
{cover story}
much smaller Elise, Exige and Europa vehicles,
but are stiffer and have a much increased
vehicle weight capacity. They are attached
to the front and rear modules via Lotus
designed bushes. The Evora uses Bilstein high
performance dampers and Eibach springs with
unique dual path top mounts for optimised
vehicle refinement. Hydraulically assisted
power steering is provided by a Lotus tuned
TRW steering rack to give steering feel and
precision to place the Evora exactly where you
want it to be when cornering.
You can of course get all the wheelspin you
want by switching off the Traction Control
but with it on, you notice the engine revs
drop off in hard cornering. If it is a track car
you want, stick to the Exige or the Elise for
that matter. They are far more tuned to that
genre of driving. The stiff body and the hard
suspension nonetheless do give you a bit of
the go-kart feel that Lotus is famous for.
The car will be quite a hit in the region –
no doubt about that. In most aspects it is
tailored for the region’s customer. For the
17
{cover story}

<< while the evora is undeniably more ‘lifestyle’ in respect of its

everyday practicality, once you’re seated behind its semi flat-
bottomed steering wheel, it feels every bit as exotic and sporting
as you would expect a lotus to be >>

lotus tractioN coNtrol

T
he Switchable Lotus Traction Control (LTC) system has
been developed simultaneously with the ABS and works
through the engine management system to reduce
power to the rear wheels when required to maintain traction.
To maintain front end traction or to reduce understeer, the LTC
will gently reduce engine torque to stabilise the Evora bringing
the front wheels back into line – known as “Understeer Recogni-
tion”. Unlike many traction control systems, LTC has been tuned
to complement the skills of the driver without taking over. The
Lotus LTC is active above 5 mph (8 km/h) and operates much
more quickly than many brake based systems. The system can be
deactivated completely, giving no traction control intervention.

18
 {cover story}

very first time a Lotus has features like an Verdict

efficient air-conditioner, top grade sound
system, reversing cameras, tyre-pressure
monitors and cruise control. What it still lacks
is an automatic transmission. We have seen
the trend in sportscars from around the world
in the region. In every case, while the purist
is ready to buy the manual transmission,
practicality and the realities of usage dictate
that most of the volume comes from the sale
of the auto transmission. We understand that
this shortcoming is being addressed as well,
with the auto box likely to be offered by the
end of the year.
Interestingly, the British made sportscar has wowed our testers. It may not be the most
practical car to drive in traffic in Muscat even now and definitely needs the parking sensors
to help it park, but the price is just right for a car of this grade and we just know that with
its current feature set it will appeal to potential buyers. It still needs to improve in the quality
department in order to match 2+2’s from Porsche, but the current car is a huge leap ahead for
Lotus. It is practical, with good air-conditioning, decent storage compartment and the ability
to cruise around town in mid-range. Buyers looking to differentiate themselves could do well
to check out the Evora.

<< because one of the roles of the evora is to attract new lifestyle
customers, as well as performance aficionado’s to the lotus brand,
the evora offers a more refined ownership experience than lotus’
existing smaller four cylinder models >>

19
{Road Test}

Four by 4x4

to a brand that is known more for its luxury cars than off-road treks,
mercedes-benz could not have chosen a better locale or a better
way than the Jordan dead sea trek to show off its suv range
| Author: Raj Warrior | Photography: Jorge Ferrari |

20

M
ost of us would agree that the images
that the brand Mercedes-Benz conjure
up are of luxury cars like the S-class,
CLS or an SL parked outside a top casino in
Monaco or cruising down the boulevards and
corniches of the Côte d’Azur or perhaps of a
heavily armoured Pullman version carrying a
tycoon to an important meeting. Somewhere
in that land of the quick recall, we forget that
the brand is a lot more and makes many more
cars. Right from the E-class that greets you
in its role as Taxi outside Frankfurt airport, to
the C-class and the smaller B- and A-class that
serve as commuter cars for the urban European
aspirational type. The range is vast and serves
to highlight Mercedes-Benz’ ability to produce
just the right model for a segment.
At the press briefing that served to kick-
off the Dead Sea Trek in Jordan, Frank
Bernthaler,the brand’s sales director for the
Middle East region brought out this point when
he explained the reason for the holding of the
brand’s first SUV specific event. Somewhere
along the line, the SUV range of the brand
seems to have been overshadowed by all the
other model lines it makes. So the Dead Sea
Trek was devised as a means to highlight the
four-wheel range consisting of the drop dead
serious Gelandewagen (G-class), the top-of-
the-line seven seater SUV GL-class, the smaller
5-seat M-class and the segment defining GLK-
class.
Some time ago, this author participated
in and wrote about the unique experience of
driving the GLK through a rather unexpectedly
tough route through Salalah’s backyard. That
experience led us to view the entire event
in a serious light since there was an implicit
promise that the two days of driving laid out
would exceed that event in its choice of terrain
and itinerary. Of course there was a small
presentation that took us through the history
of the brand’s association with off-road driving,
including multi-axle touring cars designed by
and for colonial representatives, second-world
war staff cars and then the twin appeal of the
Unimog and the Gelandewagen. Bringing us
to the present day of course; Mercedes-Benz’
focus on luxurious SUVs is apparent with the
three newer additions.
{Road Test}
The old M-class spawned variants of the ML
and GL are the mainstream SUVs sold in the
region. The GLK has managed to create an
entirely new market segment, though lately
cars like the Audi Q5 and the upcoming BMW
X1 are set to challenge the segment.
The event itself followed the format of most
Safari-like jamborees, with experienced guides
leading the participants through a trail that
had been scouted out to offer a challenging
drive, yet one that wouldn’t upset the weakest
link, which in this case could equally be either
a poor driver or the GLK, the smallest of the
brand’s 4WDs.
Our group of participants were the second
wave and the organisers had seen how well
the first wave had handled the challenges. Day
one of our drive saw the author start the day
in an ML350 along with a relative novice co-
driver from a mainstream newspaper in Dubai.
The drive out from the hotel to the first off-
road section wasn’t too far and we hardly had
any time to notice its on-road form before the
winding climb section up the side of a hill took
our mind off the quiet journey. It was time
to engage the whole set of off-road driving
tools that the M offers. At the bottom of the
centre console, the switches for engaging off-
road mode, low gear, differential lock (either
only centre or both centre and rear) when
needed and down-hill assist are partnered
with ride height control. Now, while the M is
principally used to get around town, the off-
road package makes for an interesting addition
to its arsenal. It wasn’t as if we thought that
the whole gamut would be required but like
the instructors were bandying about on the
walkie-talkies, “if you have the tools in the
toolbox, it’s better to use them”.
Going from a few hundred metres below sea
level to some hundreds above along the side
of hills was bad enough. Some of the roads
we traversed were literally non-existent and
the path was strewn with rocks and shards of
rocks from landslides. Now the trick was to not
just the cars over the obstacles, but to do so
without exposing the relatively weaker surface
of the tyre sidewalls to the chances of getting
sliced or pinched. Of course, the art of four-
wheel driving through the ages has largely
21
 {Road Test}
GLK280
I t is not just the distinctive all-rounder’s practical
and appealingly compact body form that sets it
apart from the competition. It also brings together
what were previously seen as entirely contradictory
attributes, with driving dynamics and safety going
hand in hand with exceptional ride comfort courtesy
of the AGILITY CONTROL suspension. Meanwhile the
variable 4MATIC all-wheel drive system joins forces
with the latest electronic control systems to deliver
on-road performance and superb off-road proficiency.
This lends the GLK immense appeal and warrants the
inclusion in the model name of the “G”, an allusion to
the archetypal Mercedes off-roader.
All GLK models come as standard with mixed-sized
tyres, together with the AGILITY CONTROL suspension
and asymmetric power distribution between the front
and rear axle.
The basic 45:55 split of drive torque between the
front and rear wheels combines with the ESP®, ASR
and 4ETS dynamic handling control systems to produce
assured and predictable performance. When tuning
the control systems, the engineers at the Mercedes-
Benz Technology Center (MTC) made a defined level
of understeer a priority.
The newly developed multiple-disc clutch in the
centre differential comes to the system’s aid when
friction between the tyres and ground is particularly
low, for example when driving over snow or ice. A
basic interaxle lock of 50 Newton metres gives a major
boost to traction.
On models with the off-road engineering package,
the automatic transmission features a Manual drive
mode (M) in addition to the Comfort (C) and Sport
(S) modes, which enables the individual gears to be
selected with shift paddles on the multifunction steering
wheel. This operating mode promises maximum fun at
the wheel when venturing off-road.
A further switch activates the Downhill Speed
Regulation (DSR) system, which automatically
maintains a pre-programmed speed between 4 and 18
km/h on steep downhill inclines.
22
ML350
M ercedes-Benz has meticulously revamped the
successful M Class. The new generation of the
dynamic, stylish SUV now has even more distinctive
characteristics, and looks even sportier and more
powerful. The front end of this off-roader is now defined
by a redesigned bumper, recontoured headlamps and
a larger, even more dominant radiator. The rear view
also sports a new-look bumper with integrated reflector
strips, emphasising the vehicle’s width, as well as tails
lights with a smoked-glass look.
The M-Class standard specification has also been
significantly upgraded. It now includes the unique
anticipatory occupant protection system PRE-SAFE®
and NECK-PRO head restraints as well as an all-new,
high-performance telematics system developed by
Mercedes-Benz, which is much easier to use thanks to
a host of new functions.
The AIRMATIC package provides an air suspension
configured for on-road operation which automatically
lowers the suspension by 15 millimetres at higher
speeds. For off-road driving this system enables the
ground clearance to be increased by 80 millimetres at
the touch of a button. The second AIRMATIC variant,
which is part of the Off-Road Pro engineering package,
enables the vehicle level to be raised in three stages by
operating a button: by 30, 80 and 110 millimetres. This
gives the new M-Class its maximum ground clearance
of 291 millimetres.
It is possible to raise or lower the suspension both
when idling or on the move. If the M-Class is moving,
the system operates on a speed-dependent basis and
automatically lowers the suspension by 15 millimetres
at both axles when 140 km/h is reached, in order
to reduce the wind resistance and improve handling
stability. When the speed falls below 40 km/h the
suspension is raised to its normal level again.

GL450
T he seven-seater premium off-roader offers excellent
handling both on and off-road and pampers
occupants with its extremely spacious accommodation
and the comfort of a luxury saloon. The GL-Class sets
another milestone with the PRE-SAFE® safety system,
a first in this market segment.
With its poised, assured presence, the GL-Class
leaves one in no doubt about its aspirations to conquer
this market segment. The distinctive design idiom
exudes power and exclusivity.The spacious body
(length 5088 mm, width 1920 mm, height 1840 mm)
is beautifully proportioned.
Together with the standard-fit AIRMATIC air
suspension, the precise speed-sensitive power steering
and the ADS Adaptive Damper System also fitted as
standard, the imposing GL-Class (wheelbase 3075 mm)
handles impressively. Handling, when pulling a trailer is
no less impressive thanks to ESP® Trailer Stabilisation.
It defuses critical driving situations involving a trailer
before they become dangerous by precisely applying
the brakes, while AIRMATIC provides fully automatic
level adjustment.
Special off-road features such as Downhill Speed
Regulation (DSR), hill-start as-sist and off-road ABS
assist the GL-Class driver off road. The Off-Road Pro
engineering package, standard on all ECE models,
means the GL-Class can also handle the most extreme
off-road terrain. This includes a two-speed transfer case
with a low range ratio and 100 percent differential locks
for the transfer case and the rear axle. The modified
AIRMATIC air suspension, designed specifically
for the more demanding conditions, increases the
ground clearance to a maximum of 307 millimetres
where required, and raises the fording depth to 600
millimetres.
In the GL 450 the 4.6-litre engine develops 250
kW/340 hp.
{Road Test}
G500
T he model family currently has three body variants
(short-wheelbase Station Wagon, long-wheelbase
Station Wagon, Convertible), which can be combined
with either an economical V6 CDI engine developing
165 kW/224 hp and 540 newton metres, or a powerful
5.5-litre V8 petrol engine with 285 kW/388 hp and
530 newton metres. The flagship G 55 AMG available
only as a four-door, long-wheelbase Station Wagon is
powered by a supercharged V8-engine developing 373
kW/507 hp.
In the very recent past Mercedes-Benz has completed
an intensive model facelift, ensuring that the G-Class
always reflects the technological state of the art and is
correspondingly equipped.
Since September 2001 the G-Class has also
featured trailblazing handling stability, traction and
braking control systems. The all-wheel drive system
of the G-Class was perfected by the introduction
of the electronically controlled traction system as
standard. 4ETS improves traction when moving off and
accelerating on slippery, i.e. wet or icy surfaces: if the
wheel speed sensors detect that one or more wheels
have lost their grip, they are automatically braked. This
increases the power at the wheels with better traction.
4ETS also briefly reduces the engine torque. The
Electronic Stability Program ESP® and Brake Assist
(BAS) were also included in the standard equipment of
the G-Class from autumn 2001.
The Mercedes-Benz G-Class offers a globally unique
combination of high-performance driving dynamics
and four-wheel drive systems in the form of 4ETS,
ESP®, differential locks and the Low Range off-road
ratio. The automatically-functioning ESP® and 4ETS
systems thus ensure maximum traction and handling
stability both on the road and in extremely difficult
terrain, whilst the selectable 100-percent locks and
off-road ratio prove their worth in extremely severe
conditions off the beaten track.
23
{Road Test}

remained unchanged. You have to look ahead

for the obstacles, anticipate the uneven turn
arcs that are cut by the inner and outer set
of wheels and ensure that the inner side of
the car doesn’t get too close to protrusions,
while the outer wheels stay on the trail. It’s
simple to outline, difficult to follow, what with
the two drivers having different impressions
of what will or won’t work.
The new generation of Mercedes-Benz SUVs
all have highly sophisticated traction-control
systems partnered with stability-control and
the programming of the drivetrain is such
that there is optimum assignment of torque
to the wheel or wheels that have traction.
This has changed, to a certain degree, the
way in which the driver would attack various
obstacles. Where the traditionalist would be
wont to charge up and over some types of
bad terrain, these new cars allow the driver
to cover the same ground at a slower pace.
The idea being put forth for these cars is to
regulate an even delivery of torque, with the
engines usually being pushed at only around
2000rpm, if not slower. The low gearing,
intelligent delivery of power and torque based
on demand to individual wheels and the stiff
rebound of the charged up suspension allow
the cars to cross boulders and rocks and climb
sandy slopes as well.
On more than one occasion during the
day, we were straddled over obstacles with
opposite wheels in the air and even when one
of the wheels on the ground started spinning,
we could see the car take a micro-second to
assess the situation and then dole out the

24
 {Road Test}

power to the other wheel. Interestingly at

one stage in the climb, we were sure that the
GL450 into which we had transferred post
lunch, would hit its exhaust tips on the rocks
as we crossed over, but that wasn’t to happen.
It happened to another team the next day on
a run where the car had to go into a ditch and
come out.
The GLK continued its story of surprising
drivers with its ability to take on the rough. Just
about the only distinguishing characteristic
that could keep the GLK out of contention
would be its fixed ride height and hence we
saw that for the second day’s drive, which
included water fording down a wadi and a
particularly hair-raising trip down a path that
would have torn the bottom out of a lesser
car, the GLK was given a rest.
The G class of course continues to prove its
worth. It is hardly worth noting that most of
its 4WD features are mostly unused in these
parts. Despite having a crew get it stuck in
rocks on a uphill climb because they hadn’t
engaged the rear differential, the car served
not just as a reminder of the best in class, but
also as the emergency vehicle that rushed to
the aid of guys who got stuck in soft sand with
the M. The G-class is the sort of off-roader
that the author is used to – unapologetic in
its rough-hewn nature, with excellent field
of view, huge torque and power, no need of
ride height control and the ability to lock both
axles and the centre differential.
By the end of the second day of driving,
Mercedes-Benz had proven that its confidence
about the SUV range was well placed. Now
it is only a matter of getting customers
who normally buy Mercedes-Benz cars to
consider buying in the same marque instead
of looking at the Land Cruisers and Patrols of
the world. Interestingly, the more serious off-
road competition is doing exactly the same
– targeting well-heeled luxury car buyers
with their offerings. Perhaps, at heart, what
Mercedes-Benz wants to tell us is that it has a
more comprehensive range than German rivals
BMW and Audi and that’s true. Either way, if
you haven’t had a chance to to push one of
the Mercedes-Benz SUV range in demanding
terrain till date, try to do it now. They have a
lot to teach.

25
{First drive}

Open-top Pleasure
italian carmaker maserati chose rome to launch its latest drop-
top model, the 2010 Grancabrio.
| Author: Chandan B Mallik

26

A
lthough Maserati could be considered as
a conservative car maker, it has in the
past experimented with different forms
of cars with outside help. Not many people
will recall that the car maker did have three
four-seater convertible models in its line-up,
but that was a long time ago. The reason why
are we raising this fact now is because we
need to know how has the thinking changed
at Maserati over the years.
While, the three models referred above
were built by specialist coach-builder Castagna
on a Maserati chassis, one can safely argue
that the 2010 all-new GranCabrio is 100 per
cent Maserati and represents the very essence
of Maserati in terms of open-top cars. It is
a Maserati in the truest sense thanks to its
unmistakable design and engineering.
It was the famous ‘26M’ chassis back in
1932 which spurred those evocative models
and coming back to current times, the all-new
the GranCabrio owes its development to the
highly successful GranTurismo architecture.
Globally, the GranCabrio competes with BMW
6 Series, Jaguar XKR and Aston DB9 Volante
mainly, although the fact it has four usable
seats, it actually pitches more closely to the
Bentley GTC.
Now that it’s no secret that the proven
fundamentals of the GranTourismo deeply
inspired and helped engineers, and it didn’t
take long for Maserati to realize the potential
to create a stylish drop top as an addition to
the existing line-up. Although, dimensions and
proportions make the Pininfarina designed car
look familiar, and that’s quite natural as the
GranCabrio uses the same wheelbase. In the
flesh, I must admit that there exists, perhaps
only a handful number of cars that can turn
heads like the GranCabrio
The car’s elegant body lines are among the
most sensual and flowing in the automotive
world. Perhaps, there’s only one contemporary
car that can rival its beauty, that being Alfa
Romeo’s 8C Competizione. Despite the
obvious similarities with the GranTourismo,
an expert eye, however, can empathise how
the engineering under the sheet metal has
influenced the imposing and dynamic front
end design and execution. At the same time,
the feline and wider rear end speaks a high-
tech language with a wide aerodynamic
diffuser, signed off by large twin chrome
tailpipes. Meanwhile, befitting the nature of
this car, it has been infused with extensive
structural modifications to its basic platform to
cope with the top spec powertrain and safety
requirements.
Other structural changes that are visible
but not so obtrusive are the bigger sills,
modifications on the door structure and the
enclosed compartment that hosts the folding
roof. While the rear will accommodate two
adults comfortably, there’s an out of sight
structural ‘torsion wall’ behind the rear seats.
Up front, under the longish bonnet are two
reinforcing rods across the engine bay that
help maintain torsional rigidity of the chassis by
countering any attempt to flex. Maserati says
measurable torsional and bending stiffness are
just 1.82Hz below that of the coupe. However,
the extra bracing and roof mechanism have
added almost 100kg of weight to the car,
when compared with the GranTourismo.
The GranCabrio’s stance has also been
modified to suit the dynamics of the model.
The centre of gravity is 12 to 14mm lower and
the best part is that weight distribution over the
axles is near perfect with a 48:52 front-to-rear
bias with the roof down, and 49:51 with roof
up. Despite the fluid and sculptured body lines
and similar design flow of the GranTurismo, at
{First drive}
a 0.35Cd, the roof up drag coefficient is not
as refined as the GranTurismo’s 0.33Cd. With
the roof down the drag coefficient is Cd 0.39.
The three-layered retractable soft roof is
electrically operated and weighs only 65 kg.
Maserati offers a choice of six colours and it
takes 28secs to raise or lower it and it also
works when the car is moving up to speeds
of 30km/h.
The cabin is typical Maserati which means
in true Italian flair there’s colour, contrast,
style, vivid use of leather and bespoke trim
material. This car also benefits from the same
craftsmanship and gorgeous materials as the
GranTurismo. I particularly liked the Carbalho
wood trimmed car. This Brazilian wood is unique
with each part of it having a different weave
pattern, a sort of fingerprint that guarantees
that each car is truly unique. Meanwhile, the
Poltrona Frau leather which adorns the seats
has been designed to offer supple comfort
and cushioning. Maserati surely knows how
to pamper its clientele with a wide range of
colour and trim options.
Even as a sports car, the GranCabrio gets
a lot of bells and whistles. A state-of-the-art
navigation system is one of many information
systems that the GranCabrio offers with the
package including a seven inch high-resolution
TFT display located in the centre of the
dashboard which shows the functions of the CD
player, navigation system, radio and on-board
computer providing constant information on
the journey and car performance.
As a 2+2 sports car, real accommodation for
rear passengers is always debatable, but not
in this Maserati. However, the comfort levels
vary depending on the occupants’ height and
whether the car is being driven top up or
down. With top down, head room is tight but
Maserati have ensured that rear occupants
27
{First drive}

28
 {First drive}

<< deeply inspired by the engineering and styling of the

Granturismo, it didn’t take long for maserati to re-engineer and
come up with the stylish Grancabrio, the marque’s de facto first
four-seat drop-top. >>

29
{First drive}

<< riding on the longest wheelbase in

its class, the maserati Grancabrio can
comfortably claim to be the only premium
cabriolet with four full-size seats >>

30

get a decent field view, thanks to the 42mm
inward and 40mm upward positioning of the
seat. Actually, this arrangement was dictated
by the roof mechanism, which has been
cleverly concealed. I’m short, so I am fine with
rear accommodation, but anyone taller than
1.7m would find the area cramped in a top
down drive situation. In terms of practicality
and cargo space usage, even Maserati
acknowledges that most owners will have to
use the rear seats as supplementary luggage
space whenever required as at 173 litres, the
boot space is quite limited. This is because the
folding roof mechanism occupies more than
50 per cent of boot space.
Maserati offers a unique solution for
storage. As part of its accessories package
its offers tailor-made bags that fit each of the
two sculpted rear seats, complete with a belt
to hold them in place. Besides that, customers
can also fit a dedicated wind deflector that not
only secures floating stuff, but cutting out the
draft and some noise.
To ensure some form of exclusivity, the low
volume GranCabrio comes only with the top-
spec 4.7-litre V8 engine, which powers the
GrandTourismo ‘S’ models. A whopping 440hp
is available at the rear wheels at 7,000rpm and
torque of 490Nm comes at 4,650rpm. All this
power is routed through the same six-speed
ZF automated manual as the GranTurismo,
{First drive}
but in this car, the software has been modified
and so has the final-drive ratio.
As expected, the chassis and suspension are
purely driver-oriented and driving aids offered
will delight any sports car purist. The car also
benefits from several technology upgrades
and major changes include developments to
the hydraulic brake-assist and to the shock
absorbers for the continuously adaptive
Skyhook suspension system. Selecting ‘sport’
button stiffens that suspension and speeds up
gear changes as well as re-routing the exhaust
for maximum decibels. Like its coupe sibling,
the car boasts a truly sensational soundtrack.
The active and passive safety systems have
been redesigned, with new roll-over protection
and extensive stiffening both under the bonnet
and beneath the car, where attention also
focused on improved aerodynamics.
Driving impressions
Italian roads aren’t the greatest in the world,
and our drive out there suggests that the car’s
performance is impressively close to the coupe,
despite the added weight. Our mountain loop
was quite interesting and this is where we
did most of the photo shoot. Despite facing
intermittent downpours, we were able to
keep the car on ground, point and shoot tight
corners with ease. As a driver, you don’t feel
the car’s weight as the steering is light and
31
{First drive}
direct. However, at times we felt it to be a little low on feel. Although
that can mean some roll in the bends, Maserati is happy to sell you
an MC Sport suspension option if you want a stiffer GranTurismo S
Automatic. Doing so would inevitably upset the car’s balance and all-
round ability, we think. But once back on the flat roads, you get a better
feel of the chassis. This car does feel as stiff as promised, yet the active
damping is pretty efficient in keep passengers happy and intact.
This confidence in performance and predictable handling is a result
of the ideal weight distribution. By positioning the engine with the
automatic transmission, behind the front axle and the introduction of a
two-piece drive shaft assisted by a limited-slip differential (the locking
ratios are 25 per cent in traction and 45 per cent in release) to minimize
transmission loss seems to be one of the invisible performance drivers
in the car.
The mix of roads we encountered, featured appallingly bad surfaces
in places, with potholes sharp enough to seriously damage or wreck
the alloy wheels, yet there was hardly any hint of nervousness from a
large convertible. The skills of engineers must be commended as they
have earned the stripes for not deviating a bit from the sporting and
performance oriented focus. Considering the fact that the GranCabrio
is a bit overweight, it was a bit surprising that you have to prod the
1,980kg car a bit to help it release its full charge. We noted that the car
is particularly active when the engine kicks over 4,000rpm, and despite
its weight issues, it reaches 100km/h from rest in 5.3secs.
Maserati open-top Heritage
A lthough, the Maserati GranCabrio is the first open-top four-seater
Maserati but this doesn’t mean that it is without ancestry. Entire
chapters of the history of the motor car have been written by open
top Trident cars, although they were strictly two seaters. The first is
the legendary A6G Frua Spyder, produced in a very limited series in
the 1950s: it is in the details that the individual cars are distinguished
from one another, details, which in the unique Frua, soar to the level
of a masterpiece. To have a better understanding, one has to look no
further than the front end with the chrome surround and the sunken
fog lights, which a few months later, in the A6G 2000, would be trans-
formed into the oval-shaped radiator grille, typical of the Maserati, with
the large trident in the middle. The same blood flowed through the
mechanical veins of the A6G Frua Spyder that would then ennoble cars
such as the 3500 GT Spyder by Vignale, a matchless source of inspira-
tion for the great Italian coachbuilders of the 1960s, who made a com-
32
The automatic transmission is mated to easy-to-reach steering wheel
mounted paddles. When ‘sport’ mode is selected, the baffles open up
and it releases extra horse and a jaw-dropping soundtrack from the
exhaust.
Despite the unfriendly weather, short dry spells allowed us to
experience the car top down. With excellent design and air deflection,
it is comfortable and only rear-seat passengers will feel a mild breeze
ruffling through their hair. The layered roof is quite effective and
the sound-deadening effort is pretty effective even at high speeds.
Meanwhile, the car is capable of going up to 283km/h, its claimed top
speed with no hassles at all.
If there was a weak link in the driving experience in the GranTurismo
S, it has been corrected in the GranCabrio. The issues related to brakes
and low-rev torque are now matters of the past as we re-discovered
the car’s confidence-inspiring stopping power, even in low traction
situations. In contrast to the GranTurismo’s occasional jittery feel,
the GranCabrio remains calm and composed most of the time. This is
due to Hydraulic Brake Assist or HBA, which makes its first successful
application in a Maserati. What it does is that it recognises when the
driver is in a panic situation, analysing a set of parameters such as
pressure on the brake servo, wheel speed and activation of the third
rear stop light. Once the state of emergency has been declared, HBA
effectively replaces the driver and activates the full power of the brakes
to reduce the stopping distance to a minimum.
petition out of dressing them with elegant suits hand-forged by master
panel beaters. The 3500 GT Spyder was so beautiful that it even turned
heads in Hollywood: it was used countless times in major studio films,
it ‘acted’, for example, with Lee Marvin and John Cassavetes in The
Killers and together with Kirk Douglas in Two Weeks in Another Town,
in both cases wearing “stage outfits” signed by Vignale.
The legend continues into the 1960s: by which time a new wind was
blowing. Which became urgent in 1964, when the Mistral Spyder made
its appearance: compared to the aesthetic rules of its time, it was
almost minimalist, but anyone having the fortune to own one was driv-
ing a pure thoroughbred capable of propelling itself at 255 m/h. The
Mistral wind turned into the Ghibli and even enchanted Henry Ford II,
who drove around Detroit with his Spyder and to anyone commenting
on the betrayal responded: “The Ghibli will disappear from my parking
lot only when you’ve designed me a Ford that is just as beautiful.”
 {First drive}

<< the Grancabrio’s magical chemistry starts when you look at it.
the pininfarina designed car is unabashedly beautiful, with the soft
top up or down. it also features a sophisticated canvas top with
three layers of insulation material >>

Verdict
Maserati isn’t out for massive volumes for
the GranCabrio. It will build about 2,000 of
these convertibles a year. Given the fact, the
main reason buyers purchase cars in this
segment is exclusivity, these comparatively
low numbers should guarantee that aspect
to Maserati customers. Despite the fact that
BMW’s 6 Series and Mercedes SL offers stiff
competition, Maserati has definitely saved the
best until last with the GranCabrio. UAE prices
of the GranCabrio begin at Dh670,000.

33
{Interview}

Changing strategy for growth

frank bernthaler, director, sales and marketing for daimler
middle east, talks to automan about various aspects of the
market for luxury cars in the region

34

M
ercedes-Benz Cars Middle East and
Levant has reported May as its best
month so far in the year with retail
sales of 1,526 units across the region. Frank
Bernthaler, Director of Sales and Marketing
says this performance is best for the company
since October 2008.
It’s no secret that the year 2009 has been
difficult for everybody in the automotive
business including Daimler. A radical business
strategy was adopted where the regional’s
office focus was to get the cash flow running
and staying alive, basically using tried
and tested tools of the trade such as cash
incentives and low margins to push metal and
clear stocks.
Compared to some other players in the
region, Bernthaler says that the strategy
helped the company to tick over. Despite
low margins, his company was back on track
once again with some improvement in sales
in 2009. Although volume-wise the company
admits a drop of 20 per cent year-on year,
the important thing was to keep traffic in the
Mercedes-Benz showrooms busy. With an
array of new products, it ensured that its retail
network became stronger in difficult times.
Although, Daimler wasn’t able to capitalize
the spurt in demand generated by the steady
market improvement as most of the dealer
network hadn’t anticipated this change and
hence were left behind when it came to
ordering cars. Bernthaler says that although
most signs suggest that the automotive
business is definitely picking up in the region,
however, he admits that the pace was not
as fast for them [Daimler] with the limiting
factor being not enough cars on ground to
support. Bernthaler says the number of units
in stock was below normal and since the
pre-orders weren’t done in time according to
factor production schedules. As a result, the
pre-ordered cars went to the allotted markets
first.
However, this hasn’t dampened Bernthaler’s
spirits. He expects that in 2010, business will
be back to 2008 levels or more. Meanwhile,
{Interview}
Bernthaler’s team has prepared an all- “We explain the modus operandi in detail which
out assault in the luxo-SUV segment for will also include fleet sales, affinity [customer
the current year where it is planning to loyalty] schemes.” Besides acceptance of the
attack the premium Japanese brands with a idea, there are several processes and systems
comprehensive product-cum-packaging-cum- to integrate the network into the existing
pricing strategy at all levels. business infrastructure.
This is perhaps one of the reasons why Bernthaler says that a highly advance and
all- new Middle East specific variants called integrated centralized proven model will be
Grand Editions have been created for the SUV used for this aspect of the business. “We will
line-up including GLK, GL, ML Class models. employ the services of Motortrak, a UK-based
Besides the SUVs, the passenger car product specialist which has been helping some of the
assault for 2010-2011 will be chiefly led by best-known names in the automotive industry.
the new E-Class variants such as the cabrio, We will harness the power of the Internet and
the SLS and AMG line-up and M-B products e-commerce with the help of Motortrak, which
with AMG sports packaging. has developed more than 2,500 web sites for
The idea is to change the business groups and dealers of all sizes. Motortrak’s
model from push strategy to pull strategy, multi-lingual database
says Bernthaler. Besides the new model
introductions, a new dimension will be
added to the retail
business network
across the region. This
includes the approved
used car business
which is branded as
part of its ‘proven
exclusivity’ programme.
The idea is to get Souk-
prospects to become the
brands’ customers also
when buying or selling a
Mercedes-Benz car.
Although, approved used
car business by an official
importer is a fairly new
concept which has proven to
be successful with dealerships expertise is
in Bahrain, Qatar, Dubai and helping the global networks
Abu Dhabi, the idea is yet to or dealerships to sell used cars online in
catch up in the remaining Middle East and Chinese, German, Japanese, Spanish, Italian
Levant markets. and French and we intend to bring this
This is where education and creating experience here for the benefit of our partners
awareness is important says Bernthaler. “At in the network. In 18 months, Bernthaler
our level the job in hand now is to convince feels that he will be able to ramp up customer
owners, retail partners that the idea of also management systems and bring them at par
selling used cars is profitable for the overall with the standards as set by Stuttgart.
business provided the right investments are.
35
{Road Test}

Bigg
&
er
Better

Kia motors has just wheeled in the third generation successor

of its highly successful sportage compact suv for the
region. automan finds the new arrival not just a befitting
replacement, but also as a signature of transformation within suv
and crossover line-up for the marque
| Author: Chandan B Mallik | Photography: | Shakeel Al Balushi

36
 {{Road Test}

K
ia Motors has move quite a distance
with its motor car line-up. The first
generation body-on-frame Sportage,
developed during early 90s used alliance
technology as a result of a then three-way
Ford-Mazda-Kia partnership. In fact, the
vehicle was developed from a Mazda pick-
up truck. The second-generation Sportage,
introduced in 2004, represented a huge step
forward for Kia Motors in terms of architecture,
design and engineering and was a commercial
success.
By the time the third generation was due,
the global market dynamics have changed
dramatically as a result of the current
economic meltdown. The crisis had triggered
a global slowdown in car sales worldwide and
also prompted carmakers to look at a new
direction to sustain operations, and meet
legislation, fuel efficiency and emissions
norms.
So, some quick thinking was required for
a successor that could meet the business
objectives, besides Kia’s conscious effort
to promote the brand independently. And
considering the time schedule and constraints
it’s quite a remarkable achievement for
the incoming model which started life as
a concept, barely four months after Peter
Shreyer, the iconic Audi TT designer took over
as design chief. In its career span of six years,
the outgoing model achieved global sales of
more than 860,000 units,
While, Shreyer’s assignment looked at
trends and design objectives, engineering
looked at several things and topping the
menu was the powertrain options of the
outgoing models. Quickly it was realized that
the existing 2.0-litre four pot CVVT engines
producing 140 horses were inadequate for
desert jobs, were not very flexible and hence
needed to be spruced up.
This is one of the reasons why dual CVVT
has been introduced in the new Sportage
which is offered in 2.0- and 2.4-litre four-
cylinder configurations. Meanwhile, Kia’s
2.7-litre V6 that powered the top end models
has been dropped and why? The mods to
the new engines mean that despite a drop in
displacement, the performance and efficiency
levels have been surpassed commendably.

37
{Road Test}

Timing for Kia couldn’t have been better

with the arrival of chief designer Peter
Schreyer [of Audi TT fame] in from Audi.
Schreyer says that it was in 2007, when work
started for the third generation Sportage,
internally codenamed SL. He involved the
company’s Frankfurt and California-based
design studio who began the job by critically
analyzing the outgoing Sportage.
Then came the hard part, according to
Schreyer, who says there were two divergent
trains of thought – one idea was to pursue a
tougher and more off-roadish theme, while << outgoing incoming >>
the other was to create an agile and urban-
friendly style. Either way, the designs had to
maintain the advantages of the four-wheel
drive – a usefully high ground clearance, an
elevated seating position and the feeling of
being in command.
The Kue concept presented at Detroit in
2007 was to test waters and it’s no surprise
that the production Sportage takes most of
its design cues from the concept. However,
when you see the car in flesh, the story
begins to unfold. Although, it is based on the
Hyundai iX platform, with its overall length of
4,440mm, it is 90mm longer, at 1,855mm it is
15mm wider, and with a height of 1,685mm
it is 60mm taller, the new Sportage has
pleasant proportions but it is a bit smaller,
wider and shorter than the current Honda CR- << what’s in, what’s out
V. The key design element of new Sportage’s
stance is the pleasant relationship between
its high shoulders and narrow glasshouse.
Kia has created a vehicle with a sportscar-
like ratio between sheet metal and glass. The
side-windows are very narrow that gives an
almost rally-car feeling. Follow the shoulder
and roof lines and they meet at the striking
reverse-angled C-pillar. Meanwhile, the soft
surface treatment sign off the fine visual
character and helping the overall profile is
a low stance and the 2,640mm wheelbase.
The build quality of this car can be judged by
the panel gaps which are now Lexus quality.
Despite the hotrod type of side window
treatment and raked front windscreen, the
car’s cabin is a nice area to be in. Besides Practicality its high shoulders and narrow glasshouse.
a commanding driving position, clear view Oodles of it. Besides the usual cubbyholes Kia has created a vehicle with a sportscar-like
and convenient hip points for egress and and storage places, the glovebox has a ratio between sheet metal and glass. The
ingress, the treatment is sporty and some bottle/can cooler. Cargo space management side-windows are very narrow that gives an
influences of the lifestyle Soul CUV aren’t to is very good. almost rally-car feeling. Follow the shoulder
be missed. The way the front cab area has Design and roof lines and they meet at the striking
been designed, there’s a lot of space and The key design element of new Sportage’s reverse-angled C-pillar.
since the dash uses a cab forward design, purposeful stance is the relationship between
it actually shields the front occupants from

38

Engineering
Dual CVVT engines for better performance
and fuel efficiency. Also new is the six-speed
transmission. Front suspension carried over
but revised. New rear suspension. Over all
weight reduction by 91kg.
Safety
Extra rigid bodyshell, new crash avoidance
>>
systems and controlled ascent and descent
software added to the package enhances
safety 24/7. Four-wheel anti-lock disc brakes
(ABS) come with electronic brake-force
distribution (EBD). Every Sportage has
electronic stability control system (ESP) and
as well as a traction control system (TCS).
{Road Test}
harsh sunlight. The car offers generous
interior space for five passengers and cargo,
a benefit of its long wheelbase. Its design also
allows the doors to be wider than they might
otherwise be for better access, especially in
the rear seats. The Honda CR-V is the only
close competitor with greater rear seat leg
room, and it’s a much longer vehicle.
The test car’s interior was trimmed in black
cloth with an unusual all-black headliner
and contrasting stitching. LX models feature
a Dark Gunmetal dashboard and centre
console, while colour options include Medium
Grey, Light Alpine and Orange door inserts.
The dashboard is neatly laid out with a
three-cylinder’ Kia trademark instrument
cluster, which is easy to read and the two
layered central console is quite busy with
ergonomically placed controls for climate
control and multimedia. The top end models
get leather and panoramic glass roof.
Front-seat occupants get seats with good
side supports and bolstering. Rear-seat
passengers will find getting in and out is
fairly easy as the rear wheel arch does not
encroach into the wide door opening. There
is also a decent amount of head and leg
room. Kia reckons many customers will look
at cargo space versatility and this is where the
Sportage delivers the goods. The theme of
drop and fold has evolved further in this car.
First the back of front passenger seat folds
down providing a table top for the driver and
allowing for carrying long objects. The rear
seat splits 60/40 and folds down almost flat.
While the price point for the Sportage
has gone up a bit, so has the packaging and
content. The car even in basic garb is pretty
well kitted, but the biggest news is under
the semi-clamshell-esque bonnet. Our entry
level LX test car was powered by 2.0-litre
four-cylinder offering 164hp and 201Nm of
torque at 6,200 and 4,600rpm respectively.
Interestingly, the difference in outputs
between the 2.0- and 2-4-litre is 11hp and
21Nm only. Although, both are mated to an
all-new six-speed automatic transmission
with paddle shifters. The LX is AWD with front
bias and comes with diff-lock and hill descent
control. No range controls are offered and
as we discovered later, you don’t really need
them in typical dune raids!
The car has been designed to score a 5-Star
rating in Euro NCAP’s crash tests and maximum
scores in the USA’s two crash test programmes.
39
{Road Test}

<< the new sportage shares its platform with the hyundai
tucson’s successor in the upcoming 2010 ix35. retaining the
‘compact suv’ layout of the current model, the sportage is a
smaller alternative to the roomier seven-seat sorento >>

Verdict
The new Sportage is no flash in the pan.
It has been smartly designed and sensibly
packaged as a lifestyle SUV with decent
capabilities both on and off road. For a
customer, it’s best of both worlds. You have
styling, class appeal, solid engineering and
an outstanding warranty and after care
service package with prices beginning at
RO7,525 for the 2.0-litre LX. But, if you are
looking for some more power and extra
features then better opt for the 2.4-litre EX
version which is priced at RO8,525 top spec.

40

The all-new platform and bodyshell employs
a much greater proportion high strength and
extra-high strength steels than the previous
model. Kia’s active and passive safety features
are mostly standard on all models includes
dual advanced front airbags, dual front-seat
side-impact airbags (for torso protection)
and front and rear curtain airbags (for head
protection in a side impact or rollover). New
safety features include ESC with a new Roll-
over Sensor that deploys the side airbags,
curtain airbags and seatbelt pretensioners
when required and Hillstart Assist Control to
prevent roll-back when starting on an incline.
Downhill Brake Control is also included to
help limit speed during a steep descent and
{{Road Test}
Stylewise, the third generation Sportage is
based on the dynamic Kia Kue concept that was
revealed in 2007. The production model has
no reason to deviate much from the concept
and it comes with the recently developed tiger
grille design and enhanced dimensions
an ESS system which flashes the brake lights
during an emergency. To offer an on-road
bias, up front, the compact MacPherson Strut
suspension has been fine-tuned, although it
is largely carried over. The multi-link, fully-
independent rear gets subframe mounts, new
shocks and coil springs for better isolation and
smoothness.
41
{Road Test}

Poised with
confidence
automan discovers the all-new 2010 tucson as one
successful new chapter in transformation of hyundai
from a maker of cheap econoboxes to a bonafide
manufacturer of first-class quality global cars
| Author: Chandan B Mallik | Photography: Shakeel Al Balushi |

42
 {Road Test}

I
f you remember the outgoing Hyundai
Tucson, it was one affordable SUV money
could buy. It was decent in terms of its
package and performance, but it was more
Asian in styling and was seen as a viable
alternative to a second hand or used Japanese
equivalent. Hyundai is flexing its muscles in
the global markets quite successfully and the
fact of the matter is that despite the current
economic crisis which has hard hit the bottom
lines of even seasoned automotive players,
Hyundai and Kia jointly are one exception
to the rule. Hyundai has surprised business
analysts with an outstanding and enviable 49
per cent year on year growth.
Now, the big question is how could that
be possible? What does Hyundai offer that
others don’t? And what is it that has brought
in this swing, as Hyundai was considered as
a bread-and-butter brand? Well, you don’t
have to go very far or be a rocket scientist
to understand the shift in perception about
this brand. Consistently, Hyundai has been
producing affordable new cars, perfected
engineering and is now synonymous with
quality and reliability – something Toyota till
now enjoyed barring the recent quality issues
in the US.
As a model, the first generation Tucson has
been exceptionally successful worldwide and
for the incoming new model, internally code
named LM, the challenge for the project team
was to conceive an even better C-class SUV.
Therefore, starting with a clean slate, the
design team moved away from the two-box
off-roader look in favour of a sleeker, more
refined profile while aiming for a roomier
cabin and extra flexibility in storage capacity
among others.
The second generation Tucson is also
the first CUV (Crossover Utility Vehicle)
to be designed and engineered in Europe
at Hyundai’s Frankfurt-based design and
technical centres. As a result, the car is very
much European in style and design, and does
strikes a stark contrast from its predecessor.
The styling in fact, is the first application of
Hyundai’s ‘Fluidic Sculpture’ design language
[part of Hyundai’s 24/7 version 2.0 product
initiative programme that includes seven all-
new models by the end of 2011].
One look at the new Tucson reveals that
this is a completely different direction for
the model. Although, it’s marginally grown
over the previous generation, its profile

43
{Road Test}
and proportions have been maintained. The
outgoing model’s quirky styling has completely
disappeared into a cocoon and emerged as
beautiful butterfly. The new Tucson rides on
a 2,640mm wheelbase, so it is 10mm longer
than the previous iteration and at 4,410mm
and 1,820mm, it is also longer and wider
than its predecessor (by 85mm and 20mm)
respectively. The sculpted exterior with soft
convex and concave surface treatment has
a far more refined and premium appearance
and complements an aggressive waist line
coupled with a low-to-the-ground feel which
is enhanced by the large 18in wheels shod
with 225/55 rubber. But it does have generous
ground clearance as a dual purpose vehicle
with very convenient hip points for getting in
and out.
The glass-to-metal ratio is very balanced
and is more SUV-like and doesn’t mimic
Renault’s Korea-built Koleos, which is a SUV
and has extra large glass areas which makes
it feel like a MPV. And it’s not all about just
beauty alone as aerodynamic tweaks include
the addition of a rear spoiler in the package.
The interior of the car has been planned to
optimize space usage without compromising
on styling or comfort, which is a pleasant
change from most models in the compact
crossover SUV class which feature cabins that
can best be described as utilitarian in design.
For starters, there’s a stylish dashboard,
twin-cowl instrument panel and a practical
glove box with chiller facility. Our test car
from Dubai had a two-tone colour scheme
which looked quite nice and appealing. For
improved comfort, there’s extra legroom and
headroom even though the overall height of
the vehicle is low. Greater travel in the front
seat adjustment gives more legroom and
headroom for taller drivers and the feeling of
spaciousness in the cabin is also enhanced
by the new dual-panel panoramic sunroof.
The part is that the traditional controls been
maintained and not discarded for the sake of
style over function. Other mod cons include
push button start with smart-key proximity
sensor. While, fit, finish, tolerances and panel
gaps are mostly premium, some plastics in
the cabin could be improved in quality.
Under the bonnet, there’s a new 2.4-litre
four-cylinder engine from the Theta series.
Actually, Hyundai engineers have taken the
World Engine, the largest gasoline engine
program in the world which involved Hyundai,
Mitsubishi and Daimler, and created the lighter,
more fuel efficient and cleaner-running Theta-
44
II that actually produces more horsepower
than the old V6 upgrade while getting
significantly better fuel economy than the old
four-cylinder without turbo or supercharging.
The output engine from the Tucson is rated
at 176hp, which is 26 per cent more than its
predecessor comes with 168 lb.-ft. of torque.
This high-tech all-aluminium 16-valve engine
also has Continuously Variable Valve Timing
(CVVT) on both camshafts and a Variable
Induction System (VIS) for better engine
breathing and in short, for non-technophiles,
quite advanced for the segment and is mated
to an all-new six-speed automatic gearbox
with manual function which Hyundai calls
Shiftronic [Tiptronic], which also happens to
be a first for the brand. Interestingly, this new
transmission shaves of 12kg in weight and it
also is 41mm shorter and considerably simpler
having 62 fewer parts. In fact, Hyundai claim
that new Tucson is more fuel-efficient than the
Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4 and Ford Escape
with four-cylinder engines.
To make the car even more versatile than
before, Hyundai engineers added electronic
AWD system in the top variants. The AWD
system automatically activates under any
driving condition when needed, distributing
the power equally and optimizing driving
performance. Under normal driving, the
system only distributes power to the front
wheels thereby reducing fuel consumption.
The system includes a driver-selectable AWD
lock allowing for a 50/50 torque split between
the front and rear wheels for off-road and
very slippery conditions.
Standard safety equipment is quite
impressive and includes four-wheel antilock
disc brakes, stability and traction control, front
side airbags, side curtain airbags, hill holder
(prevents rolling back on inclined stops) and
hill descent control (automatically brakes
down steep off-road hills when activated).
Driving impressions
The previous generation Tucson [including
the V6] was never really known for its spirited
driving demeanor, but the incoming Tucson is
an indicator that things are seriously changing.
For us the primary question always is: does
the car’s athletic shape complemented with
more agile handling, responsive steering
and improved body roll control? Is the car
more fun-to-drive? Hyundai has read our
minds and has reworked on the underbody
accoutrements to ensure a smooth and silky
ride. The car’s suspension uses MacPherson
struts up front and multi-links at the rear for

<< the completely redesigned hyundai
tucson has an efficient new powertrain and
surprisingly good handling on- and off-road>>
verdict
We wouldn’t hesitate to recommend any-
one interested in a stylish lifestyle CUV with
all-round capabilities this second generation
Tuscon. As a spiritual successor, it has meta-
morphosed into a totally different league in
all departments – styling, comfort, utility,
performance and fuel economy. While some
of the established top brands [and pioneers]
of this segment such as Honda and Toyota
appear a bit lost as far as product direction
goes, quite evident with the facelifted CR-V
and soon-to-arrive refreshed RAV 4, Hyun-
dai, on the other hand has proved that it
knows the business inside out and have con-
veyed the fact that they are serious players
and not just flash in the pan
{Road Test}
more precise wheel control and a smoother
ride. Meanwhile, all four wheels are controlled
by coil springs and fade-resistant gas-charged
shock absorbers. Stabilizer bar diameters have
also increased which help keep the vehicle
very flat during cornering and help provide
quick turn-in response. This was quite evident
in the highway and on-road city driving.
The car also feels lighter on the move,
thanks to the new electric motor-driven
rack-and-pinion power steering which now
replaces the older hydraulic system and it is
calibrated through all vehicle speed ranges.
In fact, we feel that the motor-driven electric
power steering is one of the car’s greatest
strengths.
On the move, the car is quiet, and Hyundai
say that the lighter and stiffer body shell, a
sub-frame damper, and extra soundproofing
measures isolate external sounds filtering in
the cabin . Road noise has been minimized
by improving stiffness in the front and rear
struts, rear trailing arm and the spring sheet
and crosswind noise infiltration is minimised.
The car had good brakes with firm pedal
feel and exemplary modulation, and this
helps in the handling aspect and also due
to the revised suspension geometry and
wider track width, the car can be swinged
faster in corners. We noted the chassis had
only mild roll in brisk cornering, as would be
expected of a vehicle engineered and tuned in
Germany. In general, the AWD Tucson’s ride
and handling can be described as good, but to
some extra luxury oriented, the car can feel a
bit harsh at times.
Meanwhile, the turn circle is 34.7 feet which
outclasses Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4 in
city driving and tight parking manouevring.
Over all, on road, the car indeed feels livelier
and sportier than established models such as
the Honda CR-V or Toyota RAV4, thanks to the
extra cog in the transmission.
But it is the new Tucson’s off-road driving
demeanor that is most surprising. We took the
car, engaged the diff-locks and disengaged the
stability and traction control systems. The car
has enough grunt to plow through dunes and
sands without dampening the confidence of
the driver. In fact, the suspension articulation,
arrival and departure angles seem to be
perfect as we could overcome moderate
obstacles without touching the underbody
or damaging the exhaust tips! And of course
one need not forget the user-friendly touch-
screen navigation and a Bluetooth® hands-
free phone system and the rear view camera
45
{Road Test}

French
twist
designed by renault, engineered by Nissan
and built in south Korea, the all-new Koleos
is the french marque’s first ever 4x4
lifestyle crossover suv. question is: can it
cut in the fiercely competitive market? we
find ou
| Author: Chandan B Mallik

T
he adage used sometimes ‘it’s better to
arrive late than never’ usually helps busi-
ness strategists and product planners to
study the markets in-depth, understand and
see what competition is up to. Timing is also
important, especially for Renault at this stage,
since the company is currently on an overdrive
mode with its models as it expands globally.
To many in the business, Renault may have
come into the compact SUV market a little late
with the Koleos SUV, but it does arrives fully-
formed and not as a half-baked proposition.
For the record, the SUV run for Renault
just doesn’t end here. In fact, the automaker
has, recently confirmed market rumours that
it made an offer for ailing South Korean SUV
and car manufacturer SsangYong Motor Co.
SsangYong produces saloon cars and SUVs
mostly using dated Mercedes-Benz engineer-
ing. The buyout offer was made in conjunction
with their Korean subsidiary Renault Samsung
Motors and Alliance partner Nissan.
The benefit of having a very strong alliance
partner is quite evident in the Koleos. Nissan’s
engineering has been extended into Renault
and though, the current Nissan X-Trail has a
few more years in its career, Renault has re-
designed and reworked the platform which
also underpins the Qashqai specifically for
the Koleos. Interestingly, it is the first genuine
global product to come from the Renault/Nis-
san marriage, almost 10 years after Renault
secured 36.8 per cent of Nissan.
Till very recently, French carmakers very
similar to their North American counterparts
tend to be set in their ways and have not been
able to respond quickly enough or adapt to
trends that have been set in other parts of the
world. With models such as the Koleos and

46

other forthcoming cars in the line-up, Renault
intends to dispel that myth and win over the
hearts and minds of the skeptics with an array
of new cars.
In the Middle East, Renault expects the Ko-
leos will greatly boost its sales and firmly be-
lieves that the car has all the ingredients to be
on the shopping list for people wanting an SUV
that stands out from the crowd in a brand con-
scious market. On the styling front, the Koleos
does stand out, but not for its cutting edge
design which one can see in the all-new third
generation Kia Sportage or the new Hyundai
iX/Tucson, but for its typical French quirkiness.
One can understand the difficulties in trying
to morph an X-Trail into a Koleos! But it val-
iantly makes it up by trying to look modern
with family design traits, balanced proportions
and proper 5-seater SUV configuration. The
length and width of Koleos are 4,520mm and
1,850mm respectively and ground clearance is
206mm, a bit more than the X-Trail. The cars
rides on 225/60 tyres shod on 17in alloy rims.
The test car was a middle spec 4WD edition
with fabric interiors. Inside, the cabin seems
to be quite big because of the exceptionally
{Road Test}
glass-to-metal ratio [opposite of Kia Sportage]
and you could be forgiven in mistaking the in-
terior to be that of a MPV instead of a SUV.
The dashboard uses minimalism in its design
so one shouldn’t expect the sportiness of the
Kia or Hyundai equivalent. The layout of con-
trols is clustered and takes a little time to get
used to. Meanwhile, for a change, the speed-
ometer markings are even numbered [usually
odd numbered in French cars] and instruments
are backlit red. However, the influence of the
French quirkiness is still around when you
consider things such as the cruise control stalk
47
{Road Test}

<< the Koleos is the tenth model renault has produced that
carries the maximum five-star euro Ncap crash rating. electronic
stability/traction control is standard and there’s dual front, side
and curtain airbags and three child seat anchor points for the rear
seats.>>

verdict
Renault’s first attempt to build a genuine
lifestyle utility vehicle comes at a time when
there’s a dramatic change in attitude towards
smaller SUVs. Although late in joining the
bandwagon, the overall package will evoke
mixed feelings since the current range of com-
petitive small SUV offerings are exceptionally
well packaged and positioned in terms of de-
sign, content, capabilities and pricing.
And even if you took into account cars of
Korean production origin, Kia and Hyundai,
who have launched their respective all-new
savvy editions of the Sportage and Tucson re-
spectively, arguably are tough nuts to beat.
It’s hard to fault the Renault Koleos when you
look at the price and the package it offers.
But despite this attraction, it is only after you
start experiencing the car you can empath-
sise where it comes from. Although Renault’s
Scenic was intended for the compact MPV
market, it doesn’t mean that Renault opened
their crossover SUV innings without heritage
or back-up.
Yes, the X-Trail derived Koleos does face
extremely tough competition in its first out-
ing, but it will sell on the merit of its practical-
ity, and overall performance more than design
alone. And considering it uses bullet-proof en-
gineering, punters need not worry too much
about the reliability issues. The car is sensibly
priced and offered in vailable in five catego-
ries - two 4x2 and three 4x4 versions with two
trim levels – PE and LE. Prices in UAE begin at
Dh 73,000 and tops at Dh89,000.

48

and its placement. However, it is not compli-
cated to use and one can adapt quickly to its
operational models. The build quality is more
Jap-Korean than French, so it’s good.
For a lifestyle SUV, there’s also range-top-
ping equipment to enjoy depending on vari-
ant and the generous list includes fabric or
leather bound seats, heated front seats, a
powered driver’s seat, front and rear parking
sensors, a Bose sound system and a ‘Modular-
ity Pack’, which includes numerous rear-seat
storage and adjustment possibilities. There
are high levels of standard equipment, with
all models coming with a leather-wrapped
steering wheel, a keyless card start/top but-
ton function, automatic handbrake and dual-
zone climate-control. On top of a functional
and practical interior there is up to 70 litres
of storage space, including a chilled 15-litre
glove compartment.
The practical aspects of the car are su-
perb with cubby holes, folding tables behind
the front seats and concealed bins under the
seats or rear foot wells. Meanwhile, the tail-
gate comes with a horizontally-split arrange-
ment with the bottom half able to support
up to 200kg. The bay loading height is also
user friendly.While there is nothing boxy and
off-road about the look of the Koleos, it does
retain a good degree of SUV-specific features
such as command seating and higher ride.
The all-round view is exceptional, thanks to
the larger glass area. However, we all know
glass adds to weight and this car had a glass
panaromic roof. Renault claims that the car
weighs 1,533kg and has achieved 5-star crash
test rating in Europe.Only one engine is of-
fered which is from the QR25DE series and
it displaces 2,488cc. The 4-speed automatic
of the previous generation X-Trail has gone in
favour of continuously variable transmission
(CVT) with manual selector, activated at the
shifter level. Actually, there are very few car
makers in the business who have been com-
mercially successful with CVT applications
and with this combination, a usable 169hp at
6,000rpm and 226Nm of torque at 4,400rpm
is available. On paper the Nissan-sourced en-
gine is a bit underpowered when you consider
175hp coming out from Kia’s 2.4-litre four
cylinder dual CVVT engine. In fact the lighter
2.0-litre Kia dual CVVT engine produces 164
horses.
Driving
On the move, acceleration is smooth and ad-
equate, but not aggressive. The car feels quite
comfortable because it’s not very noisy and is
stable on straight line despite its higher ground
clearance. The front MacPherson-type suspen-
sion with the fully-independent multilinks at
the rear were originally designed for the new
X-Trail now find themselves doing a better job
in the Koleos as it is able to let the car perform
like an agile hatchback than a slow and sedate
MPV. While, the suspension is on the softer
side with an obvious bias towards comfort,
but is able to contain the car’s tendency wal-
low pretty fast. Of course, the Koleos is no fast
corner handling champion nor does it claim to
be one, but we really enjoyed the ride qual-
ity over mixed surfaces and would accept the
compromise for this type of vehicle.
While we tried very hard to ignore the
quirkiness you sometimes get in French cars,
the curiously hidden behind the steering
wheel cruise control buttons appeared to be
the biggest culprit in that respect, but other
elements in the package such the positioning
of the air vents, stalks and the audio controls
were helpful in offsetting that griping feeling.
And to ensure first class travelling comfort for
all occupants, Renault equipped the car with
an automatic dual-zone heating and climate
control system with specific vents for the rear
seats. Meanwhile, rear passengers also ben-
efit from sunshades and can adjust ventilation
using the control located at the rear of the
centre console. Mostly, manoeuvering around
{Road Test}
town was an unstressed affair due to the light
steering and at higher speeds it proved to be
well-weighted and had an excellent on-centre
feel, and it quite accurately sends feedback
from the road to the driver making it feel re-
assuringly solid on both the motorways and
side lanes.
But it was the off-road sojourn with the
car that proved to be an eye opener and pole
clincher. A switch on the centre console allowed
us to select between auto mode, in which the
front/rear torque split is electronically con-
trolled according to demand, or lock mode,
when drive is fixed at a constant 50/50 front/
rear torque split. Switch of the Electronic Sta-
bility Program [it’s dormant and will resurface
if sensors think so depending on driving condi-
tions] and the car will take off-road trails and
soft sand quite comfortably. The latest edition
of Nissan’s all mode 4x4-i system [developed
by Nissan for the new X-Trail] also combines
and assists Electronic Stability Program (ESP),
Uphill Start Support (USS) and Downhill Drive
Support (DDS). The fully automatic system
activates on any slope that exceeds a 10 per
cent incline, and holds the car on the brakes
until the driver starts to move away. We also
discovered that the system also works if the
vehicle is reversing up an incline. Driver gets
extra confidence when he is able to engage
the manual mode of the CVT, essentially the
software allows extra torque in the operating
band range with the equivalent feeling of driv-
ing in first or second gear in a conventional
manual-automatic set-up.The same all-wheel
drive management system also contributes
to the vehicle’s active safety performance.
The instant it detects even a small amount of
oversteer or understeer, it immediately modi-
fies the front-rear torque split, even before
a possible intervention from the ESP kicks in
and hence ensures a stable ride with minimum
driver intervention. We also found out that the
generous ground clearance [206mm] with ap-
proach and departure angles of 27 and 31 de-
grees respectively work in favour of the car,
especially off-road and this virtually ensures
that the under chassis components remain
protected to some extent.
49
{launch}
Honda Trio hits region
exploring new territory with the accord crosstour, honda
declares a fresh focus at the premium niche market alongwith two
of its latest motorcycle models
I
n an impressive ceremony at Dubai’s Palm
Atlantis, Honda Motor Company Middle
East Office officially launched the all-
new Accord-based Crosstour. The Crosstour
is being positioned as an extension to the
line-up and will sit above the Accord saloon.
Honda executives describe the Crosstour as
an innovative crossover, but consciously stay
away from branding it as a lifestyle station
wagon. It’s no secret that many automakers
think that the term, “station wagon” implies
too much practicality and not enough on style.
Honda thinks it has found a perfect new slot
50
with the Crosstour as it interprets the category
of CUV being created as the fusion of the
saloon and SUV. In recent years, the demand
for CUVs has been growing faster than SUVs,
so by designing a car more stylish than a CUV
and more versatile than a saloon, it thinks
it has a winner. The Middle East market
represents one sixth of the global volume and
Honda is keen to get premium products across
the region. [see preview and details on page
XXXXX]. On the sidelines of the Crosstour
launch, Honda also added some vroom for the
growing motorcycle community in the region
with the introduction of the VFR 1200F and
VTR 1300CX, its new sports touring and first
ever custom bike respectively
The Honda Accord Crosstour’s styling
and body construction has evolved from
the foundation of the Accord saloon, so
architecturally it is similar shape. On closer
look, there are key differences throughout the
entire body and none of the exterior panels
are shared with any other Accord. The most
noticeable differences include the overall
height of the body from the floor to the roof
and the obvious design differences in the rear

of the vehicle to accommodate the sloped
roofline and the tailgate.
The heightened body dimensions combined
with increased ground clearance result
in a commanding view of the road and a
comfortable hip point for ease of entering
and exiting the vehicle. Honda employed
Advanced Compatibility Engineering™ (ACE™)
formulas in constructing the car which uses 46
per cent higher torsional rigidity, yet remains
lightweight and safe.
Inside, the Crosstour has the same basic
interior as the Accord, but Honda have gone
one step further to define it as “Premium and
active”. These two essentially represent the dual
nature in terms of comfort and functionality in
the car. Although, consistency with all Accords
was non-negotiable, a variety of design
techniques were used to enhance the feeling
of width and space in the passenger cabin to
express premium and accommodating quality.
For occupants this car is a mix of comfort and
utility. The front seats are identical to those
found on the Accord saloon and come with
extra bolstering. The longer wheel base has
freed space at the rear so there’s generous leg
and head room. Trim is a mix of leather and
wood and equipment is standard and quite
comprehensive. The only thing that seems
to be missing is satellite navigation. The rear
boot access is via liftgate and rear seats fold
flat to increase cargo space.
Furthermore, the interior packaging
theme is divided into two distinct zones
for passenger accommodation and cargo
capabilities. The passenger zone seeks to
provide occupants with sophisticated styling
and advanced features similar to all Accord
body styles. The cargo zone continues the
premium theme with highly visible application
of quality materials above the floor line with
more rugged versatility beneath the floor pan.
The full-size spare wheel sits under the cargo
bay, similar to that of SUVs.
For the suspension, modifications to the
Accord platform are minimal, but the Crosstour
gets unique springs and shock absorbers and
a constant ratio hydraulic steering rack which
replaces the Accord’s variable unit. The car
also has a more powerful brake system with
two-piston calipers upfront and larger rear
discs.
The heart of Honda’s Accord line-up
is its strong selling four cylinder models.
Interestingly, the Crosstour is available only
with a 60-degree V6, which is an advanced
version of Honda’s 3.5-litre, SOHC, 24-valve
engine. The i-VTEC valvetrain and high
efficiency intake manifold optimize cylinder-
filling efficiency across a wide range of engine
speeds. The 271hp engine also incorporates
Variable Cylinder Management (VCM) and
depending on driving situations can deactivate
and run the car on 3-, 4- or six cylinders. Five-
speed automatic transmission is offered in
both FWD and 4WD models.
VFR 1200 F
A “new breed of Honda” that is expected to
take on the likes of Hayabusa and Kawasaki’s
ZX-14R. Like the name implies, the new VFR
1200F complements the compact powertrain
design with a technologically advanced V4
engine with unusual architecture with one
cylinder closer one to a rear cylinder and dual
clutch transmission. Honda’s new sport tourer
{launch}
will run on a 1,237 cc liquid cooled 76° V4 that
outputs nothing less than 172 bhp at 10,000
rpm and a maximum torque of 129 Nm at
8,750 rpm.
Other than state-of-the-art performance,
the 2010 Honda VFR 1200F also manages to
impress with its sharp looks that evoke much
aesthetic wonderment. A damn impressive
two wheeler to look at, the bike comes with a
fused cowl and body that make for a smooth,
unified, aerodynamic surface.
VTX 1300CX
Honda has finally designed and constructed
a two-wheeler for people who have always
longed for a factory built chopper from the
brand. Choppers have existed on the fringes of
the motorcycling scene for decades and often
crude home-built efforts have inspired ever
greater innovation. True choppers are now
something of an art form with highly desirable
looks and attitude. The Honda VT1300CX is a
true original in the genre – a radical concept
offered in a unique package that’s accessible
to nearly every rider. Stunningly creative
and with radical, head-turning looks, this
motorcycle is a milestone. The design focus
began with the high steering head and open
look in the front end, and radiated outward
from there. Extensive cooperation took place
between the styling team in the USA at Honda
Research Americas (HRA) and the Honda
engineers in Japan. The engine is based on
Honda’s proven and muscular VTX1300 which
is 52-degree V-twin liquid-cooled and displaces
1,312cc . The engine is cooled by a compact
radiator that’s neatly concealed between the
frame’s downtubes.
51
{Preview}

Hybrid madness
the much anticipated porsche 918 spyder, is not production-ready
or on the market yet, but a $50,000 non-refundable deposit will
guarantee you one if it gets the green light for production. we look
at porsche’s plans for this car

52
 {Preview}

<< the two-seater porsche 918 spyder mid-engined high-

performance sports car with plug-in hybrid technology clearly
demonstrates a benchmark in new drive technology, but also the
innovative power of porsche as a pioneer in hybrid drive for sports
cars >>
53
{Preview}
<< the big advantage of a plug-in hybrid is that
the battery can be charged on the regular
electrical network. the car’s kinetic energy
is converted into electrical energy. when
applying the brakes, it provides additional
regenerated energy for fast accelerations >>
I
t’s an emerging trend in the motoring
business of mixing and mating various
technologies and then deciding what to
do with it. In this case, we are referring to
the new breed of electric-mechanical hybrid
sports cars that are being showcased as
technological masterpieces that also meet
stricter future legislative requirements when
it comes to fuel emissions and consumption.
And we all know that with current technology,
sports car makers such as Ferrari, Lamborghini
and Porsche don’t have a bright future without
this push. And that makes the business case
for an electric hybrid module supported model
even more significant.
Like Ferrari, Porsche has been toying with
the idea and it showcased the 918 Spyder
hybrid concept which the sports carmaker
built on the platform of a racing Porsche RS
Spyder at the Geneva motor show in March
this year. It seems that Porsche really wants to
make up its mind what to do with it, meaning
keep it as a concept or give it the green light
for production.
Such is the dilemma that Porsche pundits
have decided to test waters once again. At
the Pebble Beach Concours d-Elegance which
is usually held in August, Porsche will offer a
clandestine introduction to invited guests only,
54
for whom ‘money may not be the object at
all. Actually, Porsche will take a $50,000 non-
refundable deposit to order the car once it
gets the green light for production.
Meanwhile, the concept that combines high-
tech racing features with electric-mobility and
believed to offer a fascinating range of qualities
will be put to the test as a full-blown racer
as early as next year. This decision obviously
comes following recent successes with the 911
GT3 R Hybrid racers, Porsche has announced
its intention to bring the 918 Spyder hybrid
models to the 24-hour race at the Nurburgring
Nordschleife next year (2011).
To do that, Porsche engineers have a couple
of challenges to meet. Since this is technically
a hybrid car, it has to be cat quick and capable
of doing high speeds. The prime target of
engineering is to work on the car to get its
top speed up to the 320 km/h mark. With this
figure in hand, theoretically, the 918 Spyder
could do a lap around the Nordschleife track,
otherwise known as the Green Hell, in under
7min and 30secs.
The mid-engined two-seater is powered by
a high-revving 3.4-litre V8 developing more
than 500hp and a maximum engine speed of
9,200 rpm. The electric motors on the front
and rear axle contribute an additional 218hp
in the power package. Combined, they offer a
super sports car performance with acceleration
from zero to 100km/h in under 3.2secs. Power
is transmitted to the wheels by a seven-speed
Porsche-Doppelkupplungsgetriebe (PDK)
transmission that feeds the power of the electric
drive system to the rear axle. Meanwhile, the
front-wheel electric drive powers the wheels
through a fixed transmission ratio. With a
fuel rating of 3.0 litres/100 km fuel and a
CO2 emissions figure of only 70g/km, the
918 Spyder is confidently looking like it has a
future in the line-up.

Essentially, the 918 Spyder concept is a
parallel hybrid just like Toyota’s famous Prius.
That means it has two powertrains, petrol and
electric and can operate together or separately
to propel the car which can be driven in several
modes ranging from a modest pure electric
city runner to race track scorcher. The driver
decides how he wants the car to perform and
which source of power to tap by a simple tap
of a button on the steering wheel.
In E-drive mode, the car runs using electric
power alone and has a range of up to 25km
which is a typical urban commute run. In the
hybrid mode, the car uses both the electric
motors and the combustion engine as a function
of driving conditions and requirements. The
sport hybrid mode uses both drive systems,
but with the focus on performance. Most
of the drive power goes to the rear wheels,
with torque vectoring serving to additionally
improve the car’s driving dynamics. In the
extreme race hybrid mode the drive systems
are focused on pure performance. With the
battery sufficiently charged, a push-to-pass
button feeds in additional electrical power
also called E-Boost, quite handy in fast
overtaking.
For efficiency in performance and fuel
economy like the drivetrain, there’s been
quite a focus on the way the body structure
has been designed. As expected, there are
clear influences from Porsche’s motorsport
experience. The car carries a modular structure
with its monocoque bodyshell made of carbon
fibre reinforced plastic composites with liberal
use of lightweight magnesium and aluminium
components. Together these measures have
helped the car reduce weight to below 1,490
kg, yet maintaining a high level of torsional
stiffness.
From the styling point of view, the design
concept takes a step backward in time when
it comes to a reference point. Yes, there are
influences from its legendary racing cars such
as the Porsche 917 and even the current
Porsche RS Spyder. The proportions and
dimensions, structured design with perfectly
balanced surfaces and detailing convey the
message of an ideal synthesis of form and
function
But looks are not unrelated to performance.
The smooth visual design balance, a rear
spoiler and low stance are a result of an
{Preview}
advanced aerodynamics programme. The
rear end of the car is striking with loops
extending out of the headrests, which also
accommodate retractable air intakes with a
ram air function.
The interiors from Porsche in the past would
be considered as average by today’s standards.
But with the arrival of the Panamera, interiors
for both driver and passenger actually have a
new definition. In the 918 too, this message
takes a step further. There are body hugging
bucket seats and the cockpit layout actually
offers a futuristic glimpse at the potential
interior architecture of forthcoming Porsches.
Meanwhile, the three free-standing gauges
for speed, engine speed (tacho) and energy
management do look as if they came directly
from a racing car in the ‘60s. But, there’s a
dose of modernity as well. The centre console
rises up towards the front and houses a touch
screen for controlling the various functions in
the car.
Unlike normal Porsche’s, the driver faces
extra instrumentation and operational units
in this car. As a result, most of the controls
relevant to the driver are mainly concentrated
on the three-spoke multifunction steering
wheel. The variable driving modes are
supplemented by a switch enabling the driver
to call up various drive programs on the
move and this switch also acts as the push-
to-pass button for E-boosting. Interestingly,
instrument illumination varies from green
for the consumption-oriented running modes
to red for the performance-oriented driving
programs.
The big question is how many orders
would Porsche actually need to give the
car its production green signal? A comment
by Porsche R&D chief Wolfgang Dürheimer
suggests that the company would be
rather pleased “if customer feedback is
55
{Preview}

<< the porsche 918 spyder concept also comes with a function
called range manager. after being activated in the centre display,
the system uses the map in the navigation system to present
the remaining range the car is able to cover. the system can also
tell whether the driver is able to reach a certain destination on
electric poweralone >>

positive and the carmaker ended up over time with about 1,000 firm
orders.” Porsche says that it has almost 900 potential buyers for its
new 918 Spyder, so it seems the business case has a good possibility
of going ahead.
This means that if Porsche were to put its hybrid 918 Spyder into a
limited production cycle, it wouldn’t be the first time that it has done
so. Remember, the Carrera GT which was introduced back in the early
2000s? Porsche used a similar tactic to put that car on the market.
Well, at least Porsche has a viable proposition where it can bake a
cake and eat it too. It won’t have to look very far to prove that the
best of both worlds don’t have to be mutually exclusive with the 918
Spyder concept. Besides that, if all went according to plan, Porsche will
be able to take the title of most powerful road car it has ever produced
soon. Be prepared to shell out $50,000 as non-refundable deposit if
you want one. A thousand such deposits will guarantee the car gets
into production!

56

Tragic end for Toyota test driver
T
he Nurburgring track can be
very ruthless and unforgiving
even for the most experienced
driver. The Death Ring claimed the
life of Toyota’s chief tester Hiromu
Naruse and also left two BMW
testers battling for their lives with
serious crash related injuries.This
horrific accident happened in the
last week of sunny June on Highway
410 near the Nurburgring where
67-year-old Naruse driving one of
two pre-production LFA test cars apparently collided head-on with a
BMW 3 Series after veering into the opposite lane. Details relating
Remembering Naruse
I
n what would be his last interview on May
26 for Lexus Magazine, Naruse shared
some insights about his experience behind
the wheel of a test LFA. “When we raced the
LFA in Nardo, Italy, I thought I might not re-
turn to Japan alive. The purpose of this ‘test’
was to evaluate the car’s durability at 200 mph
for a long period. The race was in the dark
with no lights on the track and there were
the cause of death have yet to be determined. The local authorities are
investigating the accident site for clues.
birds flying towards me. Imagine if a tyre had
burst! We created the final LFA through these
kinds of test experiences.”
Naruse, apart from being Toyota chief Akio
Toyoda’s personal driver is widely regarded as
Godfather of the LFA and also largely cred-
ited with the success of the Toyota 2000GT.
After joining Toyota Motor Corporation in
1963, he was first employed as a temporary
employee in the Vehicle Evaluation and Engi-
neering Division of Toyota. (At the time, Nar-
use held numerous qualifications. In addition
to being a certified auto mechanic, he also
held a level-2 certificate for the abacus and
was nearly placed in the Accounting Division).
Naruse worked his way up through the ranks
to become a test driver. During the first 10
years after joining Toyota, he was involved in
<<hiromu Naruse was closely coNNected with the
developmeNt aNd testiNG of the lfa supercar >>
{obituary}
to the incident have been sketchy,
but crash evidence suggests the
accident to have happened at high
speed. Both cars were traveling in
an area with a speed limit of 100
km/h (62 mph), but the crash was
violent enough that Naruse’s body
had be pulled from the wreckage
with the ‘Jaws of Life’ (rescue
scissors). Naruse was pronounced
dead at the scene of the accident
by paramedics, although details of
motorsports projects, and headed up produc-
tion of the Toyota 7 and Toyota 2000GT. In
1970, Naruse was stationed in Switzerland
where he was involved in the formative years
of Toyota Motorsports, including Japan’s first
participation in the Nürburgring and Spa-Fran-
corchamps races.
He influenced development of all the sporty
mass-production vehicles from the Toyota
2000GT to the MR-S, and has racked up more
years of experience and logged more miles on
the holy ground of vehicle development, Nür-
burgring, than any other Japanese. Even Fer-
rari acknowledges his expertise, giving him the
nickname “Nur Meister (One and Only Master
Craftsman)” and referring to him as the “man
who knows all the world’s roads.” Sadly, he
will be missed by all.
57
{Road Test}

Still flying high

consider it a luxury car with a difference. in a market
that is getting increasingly comfort biased, the lexus
rX350 has been a pioneer. automan tests the car
| Author: Raj warrior | Photography: Shakeel Al Balushi |

58

I
n other pages in this month’s magazine,
we look at the range of SUVs that a
certain luxury car marque offers. While
the attempt by the brand there was to bring
out the hardy, terrain-busting characteristics of
even their entry level SUV, the understanding
always remained that all the performance in
the world had to come with a clutch of core
values to make sense for a luxury segment
buyer.
Hence just as much importance would be
given to things like air-conditioned seats,
leather and DVD players and driver related
goodies couched as necessity in terms of
safety or performance. Like adaptive cruise
control, reversing cameras or even the power
adjustable seats with memory functions. At a
certain level the customer is accustomed to a
feature set that gives him this package.
Lexus has grown as a brand over the years,
precisely for its ability to identify the need and
the aspiration level of customers. The RX350
evolved as a slightly precocious kid in the block
of ‘soft’ SUVs. At a time when most brands
were still getting models to the concept stage,
the RX served as the Japanese luxury brand’s
very own urban-centred runabout.
Lexus inaugurated the luxury crossover
category with the original RX 300 model in
1998. More than one million Lexus RX models
have been sold worldwide, making it the most
successful luxury utility vehicle.
The car in its current generation has a
look that has been consciously made more
muscular than before. This was partly to add
the promise of the car’s ability to handle the
{Road Test}
rough with the smooth. Of course, you know
that the car will do the school run more often
and with a better sense of purpose than the
sand climb, but it can still do both and that’s
more than you can say of a sedan.
The stance of the car is one of power
and muscle. While the very visible signature
design cues of the front fascia and the region
aft of the C-pillar define the car’s presence,
short overhangs, good ground clearance and
the presence of a powerful engine tell one of
its ability.
The car teams a 3.5-litre V6 engine with
a six-speed multi-mode auto box. Better
designed intake and exhaust manifolds
improve engine aspiration for performance
and economy. There are 275 horses available
in the power band at a sprightly 6200rpm and
59
{Road Test}

verdict
In terms of being the right product in
the right market segment, the RX is
a car that inspires buyers confidence.
It isn’t all gung-ho like the bigger GX
or LX, but is certainly feature-rich and
highly capable. As for competitive
brands, the RX does offer more
plus points in its favour, though it
hasn’t quite been able to shake the
‘soft’ image. Perhaps this is wrongly
because of its one engine size.
Our guess is that you would buy the
car if your bias was towards comfort
and really smooth drive experience.
It has all the creature comforts
luxury cars provide and the room and
features to make life with the RX a
very rewarding experience.

60
 {Road Test}
the flat torque curve has been optimised to the response if refined and rather in tune with the need to reach out or avert eyes from the
offer the best performance, with a peak of a car. It is when you floor the pedal or even road.
347Nm and 90 percent of this in turn being better, let the car loose on some loose gravel Now becoming standard on other brands,
available all the way from 2300 to 6100rpm. or packed sand that one notices the quick Lexus introduced a wide-view side monitor
That means that you’ll never feel the torque electronic finessing of the drive train. and backup monitor in the RX. The driver can
taper off and this can be felt when you leave The car also features some aspirational see hard-to-view areas by simply pressing the
the gearbox in ‘drive’ and floor the accelerator goodies. Two that we really loved were the camera-select button on the steering wheel or,
on an incline. HUD and the mouse that’s not quite a mouse, when in reverse, viewing the camera images
Dual Variable Valve Timing with intelligence more a plaything. The former is the Heads Up on the navigation screen. An optional back
(VVT-i) is used to control both intake and Display that uses the wonders of a treated up camera displays images on the eight-inch
exhaust camshafts independently. Other patch on the windshield and a small projector navigation screen; systems without navigation
features of the valvetrain include roller rocker embedded in the dash to throw up a very have a 2.4-inch display in the rear-view
arms and slimmer valve stems. Lexus have readable info patch that looks like it is floating mirror.
also incorporated an improved Acoustic a metre or so in front of you. The readout is VDIM or Vehicle Dynamics Integrated
Control Induction System (ACIS), which by adjustable to take care of driver height. The Management handling technology is
varying intake runner length in response to other HMI (Human Machine Interface) is the available on the top grade RX 350. VDIM
engine speed and throttle position improves controller which presents a logical and familiar governs all of the vehicle’s dynamic handling
the engine’s torque characteristics. The way to access the car’s centre console screen. systems – ABS, Brake Assist, Vehicle
ETCS-i (Electronic Throttle Control System- This is in addition to the screen being touch Stability Control and Traction Control. VDIM
intelligent) softens throttle response during driven too. The fun part of the controller is also interfaces with the electronic throttle
initial acceleration for smoother takeoff and to that it is very computer mouse like in design control system. It also provides a limited
help reduce wheel spin. and operation. It is so smooth, you have a slip differential effect. The Traction Control
The car’s six-speed automatic transmission concealed thought arising that it may fall off and VSC functions can also be switched off,
replaces the previous five-speed. Using the console. for example, when the driver needs to free
miniature high-flow linear solenoids to Vehicle settings can be customised according the vehicle when stuck in mud or sand. You
control transmission-fluid line-pressure, the to personal preference, including personal also get Hill-start Assist Control, where brake
transmission yields quicker shifting response. door-lock preferences, interior/exterior light pressure is maintained for approximately two
The torque converter uses a new low-speed adjustments, driver’s seat easy exit, and seconds after the brake pedal is released and
lock-up damper to enable lock-up from window-closure settings. The navigation the driver switches to the accelerator pedal on
second to sixth gear to help improve the fuel system on grades of the RX can be controlled both climbs and descents.
economy. using either the “Remote Touch” device or
The “Multi-Mode” bit of the gearbox allows by using voice command. The screen menus
the driver to shift manually. An Artificial are selected with the controller, eliminating
Intelligence shifting (AI-SHIFT) control, which
is seen in a Lexus for the first time in the
RX, sets shift patterns based on the vehicle
speed and throttle position and estimates road
conditions and driver input to automatically
control the shift pattern. AI-SHIFT can prevent
unnecessary shifting, like seen in hilly areas.
When descending inclines, the transmission
prevents up-shifts to provide more engine
braking.
Coming from an AWD system that used a
viscous coupling locking centre differential to
provide 50:50 torque distribution, the current
car’s Active Torque Control AWD uses an
electronically controlled coupling ahead of
the rear differential to vary torque distribution
anywhere from 100:0 to 50:50 front to
rear, depending on driving dynamics and
road conditions. Advantages include weight
reduction by 16 kgs and lower parasitic losses
by 30 percent.
You can feel the extra care that Lexus
engineers took to make the feel of the engine
just right. If you go linear with the gas pedal,

61
{Motorsports - F1}

McLaren one-two as Red Bulls

tangle in Turkey

W hen McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton broke

his duck in 2010 he did so in dra-
matic style, in a Turkish Grand Prix that at
one stage seemed destined to yield Red
Bull yet another one-two.
Red Bull’s Mark Webber led off the line
as team mate Sebastian Vettel boiled
through to push slow-starting Hamilton
down to third and Mercedes GP’s Michael
Schumacher edged ahead of McLaren’s
Jenson Button for fourth. Both McLaren
drivers made up a place on that opening
tour, however, and until the pit stops Ham-
ilton put Webber under huge pressure.
Then a slight delay for the Englishman,
with his right-rear tyre, dropped him to
third behind Webber and Vettel, with But-
ton a watchful fourth, and until Lap 40 that
was how they ran, nose to tail, each await-
ing a mistake from the others. No one else
was in the race.
But on Lap 41 Vettel got a run on Web-
ber on the inside going down to Turn 12,

62

and had drawn alongside, but as he tried
to move to the right to gain the entry line
his right rear wheel clipped Webber’s left
front. Suddenly Vettel was spinning wildly
down the road and into retirement with a
punctured right-rear tyre, and as Webber
was forced to run wide the two McLarens
picked their way gleefully through the de-
bris to snatch the leading positions.
Webber and Vettel each squarely blamed
the other for the accident, which left Red
Bull technical guru Adrian Newey with his
head in his hands.
It seemed the McLaren duo had been
handed the race on a plate but the drama
wasn’t over. There was a small amount
of rain, but around this time the McLaren
drivers were also told to conserve fuel.
Button sliced into Hamilton’s lead and got
a similar run on him going into Turn 12 on
Lap 48. But he was on the outside, and as
Hamilton hung tough on the inside they
went side by side through that corner. And
13. And 14.
Across the finish line they were officially
separated by 0.0s, and Button was credit-
ed with the lead, but Hamilton wasn’t done
yet and they touched wheels lightly as he
pushed back through into first place going
into Turn One. It was fabulous stuff, and
thereafter he was able to open the gap up
again to score a timely victory as both he
and Button eased off to save fuel.
Button seemed happy enough with sec-
ond, while Webber was so far ahead of Mi-
chael Schumacher’s Mercedes that he was
able to pit for a new nose and front wing
on Lap 42 and still finish on the podium.
As a result he still leads the world
championship with 93 points to Button’s 88
and Hamilton’s 84, while Ferrari’s Fernando
Alonso is fourth on 79 from Vettel on 78.
Neither Mercedes had the pace to
challenge Red Bull or McLaren, but they
{Motorsports - F1}
were much faster than the Ferraris which
were having their 800th race. Schumacher
was fourth, with team mate Nico Rosberg
closing in as the track got greasy, to finish
fifth ahead of Renault’s Robert Kubica and
Ferrari’s Felipe Massa who had a race-long
battle for sixth.
Alonso was stuck for a long time behind
an impressive Vitaly Petrov in the second
Renault, but took the place after they
brushed wheels at the start of Lap 54.
That gave the Renault driver a puncture,
which dropped him to 15th after a great
performance that ultimately gave him only
fastest lap on fresh tyres.
The final points went to Adrian Sutil for
Force India from Kamui Kobayashi, who
beat BMW Sauber team mate Pedro de la
Rosa to the line by two-tenths of a second.
They did not collide.
Behind them, Jaime Alguersuari brought
his Toro Rosso home 12th, having twice
set fastest lap after a late pit stop on Lap
41, Vitantonio Liuzzi’s Force India was
13th, then Rubens Barrichello was 14th for
Williams after catching and passing team
mate Nico Hulkenberg, who’d been forced
into a pit stop on the opening lap after
a brush with Sebastien Buemi who also
needed a new right-rear tyre. He was 16th
behind Petrov.
The Virgins won the new team prize,
with Timo Glock 18th behind Hulkenberg
after both Lotuses had retired, and Lucas
di Grassi was 19th. Bruno Senna had a
great fight with his fellow countryman, but
neither he nor team mate Karun Chandhok
were running at the finish.
The controversial yet gripping race
moves McLaren back ahead of Red Bull in
the constructors’ championship, with 172
points to 171, with Ferrari third on 146 and
Mercedes fourth on 100. Renault have 73.
63
{Motorsports - F1}
Webber and Red Bull
hit Monaco jackpot
R ed Bull’s Mark Webber underwent trial
by safety car in Monte Carlo on Sunday
afternoon, but kept his cool throughout
four interventions, the last of which was
after a late tangle at Rascasse between
backmarkers Jarno Trulli and Karun
Chandhok which happened right in front of
his Red Bull.
That brought out Bernd Maylander and
the Mercedes for the last time, the previous
three occasions involving two heavy crashes
by Williams drivers Nico Hulkenberg and
Rubens Barrichello. On all of those occasions
Webber had calmly opened up the gap again
over team mate Sebastian Vettel, who had
beaten front-row starter Robert Kubica off
the line at the start and then trailed Webber
throughout.
It was far from a gripping race, with only
the accidents providing relief from total Red
Bull domination as Kubica drove his heart
out to keep them honest but was unable to
64
challenge.
It was the first time an Australian had won
in the Principality since Sir Jack Brabham did
so for Cooper in 1959, and puts Webber into
the lead of the world championship, level
with Vettel on 78 points.
Behind the valiant Kubica, Felipe Massa
held Lewis Hamilton at bay as Fernando
Alonso fought his way up from last place
after a pit lane start.
The first safety car came out on the
opening lap after Hulkenberg crashed
heavily in the tunnel after a front wing
component failed. Then team mate
Barrichello also shunted hard going up
the hill to Massenet on the 31st lap due
to a rear-end failure. That brought out the
second safety car, and another came on the
43rd lap as a loose drain cover was noted in
the vicinity. When Barrichello discarded his
shattered car’s steering wheel, an HRT ran
it over.
As the safety car pulled in at the end of
the 78th after its final appearance, and on
the race’s final lap all that remained was
for the drivers to cross the line again, but
an opportunistic Schumacher dived ahead
of Alonso, demoting him to seventh place.
That move was subsequently deemed illegal
by the stewards, who added 20s to the
German’s race time in lieu of a drive-through
penalty, dropping him to 12th.
Schumacher’s Mercedes team mate Nico
Rosberg was thus seventh, and behind him
Adrian Sutil and Tonio Liuzzi made it a good
day for Force India with eighth and ninth
places. Toro Rosso’s Sebastien Buemi Buemi
inherited the final point for tenth after
Schumacher’s penalty and team mate Jaime
Alguersuari was the only other finisher.
Besides Chandhok and Trulli, who
crashed on the race’s 74th lap, the other
non-finishers were Heikki Kovalainen and
Bruno Senna, who quit on the 60th with

mechanical failures, and Renault’s Vitaly
Petrov who called it a day with five laps to
go with after a troubled race following an
early puncture. It wasn’t a great day for
McLaren, with Jenson Button losing ground
at the start and becoming the second
retirement with suspected engine failure
on the third lap. Mechanical problems also
accounted for the Virgins of Timo Glock and
Lucas di Grassi, and the BMW Saubers of
Pedro de la Rosa and Kamui Kobayashi.
After Schumacher’s demotion, Alonso
leaves Monaco third overall in the driver
standings with 75 points, then come Button
on 70 from Massa on 61, Kubica and
Hamilton on 59 and Rosberg on 56.
For the first time this season Red Bull also
lead the constructors’ world championship,
with 156 points, Ferrari on 136, McLaren on
129, Mercedes on 78 and Renault on 65.
{Motorsports - F1}
Schumacher penalised for Alonso
safety-car pass
Mercedes GP’s Michael Schumacher has
been penalised by the Monte Carlo race
stewards for his overtaking manoeuvre
on Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso in the dying
moments of the Monaco Grand Prix.
Schumacher was handed a drive-through
penalty, which is converted after the race
into a 20-second time penalty, dropping him
from sixth to 12th in the results.
Schumacher passed Alonso just as the
safety car pulled in at the end of Lap 78.
The FIA stewards, which included his old
sparring partner Damon Hill, have deemed
the German breached Article 40.13 of the
Sporting Regulations, which states that
“if the race ends whilst the safety car is
deployed it will enter the pit lane at the
end of the last lap and the cars will take
the chequered flag as normal without
overtaking.”
Mercedes will appeal the stewards’ decision
and a date for that appeal will be set in due
course by the FIA. Schumacher’s demotion
moves Toro Rosso’s Sebastien Buemi, who
had finished in 11th, into the points in tenth
place.
65
{Motorsports - wrc}
Latvala takes last stage victory
in Rally New Zealand
B P Ford Focus driver Finland’s Jari-Matti
Latvala won Rally New Zealand after a
day of high drama in the four special stages
near Raglan.
Latvala and co-driver Miikka Anttila
snatched the win on the second run of
the iconic Whaanga Coast test, the very
last stage of the 2010 FIA World Rally
Championship’s fifth round. Latvala pushed
hard to overtake overnight rally leader
Sébastien Ogier of the Citroën Junior Team.
Latvala went into the final test 6.2 seconds
behind the Frenchman who did his chances
no good with a small spin early in the stage
and another, three corners from the end.
Ogier eventually recorded a time just under
nine seconds slower than the Ford’s, which
gave victory to Latvala by 2.4 seconds. World
champion and 2010 series leader Sébastien
Loeb finished third in his works Citroen, 15.2
seconds behind Latvala.
When he reached the end of the final
stage, Latvala wasn’t sure he had won.
“Three corners from the end (of Whaanga
2), I saw a piece of bumper on the road
and knew something was happening. But I
didn’t know what was going on (the bumper
belonged to Ogier’s Citroen).
“Suddenly my co-driver Miikka said: ‘we
have won’. And we had won! There are no
words to describe this. I can’t believe I’m
second in the championship,” Latvala said.
“I wasn’t the fastest here but I was the
most consistent and that paid off when it
mattered.”
The winning margin was the second
smallest in a WRC event this century. The
previous one was the 2007 Rally New
Zealand where Ford’s Marcus Grönholm beat
Loeb on the final special stage by three-
tenths of a second. Latvala’s win is also
significant for Ford as they overtook Lancia
as the most successful manufacturer in WRC
history, with 75 wins.
The Raglan stages, particularly the long
and very demanding Whaanga Coast test,
66
again determined the rally’s outcome. Two
years ago, mishaps on the final run through
Whaanga cost the factory Fords victory, and
Loeb won. This year, the tables were turned,
and it was the works Citroens which were
in strife, and Ford which capitalised on their
misfortune.
Mikko Hirvonen finished fourth today, giving
Ford a better manufacturers’ championship
points haul than Citroën in this event.
Citroen’s points from Rally New Zealand
came from Loeb in third and Dani Sordo who
finished fifth.
Loeb started the morning well, overtaking
Ogier for the lead in the first special stage, Te
Hutewai, near Raglan. Ogier, running first on
the road, spun and set only the eighth-fastest
time.
But then came the first run through the
Whaanga Coast test, and disaster for Loeb
who ran wide on a fast right-hander, sliding
off the road in thick gravel and charging
through shrubbery before coming to rest
against a small tree. He got going again but spin and I lost 10 seconds. With that, I lost
had lost 30 seconds and dropped from the first place.
lead to fourth place, 21.7 seconds behind “For sure it was big disappointment to lose
leader Ogier. my first victory like this but it doesn’t really
“It was a bit more gravelled than what I matter if I continue in this way I will have a
expected and I lost control of the car,” Loeb victory soon, so it’s a good result,” said the
said. “Then, the second pass through, I really former junior world rally champion.
tried again because we were not so far from Fifth-placed Hirvonen said it had been a
the lead and finally I had another spin – difficult weekend, “really difficult. In the end
maybe pushing a bit too hard.” we managed to get two positions today and
Both Latvala and Hirvonen had been in we got good (manufacturers’) points for the
strong form in the day’s opening tests, team.”
Hirvonen winning the first and finishing After being day one’s overnight leader,
second in the other. Latvala, meanwhile, Norway’s Petter Solberg was still in a
had been pouring the pressure on to Ogier strong position to push for his first win in
and was now in second place. 5.6 seconds his privately-entered Citroën as day three
behind. Loeb won the morning’s third test, started. He won the first Whaanga stage in a
the second run through Te Hutewai, with time that was 23 seconds faster than Ogier’s
Ogier second and edging the gap over and went into Whaanga 2 in third place, just
Latvala to 6.2 seconds. The rally would be 16.8 seconds behind the Frenchman and 10.6
decided on the final stage, Whaanga Coast adrift of Latvala. Solberg was pushing hard
2.Ogier said second place was “still a very when he slid off the road, hitting a power
good result but a bit frustrating. I did another pole and bringing down a power line. His
 {Motorsports - wrc}

Citroen ended up in a ditch with its nose

badly damaged and Solberg’s rally was over.
Rally New Zealand also counts for the
2010 Super 2000 and production world rally
championships. Ford scored a clean sweep in
Super 2000, with Finn Jari Ketomaa finishing
eighth overall, leading home the similar
Fiesta S2000s of Xavier Pons and Martin
Prokop.
With a big lead over Pons, Ketomaa said
he had just driven to finish on today’s four
stages. “Trying to keep the rhythm and drive
slowly, it’s not easy to go like that. The first
stage was a little bit bad from my side but
after that I started to go very well.”
New Zealand rally champion Hayden
Paddon won the production car world
championship category in his Mitsubishi
Lancer EVO IX finishing 14th overall. He
also took the first New Zealander crown,
claiming for the second time in succession
the coveted Woolf-Whittaker Trophy. His
main opposition, former production world
champion Toshi Arai and double New Zealand
champion Richard Mason, both fell out of
contention on day one. Paddon finished just
over three minutes ahead of fellow Kiwis
contesting the PWRC class Emma Gilmour
and Kingsley Thompson.
Aside from worries about a faulty clutch
during today’s stages, Paddon had a trouble-
free run. “It’s been an absolute dream
weekend and we got the result we wanted.
What more could we ask for?”
It was an all-New Zealand podium in
the production class with Gilmour bringing
her Subaru Impreza STI into second, and
Kingsley Thompson third in a Lancer EVO.
The 40th running of Rally New Zealand, run
mainly in fine but overcast conditions, drew
many thousands of enthusiastic spectators
to the gravel stages and the super specials
on tarmac in the Auckland Domain and the
Hampton Downs race circuit in the Waikato
and to the service park at Queens Wharf on
the Auckland waterfront.

67
{Motorsports - wrc}

Citroën wins a hotly-

disputed rally

Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena drove a fault-

less final day in Rally Turkey to score a hat
trick of wins in the 2010 World Rally Champi-
onship. This victory has enabled the Citroën
Total World Rally Team crew to increase their
lead in the Drivers’ World Rally Championship.
Dani Sordo and Marc Marti retired in the final
loop.
The rain, which everybody feared would
fall, did so on Saturday night/ Sunday morn-
ing. The final day of the event consisted of
two passages through a three-stage loop run
on earth. The Deniz and Mudarli (SS18 and
19) stages were cancelled as they were im-
passible.
So the day started with the Ballica (ES20)
stage. Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena were
first out on the road and took advantage of
the damp conditions to set the quickest time.
When the crew of the no. 1 C4 WRC arrived
back in the Pendik service park, they were still
reeling from having made an 85-metre jump!
“It was an incredible sensation as we were
up in the air for several seconds,” exclaimed
Sébastien Loeb. “In the recce, not for a mo-
ment did we imagine that we’d jump so far.
We gave ourselves a few more scares, but I
had to keep on pushing.”

68
 {Motorsports - wrc}

Sebastien Loeb Reached his 57th

Victory in Turkey

Citroen´s Sebastien Loeb reached his 57th

rally win by claiming the victory in Rally of
Turkey. Third day´s first and second stages
were canceled but the day offered great en-
thusiasm.
It was rain causing Deniz and Mudarli´s
clayey sections to form unsuitable conditions
for rallying and resulting organisers to cancel
both stages. Due to cancelled stages drivers
followed the route through Ballica´s start pri-
or to midday service.
Sebastien Loeb recorded the fastest time
with 10.00.5 on 19.22 Km long Ballica. Pet-
ter Solberg followed Loeb with a tiny margin
of 0.3 second. Sebastien Ogier was the third
fastest.
After coming to Pendik for midday service
teams headed to previously cancelled stages.
Sebastien Loeb won the stage Deniz while his
team mate Dani Sordo was retiring. Mikko
Hirvonen took second place in this stage and
followed by his team mate Jari-Matti Latvala.
On the penultimate test Sebastien Loeb
claiemed another stage victory and strength-
en his lead. Sebastien Ogier was the second
fastest and Jari-Matti Latvala followed him.
Sebastien Ogier was the quickest in the
last stage of the rally in which crests was full
of with spectators. Jari-Matti Latvala was 8.3
seconds slower than Ogier. Sebastien Loeb
started to celebrate his third victory of the
season at the end of the stage in which he
took the third place.
There is no change in drivers championship
standings but Loeb increased his lead to 40
points in front of Petter Solberg. Mikko Hir-
vonen lies on the third place.

69
{Motorsports}
Ferrari celebrates their 800th
Grand Prix in turkey
T his weekend’s Turkish race will be a
very special one for Ferrari, as it will be
the Italian team’s 800th Grand Prix. And
to celebrate reaching such a momentous
milestone, a special commemorative logo will
be placed on the engine covers of both F10s
for the duration of the Istanbul Park event.
“Eight hundred Grands Prix represents a
milestone in the life of Ferrari, which fills
us with satisfaction and pride,” said Ferrari
President Luca di Montezemolo. “I want to
Formula one returns to the united states
F ormula One World Championship Limited
and Formula One Administration Limited
(together, the F1 Commercial Rights Holder)
and Full Throttle Productions, LP, promoter
of the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix™,
announce that a historic agreement has
been reached for Austin, Texas to serve as
the host city of the Formula 1 United States
Grand Prix™ for years 2012 through 2021.
“We are extremely honoured and proud to
reach an agreement with the F1 Commercial
Rights Holder. We have been diligently
working together for several years to bring
this great event to Austin, the State of
Texas and back to the United States. All
parties involved have a great amount of
trust and confidence in each other and are
committed to establishing the Formula 1
United States Grand Prix™ in Austin, Texas
as a prestigious global event,” stated Tavo
Hellmund, Managing Partner of Full Throttle
Productions, LP.
Bernie Ecclestone, President and CEO of
the Formula One Group stated: “For the first
time in the history of Formula One in the
United States, a world-class facility will be
purpose-built to host the event. It was thirty
years ago that the Formula 1 United States
Grand Prix™ was last held on a purpose-built
70
share our delight in this achievement with
the drivers who have driven our cars in the
world championship and with our fans. It is
nice to look back and see what we have done
together, aware that we are part of a story
that is without equal and is ongoing.”
First as sporting director (from 1973-1976)
and then as President (since 1991) Di
Montezemolo has been involved in 359 of the
799 chapters of Ferrari’s Formula One history,
during which time the team won a total of 17
world championships (seven driver titles and
10 constructor titles) and 123 Grands Prix.
The only team to have participated in every
world championship since its inception back
in 1950, Ferrari’s first victory came courtesy
of Jose Froilan Gonzalez at the 1951 British
Grand Prix. Fernando Alonso clinched their
most recent at the 2010 season opener in
Bahrain.
The Italian team have also set many
permanent road course circuit in Watkins
Glen, NY (1961-1980), which enjoyed great
success. Since then, Formula One has been
hosted by Long Beach, Las Vegas, Detroit,
Dallas and Phoenix all on temporary street
circuits. Indianapolis joined the ranks of host
cities in 2000 when they added a road course
inside the famed oval. Lewis Hamilton won
the last Formula 1 United States Grand Prix™
in 2007, signalling the end to eight years at
Indianapolis Motor Speedway. This however,
will be the first time a facility is constructed
from the ground up specifically for Formula
One in the US.”
Mr. Hellmund added: “This is a case
of the right timing in the right place. As
many Americans know, Austin has earned
a reputation as one of the ‘it’ cities in the
United States. Austin features that rare
combination of ideal geographic location and
beauty.”
Texas Governor Rick Perry conveyed his
enthusiasm for the project, explaining “Texas’
relatively strong economy continues to draw
both national and international attention and
I commend Comptroller Combs for her work
in bringing this exciting event to the Lone
Star State.”
records, thanks to their 15 drivers’ titles, 16
constructors’ titles, 211 wins, 632 podium
finishes, 223 second-place finishes, 198 third-
place finishes, 203 pole positions and 220
fastest race laps.
Other records held by Ferrari and their drivers
include constructors’ championship points
(4229.5), consecutive wins (14, between
1952-1953), one-two finishes (80), wins in
one season for one driver (13, for Michael
Schumacher in 2004), consecutive wins for a
driver (nine, for Alberto Ascari from 1952-
1953), consecutive podium finishes for a
driver (19, for Schumacher from 2001-2002,)
one-two finishes for a driver pairing (24, for
Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello from
2000-2005), and consecutive points finishes
per driver (24, for Schumacher from 2001-
2003)
fia to clarify last-lap
safety car rule
T he FIA is to clarify regulations relating
to safety-car procedures on the final lap
of a race. It follows Michael Schumacher’s
penalty for passing Fernando Alonso in the
dying seconds of Sunday’s Monaco Grand
Prix.
With the track declared clear and the
safety car coming in, Schumacher’s Mercedes
GP team believed their drivers were free
to race as normal. However, race stewards
subsequently penalised Schumacher for
breaking Article 40.13 of the Sporting
Regulations, which states: “If the race ends
whilst the safety car is deployed it will enter
the pit lane at the end of the last lap and the
cars will take the chequered flag as normal
without overtaking.”
Mercedes originally planned to appeal
the decision, but dropped those plans
after the sport’s governing body agreed to
review the rule in question. According to
the FIA, “adjustments to the regulations are
necessary to clarify the procedure that cars
must meet when the last lap is controlled
by the Safety Car whilst also ensuring that
the signalling for teams and drivers is made
more clear.”
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{Chicane}
Lots of salt – no fish
and ships
Wanderlust and test driving make for a
potent combination
T
ravel broadens the mind, they say and
while I am all for the travel, sometimes
the broadening does take a bit of time
in manifesting itself. Right from trying to
understand that flights do get delayed, tickets
do get booked at the last minute and that as
an Indian, I do need to visit one embassy or
another quite frequently to get visas, my mind
is well on its way to gaining the much touted
width.
However, on some journeys you don’t have
to travel too far in order to get a completely
new perspective on people and places. Take
for instance a recent trip to Jordan. As a
destination, it is hardly the most exotic. I have
put off for a couple of years repeated invites
through friends to visit. And yes, you can’t
say tourism and Jordan in one breath without
Petra making an entry. But Jordan is far more
than Petra and some transient tourism. Firstly,
it seems to be one of the few places where
Indians get a visa on arrival. Thank you so
much.
Then, to a resident of Oman, Jordan
presents some really interesting parallels.
It has hillsides and terrain that could have
been transplanted straight from here and it
has people who display the same levels of
hospitality and friendliness. What Jordan does
have in addition is a location in one of the
most volatile regions of the world and a shared
border with Israel. My trip to Jordan was to
drive four-wheel drive vehicles in locations
near the Dead Sea and while I learned a lot
about the capabilities of the SUVs in question,
I learned much more of an interesting land.
For instance did you know that the surface of
the Dead Sea was almost 500 metres below
sea level? And that almost a third of the Dead
Sea is salt? And that is more than 8 times the
normal salinity of a sea? And that while nothing
lives in the sea, almost nothing is allowed
on the sea too – take boats for example. Of
72
course, the fact that an international border
runs through somewhere in the middle of the
Dead Sea does give a reason to avoid having
small boats causing big problems. Besides, it
isn’t as if anyone is going out fishing to start
with.
My unsinkable enthusiasm met its match
in the overly buoyant waters of the Dead
Sea. You can lie on your back or your front
– you’ll float, but you are strongly advised
against putting your head in the water, or
you’ll have the salt burning your eyes through
the evening. And of course, we just had to
enjoy the recuperative powers of being caked
in Dead Sea mud, with even the most grizzled
veteran claiming a miraculous recovery from
the ravages of age.
Between the mud, potash and salt industries
and the fall in the fresh water feed from river
Jordan, it is a wonder that the sea doesn’t
set new records for the lowest open stretch
of water.
But it’s when you are on the road that you
see the other side of the country. Speed limits
are way below what we are used to here. And
they are enforced by police patrols and speed
cameras. And military checkposts are visible
every few kilometres. And you can see how
much effort has gone into making one of the
driest places on Earth (measured on a per
capita basis) into an agricultural heartland,
with thick rubber hoses meandering all across
the barren landscape.
To add a sense of the incredible, we also
visited a bio resort in the middle of nowhere,
with a pure vegetarian menu and the excesses
of a luxury hideaway built on the site of Raj Warrior is editor of Automan and has
Herod’s palace at a hot spring. So while this been in the thick of the Automotive journalism
trip didn’t have Petra on the itinerary, Jordan field from the past 15 years.
does nonetheless come across as a place you
want to visit. Next time, Petra and hopefully Want to comment or have your say? Email
Aqaba too. at raj@alroya.net. Identify yourself or your
message will be trashed and your id blocked