Mazda 6 Ultra Review

All cars reviews are sponsored by Omanternity.


If you are above 18 and you were interested in cars 10 years ago, you would probably remember what the name “Mazda” used to mean back then. It was at the bottom of the cars food chain. Nissan, Toyota, Mitsubishi, Subaru, any Japanese name would be better than Mazda. Omanis used to call Mazdas two things: “Mozooh” (as in banana) and “one-year visa” because it expires after that. I believe the 180 degrees turn started when the Mazda 6 was introduced back in 2002 (was it the year Ford increased its shares in Mazda to 34 %?). Passing other milestones like the Mazda 3 and the CX-9, Mazda started building a new reputation: a Japanese manufacturer that offers top-of-the-notch stylish cars that are reliable in terms of performance and life span.

Looks:


The new Mazda 6 brought up a revolutionary look and futuristic design concepts. Since looks are subjective, I won’t hesitate to say that the Mazda 6 is on top when it comes to exterior design. I like its design much more than any of its competitors. It is indeed “6 and the city” as AutoWeek mentioned. However, I honestly think that the changes made in the Ultra version made it look worse. The headlights are so narrow and the tailpipes are a little bit oversized. If I am to express the differences in emoticons language, the normal Mazda 6 is the (-_-) and the Ultra is the (>_<) and I am personally a (-_-) fan. That is simply my humble opinion as I’m sure there are many Ninja-style fans out there. Ugly orange reflectors on the front fenders are not helping the design either.




Interior:


This is where the Ultra shows its muscles in front of the normal Mazda. It offers one of the most accommodating cabins of any midsize sedan. The nice leather and wood trim gives you the chill of entering a car with nice materials. The Ultra also comes with rear passengers ACs which is a big plus in our country. Smart key-less start is the trend these days and Mazda didn’t fall behind because it is available. The nice far away display is very useful to get info like: time, temperature, average consumption and kilometers range. Other standard features include: 10 speakers BOSE system, AUX port, steering wheel stereo controls and cruise control. Something I didn’t like about the interior is the 2-tone trim. It is something nice to have if the colors were Black & Red, Black & Blue or even Black & Yellow. But having it as Black & Beige in a luxury-feel car doesn’t seem right to me.




Driving:


So far, whatever I wrote above were stuff I checked while the car was sitting in the showroom. So if you’re a person who would like a car based on its looks and interior, I would say: ignore this section and go for the Mazda 6 Ultra (providing that it’s in your budget). The first driving test was the launch from stop. The car burns so much rubber even if the TC was on! I expected something like that when you give a 275 hp car a front-wheel drive. I head to the highway to tryout the performance of the 3.7L V6 Powerplant with a question floating in my mind: are those 275 horses under the hood Japanese or American? (Because I know that sometimes the Japanese HPs are slightly overrated). That’s when I realized that Mazda shouldn’t have used the word Ultra for this model. The Acceleration is really good but I have driven 200 hp cars which were faster. I didn’t really reach high speeds but if the car still didn’t show its power till the 4th gear, then when? Perhaps the high expectations I had got me disappointed easily. Taking the car through corners wasn’t pleasant either. Massive understeer and unbalanced ride when going through steep corners tells you this is “power without control” (and believe me no Pirelli tires would fix that). Don’t take from what I said that the new Ultra is bad on the road, it is only less than what I expected.




Specifications:

• Engine Type, 3.7L V6
• Horsepower @ RPM, 275 @ 6000
• Torque @ RPM, 365 Nm @ 4250
• Drivetrain, Front Wheel Drive
• Transmission Type, 6-speed auto
• 0-100, 6.2 seconds
• Average fuel consumption, 11.2L/100 km
• Weight, 1500 kg

Pros:

• Futuristic design.
• Roomy interior and a big boot.
• Advanced technology

Cons:

• Not so fun to drive.
• Acceleration is not impressive.

Price:

Around 11,350 Rials.

Verdict:

A nice sport sedan that isn’t extremely sporty but has everything else.

Infiniti EX35 Review

All car reviews are sponsored by: Omanternity.com



When the 1st official pictures of the EX35 were published, we all got the same idea: it’s the product of an Infiniti FX sleeping with a G35 (or was that only me??). I really didn’t understand where this car fits into the market. The closest cars I could think of are the BMW X3, the Mercedes GLK, and the X6 (which way more expensive, but still a crossover SUV). As many people (including me) thought that this was a mini-FX35, it clearly turned out more of a large G35 after testing it. Final line is: it seems like the EX35 has its own place that works fine for it.


Looks:


Mentioned above, the car had a weird combination of the FX and the G. when you see it in front of you, you feel like it’s a slightly larger G35 with no trunk. I wouldn’t call it Infiniti’s best moment in the design area.


Interior:


Now THIS is something to look at. The car is really high-tech inside. It’s the 1st Infiniti to feature the new 360 degrees cameras system; which I think is very creative and innovative compared to the competition (yah that one is for you Lexus). The EX35 interior features a contemporary, high-quality material and design; which flows around the driver in soft effect. 6-CD changer, Navigation screen, and AUX socket are also nice things to have in your EX35. The thing with high-tech cars is that you really can’t figure out every technology used in a test drive. I spent couple of minutes checking the trivial stuff, while my friend was messing around with the rest of the air-craft-like tech. The real obvious downside of the interior is the small space in the rear seats; which was rather a disappointment to me.


Driving:


Call me a car newbie, but driving the EX35 was almost exactly like driving the G35. There are however some obvious differences. The EX Uses an AWD instead of the FWD in the G. There is somehow a sportier feel in the G35. The EX35 is missing the paddle shifters (why? Why? WHY didn’t they include them?). In the straight-line performance, the EX35 was neck to neck with the G35, except for a slow launch (and believe me that came out of experience, just don’t ask how). The car has a weird way of launching from a stop (can’t explain it but a proper launch was almost impossible). Now that we are finished with the downside, let me just say: the car offers energetic handling with brilliant dynamics. And being close in size to the G35, the ride quality is rigid but comfy.


Specifications:

• Engine Type: 3.5L V6
• Horsepower @ RPM: 297 @ 5850
• Torque @ RPM: 253 lb-ft @ 4,800 rpm
• Drivetrain: All Wheel Drive
• Transmission Type: 5-speed auto
• 0-100: 6.3 seconds (est)
• Average Fuel Consumption: 13L/ 100 km
• Weight: 1,829 kg


Pros:
• G35 engine and G35 weight, so it’s fast.
• Very advanced 360 degrees cameras system.
• G35 interior.

Cons:
• No paddle shifters.
• Ugly design.
• High price


Price:
Around 16,000 Rials.


Verdict:
A 16,000 Rials, high-tech, fast Hatchback.

Abala Cafe review

All Restaurant reviews are sponsored by Omanternity.com

A new Omani café that got a lot of attention. Owned by a young Omani and located in Bareeq Alshatti, the new hot spot in Shatti Al Qurum. I got some good feedback and some bad feedback about people who have been there, so it came to a time where we should give it a try.
Mohammed Al Raisi asked us to have an OT team meeting and suggested we try it.

Atmosphere:

The atmosphere is ……… well I don’t know how to describe it. Maybe it’s a mix of modern style and with some Omani touches (the paintings on the wall). It’s not my cup of tea but I guess some people like it.

Food:

We ordered a variety of meals. The order didn’t take that long to be served (unlike the last time I have been there). I personally had the Hareera soup and the Swiss burger. I liked the Hareera but hated the Burger big time. Ali Ordered Arabiatta Pasta which he liked but said it was too spicy. Mohammed tried out the “Faris Burger” which was some sort of a competition. Abala Café challenges its costumers to finish up this burger. If a customer was able to do that, he/she would get it for free. Mohammed was able to finish up the burger but turns out there was a hidden rule: you must finish it in 20 minutes or the deal is off. Basically what they are saying is that you need to treat your body as a trash can and just throw the burger inside. Our friend ordered an Italian burger and he liked it. Their Shawarma and Pasta are good overall. I never heard anyone complaining about that and I have tried both myself.

Italian Burger

Chicken Burger

Swiss Burger

The famous "Faris" burger

Arabiatta pasta

Spaghetti Bolognese

Drinks:

I had cherry coke which was ok but nothing special. Ali had the worst experience when he ordered a fresh watermelon juice which he returned to the kitchen twice. Their Lemon and mint drink was better though. My other friend ordered a cherry temple (7-up + cherry syrup if I'm not mistaken) and said it was great.

Cherry Coke

Cherry temple

The horror Ali went through, Fresh Watermelon juice

In conclusion:

Abala has a variety of good meals but can be found elsewhere. I would go to B+F if I wanted a burger. I would go to Pizza Express or Pane Caldo if I wanted Pasta. To be fair: I don’t think we should judge Abala as a restaurant, but as a café. The positive feedback I got was from people who went there to have dessert and drinks, not from the people who had a meal there.

Location

Bareeq Al Shatti

Type of food:


Arabic/continental

Average price for a person:


5-6 Rials.

Jaguar XF review

All car reviews are sponsored by Omanternity.com



There has been a lot of fuzz and buzz about the new Jaguar XF. Mainly because jaguar doesn’t introduce new models that often and this is supposed to be the start for new generation of Jags. To be honest, I’m not a big fan of Jaguar but I thought this one was interesting and my good friend recommended test driving it. I’m going to be honest again and say: when I checked the XF in the showroom, it reminded me of the Ocean’s eleven movie. The movie starts and you can’t help but to notice that a movie star pops up every couple of seconds. The Jaguar gives you the feeling that it has all the stars in one movie.

Looks:



Along with the XK, those are the only two jaguars that I like their design. Jaguar dumped the old classic look and finally realized that most people got bored from the old designs and want other people to know that they have a 2009 model instead of 1909. Wavy design with an aggressive front definitely catches the eyes on the street. Some may say that in profile, the XF looks like the Lexus GS. Overall, an Aston Martin-ish design has to be good. That’s like George Clooney; the sexy man standing in the front line of the gang.


Interior:



So Jaguar spent around 10 year developing the XF? That’s the time span between introducing the S-type and the XF. What I think is they spent most of these years developing the interior features. I really think that this is the best part about the car (or at least the sexiest thing). Kinda like Brad Pitt in a movie. Jaguar has succeeded to combine luxury with technology. Jaguar now seeks to combine old rituals with the latest fashion and technology. Starting from the start button and the cool gear lever, passing through the navigation screen and AC/Radio controls and ending with the “Jag sense” features like the interior lights and the touch-sensitive glove box. You can’t help but to smile when you enter the cabin and look at all those luxury gadgets. The tilting AC vents are very Transformers-ish. The rear-view mirror and the rear seats headroom are somehow small to accompany the coupe style. However, the XF cabin gets a grade A for both its look and overall function. If you have seen the brochure pictures then let me tell you this: they don’t give the car justice. “Charming” is a word I would use to describe the cabin in general. Just be sure that you are getting the “Premium” XF to enjoy all those features.

Interior features movie


Driving:


Here is the part where I expected the car to disappoint me. Unfortunately, it didn’t. The heavy sedan with 6 cylinders engine was not as slow as I thought. The paddle shifters on the wheels had a good response. Acceleration is not bad at all. It is, in fact, fast for a 6 cylinder luxury saloon. The engine had a really sweet tone. Just when I thought Jaguars are going to be dull again, they didn’t. The XF shares a lot with its sportier sister, the XK. Going through corners was a pleasure because of precise handling, responsive steering wheel and comfy ride. The level of communication between me and the car when cornering is exciting. Just be sure not to be getting out of a BMW 530i or an AUDI A6 right before you drive the XF because then, you would notice that the grip can still be improved.


A crappy ending to a great movie:


I got home totally satisfied with the Jaguar. I didn’t even get enough of it so I decided to go for a spin and a photo shoot after dawn. I switch on the car put it on reverse and suddenly this message appears: “Gearbox Fault” and the car shut down by itself. I tried switching it on but it wouldn’t. The gear seems to be stuck on reverse so the car won’t start till it’s on P mode. I tried couple of times on 3 different time periods but it seems like the car would not want to start. My thought is that Jaguar has too much technology for it to handle. I called the dealer and asked them to come pick the car from my house. I’m writing this review 3 weeks after that day, and I still haven’t got a call from the dealer. I won’t blame them cause I won’t be calling after such an embarrassing situation.

movie of the fault


Specifications:

Engine Type: 3.0L V6
Horsepower @ RPM: 238 @ 6800
Torque lb.ft @ RPM: 216 @ 4100
Drivetrain: rear Wheel Drive
Transmission Type: 6-speed auto
0-100: 8.3 seconds (est)
Average fuel consumption: 10.5/100 km
Weight: 1,690 kg


Pros:
- Aston Martin rear design.

- Class A interior.

- Nice exhaust tone.

- Comfy ride.
Cons:
- Still not as sporty as the A6 or the 5-series.

- Front design is nice but slightly off.

- Too much technology for a jaguar to handle.

Price: Luxury starts at 16,000, Premium starts at 19,000 (for V6 models, there is also V8 and Supercharged V8).

Verdict: Jaguar got back some of its lost reputation with this car. A great bargain but scary technology.

Restaurant review: Darcy's Kitchen

Restaurant reviews are sponsored by: Omanternity

Darcy’s kitchen is a unique type of restaurants. There are no other similar places in Oman. It has its own style and way. It is also a nice place to have breakfast. The atmosphere is cozy and the interior design makes you feel like you are in a house rather than a restaurant (specially the one in MQ). The waiters are friendly and they always serve with a smile. This is the favorite dining place for many foreigners, and sometimes you would be surprised to see it filled with them on a weekday afternoon.



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Food:
Food served at Darcy’s varies from simple salads to burgers and specially-cooked steaks. They have a wide range of side dishes, soups and starters. Last time I ordered a chicken breast with some white sauce on it (forgot the name of the meal). My friend ordered his favorite “Beef Hanooni sandwich”. I honestly liked the beef hanooni more (and no, it’s not because the other side is always greener). Both meals cost around 7 rials, which isn’t bad for a place like darcy’s.




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Location:
Jawharat Al Shatti, MQ (next to Al Fair).

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Type:
Continental Food

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Price Range:
3 – 4 Rials


End of blog entry...

Volvo XC90 review

sooooooo a new series I'm starting: Car reviews.

all car reviews are sponsored by: Omanternity.com


Volvo is respected car manufacturer, once crowned as the “World’s Safest Car”, offers a variety of multi-use cars, well-known to have innovative interior designs, and world-class engines. However, Volvo unfortunately is underrated here in Oman; nobody really knows the car unless they buy one.
In Arabic there is a famous proverb that says: “Rubba Dharaten nafi’a”, which means “Some bad stuff lead to other good stuff”. This proverb explains how I got the opportunity to drive the amazing XC90, which was a courtesy car we got when our LR3 had some air-suspension problems. I would say that this test drive was like a blind date. I never knew the girl I was going to go out with, but some of my friends said good things about her.

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Looks:



Okay, so we are off to a bad start. The car didn’t really give a good 1st impression with its looks. It Looks like a stretched up Volvo sedan that got a jeep suspension. In my opinion, the only thing I liked about the exterior were some of the nice rims options the car had.

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Interior:



WAIT! Before getting into the car, the moment you open the door, you understand why this car is rated as one of the safest cars in the world. The door is so heavy (yet so smooth when opened).
Getting inside the car gives you a whole new perspective about the car. It’s like its making up for the messed up 1st date. The materials used feel so elegant, the buttons and switches are organized well so that the driver has no problem using them. The gauges are stylish and practical. You can’t argue that Volvo spends time designing their interiors.

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Driving:


Now this is the 3rd date. In most of my test drive, I test how the car goes when you floor its paddles badly. How fast can it go? How does it handles at high speeds? How good are the brakes?
For some reason I still don’t know, I didn’t do that with the XC90, I just wanted to drive slowly and cruise around the quite area of Shatti (in the afternoon). Maybe the remarkably calm cabin was it. I switched on the radio and “breathe” by Angels & Airwaves was playing, a perfect song for my quite/calm mood. I left the quite area and headed to the empty highway. I drove at normal speed on the highway for some time, enough time for me to know that car is going to be a good partner in long trips. As I was on my way back on the highway, the radio started playing “Breath” by Breaking Benjamin (a totally different song but the names are very close) (bas tashabuh asmaía). As the song progressed, I couldn’t keep my foot off the acceleration paddle, till I reached a point where I NEEDED to floor the car. I switched to manual mode on the tiptronic gear box, shifted to 2nd gear, and floored it. Now I don’t know if the song had its affect on the car, but the massive torque surprised me, and before waking up, the car hit the rev limiter. I changed to 3rd and the car literally throws my head on the headrest. I honestly didn’t expect a big, heavy SUV to perform like that. The acceleration is pretty amazing, and it gets better at higher speeds. The brakes also perform really great and the car doesn’t throw you on the steering wheel in hard stops.
Now we all know that SUV cars like this, the X5, the Cayenne are not real off-roaders, but wont harm to try out the Volvo in the dunes (wouldn’t do it if it was my car though). The car didn’t really make it to the places where the Jeeps and the land rovers did, but it went high enough because of the torque it has. So yeah, it is true when people say that things get crazy on the 3rd date.

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Specifications:

Engine Type: 4.4L V8

Power: 311 Horsepower @ 5850 RPM

Torque: 325 @ 3900 RPM

Transmission Type: Tiptronic

0-100 kmph in: 7.3 seconds (estimated)

Average fuel consumption:

-City: 16.3 L/100 km

-Highway: 10.7 L/100 km

Weight: 2389 kg.

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Pros:



- The driving is amazing and smooth; you really don’t feel like you’re driving a 2+ tons car.
- The power and torque is way over what I expected, mind you this car is heavier than other cars in its category.
- The sound system is great and clear, 6 CD changer, steering wheel control.
- The interior is a Volvo interior, enough said.
- It’s a sleeper (not so many people know its power).

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Cons:


- The design isn’t that good, that’s my opinion at least.
- Heavy weight.
- When using the tiptronic, the car doesn’t change gears before red line, it revs.
- The response of the manual mode in the tiptronic is slow; you have to change the gear about 1.5 seconds before you want the car to shift.
- Mirrors don’t tilt downwards when you’re in reverse.

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Verdict:

The XC90 is a family-friendly SUV with a comfortable interior, adequate performance and an excellent safety record.

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List of kills:

- Nissan Armada.
- GMC YUKON.
- Infiniti FX35.

We did some accelerating videos as well:

Volvo XC90 from 20 – 130 KM/H.

Volvo XC90 from 40 – 170 KM/H.

Volvo XC90 from 130/210 KM/H.

End of blog entry...

Product Review: Sony Ericsson G900

I got this phone when i started working, for business purposes.





I needed something a little bit more sophisticated than normal phones and a little bit less complicated than an I-mate or a Nokia communicator.





I got it when it was first launched for 215 Rials ($560) and it was a really good price as other places asked for at least 10-15 rials more. (and i got a free 1 GB Card for free)





I got the phone, and really really liked it, it was better than what I expected.



easy to use, very elegant, all applications are a touch away.





here are the pros/cons:



PROS:
- MANY shortcuts.


- Comes with a nice hands-free set. (i love the fact that if you press "answer" in the phone, you use the phone speaker, and if you press answer in the headset, you use the headset)


- easy to use.


- Track ID is so awesome!


- sleek design and light-weight.


- Loving the idea that you can choose between using the buttons and the touchscreen for almost everything.






CONS:
- Not for people who dont like touchscreen phones xD


- the MMS takes a long time and sometimes get stuck.


- Arabic handwriting-recognition is AWEFUL, and something is wrong with the arabic language, i cant type arabic words unless i use the hand recognition.


- BAD resale value. (SE + touchscreen = bad). -__-



the phone had a strange problem, where it would suddenly stop recieving messages and phone calls (and the problem is, sometimes you get the message, but it doesnt give you ANY sign or notification that you got a new message)


and because it's the phone i use for work, i couldnt tolerate this problem and had to sell it eventually =(

End of blog entry...

Product Review: Nokia N95

so i have this idea of starting a series of reviews of products that i have tested, or even better, owned...

i wont waste time talking about all the features this phone has, just the general, simple ones which i used:

- 5 mpix camera.

- stereo speakers.

- 1 GB card included (i switched to 2).

- Wi-Fi.

- DVD Quality video recording.

now here's what i think of the phone:

B-R-I-L-L-I-A-N-T !!!!

- it's so practical, long lasting, easy to use, and pro phone.

- i had to format it once, because it had software problems.

- it fell from me around 4 times.

- it ate dust when i had it in my pocket while riding an ATV bike.

- i used the camera so many times in so many places, and it is a nice camera.

I have owned many phones, but this was the 1st to complete a full year with me (actually 18 months so far).

End of blog entry...