Category: Automotive

I was contacted by Ford recently to test drive their all-new 2012 Ford Explorer. The last time I had driven an Explorer was ages ago and it was on a road trip from Montreal to New York and all I remember was how comfortable it was. Their new car looks a lot better and more exciting compared to their previous model which is why I was looking forward to trying it out.

The first thing I noticed when I started the car was the combination of an analogue and digital dashboard. The speedometer was analogue while the information on both its sides were digital which I thought looked very cool. The second thing I noticed was the large screen in the center console which turned out to be touch sensitive and featured something called SYNC which I’ll go into detail in a bit. So first impressions wasn’t bad at all.

Since I had the car with me all weekend I drove it down to Bnaider and as expected the ride was very comfortable. The Ford is pretty big and spacious with three row of seating with the last row of seats having ample leg room. When the last row is folded down you also end up with a pretty large and spacious boot which I like to call IKEA friendly. The model I had (XLT) came with a rear view camera which was practical although I wish it also came with a front cam or at least front sensors since the front of the car is pretty long and high. While we’re on the subject of wishes there are two things I really disliked in the Explorer. The first is the touch buttons on the center console. For some reason Ford decided to have all the physical buttons touch sensitive but I have something against touch buttons because I can’t tell if I’ve pressed them or not specially when my eyes are on the road. Although you hear an audible alert when you touch a button I always prefer to actually feel a button being pushed in which doesn’t happen with these buttons. The second thing I disliked about the car was that it was front wheel drive. I thought that was odd for an SUV especially since it was full time front wheel drive and didn’t have an option to flip into four wheel drive. That turns out is an extra option which the car I drove wasn’t equipped with.

Other than those two quirks I didn’t have any other major issues. The SYNC feature which I mentioned earlier is very cool although I wasn’t able to fully take advantage of it. Right below the center console is a small compartment which can easily hold an ipod or iphone with accessories. In that same compartment is an SD card slot, two USB ports and RCA (video and audio) inputs. The car also has built in bluetooth and Wifi. I’m not sure why all the cars don’t come fitted with Wifi, it should really be a standard feature nowadays. I was also able to connect the car to my phones 3G connection using bluetooth but the car can also connect to internet using USB 3G modems and Wifi. You could also have the car connect to your phones internet via bluetooth and the car can then share the connection over wifi for other passengers to use. My problem is once the car connected to my internet I didn’t know what I could do with it. I’m guessing I need to download apps or widgets but since it wasn’t my car I didn’t spend too much time experimenting.

The car I drove had a pearl white exterior with a beige interior. If I was getting this car I would definitely go for a gray or black interior since it would make the car interior look a lot trendier but I’m not sure if they carry those colors locally. The starting price for the new Ford Explorer is KD9,999 and goes up to KD14,000 depending on the features and model. For more information on the Explorer click [Here]

Ford if you’re reading this.. I WANT TO TEST DRIVE THE RAPTOR!

This is one very cool off-road vehicle. I shot the video above earlier today in Bnaider with the Contour+. It’s a great handling buggy that glides over the terrain. Oh and it’s super fast. [YouTube]

There is a parking lot I pass through every so often where all the cars park behind each other so no car can leave with a bunch of cars having to be moved first. What I found interesting is the unspoken understanding among those drivers. Even though everyone parks on closes on everyone else they all leave their phone numbers on top of the dash board. Some are scribbled on paper, other are typed out nicely and maybe even laminated while others are made into stickers and stuck on the front windshield. This parking lot which could only hold a certain number of cars comfortably can now hold a lot more and best of all it’s community driven.

The Gulf Run 7 car show is going to take place this weekend. This year there will be around 60 cars taking place at Gulf Run and you’ll be able to check out most of them at 360 Mall where they will be on display for everyone to see. So make sure you pass by this weekend, they’re going to be there for two days, Friday the 13th and Saturday the 14th. For more information on the event and Gulf Run click [Here]

To check out the full list of cars participating this year follow the link below.

I heard a lot of complaints about traffic at the end of the 1st Ring Road since it ends at a traffic light but honestly I’ve been taking it every morning to work and I have yet to face any traffic issues. The new extension has actually cut down my morning trip by 5 to 10 minutes so I guess people who’ve been complaining about major traffic are facing it at a different timing than mine. [YouTube]

Last week while coming home from the airport, I tried to exit the 50th to the 5th Ring Road but I missed the exit. It didn’t make sense how I missed it but I somehow did. A few days later I picked up Nat from the airport and was again trying to take the 5th Ring Road exit and I ended up missing it for a second time.

Turns out they’ve closed the original exit and created a new one around 2KM earlier than before. There are no signs pointing to the new exit but whats more confusing is why does the current exit start so early and consist of 3 lanes that run parallel to the 4 lane highway. Weird. [YouTube]

Update: According to a reader this newly created exit has actually helped lessen the morning traffic. Previously it used to take him 45-60 minutes to get to work and now it takes 25 tops.

If you’re heading towards the Sheraton Roundabout the First Ring Road is now open. It’s important to note that the road no longer gets you to the roundabout but passes underneath it. The 1st Ring Road now ends at the Justice Palace.

I finally got around to putting together this video I shot last week when I was in Lebanon. I rented a snowmobile up in Mzaar (Faraya) near the ski slopes from a company called Highland Club. It costs $100 for an hour but they have better deals on longer journeys. For example they can take you from Faraya to the Cedars and back for around $400. That’s a 3 hour trip each way and comes to around $65 an hour.

If you’re ever in Lebanon and are interested in taking out a snowmobile you can call them on +9613860867 for reservation and directions or just go up to Mzaar near the slopes and ask for snowmobile rental places. [Vimeo]

Round 2 of the Kuwait Rally Championship is going to take place this weekend. It should be a cool event to take pictures at so if you’re interested and want more details click [Here]

Racers in Kuwait are getting pretty nifty with their filming. The one above has a 3 camera set up! Here is the video description:

Honda NSX-R 500hp Vs 700hp HPE LS9 Hennessey Camaro…
strocked engine built by SOS (Science of Speed)
with a LoveFab single turbo.
+Race was in K-town on 2Lions St.. Time: After Midnight
MUSIC:Swanky Tunes & Hard Rock Sofa – I Wanna Be Your Dog

[YouTube]

This specific incident took place in Salmiya. [YouTube]

According to this article on Al Watan it looks like tints might be legalized. 30% tints would be allowed on all cars and all windows except for the front windshield.

I hope this happens since I love tints and I heart Huper Optik. I can’t imagine driving in the summer without a car tint anymore since a good tint makes HUGE difference. [Link]

Thanks Othman

Police in Kuwait are looking for a man who smashed a woman’s car after she ignored his attempts to draw her attention and to take his mobile number.

[Source]

I’ve seen a ton of this videos but never one where the cops actually show up and chase the drifters. [YouTube]

Thanks Tuan

I was supposed to start off the weekend by riding out with the Desert Bike Club but couldn’t get myself to wake up at 6:30 in the morning for a 7:15 meetup. But I still managed to save the day by heading down to Bnaider. A friend of mine built an RC track at his chalet so I took two cars, my Tamiya FJ CR-01 crawler, and my Xray 808e buggy.

[YouTube]

The video above should give you an idea about how fun these cars can be. Mine is the pink one that starts off strong and then falls behind.

I like this shot since it captures an interesting moment when 3 off us go airborne but each one heading off to a different direction.

These two aren’t RC cars but they’re still cool toys.