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Abu Dhabi: The UAE has announced 437 new cases of COVID-19, taking the overall tally in the country to 47,797. According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHaP) on Sunday, two more deaths from the novel virus have been also confirmed, taking the country’s death toll to 313. The ministry also reported the full recovery of 577 new cases after receiving the necessary treatment, taking that number up to 36,411 of total recovered patients. The latest coronavirus patients, all of whom are in a stable condition and receiving the necessary care, were identified after conducting more than 58,000 additional COVID-19 tests among UAE citizens and residents over the past few days, the ministry said. The ministry expressed its sincere condolences to the families of the deceased and wished a speedy recovery to all patients, calling on the public to cooperate with health authorities and comply with all precautionary measures, particularly social distancing protocols, to ensure the safety and protection of the public.

The Lexus mid-size rear-drive sedan will effectively be replaced by the front-drive Lexus ES, but the company is working on future V8 performance models. Toyota’s luxury division Lexus is poised to end production of the GS sedan – including the V8-powered GS-F performance model – by the end of this year. Lexus dealers in Australia are clearing remaining stock. A statement from Lexus Australia said Japan has “confirmed production of the GS and GS-F will cease later this year” and that “the GS and GS-F remain available in Australian dealerships”. Japanese media reports claim the current generation Lexus GS will reach the end of the production line in August, with the last examples due to be sold out in dealerships by the end of this year. The Lexus GS is currently available with a choice of 2.0-litre turbo four-cylinder power, a 3.5-litre V6, a 3.5-litre V6 matched to hybrid technology, and a 5.0-litre V8 for the high-performance GS-F. The rear-drive Lexus GS series – a rival to the BMW 5 Series and Mercedes E-Class – will effectively be replaced by the front-drive Lexus ES range; both models are almost identical in length bumper-to-bumper however the ES has more rear legroom because the floor is flatter due to the layout of its powertrain. The departure of the GS line-up will leave just two V8s in the Lexus passenger car range for the foreseeable future. The remaining V8s in the Lexus range for the time being are the RC-F and LC coupes, which are also powered by a 5.0-litre V8. The Toyota LandCruiser-based Lexus LX 4WD is expected to phase out its petrol and diesel V8 options and switch to V6 power when the next generation arrives a few years from now. However, Lexus won’t abandon V8 engines altogether; it is working on a new high-performance twin turbo V8 that will be used in road cars and racing applications. Lexus announced late last year it was planning to race a new generation, twin turbo V8 in this year’s Nurburgring 24-Hour race. The motorsport campaign was designed to test a new V8 that would eventually be used in future Lexus road cars. At the time, Lexus said: “The (race) team will use what it has learnt in the past two years to improve the car’s performance by adopting a variety of new technologies, including a newly-developed V8 twin-turbo engine destined for use on future road cars such as sports cars”.

Ford has revealed a revisedversion of the car that could have been the new Falcon. The Chinese-market Ford Taurus has had its first facelift since going on sale in 2015. Despite being exclusive to China, the Ford Taurus produced for the Middle Kingdom received significant input from Ford Australia during the design and development process, based on the local arm's know-how from nearly six decades of Falcon production. While sales of sedans have shown significant decline globally – to the point where Ford USA has killed all its passenger models bar the Mustang sports car – such vehicles continue to sell well in China, where sedans maintain prestige, particularly long wheelbase limousine versions. Compared to the recently axed Taurus previously on sale in North America, which rode on the company's ageing 'D3' front-wheel drive architecture, the Chinese-market Taurus is based on a stretched version of the 'CD4' platform that underpins the Fusion and Mondeo. Key changes for the 2020 model year include revised body work to give the front-wheel drive sedan a sleeker and more upmarket aesthetic, including a new grille with chrome elements, new headlights with LED internals that incorporate 'dynamic' indicators, and a set of new LED tail-lights that are joined through the bootlid by a chrome strip. The new rear lighting clusters also have a new signature compared to the outgoing model, while there's new alloy wheel designs to choose from. Ford has introduced a top-spec Vignale version (pictured in blue) for the first time, too. Unique features include a special grille at the front, more chrome, a black-painted roof, and bi-colour 19-inch alloys that are exclusive to this variant. At this stage there aren't any interior images, so it's unclear whether any major changes have been made in the cabin. It's believed the Chinese model will be offered with a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine in two states of tune, with the more powerful unit developing around 245bhp (182kW). The updated Ford Taurus is set to go on sale in the Middle Kingdom later this year, and will be manufactured exclusively by the Changan-Ford joint venture in China. As for global markets, it's unlikely we'll see the Taurus exported from China to regions like the US and Australia. Down Under, sales of medium and large sedans continue to drop, with Ford's own Mondeo struggling to make 100 registrations a month. Ford specifically has committed to investing in its SUVs and pickups, particularly in markets like the US, leaving a cloud of doubt over larger passenger models like the Fusion and Mondeo – though Ford has said the latter will remain on sale in Europe and Australia for the "foreseeable future".

How quickly things change. In August 2013, Barack Obama was President of the United States, Kevin Rudd was Prime Minister of Australia (again), and the 430kW Gen-F HSV GTS launched as the most powerful HSV you could buy. Three years and seven months on, and Donald Trump is America's Commander in Chief, Malcom Turnbull has the prime ministership (barely), and the GTS has been twice toppled by the 435kW GTSR and 474kW GTSR W1. So, has the now-humble GTS lost some of its significance? Hardly. Rolling through Sandown Raceway’s main gates is always exciting. It’s even more exciting when you’re behind the wheel of one of the finest supercharged rear-wheel-drive V8-powered cars this country has ever produced. Knowing this was potentially our last chance to experience the awesome grunt and hustle of the HSV GTS (HSV says they're only building around 90 more GTSs before production switches focus to the GTSR range in mid-April), the track was exactly where we wanted to be. The Sting red car you see here is the final iteration of the Gen-F2-based GTS, the 2017 HSV GTS 30 Years – celebrating the brand’s 30th year in operation – and it marks the end of the Zeta platform for HSV, along with the rest of the 2017 line-up. Topping the new 30 Years range, the GTS sits above the Maloo R8 LSA ($79,990), ClubSport R8 LSA ($82,990), automatic-only ClubSport R8 Tourer LSA ($88,990), and Senator Signature ($95,990). But while the rest of the LSA-powered models see their 400kW/671Nm V8 powerplant grow to 410kW and 691Nm (up 10kW and 20Nm), the GTS receives no such boost. 2017 HSV GTS 30 Years outputs 430kW of power at 6150rpm and 740Nm of torque at 3850rpm. And although the engine may not have been touched for the car’s final year of production, it is sporting some changes. Powered by the already-thunderous supercharged 6.2-litre LSA, theThere are ‘30 Years’-branded front fenders, floor mats, and sill plates, a neat ‘30 Years’ rear window sticker, and a special engine build plate. New front and rear bumpers are also thrown into the mix, as well as new side skirts and bonnet vents, and new matte black accents for the GTS’s 20-inch alloy wheels. Further, revised suspension joins a pleasingly re-calibrated bi-modal exhaust system, while torque vectoring continues as standard equipment, along with HSV’s Enhanced Driver Interface (EDI) and the GTS’s excellent AP Racing brake package (comprising 390mm discs up front, 372mm discs out back, and bright yellow six-piston calipers all around). Here’s the first sticking point though. When it launched back in 2013, the Gen-F GTS was priced at $92,990 (before on-road costs), with the optional six-speed automatic commanding another $2500. In late 2014, prices were nudged a little higher to $94,490, with the auto again setting buyers back an additional $2500. Late 2015 saw the launch of the Gen-F2 GTS, and another price creep, with the starting price upped to $95,990. Prices then held firm, until 2017 pricing and specifications were announced, and HSV revealed GTS pricing was up again, kicking off at $98,990 (before on-road costs). With the Clayton-based operation maintaining its $2500 cost for automatics, that makes our test car worth $101,490. Add in its $550 paint and $795 optional Red Hot heated leather seats, and you’re looking at a $102,835 proposition (before on-road costs). Here’s the second sticking point. No matter how hard we tried – and we really did try – the best average fuel consumption number we could muster was 14.4 litres per 100km. Now, two things are important to note here. One, the GTS claims 15.0L/100km on the combined cycle. And two, that damned re-calibrated bi-modal exhaust system sounds so good, it makes driving the thing conservatively even more challenging than ever before. Nevertheless, after a week in the CarAdvice Melbourne garage, being ‘enjoyed’ by all and sundry, we averaged 20.2L/100km – and that’s coming down from a peak of 36.7L/100km, recorded after our time at Sandown Raceway. Speaking of Sandown, we went to the racetrack south-east of Melbourne with two goals in mind: make a short video highlighting the aurally-pleasing bi-modal exhaust system, and see if we could match the GTS’s 4.4-second 0-100km/h claim. With the fun and silliness of the video out of the way, we got serious, hooked up the VBox, and did some science-ing. As we discovered in October last year when we drove the 2016 HSV Clubsport R8 Track Edition in torrential rain at Sandown Raceway, the 255mm-wide front/275mm-wide rear 35-aspect Continental ContiSportContact 5P tyres fitted to both the R8 Track Edition and GTS, are sensational, providing more consistent and reliable grip than you might think. With HSV’s launch control system strictly reserved for manual models, we were left to rely on the six-speed automatic transmission and its associated plastic paddle shifters. In a bid to net the best result, we decided to use three different methods. For the first run, we put the GTS’s three-mode driver preference dial into its most extreme ‘Track’ mode – automatically putting the stability control system into a more lenient ‘Competitive’ mood – and left the gear selector in Drive. Getting cleanly off the line with no wheelspin, the GTS hit our target speed in 4.8 seconds. Leaving the car in Track mode for the second run, we flicked the gear selector across into Sport, and gave it the beans. The result? A shakier start with more wheelspin, but the more aggressive gearbox setting proved a good move, with the GTS reaching triple figures in 4.7 seconds. For our last run, we went full ‘Beast Mode’, disabling stability control altogether and leaving the gear selector in Sport. Requiring only the slightest hint of off-the-line throttle control, the GTS hooked up well, and thundered to 100km/h in a repeatable 4.5 seconds – just 0.1s off HSV’s claim. Not bad. Coming standard with HSV’s adjustable Magnetic Ride Control (MRC) suspension, the GTS allows drivers to leave the track and switch things into a more compliant, comfortable, and forgiving ‘Sport’ setting – rather than the firmer setup attached to both ‘Performance’ and ‘Track’. Switching from Sport to Performance/Track, or vice versa, is instantly noticeable, with exhaust noise and steering weight also significantly altered. Leave things in Sport, and the HSV GTS really does make for a good long-haul cruiser, feeling remarkably similar to a nicely-specced V8 Holden Commodore – no bad thing. That said, road and tyre noise from the low-profile Continentals is quite high at freeway speeds, and rear vision is somewhat hindered by the GTS’s rear wing. Regardless of mode though, the GTS’s ride/handling balance is excellent for a circa-1800kg sports sedan with this much genuine track potential. And even in its firmest tune, the GTS never feels what you’d consider to be ‘harsh’. Impressively, despite all the power and all the torque lurking under that big ventilated bonnet, the GTS never feels sketchy either. It’s not an intimidating car to drive, and it never feels as though it’s going to bite you. It just feels fast. Fast and planted. It’s true, below 2000rpm, the supercharged LSA doesn’t quite have the delightful response of the naturally aspirated 6.2-litre LS3. However, once north of around 3000rpm, it really does know how to pack on numbers. The 2017 HSV GTS 30 Years may not be cutting-edge, but overall, the thing drives well, stops well, and gets off the line and up to speed astonishingly well, all while offering space for five adults plus a proper boot. With tech including a multi-mode head-up display, rear-view camera, front and rear parking sensors, semi-automatic park assist, forward-collision alert, lane-departure warning, and blind-spot monitoring all on board, equipment levels are still good too – even if the model’s age is starting to catch up with it, a la its lack of Apple CarPlay or Android Auto compatibility, adaptive cruise control, and autonomous emergency braking (AEB). The 2017 HSV GTS 30 Years is a car that can make you smile every day, and keep you smiling whenever you get the opportunity to get it on track. It may no longer be the brand’s ‘halo car’, but it’s most definitely still fast, most definitely still cool, most definitely still entertaining, and most definitely still special. And at the end of the day, isn’t that why you buy one?

Six laps of a racetrack in a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Black Series will have most drivers wondering if there is some black magic involved in getting this long, wide sports car to be so ridiculously fast through corners. More than that, after previous stints in a C63 AMG Black Series and regular SLS AMG, both also at Phillip Island raceway in southern Victoria, more wonderment comes in how this $639,000 flagship Mercedes-Benz can feel so different to its siblings. The regular SLS ‘gullwing’ – referencing those top-hinged doors that open like a seagull’s wing – has a nose with its own postcode and a heavy 6.2-litre V8 engine under its bonnet. The driver basically sits on the rear axle, where all the power goes. What you have with the regular SLS is a car that is blunt to initially turn in, which requires its driver to watch the seconds tick by waiting for the front end to grip before applying throttle. Then, when the throttle is pressed, even slightly, the rear end kicks out as though the car has clicked its fingers and opened a trap door. It is all very thrilling, but isn’t for those with heart-rate monitors, nor people who enjoy stories with happy endings. The Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Black Series is ostensibly the same car, yet it is completely different. Just 10 examples are coming to Australia, eight of which had been sold at the time of writing. The Black costs a seemingly staggering $170,000 more than that regular SLS, but after a half-dozen laps at Phillip Island it’s easy to see where the money has been spent. It has been loaded with expensive, lightweight carbonfibre, which saves 13kg on the ‘torque tube’ alone. Another 13kg is saved with the titanium sports exhaust, a fuller 16kg dropped thanks to fancy ceramic brakes, and 15kg shaved with the fixed bucket racing seats. A lithium-ion battery contributes another 8kg to the total 70kg weight loss compared with the regular SLS AMG, the Black Series tipping the scales at 1625kg. At the same time it now produces 44kW more power from a tweaked version of that 6.2-litre V8, though torque is reduced by 15Nm. The engine now revs to 8000rpm, and the gearbox gets faster shift times and has been physically lowered by 10mm to improve the centre of gravity. The width between the front wheels increases by 20mm, the distance between the rear wheels up 24mm, designed to improve agility. An electronic differential lock has been added to the rear axle to improve traction and composure. The SLS AMG Black Series is a prime example of focused, nuanced improvements creating a drastically different beast. With the international launch occurring only a week before our drive on Australian soil, a single left-hand-drive SLS AMG Black Series was flown in for our track test. The cabin is lathered in leather, carbonfibre and Alcantara – a properly special place to be for that very special price. The SLS AMG Black Series reaches 100km/h in 3.6 seconds. More telling is its speed through the bends. Equipped with 10mm-wider front, 30mm-wider rear Michelin Pilot Cup2 Sport tyres, the Black permits staggering mid-corner speed. Into the tricky double-apex second corner at Phillip Island – the same one where the regular SLS wanted to swap ends – the SLS AMG Black Series just kept begging for a higher corner entry speed. The steering is telepathic in its turn in, with devastingly fast response just off the centre position matched by a front end that grips and a rear end that allows power-down easy and early. Between corners the SLS AMG Black Series gathers such pace that determining a braking point becomes blurred. Indeed it piles on so much speed through the sweeping turn four that the tight hairpin turn five initially proves hairy. But the SLS AMG Black Series just digs in and does. It feels incredibly tight on this track. Only once on that tight, slow corner-exit does the Black smear black tyre marks on the tarmac thanks to a deliberately early application of throttle. In tight corners, the sharp initial steering response gives way to a slightly vague feel when winding on lock – possibly the only dynamic blip found on the six laps. In the seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission’s most aggressive ‘Sport Plus’ setting, it delivers near perfectly timed downshifts under brakes and holds gears appropriately between corners. There are cool-to-touch magnesium paddle shifters behind the Alcantara-trimmed steering wheel, but they’re ultimately not necessary. The transmission is now fast enough and clever enough to leave the driver focused completely on getting other inputs closer to correct. No overstatement required – the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Black Series is one of the fastest track cars around, and is said to be up there with V8 supercar lap times around a circuit. It’s difficult to define a verdict with only six laps of raceway. More time is needed, particularly on the road, to see if the firmer suspension works in regular driving or is too bone-rattling, which would limit the Black Series to an expensive track day monster. Yet on at Phillip Island at least, it is also quite clear that this flagship AMG special edition is a brilliant vehicle even among the price-point elite like the Ferrari 458 Italia and Lexus LFA.

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Anyone rich enough to buy the new Phantom could have a Bentley Mulsanne instead. Or a Mercedes-Maybach S-Class, if they didn’t mind the snide comments from fellow attendees at the next Bilderberg Conference. But to describe such alternatives as rivals misses the point, suggesting an either-or choice that just doesn’t exist in the stratosphere where Ultra High Net Worth individuals hang out (people with access to more than $30m US in liquid assets.) These are guys who can scratch any itch the moment they have it, and buy anything they want – whether a car, a private jet or a work of art. Appropriately, the Phantom is a combination of all three. Yet, with a few notable exceptions, the ultra-wealthy aren’t stupid. They are happy to pay, but demand the best. According to Rolls-Royce CEO Torsten Müller-Ötvös, the vast majority of the company’s customers have made their fortunes rather than inheriting them, 80 per cent running their own companies. These are people who know the value of things, which is why so much effort has been spent on making the new Phantom vastly better than the previous one. Rolls has been using the Phantom name since 1925, but there have been some long gaps between some of the generations. The new eighth-gen model (which we’re instructed to refer to as the Phantom VIII, as if it’s a monarch) is relatively unusual in that it directly replaces the previous Phantom, which was the first new-era Rolls-Royce developed under BMW’s ownership, and launched as long ago as 2003. The fact the old duchess was still selling strongly after 14 years explains why much about the new car carries on where its predecessor left off. Existing owners certainly aren’t going to be scared off by any radical changes. The design has been softened very slightly, with less angular styling, but it’s still big on shock and awe, especially in some of the eye-catching two-tone hues the company had chosen for most of the cars taken to the launch in Switzerland. It’s not got the visual menace of its predecessor, but it’s still an imposing thing. Overall dimensions have actually decreased slightly, but even in standard-wheelbase form the Phantom is an imposing 5762mm in length, with its 1646mm height rivalling smaller SUVs. Underneath sits an all-new platform, Rolls-Royce’s own and unrelated to the BMW-derived architecture that sits under the company’s lesser models. This will go on to underpin all of Rolls’ future models, including the production version of the Project Cullinan SUV, but we’re assured the Phantom will continue to sit at the top of the pile. While the new platform, which Rolls-Royce calls the Architecture of Luxury, uses aluminium this has been chosen to add strength rather than reduce weight. And, while the new Phantom’s bodyshell is lighter than its predecessor’s, total kerbweight has barely changed thanks to more standard equipment and a substantial increase in sound insulation. Our first experience is in the back of the extended-wheelbase version, 220mm longer than the standard car. Rolls reckons that four out of five Phantom buyers will take the wheel at least occasionally, but the majority will also have a chauffeur on call – and with the EWB likely to only be experienced from the back seat. It’s properly special back here, accessed through a rear-hinged door and with ankle-deep carpeting, wood and leather covering every other non-opaque surface and with supremely comfortable multi-adjustable seats. Our test car also had a refrigerated compartment in the centre console containing two clip-in glasses and a drinks carafe, although sadly empty. The interior feels deliberately old-fashioned. The Phantom still has mechanical rotary controls for heating and ventilation rather than digital displays – red for hot, blue for cold. The instruments are displayed on TFT digital screens, but look pretty much exactly like traditional dials with round screens and bezels. Look deeper and there’s more tech – a key demand from existing Rolls owners – with USB and HDMI ports hidden behind a slide-down flap. The infotainment system incorporates two screens that motor out of the backs of the front seats when powered up. These look like iPads, but aren’t touch sensitive – which is going to confuse some well-heeled kids – being bossed by an iDrive turn-and-click controller running a Rolls-ified version of BMW’s familiar system. The rear seat is also carefully positioned to have a good view of the dashboard, where the passenger side incorporates a glass panel. Behind this, buyers can choose to put their own uniquely commissioned artwork, with Rolls happy to hook them up with artists working in everything from oil colours to textiles. Müller-Ötvös reckons that a well-chosen piece by an up-and-coming artist might ultimately become worth more than the car enclosing it. Once underway, the first thing that strikes from the rear seat is the absence of sensation. There’s a great view out; and the reaction of pedestrians and other road users as they catch sight of the land yacht provides plenty of entertainment. But distraction from inside the cabin is minimal, unless you want it. The Phantom is almost freakishly quiet, thanks to its combination of double glazing, around 130kg of acoustic insulation and tyres containing noise-cancelling foam. If you suffer from tinnitus then a gentle cruise in the back of a Phantom won’t create enough background volume to drown it out. Even at a faster clip on the Swiss Autoroute the twin-turbocharged V12 engine only produces the faintest of hums from the front. According to RR engineering boss Philipp Koehn the Phantom has the quietest cabin of any car in the world, a 5 dB reduction in volume over its already quiet predecessor translating to a 75 per cent drop in perceived volume. There are louder crypts. Fun though it is to be chauffeured, it’s time to move up front. The seat position is naturally high, but even drivers of above-average height will have to motor it further upwards to properly see the front of the car. The steering column lacks the range of adjustment you’d expect to find in a sports sedan, forcing a chauffeur-like straight-arms posture rather than a slouch. The seat is definitely one that you sit on rather than in, and is noticeably lacking in lateral support. It soon transpires that’s for a reason. You can hustle a Phantom, and it takes a thrashing in good spirit, but short of trying to escape from kidnappers there’s no reason to drive it at more than a scant percentage of its capabilities. Despite the claimed 5.4-second 0-100km/h time, this is one of those rare cars that can deliver a full experience without ever breaking a speed limit, the challenge from behind the wheel being to keep everything as smooth and stately as possible. The engine is born to be mild. The Phantom packs a development of the 6.6-litre twin-turbo V12 fitted to lesser Rollers, with capacity increased to 6.75-litres. Peak power of 420 kW is identical to the Ghost, but there’s more torque, with the peak of 900Nm available from just 1700 rpm and representing a 100 per cent improvement on what the atmo twelve in the previous Phantom could muster at the same speed. Under very gentle throttle applications, it’s possible to detect the briefest of pauses as the turbos and engine internals gather momentum, but beyond that it provides effortless urge. The eight-speed ZF auto has been programmed to keep the engine under 2500rpm whenever it can, and there’s more than enough low-down urge to deliver respectably brisk progress without breaking a sweat. (You can’t tell what revs the motor is pulling anyway, as Rolls persists in fitting a “Power Reserve” gauge instead of a proper tacho.) The engine note is often muted to near-nothingness, the Phantom feels entirely ready to become an EV already, and it takes a hefty shove on the accelerator pedal to produce some pleasantly creamy noises from the sharp end. Even on the few rougher road surfaces that the Swiss Alps threw up, the Phantom’s ride quality earns comparison with a big, soft bed. There is movement over bumps, and the Phantom feels its 2610kg kerbweight when crests leave its mass briefly hanging, but body control is outstanding as the pillowy air springs and adaptive dampers – backed by an optical road-reading system at speeds of up to 100km/h – work to keep everything serene. Other dynamic tech includes active anti-roll bars to fight cornering lean and rear-wheel steering to improve manoeuvrability, but these do their work quietly and without calling attention to themselves. The steering is light and short on feedback, but yields impressively accurate front end responses. Cruising stability is excellent, with the lack of noise meaning it’s predictably easy to find yourself going too quickly: 180km/h feels like 120 in something with normal quantities of road and wind noise. While no part of the Phantom is sporting, the fundamentals are all good and clearly designed for what it’s meant to do. The brake pedal is firm and gives good feedback, making it easy to modulate to a seamless stop. There is no way to manually override the gearbox and choose ratios for it, although a “Low” button integrated into the column mounted gearchange “wand” switches to a more aggressive map, designed to maximise engine braking. As for the usual battery of sport modes and different dynamic settings there are precisely none; similarly it does without semi-autonomous cruise control or even a stop-start system. It’s nice to find a car with such self confidence. We don’t need a full comparo to know that the Phantom remains at the top of its rarefied segment. But it’s more than just a plutocratic express; a day spent with it creates the strong impression that it’s been engineered to a higher standard than it needed to be for the gentle duty cycle it will mostly be called to perform. That’s because it’s more than just a range-topper, it’s also a manifesto for the whole future of the Rolls-Royce brand. It might be set to cost just shy of seven figures when the first deliveries start in here next year - and more for the extended wheelbase - but buyers aren’t going to be feeling short changed. It might be possible to make a better luxury car, but we suspect we’ll have a long wait before we see one.

Nickname: LiNeX Age: 20 Link with your forum profile: @#LiNeX How much time do you spend on our channel ts every day?: Ts3 is banned in my country , i can join for meetings / important stuff if needed , using vpn . Where do you want to moderate? Check this topic: Lvl 3 & 4 . ScreenShot as you have over 30 hours on CSBD TS3 Server (type ''!info'' in CSBD Guard) : - Link with your last request to join in our Team: My 1st req . Last 5 topics that you made on our section: [Auto] Mercedes C63 S [Auto] Nissan GTR R34 Weekly Songs ♪ ♫ #LiNeX [Auto] HSV Grange review [News] UAE reports 661 coronavirus recoveries, 392 new cases

Abu Dhabi: The UAE has announced 392 new cases of COVID-19, while 661 patients have recovered and one more has died. According to the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP), this brings the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 44,925 while there have been 32,415 recoveries in total and 302 deaths so far. The latest coronavirus patients, all of whom are in a stable condition and receiving the necessary care, were identified after conducting more than 48,000 additional COVID-19 tests among UAE citizens and residents over the past few days, the ministry said. The ministry expressed its sincere condolences to the families of the deceased and wished a speedy recovery to all patients, calling on the public to cooperate with health authorities and comply with all precautionary measures, particularly social distancing protocols, to ensure the safety and protection of all.

The new Mercedes-AMG C63 S has a lot to live up to. After all, its predecessor will go down in history as one of the most outstanding performance cars that didn’t sport a turbocharger. In its final 507 Edition guise, it will more than likely become a collector's item. But times change, and government regulations require the production of more efficient cars. Enter the new and renamed Mercedes-AMG C63 S, featuring a downsized (in capacity, not power) turbocharged engine. But in its desire to be better, faster and more efficient, has it lost some of its character? It’s not that having a turbo is a bad thing. Hell, it’s not just one, but two turbochargers strapped onto the new car’s 4.0-litre V8 to produce an incredible 375kW of power and 700Nm of torque, while pegging fuel economy to an unbelievable claim of 8.6 litres per 100km on the combined cycle. It’s just that the old car was something of a senseless beast. It didn’t care about its rear tyres and it certainly didn’t care about global warming, but its brute nature was what won the hearts and minds of buyers over its rivals. That’s not to say the new car isn’t a beast, it’s just a beast with brains and a (slightly) more environmentally friendly heart. Its performance figures are a hell of a lot for a rear-wheel drive C-Class, but somehow, Mercedes-Benz has not only managed to make it work, but also get its power down quick enough to go from 0-100km/h in 4.0 seconds. These are supercar numbers. Facts and figures aside, to find out just how well it all translates to reality, we went to the recent AMG Festival in Bathurst to drive the 2015 Mercedes-AMG C63 S around the world-famous Mount Panorama circuit. Perhaps the best way to describe our first impressions of the new C63 S is from the pilot seat of the new Mercedes-AMG GT supercar, coming hot out of turn one (Hell Corner) and up Mountain Straight. Having just spent a few laps with Mick Doohan in the GT S and now being inspired to go that little bit faster (much to the instructor’s delight), we brake as late as possible and ease the GT S into the left-hander with a near perfect racing line and exit speed, feeding the throttle in gently to counter the minimal grip of the wet track conditions. On the left-hand side was a C63 S coming out of the pits, also feeding the throttle on to full power, as we were starting our run up Mountain Straight. We assumed that within two to three seconds the driver would notice the mightier GT S breathing down its neck and let us pass. Sure, it has the same engine, but the GT S weighs a good 85kg less (though the GT S has 50Nm less torque). Alas, despite maximum throttle in the GT S, the C63 S stayed ahead and even up to what felt like 200km/h (who looks down for a check?), the best we could do was maybe gain a metre by the braking point. The bloody C63 S was all but out-dragging the GT S. Something about that felt wrong, more so if you’re a GT S owner. Within a few corners and as we climbed the mountain he eventually let us pass, as the GT S is certainly sharper in the bends, but it was a good visceral experience for just how fast the C63’s straight-line speed really is. Jump out of the GT S and into the C63 S and, sorry to say to GT S owners, it felt immediately better. The steering is far better-weighted for spirited driving (while the GT S’s remains unfashionably light in all driving modes) and although it’s not as sharp changing directions, its extra weight seems to plant it firmly on the road. Of course, it also costs half the price at $154,900 ($2500 extra for the wagon) plus on-road costs. Ignoring the already gorgeous interior of the regular C-Class, now further enhanced with Napa leather and performance bits such as AMG door sills, AMG instrument cluster with race timer, AMG seats, IWC clock, 13 speaker Burmester sound system (with Digital TV) and head-up display, the C63 S provides, in our opinion, the best interior of any performance car in that mid-$100k price bracket. Not that we had time to press all the buttons and feel the surfaces (road review coming soon). Before we knew it, we were coming down Conrod Straight at 239km/h (that time we did look) in seriously wet conditions and the 'Benz felt like it was having a quick nap. A tap on the brake to settle the front end and wash off a little bit of speed before The Chase right-hander, and away we go. Turn after turn the C63 S didn’t set a foot wrong, except perhaps the seven-speed transmission, which shifts rapidly, but is perhaps not as great as the dual-clutch system in the BMW M4. After a dozen laps around Mount Panorama in the C63 S (and every other AMG on offer bar the S63 and SL63), it would have to be our favourite vehicle of the AMG range, including the GT S flagship. That is a big telling point, for it seems that the crazy folks in Affalterbach have pretty much poured all their know-how into the new C63 S, yet are offering it at half the price. Oh and before you ask, how does the 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 sound? The answer is sensational. The head of AMG, Tobias Moers, delayed the launch of the new C63 S for two months as he demanded a better exhaust note – it was a big deal internally to not 'do a BMW' and lose the audible sensation (and then pump it into the cabin artificially) of what made the old car such a charm. Still, it’s not as raw as the old naturally-aspired 6.2-litre V8. It’s not as deep, either. But it’s excellent in its own way and certainly better than the new M3/4’s metallic scream. Sound aside, for a long while there, there was no doubt the BMW M3/4 was the better track car, while the C63 remained a giant toy for boys who’d become men unknowingly. Now though, it’s not as clear-cut. If you’ve owned a previous-generation C63 AMG, you might find the new car a tad too BMW M-like (initially at least), in that it actually goes really fast around the twisty stuff, is well-settled and no longer feels like a hooligan’s car. It hasn’t lost all its pseudo-criminal character, but it’s certainly more grown up in every respect. Whether or not that’s a good thing is entirely individual-dependent, but as an outright sports car, the new C63 S is astonishingly brilliant. We will soon have a road review of the car on local roads, for now though, read our Mercedes-AMG C63 S review from the car’s international launch.

Today's R35 Nissan GT-R needs no introduction, setting the benchmark for affordable supercars it forced the likes of Porsche, Ferrari and Lamborghini to lift their game to compete with a car costing less than half. Many people who have never played on a Playstation or Xbox may be unaware of the heritage of the famed Nissan Skyline GT-R badge. All previous iterations of the GT-R were only sold in Japan, barring some limited releases in Australia and the UK for the R32-R34 generations, and so the motoring world is hardly aware of its history. Incidentally, the Skyline badge was dropped on the introduction of the 2007 Nissan GT-R. When looking at the R34 you can see the massive development changes in the 8 years between. The first GT-R, known as the "hakosuka", was released in 1969 and housed a high revving 2L straight 6 with 120kW on tap. Weighing only 1100kg the GT-R was built for motorsport and is famous for starting the rivalry with Porsche on the race track in recording an incredible 49 consecutive race wins. The second generation GT-R ended production in 1973 after the oil crisis hit and it would be 16 years before the release of the third generation R32 GT-R in 1989. Nicknamed "Godzilla" by Wheels magazine, a name that has stuck until today, 100 examples of the R32 were sold in Australia for homologation and to capitalise on its success in the Australian Touring Car Championship and Bathurst victories. This car was built primarily to compete in Group A racing and was a compact coupe housing the famous RB26DETT 2.6L twin turbo straight 6 engine with power being put through an advanced ATTESA-ETS four-wheel drive system and utilising HICAS four wheel steering. This drivetrain was used in subsequent generations of the GT-R until the R34 which was discontinued in 2002. The GT-R up for review is a 1999 R34 Nissan Skyline GT-R V-Spec. Due to their po[CENSORED]rity both in Japan and abroad these vehicles are in demand and are typically owned by car enthusiasts. The shape is a modern classic, having just the right amount of bulges and spoilers but with a distinctive Japanese style. The car stand out on the street and you definitely get a lot of thumbs up from people who know what it is. In the looks department it trumps the main Japanese competition of the Subaru WRX and Mitsubishi Evolution. The interior is also an improvement on its rivals, with better plastics and switchgear and a 5.8 inch multi-function display in the middle of the dashboard. This display was ahead if its time, and in the V-Spec iteration has readouts of boost, inlet and exhaust temperature, fuel injector load and battery, together with some gauges that are more for fun such as front torque split and throttle percentage. While it is in Japanese it is fairly easy to navigate and the ability to change settings is locked out while the car is moving as a safety feature. The performance of the car is more akin to a light footed grand tourer with a dark side. Driven at ordinary speeds the car feels underwhelming and gear changes are notchy from the 6 speed Getrag manual. The interior is small despite its size however I have fit two baby seats in the back seat. The boot has a space saver spare and there's only room for a set of golf clubs as the battery and some electronics are housed in the boot. When at pace though, that's when it comes alive, with the sculpted grey bucket seats holding you firmly in place as you wring everything out of the engine all the way up to its screaming 8250rpm redline. It is a very free revving unit, and the clutch is light with the pedals spaced just right for some heel and toe driving. The power figures are not very high by today's standards, with a claimed 206kW at 6800rpm and about 380Nm of torque at 4400rpm but the real drawcard of the GT-R lies in its tuning potential. Due to the release of the R35 GT-R as a global car and its feature in po[CENSORED]r films such as The Fast and the Furious franchise the rest of the world is learning about this Japanese rocket and values are starting to plateau and will no doubt rise in the future. Good examples of the R34 GT-R, and its many variants, range from $40,000.00 all the way up to $100,000.00 or more.