On the second day of carsmas, my true love gave to me: attack of the Koreans bae-by! My first encounter with the Koreans happened somewhere in the late 90s or the early 2000s when were in the market for a new family car and dad got excited about a little Korean brand called Kia and their SUV called the Sportage. They were ugly little boxes with not much to offer and very questionable reliability and track record. It was no Toyota RAV-4 or Honda CRV. While my dad did find the quirky Korean fascinating, the idea of procuring one was quickly shot down by the rest of the household, for all the right reasons I’m happy we didn’t end up with a Kia of the past. Attack of the Koreans! Kia and Hyundai are the largest car manufacturers from Korea. They are infamous for budget hatchbacks, sedans and SUVs. They gave us family cars like the Kia Sportage, Kia Optima, Kia Cadenza, Hyundai Elantra, Hyundai i10, i20 etc. Words like quality, handling and power did not exist in their books. They were affordable, easy to maintain and sort of reliable. That was their USP. It worked – mostly. But all…
The saying goes, “you can’t be a true petrolhead until you’ve owned an Alfa Romeo” – words once told by Jeremy Clarkson. It's only fitting that for day 1 of carsmas, your true love gave to you: the return of the Alfas! Alfa Romeo had given the world some fantastic cars a long time ago. They gave us cars like the Guilia of the 60s, 147, 156 GTA, the spider and much more. Cars that thrill. Cars that excite. Cars that were proper driving machines. The Tipo 33 is still one of the prettiest cars ever made – sits right up there with the likes of the Ferrari 250 GTO and Jaguar E-Type in our books. Sure they weren’t the most reliable of cars but that was considered part of the ownership experience. Then somewhere along the way during the 80s, 90s and early 2000s, Alfa had lost their way. A company that produced automobiles with great motorsport pedigree went on to make a bunch of boring, unreliable sedans and hatchbacks. Gone was the desirability of owning an Alfa to the point where we thought they were dead. There was no coming back from this. Alas, enter 2013 and we…
On the first day of...come on Petrolheads, you know the tune, sing along as we count down the 12 days of carsmas! It’s our favorite time of the year. That time of the year when intercoolers, mufflers and wheels hang off trees like a Mustang leaving Cars & Coffee. That time of the year when glorious new parts wait for us under trees and discounts are everywhere. What is also important is that this is the last Carsmas of the 2010s – and quite the decade this has been. The 2010s have redefined the car industry like no other. Electric cars are a thing now. Hyundai and Kia make fantastic cars. Everybody wants an SUV. We have hybrid cars. We have self-driving (questionably) cars. We have Uber and Lyft. We have emissions cheating diesel cars. We have HYPERCARS. So this Carsmas, take a trip down memory lane with Mikaniki and remember all the great automotive things the 2010s have brought us (cue the Michael Bublé Xmas specials). DAY 1: The return of the Alfas The saying goes, “you can’t be a true petrolhead until you’ve owned an Alfa Romeo” – words once told by Jeremy Clarkson. Alfa Romeo had given…
UAE's Fuel prices have been announced for the Month of December by the UAE Fuel Price Committee. After 3 months of consistent price drops, we see a rise in the prices for Petrol. While the price of Diesel sees no change. https://twitter.com/mikanikidxb/status/1200041216026562560?s=21 If you feel a sense of Déjà Vu, it's because the prices of Super and Special are the same as October. Here are the details: Super 98 price increased from AED 2.20/litre to AED 2.24/litre (1.81%)Special 95 price increased from AED 2.09/litre to AED 2.12/litre (1.44%)Diesel price remains unchanged at AED 2.38/litre Read the official tweets from ENOC and ADNOC: https://twitter.com/ENOC/status/1199971078992478208 https://twitter.com/ADNOCdist/status/1200087588796878848 The fuel prices are applicable across all the 7 Emirates. This includes Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah and the Northern Emirates. That concludes UAE's Fuel prices for December 2019! Every month, we're committed to keeping you up to date with the UAE's latest fuel prices, so that you don't have to scour the internet and spend endless hours searching for the right information. Watch this space for more information. Want to save fuel? Check out our article here, for some tips. You can also hop on over to our tips and tricks page, for more information on…
The Mercedes-Maybach GLS 600 is the latest luxury SUV offering from Mercedes, combining the luxury of a Maybach with the body of the GLS. They call is the S-Class among SUVs. The interiors of the Maybach GLS 600 are built with high quality materials. Paired with the efficient sound insulation, you are in for a comfortable and relaxing ride. All passengers get equal levels of comfort with an elevated seating position. Rear passengers also get electrically controlled sun blinders for the windows. "The Mercedes-Maybach brand represents 'Ultimate Luxury' in its most contemporary, purest form. The brand's style is embodied in sublime beauty, supreme aesthetics and elegance. In order to define the luxury of the future, we are taking the concept of Sensual Purity to the next level and transforming ourselves from a premium manufacturer to the world's leading design brand."Gorden Wagener, Chief Design Officer, Daimler AG Ride Comfort and Handling Thanks to, what Mercedes calls, the AIRMATIC suspensions (Standard) and the E-Active Body Control (optional extra), the ride in the Mercedes-Maybach GLS 600 is leveled and smooth. Absorbing road bumps and thus causing minimal disturbance for the passengers. This is achieved with the car's ability to individually control spring and…
Nissan. It’s everyone’s favorite SUV in the Middle East (until they’re right behind you with the high beams in full attack).This is the buying guide if you were ever wondering of dipping your toes into the wonderful world of dune bashing. The Y61 model of the Nissan Patrol was first introduced in 1997 with production still on for certain regions around the world – the Middle East being one due to popularity. That makes this generation of the Patrol 22 years old. TWENTY-TWO. For the region, the Y61 is powered by the mighty TB48DE. A 4.8L inline-6 Engine producing a healthy 280hp, mated to a 5-speed automatic or manual transmission. The powertrain on these SUVs are known to withstand the elements and have generally been super reliable with tuners being able to push upwards of a 1000bhp (even close to 2000hp). What we love about the Y61 Nissan Patrol Here are all the things we love about the Y61 Nissan Patrol: Appearance – the design is 22(!!) years old and we still think it looks fantastic. It looks so much sportier than the Y62 that followed;Road presence (a GCC thang);Solid off-road capabilities;Great reliability;Amazing configurations – the Y61 can be had…
It was that time of year when Instagram takes us straight to Las Vegas to give us some of the world’s best car builds – it was SEMA! And it has been breaking the internet and will continue to do so for weeks to come. Here are a few of our favourites from this year. The Button Built Ferraris View this post on Instagram A post shared by 𝕄𝕀𝕋ℂℍ𝔼𝕃𝕃 𝕋 𝔹𝕌𝕋𝕋𝕆ℕ (@button_built) on Sep 12, 2019 at 2:12pm PDT Mitchell Button has his team made quite the noise at SEMA last year with his nardo-grey widebody Ferrari 328 – nicknamed the BB328 (above). This year the team is back with TWO more - the BB328TT and the BB355TT. Apart from the wide hip treatment, the team have installed two snails to each of the Ferrari powerhouse and hence the TT. We’ve been following this build for quite some time and the results are gorgeous. View this post on Instagram A post shared by 𝕄𝕀𝕋ℂℍ𝔼𝕃𝕃 𝕋 𝔹𝕌𝕋𝕋𝕆ℕ (@button_built) on Nov 7, 2019 at 1:01pm PST View this post on Instagram A post shared by 𝕄𝕀𝕋ℂℍ𝔼𝕃𝕃 𝕋 𝔹𝕌𝕋𝕋𝕆ℕ (@button_built) on Nov 5, 2019 at 9:27am PST Meguiar’s LTO E30 Built by @rebellionforgeracing,…
In the market for a rear wheel drive, well handling, economical sports car? A car that is easy enough to be used as a daily driver or weekend warrior AND one that does not break the bank? Look no further than the Toyota GT86. The GT86 (also called the “Hachi-Roku” – Japanese for “eight-six”) was originally introduced in 2012 and was co-developed with Subaru for their version called the BRZ. Power is delivered from Subaru’s 2.0L naturally aspirated FA20 boxer engine that sits up front and pushes out a whopping (NOT!) 205 horsepower. Mikaniki Fun Fact: The 86 was developed by the same man that brings us the MK-V BMW Supra – Tetsuya Tada While 205 horsepower may not seem like a lot these days, the charm of the 86 lies in its weight and handling prowess. It’s a small nimble car that weighs in at only 1,298kg. Power goes to the REAR wheels (as god intended) through a 6 speed, Toyota developed, row-it-yourself manual transmission or a 6 speed Aisin automatic gearbox. All this equates to a fun corner carver that does 0-100kmph in a respectable 6.8 seconds with a top speed of 233kmph. For those that are looking…
November marks a third consecutive month of price drop for Petrol in UAE. The price of Diesel has gown back down to what it was in September. Rejoice!
UAE's Fuel prices have been announced for the Month of October by the UAE Fuel Price Committee. For a second consecutive month, Petrol prices have dropped, which is good news if your car runs on this kind of fuel. If you're a diesel-head, however, you may have to tighten the belt a little, as the UAE experienced an increase in diesel prices. Here are the details: Special 95 price reduced from AED 2.16/litre to AED 2.12/litreSuper 98 price reduced from AED 2.28/litre to AED 2.24/litreDiesel price increased from AED 2.38/litre to AED 2.41/litre Read the official tweet by ENOC https://twitter.com/ENOC/status/1178246714010095617 Every month, we're committed to keeping you up to date with the UAE's latest fuel prices, so that you don't have to scour the internet and spend endless hours searching for the right information. Watch this space for more information. Want to save fuel? Check out our article here, for some tips. You can also hop on over to our tips and tricks page, for more information on car care and other useful information that can help you on the way. In the market for a new car? Why not check out our buyer's guide for more information?