Cars news and reviews

It’s not a secret anymore, we all know that the world head of states have special made vehicles of super specifications and qualification to be of high fit for this use.

Agents from the secret security services in each state supervise by themselves the qualifications of the presidential vehicles. They must be 100% secured of very high caliber, and most of these cars’ specs are completely classified.

The presidential cars are mostly custom-made from the world top car manufacturers. Only few models are made of each vehicle, and they are designed, manufactured, and tested in a very secretive manner.

However, we were able to combine a number of the world most outstanding and unique presidential cars. You can check them one after one from here.

• The beast

This one is aptly named. “The beast” is President Obama’s bespoke special limo. It’s was totally manufactured from a to z at GM’s plant in Detroit.

The beast has a plated armor of 8 inch, completely sealed set of windows, satellite telephone, special direct line to the pentagon, and many other gadgets.

It has a reinforced plate extended underneath it for protection from booby traps and grenades. The car is made of steel, titanium, ceramic, and aluminum.

• Pullman Guard

Mercedes has always been known for manufacturing well-secured armored cars for the world presidents, royals, and even tyrants over the course of the last century.

The S 600 model of Mercedes Pullman Guard was adapted by the Indian Prime Minister to be his official state car.

Under the hood, the S 600 is provided with a 5.5 liter twin turbo V12 engine that is capable of producing 510 horsepower. The car’s top speed and weight are classified.

• Bentley

The British royal family has chosen Bentley to produce their official fleet of armored vehicles. The company teamed up with a number of British craftsmen to work on this tricky task.

Eventually, the new royal models from Bentley have succeeded in grabbing the looks thanks to their aggressive British looks, dynamic design, and opulent interior cabin.

• The Chinese dragon

Chinese leaders have been depending on the Hongqi models produced by the Chinese car company FAW.

Despite its low-scale market success, this marque has proved to be very effective when it comes to securing the Chinese leadership figures.

Its horsepower is boosted by a specially-developed aluminum V 12 cylinder engine of 6.0 liter. It features fabulous exterior design, sharply-edged panels, Toyota Land Cruiser Prado-inspired chassis.

• The Imperial

The Emperor and Empress of Japan have a set of custom-made Toyota Century Royal.

The Imperial four-door limousine is valued at 500,000 US dollars. It has wool cloth upholstery, rice paper headlining in the car cabin, granite thresholds, and 5.0 liter 12 valves engine.

• Korean flagship

The South Korean leadership preferred to choose a domestically-made Hyundai as the state official car to act as a flagship of the local car manufacturer in the state.

It’s a Hyundai Equus VL500 Limousine, a 4-door limousine that is assembled in the company’s production line in Ulsan. It has a 5.0 liter engine, an 8-speed automatic transmission system, and of course, armor plated body.

You have spent a lot of money and a lot of effort also to acquire a vehicle, so it’s absolutely sure you don’t want someone to simply take it and go away.

There are some simple tips you should consider in order to keep your car away from thieves’ eyes.

We thought about combining these tips in one article to be of great help to car owners. If you are suspecting a creepy activity around your car, or there is a high potential of theft in your area, just follow these steps.

Now let’s check these simple steps to protect your car from theft:

Toss it in the garage

Keep it off the street especially during the night and park it in the garage, that’s the best mean to make it less apparent for thieves.

If you are living in a bustling area or in the downtown, you should consider renting a garage. It’s not cheap, but of course, it’s cheaper than buying a whole new car once again.

Security system

Vehicles with noisy alarms are of course less likely to get stolen. Try to have a security system in your car.

Also, try to keep your car in a good shape, it will deter carjackers and will make them think 100 times before stealing your wheels.

Cars with good shape are more likely to have alarm systems. You better know that, let’s start with cleaning your car first.

Keep valuable things out of sight

Of course, it’s not wise to leave a laptop or a mobile phone on the seat of your car. It’s better to make your car seem like there is nothing precious in it.

Put all your valuable things in the glove box, under the seats, or in the car trunk.

Find a safe area

If you are living in a dangerous area with high crime rate, try looking for another area to live in. If this is not possible at the moment, keep your car parked in another safer area.

A parked car will absolutely drag attention and will draw criminals’ sights. Keep it away and walk to your house, that’s way better than having to deal with carjacking situation, right?

Use a wheel lock

Buy a good wheel lock, it’s not expensive, and it will act as a perfect deterrent for criminals.

The wheel lock will protect both your wheel and your car from being stolen, that’s why they are very effective especially in crowded neighborhoods.

Try also buying a club, or a steering wheel lock. It will have the same deterrent effect and will keep the wheel from moving.

Turn the wheel

While parking the car, turn the wheel towards the sidewalk or any other curb to make it harder for criminals to tow it.

Lock the doors

It could be very obvious, but don’t forget to lock your car doors and close the windows. This is very important of course. Try also not to leave your car engine running or unattended.

Of course there are other valuable tips to mention, but these are the most important that will surely protect your vehicle from being jacked.

A group of Swiss students unraveled a new electric racing car that is capable of hitting a new speed record for battery-powered vehicles.

The car did achieve a new record in car speeds arena. It bolted from zero to 100 kilos per hour in only 1.513 seconds, which is a quarter of a second less than the previous record time. The record was made on a race track near Zurich in Dubendorf air base.

This is absolutely a new record to be registered in the world of electric automotive. Until the moment, no vehicle has been able to exceed this speed rate.

The recently made electric car, named ‘the grimsel’ after an Alpine pass, achieved the 100 km speed mark in only 30 meters (98 feet).

The old record

The grimsel slashed the previously-top world record made by team of students from the University of Stuttgart. The record was achieved last year, their electric car made it in 1.779 seconds.

It’s worth mentioning that the world fastest production electric vehicle is the Porsche 918 Spyder.

Spyder is a hybrid car with a gasoline-electric engine, it dashes from stillness to 100 kph in only 2.2 seconds.

The 918 was really a unique car, it was capable of producing 887 horsepower managed by a V-8 4.6 liter engine. Unfortunately, the car production line was put to stall in 2015 for unknown reasons. Actually it’s dearly missed.

The Grimsel

A group consisted of 30 students studying in ETH Zurich – a top engineering, science, technology, and management university in Switzerland – and Lucerne’s University of Applied Sciences and Arts worked on building and refining this machine.

The university issued a statement following the drive success saying that the four-wheel drive system adopted in the vehicle was the key of success.

Each wheel has a powerful motor mounted on it, moreover, the car has an advanced traction control system to maximize its torque and improve its performance.

These technologies and improvements were, according to the statement, the reason behind the Grimsel’s swift acceleration.

Car details

The car weighs only 168 kg (370 lb). Its light weight goes back to the use of carbon fiber in its creation.

It’s worth mentioning that the car isn’t specifically made for experiment, but it has been extensively used in the Formula Student race competition.

Future prospects

The Grimsel car bombshell drew all car lovers’ attention in every place around the world. If this tiny little electric car made by a group of students in a university lab could reach 100 kph in less than 2 seconds, then we can absolutely see a lot more from a well-produced hybrid car made by any of the world’s top car makers.

Despite the current changes as many companies are getting more interested in battery-powered vehicles, it’s still very hard to forecast its share of automotive market after 10 or 20 years from now.

Still more tests, improvements, and studies needed to be made to drive more customers into the hybrid cars field.

The Japanese major car manufacturer “Toyota” has recalled about 1.4 million vehicles worldwide of its own production due to some problems with the exploding air bags.

Toyota announced that this recall has nothing to do with Takata airbag, but for other issues.

The company mentioned also that there has been no deaths or injuries caused by the problem. It also mentioned that the main cause of the problem is totally apart from Takata problem.

Side airbags

The reason of the recall this time is the airbags on the side of the car, not the one in the steering wheel or the passenger-side dashboard.

It was found that the side airbags can suddenly inflate shooting some pieces of the inflator into the car, which could result in serious damages.

The side airbags contain inflators of two chambers welded together. When the car is parked for a long period of time, the weld could crack causing a separation between the two chambers, which results in inflating the airbag.

Three hybrid models produced by Toyota’s production lines between October 2008 and April 2012 were included in this recall which are: Prius, Prius Plug-in, and Lexus CT200h. It’s worth mentioning that 500,000 of the 1.4 million recalled cars are located in the US.

Takata airbag

As announced, this recall has nothing to do with Takata airbags which were the cause of the largest auto recall in history.

The problem goes back to installed airbags produced and supplied by Takata Corporation, which is an automotive parts company located in Japan. The company has production facilities scattered around 4 continents and its European HQ is located in Germany.

In April 2013, Takata announced the recognition of an industrial fault in its airbags that could cause serious injuries for drivers and car passengers.

The problem is about the defective inflators installed in the airbags. The inflators could cause the explosion or rupture of the airbag, shooting a lot of shrapnel into the driver’s or front-seat passenger’s body.

Problem implications

Until the moment, 22 international automakers were found involved in the problem which made them recall many of their recently-produced vehicles.

About 20 percent of the 260 million vehicles roaming the US roads are believed to have the defective airbags.

The problem is believed to cause the largest auto-recall in history which will take many years to come. United States alone has 69 million Takata airbags that have been recalled, or will be recalled until 2019.

About 10 deaths in US were linked to the faulty explosion of Takata airbags, in addition to many other serious injuries.

In 2015, a 2007 Honda Civic driver was killed in India due to flying shrapnel into the cabin. Another death, which took place Los Angeles, was announced to be caused by a defective airbag from Takata.

Since recognizing the problem in 2013, many car brands were involved in installing Takata’s defective airbags including Fiat Chrysler, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Subaru, Ferrari, Daimler, Ford, and many other.

The Takata case refers to a number of serious problems, not only to the industrialization of Takata’s automotive parts, but also to the integrity of many companies’ and governmental bodies’ executives.

In a surprise for all US car owners, buyers, and lovers, the South Korean car brand KIA claimed the top rank in the annual study of J.D. Power consultancy.

The study, which is closely watched by many people in the US and even worldwide, gave KIA the first place exceeding many other American and non-American premium brands.

It’s worth mentioning that it’s the first year for a non-premium car brand to claim the first place in J.D. Power study.

Initial Quality Study

J.D. Power survey (J.D. Power U.S. Initial Quality Survey) questioned more than 80,000 car buyers around the US.

The study now, for the first time since its start 30 years ago, examines the problems experienced by the car owners during the first 90 days.

The study determines the rating by examining 100 cars of the same model, the brand with the lower problems has the higher quality.

The study comprises 8 main problem categories which are: Exterior, features, driving experience, audio and entertainment, seats, interior, air conditioning, and engine.

KIA results

Among all other car brands, KIA cars showed the least problems in the first 90 days with an overall score of 83 problems. This is 22 points higher than average and 3 points better last year’s score.

KIA brand has been able in the last six years to improve its ranking from below average to the top.

The South Korean car brand made its way from the 36^th place in 1999 to the first place in 2016 creating a marvelous track record.

Craftsmanship and continuous improvements

KIA’s executives in the US expressed their extreme happiness with recently-showed results.

Michael Sprague, the chief operating officer of KIA America, said that ranking number one is the result of KIA’s focus on craftsmanship and making continuous improvements on its production lines during the last decade.

Other brands

Porsche came in the second place recording 84 problems per 100 cars, followed by Hyundai (KIA’s affiliate), Toyota, BMW, and Chevrolet.

The worst performers for this year were Daimler’s Smart, Fiat, Volvo, Land Rover, and Mini.

33 car brands were included in the study, 21 brands improved compared to last year including KIA which came in the second place in 2015.

Car models

Not only that, but also two car models from KIA were described as “the best car model” in two different segments.

KIA Soul was announced as the best compact multi-purpose vehicle for the second consecutive year. The vehicle scored 72 problems per 100 vehicles, it signaled the fewest design-related and malfunction problems.

KIA Sportage had the top rank in the small SUV segment. It scored 85 problems only per 100 vehicles outperforming the average by 33 points, followed by Hyundai Tucson which scored 93 points and Buick Encore with 95 points.

The car had the fewest design-related problems in its segment and received the award for the third time in the last four years.

Moreover, KIA cars claimed good positions in many other segments such as small car, compact car, and midsize SUV. 

BMW has announced partnering up with two companies who have long history in technology to deliver fully self-driving vehicles five years from now.

The partnership will take place with the computer company Mobileye and Intel. Both companies are expected to unravel a totally new generation of full-automated cars with the German cars manufacturer.

In a press conference uncovering the partnership in BMW’s headquarters in Munich, the company said that iNext will be the core model of its new generation.

The vehicle capability

The vehicle will be able to drive both on highways linking between cities and in urban environment with all its complications such as traffic congestion, traffic lights, and obstacles.

Speaking more about the new smart generation of BMW cars, BMW spokesperson stated that the car will be equipped with pedals and steering wheel to enable drivers take control whenever they want.

BMW chairman “Harald Kruger” described the step as a technological leap forward. He said that the company will offer its audience the real experience of driving pleasure, in addition to the new concepts of premium mobility in its cars.

Suspicions

Despite the deal’s great weight and proportions, it raised a lot of suspicions since it was announced only a day after the Tesla car accident which took place in Williston, Florida.

The Tesla vehicle, which was on an autopilot mode, didn’t recognize a trailer moving ahead and crashed into it leading to the driver death.

Despite that Florida accident is the first fatality in 130 million miles of autopilot driving, it raised a lot of queries and questions around the viability of auto driving software.

Since auto driving is still untested, it could have serious impact on roads safety. Many experts imply that autonomous vehicles could result in making 1.25 million deaths annually.

Partnership prospects

The partnering companies announced that cooperating with BMW is expected to lay a strong basis for structuring an entirely new business model.

According to the partnership agreement, many car vendors will be able to commercialize the product, also other industries will be able to use the auto driving technology.

Amnon Shashua, the chief technology chief of Mobileye, said that in the near future, the refined auto driving technology will be activated by the touch of a button.

BMW, GM, and Toyota

BMW is not the first car maker to get interested in creating self-driving vehicles. GM, for instance, acquired Cruise Automation, which is a start-up that makes self-driving software. The deal was struck in March for 1 billion dollars.

Toyota also announced last year that it will spend around 1 billion dollars on developing car-related artificial intelligence for the aim of developing its first self-driving vehicle.

As for Intel, it has been pressing ahead on this course for a while. In May, it announced finalizing an acquisition of a Russian company called Itseez that develops software services for self-driving systems.

The company aims from this step at leading the market of semiconductors who organize functions for automotive.

Of course luxury cars offer a lot of social prestige which is sought after by many, unique performance, fantastic exterior and interior designs, and many other features.

However, all these characteristics aren’t for free. Besides the cars’ hefty fees, there are a lot of other additional expenses that must be sustained by luxury cars owners and must be put into consideration like maintenance and insurance.

Car insurance became indispensable especially these days in the shadow of the volatile security situation taking place in many countries and the hike of car accidents rate.
Fees could represent the only obstacle preventing car owners from purchasing insurance policies.

Car insurance cost

As a matter of fact, car insurance costs are directly related with vehicle prices. The annual installment of a luxury car could cost around 6% of its price, while the annual installment of a middle-tier car could vary from 3% to 4% of its price.

It’s worth mentioning that the cost of insuring on sleek sports cars like “Lamborghini”, “Ferrari”, or other similar cars is more expensive than insuring on other high-end brands like “Rolls Royce” or “Bentley”.
That’s because sports car are more subjected to dangers due to their high speed and strong engines.

If you found that the insurance cost of the vehicle you are opting for is beyond your financial capabilities, go for a used model.
Insurance on resale cars is bit cheaper than new cars. It’s better to find a 2-year or a 3-year old car.

Important tips

There are some important tips to be put into consideration before buying an insurance for your luxury car, here are some of these tips.

• In case of buying a used car, check its maintenance history. Make sure the old owner made all check-ups on time.
• Do not go away, the best maintenance services, especially for luxury cars, are offered at the accredited car agencies.

Sleek cars contain sensitive devices and censors that must be dealt with in a very scientific and cautious manner.
Most major agencies in Qatar and GCC region have the needed capability to deal with luxury cars.

• Most manufacturing companies offer a guarantee system that expires after 3 years or 100,000 kms.
  After the warranty period, it’s better to find an insurance company that offers advanced maintenance services suitable for your luxury car.

• Before signing with an insurance company, make sure it’s well accredited by the international credit rating agencies. Being rated means that the company can settle large total loss claims.

Type of insurance

Many car owners prefer the primary insurance programs (third-party liability insurance) because they are less costly.

People think they don’t need comprehensive insurance programs assuming they are good drivers or that roads are safe.
That’s totally wrong; car accidents rates are hiking everywhere, and accidents have nothing to do with drivers’ experience or skills.

Others think that they don’t need to insure their sleek cars because they are supplementary and will be driven only occasionally.
That’s wrong too, by finding out that repairing the smallest scratch is going to cost a fortune, you will wish you had an insurance.

It’s better to register in comprehensive insurance programs. They could be expensive, but they offer total contentment and peace of mind.

Since fuel prices are rising in GCC region these days amid the sharp decline in oil prices last year, we thought about combining a set of tips to help you decrease your fuel consumption and save more money.

• One big trip instead of many trips

The car consumes a lot of fuel in its first five miles as the engine makes a lot of effort to warm the vehicle.

So, this means having more than one trip in the day will increase the fuel consumption, it’s better to have one long trip instead of many separated trips.

If today is Sunday, and you are looking for having more than one errand throughout the day, it’s better do them collectively instead of having each and every errand alone.

• Avoid rush hours

Rush hours means traffic congestions which mean being stuck in traffic jams for long period of time. Every time you stop and start your engine, your vehicle consumes a lot of fuel.

Rush hours means wasting a lot of time, a lot of fuel, and a lot of energy. It’s better to avoid driving during rush hours, use public transportation means, or else, stay at home, no need for the hustle.

• Close the windows

While speeding on the highway, close the windows and the sunroof as enabling the wind to pass through your car cabin will cost you a lot. It will make the engine do more effort to pull the vehicle.

Use the air vents during the course of the year, try also using the air conditioner when it gets too hot.

• Reduce the car weight

Try not to carry heavy luggage in your car trunk during trips. The heavier your car weight, the more effort your engine will make in order to pull the vehicle, which means higher consumption of fuel.

• Drive consistently

There is no need for overtaking other vehicles on the road while driving on highways. It’s better to drive consistently on a constant speed, preferably at 100 or 120 kph, instead of accelerating and braking every while.

No need to speed and compete with other vehicles on the road, don’t gratify as pleasuring your ego means larger fuel bills.

• Acceleration technique

Don’t push the accelerator too hard while driving on a low gear, always shift once needed from a gear to another. Some people believe that driving on a high gear means consuming a lot of fuel. That’s a fallacy, you could be in a high gear and driving at a sensible speed.

Having an automatic transmission system will make it a lot easier for you. Check if changing from manual to automatic is available for your car.

• Turn the air-conditioner off

Try to turn off the air conditioner when it’s not hot and enjoy the feeling of fresh air breeze touching your face.

• Tire pressure

Check your car’s tires constantly. The lower the tire pressure, the more fuel the car will need to move on the road. If you don’t know the right pressure for your car tires, check the figures inside your door near the door lock.

Car lovers will easily relate to this issue, there is a special feeling, somehow intimacy between the car and its owner. We all wish our cars last forever, but this never happens.

Old cars could be annoying, buying new ones will give you a pass to avoid a lot of fuss and headache. Well, there are a number of signs that once found, you should consider getting yourself new vehicle.

Read also:
The Best Time to Buy a New Car, How To Decide Which Car To Buy
How to Buy a New Car? New car buying guide
What to check when buying a used car?

We thought about listing a number of these signs to offer some help. Kindly note that you don’t have to wait until your car has all these symptoms, once you find that it has 3 or 4 of them, don’t wait to look for a new one.

• Major repair

You had a sever accident, or the car is worn out and needs a major repair that costs more than the vehicle’s main value.

For example, if the car costs 5,000 QAR and the repair costs 10,000 QAR. Then it’s better to ditch it and get yourself a new one.

It’s a finance loss that will definitely hurt your pocket money. So, go find yourself a new one.

• Constant maintenance

If your car is an old one that needs constant maintenance from time to time, ditch it because it’s like throwing your money in a pit, you will never get your money back.

Some cars are poorly manufactured, if you are unfortunate enough to have such a vehicle, go get yourself something new.

Check the available cars resale websites in your area to look for new vehicles. You might be lucky to find someone who wants to swap your car with his, nobody knows.

• No more fitting

What if your family is growing and your minivan can’t take them all anymore? You will definitely need to toss out the old one and find something new that fits more your needs.

Maybe your commute is getting longer, or you are having frequent junkets that require having a well-built and able vehicle instead of your economic one.

Don’t stick with your old vehicle, find yourself something new. Financing isn’t a problem since there is a strong will. You will definitely find a way.

• Dangerous

If your vehicle is dangerous, or you don’t feel safe driving it anymore. Don’t target your or your family’s life to any danger, find yourself a new one.

New cars nowadays have more sophisticated and updated safety techniques which were proven very effective in reducing accidents rate worldwide.

• No spare parts

When you can’t find new front or rear bumpers, head lights, filters, or braking pads, it’s a significant alarm which says that your vehicle is getting old and you must think about changing it.

You can’t keep using sticky tapes to keep your vehicle together. Find yourself a new vehicle that can hold itself without any store-bought adhesive.

• Disappointing

When you are starting to hate your daily journeys just because you will have to drive this old tin can of yours, then you must really consider new options.

Cars aren’t made to make us disappointed or sad, try to look for another new vehicle that is able to wipe the sorrow off your face.

It’s now barely the half of the year. Six months are now done and now we are about to start the remaining six.

Since we have passed a lot of time in the 2016, which is no more a new year now, statistics showing car customers preferences and reactions regarding 2016 car models are showing up and being published in many media channels.

After collecting and studying these statistics, we combined a small list of our own revealing the best vehicles to own this year.

Our list is based on a number of statistics and reports published in top cars websites and publications. The list shows the best vehicles to buy this year.

The cars line-up for this year is noticeably dominated by Western-made cars, many of the well-known Asian car manufacturers are missed. It’s evident also that there is no dominant car type, the list mixes between SUVs, compact, sports, sedan, and minivan cars.

Now, let’s start-off with our list of the best cars to purchase.

• Tesla S

What a surprise now. An electric hybrid car that costs less than 96,617 dollars is now on the top of UK buyers’ choice for the best vehicle to purchase this year.

The car offers a lot of interesting features in its interior cabin including a wide touchscreen, fancy design, and high-quality central console.

The Tesla S leads the way also when it comes to driving performance and low costs as drivers don’t have to fuel every now and then.

The only setback Tesla’s network of rapid battery charging spots which is still compact, however, time will say if it will be able to retain clients’ priority until the end of the year.

• Renault Kadjar

The only SUV in the top three places this year is Renault Kadjar competing with top-tier car brands like Lexus, Subaru, and jeep.

The vehicle offers perfect driving quality and road handling treats. It is loaded with various features including a navigation system, Bluetooth, central touchscreen, and climate control system.

It’s a magnificent result for the debut year of Kadjar, however, there is still a lot to be done in order to keep this place as other SUV models won’t settle.

• Lexus IS Mk3

The Lexus IS continues to impress as it retain a place in the top ranks for another year. The vehicle is highly recognizable for its perfect driving dynamics and performance.

The IS MK3 has a 4-cylinder electric motor capable of producing 220 horse power. The vehicle has the ability to bolt from zero to 100 km/h in only 8.3 seconds and its top speed is 200 kms.

• Skoda Octavia MK3

This year’s model of this vehicle is absolutely a step in the right direction. The car gained a lot respect compared to last year and moved upwards in this year’s list.

The car witnessed a number of tweaks and improvements in respect of practicality thanks to its huge boot, interior space, and leg space.

The Octavia is a perfect choice for family and within-budget car. It offers a set of numerous gadgets including a touchscreen system, Bluetooth, and cruise control.

• Subaru Forester

At last an Asian vehicle in our list. The Forester occupied a place in our vehicles to buy list due to its bolstered rigidity, reliability, and build quality.

The 4×4 offers high-quality driving and road handling performance. It is equipped with a 2.0 liter engine capable of producing 148 horse power. The vehicle sprints to 100 km/h in 10.6 seconds, it’s available for 22,000 dollars.