Frederic

So Ford is coming out with a Ford Ranger Raptor, which looks amazing and is probably quite capable to take Off-road looking at the reviews i've found so far. On the other hand, looking at the engine, It's a 4 cylinder, 2 liter, twin-turbo engine pumping out 210bhp but delivering 500nm torque and coupled to a 10-speed gearbox.😕 In terms of technology i think the engine is a great step ahead, but it makes me wonder how long this turbo would survive from weekly offroad dune-bashing stuff ? Is this the kind of car that would allow you to go on Faya at 3000rpm ???

Eid Mubarak to all of my Muslim friends and colleagues !!!

Lovely area and basically my backyard, but working the whole week 😣

Would love to go and have a look, but I’ll be working the whole week 😔

Closed shoes or boots also make it much easier to walk in the sand when doing recovery work.

What a great drive this was ! I’ve been out of the sand for a few weeks and it felt great to enter the desert again with such wonderful people. The terrain proved to be a bit tricky and we indeed had to pullout the tug rope a few times but that’s all part of the fun and adventure. Out of the full trip I had the most fun seeing @Rahimdad taking my pajero up Faya from the scenery backside, sitting with him in the car as he was singing and just enjoying the moment and fun our little pajero gave us ! @Emmanuel again proved that Xterra is made for this kind of terrain. It was a joy to see. Also thanks for showing us the satellites ! See you soon buddies !

This looks like a difficult one 🧐🧐

I'm kinda in the same boat. Having 2 pajero's in my driveway that both consume a lot really adds up. A sedan will definitely help reducing your fuel costs and probably also maintenance costs. Just my two cents: * Korean cars like KIA are Hyundai are great commuters. The Kia Optima definitely has a nice presence, and also the Cerato is nice. This is a buyer's market so plenty are available and they are not overly expensive. Resale value is a bit lower. * Japanese cars would be the preferred option, although i find them a bit boring, especially the Corrolas and Camrys. Resale value will be higher. Mazda 6 is my preferred Japanese option as it really looks sporty. * German cars.... nah sorry, they are cheap to get but your maintenance cost will probably be too high. * French or Italian.... very nice... not so much for the daily commute (reliability issues). Steer clear from CVT transmission if you can. You know they are a pita... Have a look at below website. Might help you to compare different cars: https://www.drivearabia.com/carprices/uae/carcompare/

Thanks, and yes, solar in combination with battery packs is the ultimate solution to charge. Also to consider Dubai is giving free Salik, free parking, and free charging points to accelerate the EV initiative. I agree that is still picking up slowly in UAE, but from what i've seen in China, this will suddenly boost and looking at companies like Volvo that will go full electric by 2025 only emphasizes the fact that finally the big players are joining the show. We looked into solar panels for our factory roofs, but payback is still 5-6 years which is for many companies not interesting enough. Prices however are dropping further, and leasing options are plenty. Tesla did the ground work and might be drowning now, but the market is finally maturing and i am sure there is no way back.

On my last trip to China, i was very impressed to see at least 25% of all cars on the road to be electric vehicles. Scooters were 100% electric, as most busses too. Taxis were 50/50. With all these new brands coming out of the far east, i am thoroughly curious to see how fast the rest of the world will pick up. One of the cars that surprised me the most, was the BAIC EU5 R500, which has 225hp and has an autonomy of 415 kilometers. I was sitting inside and was pleasantly surprised with the quality, minimal road noise, finishing, and performance. https://www.coolcarsinchina.com/2018/09/04/the-beijing-auto-new-energy-eu5-r500-does-416-kilometers-on-one-charge/ Question will remain lifetime of the batteries, service, warranties, reliability, resale value, etc... but in a few years from now i am convinced that the breakthrough will have gone through. I wouldn't mind driving one for my daily commute.

I’d do like Forrest Gump and buy myself a brand new shiny lawn mower 😂😂

Ow shame, I’m in China until next week 😔

Any accessory such as light bars should be connected through its own relay, dedicated power supply cable and own fuse to avoid such occurrences. Not sure who connected yours but it’s really a bad idea to hook that up to essential components.

Looking at the picture the housing is pretty worn out 😯 I’d got it replaced if i were you.

Hahahaha I feel the same buddy ! If i know the person and their abilities then it’s all good to me. If it’s a guy that considers the car like a piece of junk like some mechanics or valet guys around here then i gladly tell them to take a hike.