There is no wall that separates a Sonata and the Centennial in the Hyundai showroom. But the salespeople are trained to create one. A complete disassociation of values from Hyundai’s design and build is aimed at and largely achieved in the Centennial. Nowhere does it reveal its house logo and …
Maserati Ghibli Review: An offer you can’t refuse
When my tongue sizzles in the recall of my grandma’s recipe of chicken, there is a restaurant that I turn to, with its secret concoction of sauces that sets the grill on fire. The order taker plants a knowing smile on his face and a tick mark beside ‘extra-hot’ on …
Audi RS7 2014 review: Sportin’ a pin-striped suit
Taking off from where we left the Audi RS6, there is not much of a difference between the RS7 and its estate edition. At the heart of it, and even in the façade – if you overlook the aluminium strips that frame the air dams – both shone with a …
Nissan Altima 2014 review: Family fuelled
The first time I gave chase to an Altima was in 2007. Just as it cruised down the Sheikh Zayed Road smoothly, too smoothly, with me holding onto its steering – leaving me clueless if its CVT transmission was ever going to stabilize into a steady drive. From that time, …
Toyota Corolla 2014 Review: Hot cake sans the raisins
The Toyota Corolla is perhaps the most important car in the history of automobiles – if only because it is driven by more people than any other car ever. So it was time well spent when I got behind the wheel of the tenth generation Corolla once again, for a …
First Drive of Infiniti Q50 2014: Indulging Techno Treat
In those days of my motorcycle diaries, I was mostly riding pillion to a brother whose name if it weren’t to be Alex, famously coming to mean ‘instinctive driving’ among friends and family, would certainly have been Harley! Once as I wavered a little before a parked bus, not knowing …
2014 Peugeot 301 review: As good as basic gets
In the beginning – and in the end – there are three S factors that make up an essential family car – Safety, Space and Storage. In an ideal world, everything else would be just frills. However, times are such that value is often perceived in how much is packed …
Lincoln MKZ 2014 Review: Return of the original rival
If you haven’t driven a Lincoln before, the Lincoln MKZ is a good place to start. Without the baggage of ups and downs that the company has gone through, the executive sedan from the American luxury brand vouches for the remarkable effort that has gone into redefining the marque and …
Toyota Yaris 2014 Sedan Review: Basic Plus
You buy a Toyota Yaris sedan, feel happy and throw a party. Life moves on till it’s time for an upgrade. But with the new extra-large Yaris sedan, the upgrade too could perhaps wait. Even so, moving from A to B is the Yaris sedan in a nutshell. So, the …
Mazda 6 2014 review: Skyward leap
On my drive from Dubai to Abu Dhabi in the new Mazda 6, a hurricane was at my heels, or wheels to be exact. But then, the Mazda 6 is so agile in its handling that I could always outrun the tornado. THE UPSIDE: Agile handling, Premium features affordably incorporated, …
