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CONTENTS COVER STORY McLaren 570S Spider All the fun of the Coupé with 6 no compromises Feature Lamborghini Huracan Performante Spyder Predictable, Psychotic, and 14 now topless Road Test Jeep Wrangler Why mess with success? 20 Road Test 2018 BMW X1 Does BMW’s smallest SUV live 26 up to its name? Road Test Volkswagen Golf R The original flavoured hot 32 hatch Road Test Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross An Eclipse wha? 36 First Drive 2019 Lincoln Aviator Reawakening of a luxury 40 aeronautical automobile Tech Highlight The truth about worn tires 44 As good as worn News The new BMW 8 Series Coupe With maximum dynamics on 52 the way to series production Publisher Offices Hares Fayad (U.A.E.), Dubai Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Editor in Chief JBC 2 Myles Mellor P.O. Box: 50324 T.: +971 4 457 2348 Contributing Writers F.: +971 4 457 2126 Andrew Ling Benjamin Yong For Inquiries Sonia Akraa Editorials, Advertisements M.: +971 55 302 5550 Editor +971 50 653 4050, [email protected] Alex B. G. [email protected] Sub-Editor Boutros C. Michael Lebanon, Beirut P.O. Box 90 -1096 Art Director T. +961 1 513 121 Ahmad Yazbek F. +961 1 513 141 Photographers Andrew Ling Benjamin Yong Sami Abed www.carbookmagazine.com Publication of Al Badia Agents Distribution Lebanon: Al Nasheron Distribution Co. +9611277007 UAE: Dar Al Hikma, +97142665394 Bahrain: Al Hilal Corporation, +97317480800 Jeddah: Alkhazindar Co. +96626838025 Muscat: United Agency for the media, +96892113295 Qatar: Arabian Establishment for Commerce., +9745518898 London: General Co. for the distribution,+ 447818088777 Jordan: Jordan Distribution Agency Co. +96265358855 Kuwait: United Distribution Co. +9652412820 Cairo: Today News Corporation, +20225782700 Lebanon: 5,000 LL - UAE: 20 AED - KSA: 20 SAR - Kuwait: 1.25 KD - Oman: 1.5 OMR - Qatar: 1.5 QAR - Jordan: 3 JOD - Bahrain: 1.5 BHD - Egypt: 10 EGP - Morocco: 15 MAD - UK: 4 GBP - France: 4 EUR - Germany: 4 EUR COVER STORY McLaren 570S Spider All the fun of the Coupé with no compromises It’s always an exciting time when welcoming a new convertible without compromise; its mid-engined lay- The top addition to the household: the McLaren 570S Spider out and carbon fibre MonoCell II chassis guarantee the The Woking, England hand-assembled vehicle joins the Coupé and GT siblings giving British sports same thrilling dynamic performance and exceptional borrows retractable hardtop technology from stable car enthusiasts all the fun of the hardtop in an open-air driver involvement enjoyed in a 570S Coupé, but mates the 650S and the 675LT. The two-piece roof format. with the added attraction of a retractable hardtop that is made from super lightweight composite material “The McLaren 570S Spider is the most attainable delivers the extra exhilaration of roof-down motoring,” and adds only 46 kilograms in extra mass, most of it McLaren Spider to date and adds yet another dimen- says Mike Flewitt, chief executive officer at McLaren coming from actuating mechanism. Thanks to the sion to the McLaren Sports Series family. This is a Automotive. impressive structural integrity of the carbon fibre-based 8 9 COVER STORY MonoCell II chassis, no additional bracing hardware convertible are obvious, some subtle modifications key to achieving this. The Spider has a purposeful, was necessary. have been made. The rear spoiler, finished in Dark dramatic silhouette, roof up or down, and with the Operation is a simple one-touch affair from the driver’s Palladium grey (customers can choose to have a special roof lowered beneath the tonneau deck the car also has seat, the top stowing neatly underneath a slick tonneau visible carbon fibre finish instead at an extra cost), is a real sense of fun that perfectly captures and reflects cover that rises and closes quietly and automatically, all 12 millimetres taller. This provides a more aggressive the way it drives,” says Melville. inside 15 seconds. This process can be completed even profile and extra downforce, effectively offsetting the A staggering 20 exterior paint colours are now availa- when the car is moving, up to 40 km/h. changes in drag occurring from the Spider’s altered rear ble, three exclusive to the Spider: Vega Blue, Curacao As anyone who has sat behind the wheel or in the upper section. Blue and Sicilian Yellow. Purchasing from a luxury passenger seat of a convertible can attest to, a wind The low-slung body is made from lightweight alumi- marque has its benefits: personal tailoring is an option deflector can mean the difference between being able num, and styled in a classic athletic McLaren manner. through McLaren Special Operations (MSO), the to hold a conversation while on the road, and not. A Design director Rob Melville says they ensured aesthet- company’s bespoke customization division. Through glazed unit appears with the push of a button, reducing ics weren’t compromised due to the vehicle’s lack of a MSO, virtually the entire spectrum of the rainbow the dreaded wind buffeting causing unwanted noise conventional roof. is offered. Even the brake calipers can be coated in a and messy hair. “Maintaining the purity of the Sports Series form unique shade. A few differences language was crucial when designing the 570S Spider Design Although the similarities between the coupe and and a retractable hardtop rather than a fabric roof was Like all other McLaren’s, one of the vehicle’s most 10 11 COVER STORY distinguishing features are the dihedral doors. Swinging gives access to climate control, telephone commands pistons firing may be augmented via a sports exhaust forwards then upwards when opened, they are not only and entertainment. that includes a system to channel sound to the area a sight to behold but are functional as well, containing No-nonsense performance underneath the tonneau cover. intakes to channel air to the high-temperature radia- Rotating the rear wheels is a serious 3.8-litre twin-tur- The Spider sits on a double wishbone suspension setup tors. The entire shell is seemingly designed to benefit bocharged V8 engine producing 560 horsepower with electronically controlled dampening. Using the aerodynamics, from the wedge-shaped form factor and 600 Nm of torque, mated to an F1-inspired Active Dynamics Panel, drivers can choose from Nor- to the aggressive blacked out front bumper splitter. seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. Since the engine mal, Sport or Track modes and the onboard computer Sticky Pirelli P ZERO CORSA tires wrapped around is mounted directly behind the lone pair of seats, adjusts the ride quality accordingly to deliver the most massive 19-inch front, 20-inch rear alloy wheels ensure the auditory feedback is amazing. The symphony of dynamic performance possible. everything stays glued to the ground. Stepping into the teardrop-shaped cabin, occupants will notice low mounted sports seats and a surprisingly good view of the road despite the low centre of gravity. As opposed to most supercars, there is actually storage space present to put away knick-knacks, which is appreciated for those intending to enjoy driving outside of a racetrack. Nearly all the interior surfaces are covered in leather or Alcantara. In the centre of the instrument cluster is a 10-inch high-definition display relaying key information including speed, RPMs, gear selection, live reverse camera and turn-by-turn naviga- tion. A secondary seven-inch display in the centre stack 12 13 features Lamborghini Huracan Performante Spyder Predictable, Psychotic, and now topless To the uninitiated, the “normal” Lamborghini What is it? Performante. Its open-top design clearly differentiates Huracán is a super car that can only be described with Lamborghini says that the Huracán Performante the Spyder from its coupé counterpart, with roof both adjectives that seem to be oxymorons. Nutty, stunning, Spyder draws its design cues from Super Trofeo race open and closed. psychotic, hardcore are just such examples that come cars and performance motorcycles with their naked, Speaking of that roof, by the way, the rear window can to mind. open-frame streetfighter character. It is designed to be be raised and lowered independently of the top. The Lamborghini chose the 2018 Geneva Motor Show as capable on the track as on the road. top itself will open and close in only about 17 seconds, as the venue to dop the top on its new Lamborghini The inherent design, technology and performance fea- and can be deployed at speeds up to 50 km/hr (30 Huracán Performante Spyder. That is to say, that it tures of the Huracán Performante are as fundamental mph). When the roof is is a topless/convertible sibling to the bonkers-quick in the Spyder, thus adding a new dimension of driving down, the Huracán Performante Spyder’s design incor- Huracán Performante coupé. pleasure to the supreme driving experience of the porates two movable fins, which rise out of the folding 16 17 features roof casing and continue the roofline from seatbacks lb-ft (600Nm) of torque. 70 per cent of that torque applications of forged carbon fibre inside and out. The to the rear of the car, lending the Spyder its distinctive is available barely off idle, as low as only 1,000 rpm. active aerodynamic system, known as Lamborghini’s silhouette. An integrated duct within the fins reduces This is the most powerful V10 ever produced by the ALA (aka Aerodinamica Lamborghini Attiva), is the turbulence in the headroom during open-top driving. company, and is inspired by the world of motor racing. official company name for this wizardry. Two additional, removable wind guards dampen lateral The Spyder returns a weight-to-power ratio of 2.35 kg/ The Aerodinamica Lamborghini Attiva ( ALA ) system aerodynamic pulsations, ensuring perfect acoustic com- hp, with weight distribution front/rear of 43/57%.