Faster and faster. Better performance; quicker acceleration; more agile handling. Every car maker tries to better not only their competition, but the last edition of whatever car it is reinventing for the next model year. Progress is the name of the game, and Volkswagen has shown it knows the rules with the Golf R.
The R replaces the R32, the previous high-performance Golf that met with good but not raving reviews. The R32 was powerful, but its 3.2L V6 engine made it front-heavy and affected the handling; let's just say that VW has addressed that problem to its core.
The Golf R has downsized to just a 2.0L inline four cylinder, which on paper sounds like a massive mistake. And yet, no one will miss that big V6 lump; not only is the new engine obviously lighter (giving the car a 60/40 front-rear weight bias), but it also produces more power at 255hp and more torque (the Middle East gets cheated here a bit; Europe and other areas get a 270hp engine, but our four cylinder was detuned for engine cooling in hotter climates). Not only that, it now consumes a full 2.3 litres less of fuel per 100km, with an official rating of 8.4L/100km. All that while still sprinting to 100kph in an impressive 5.5 seconds.
That power goes through just one transmission available here: a six-speed, dual-clutch direct-shift gearbox. While it takes the fun of double-clutching away, it really does a better and faster job of rowing through the gears. And while I would prefer to use the paddle shifters in spirited driving, it's hardly necessary when sport mode is selected, as it keeps the engine in its sweet spot of revs perfectly. But shifting under duress gives another sensation - between upshifts, the engine gives a throaty "burb" as it pauses for a split second before grabbing the higher gear, giving notice that this is definitely not your average daily driver.
It's also got bigger, 17-inch brakes and a revised 4Motion AWD system with a constantly variable torque split that is less front-biased than the R32. It looks a little different from a regular Golf, too, the biggest change being three gaping inlets at the front for better airflow to the engine - and a racier look, of course. As well, the whole car sits 25mm lower for better handling.
The inside has a quality of materials that would rival, if not beat, just about any of its competitors at this price bracket, or even higher. The only downpoint might be the fact that the design and switchgear mirror other VW offerings but, really, it's got a very high-end feel that will satisfy passengers. Sport seats, a thick, leather-wrapped steering wheel, aluminum pedals and trim will differentiate this R from its more sedate family models.
And all these improvements culminate into a number of things. See, the Golf R can be just as sedate as the base Golf, so it's perfectly fine for driving to work every day. But when you see an open road and no speed cameras, it will let you rip it up - possibly a little to easily for your own good. The speed comes on quick, the grip is exemplary with little roll or dip - especially with the suspension in sport mode, which firms the whole car up noticeably. (In fact, there are three settings for the suspension - comfort, normal and sport - but the change from comfort and normal is so minimal that I question why even bother?) If that's all good on the road, it's a blast on a race track. VW gave us a brief glimpse of the Golf R in January at the Losail F1 track in Doha, and this is where the R proves that it can hold its own on a track day. It stays solid and sticky in high-speed turns with just a little wiggle of the tail in hard braking. What you will notice occasionally, however, is its relatively high weight - more than 1,500kg, which makes it not as lithe as a few of its competitors in this area.
There's not much to say against the Golf R. It really is a big jump over the R32 in performance, and its improved fuel economy is startling. But what you could say is that the price is creeping into the larger offerings of VW's German brethren of BMW, Audi and Mercedes - you could pay just a little bit more and get something just as exciting; in fact, the agile BMW 1 Series is in the same ballpark in both price and performance. You could also say for all-out fun and agility, a Renault Clio or Megane Sport would be a better all-out drive for far less cash, but you wouldn't have quite the level of refinement as the Golf R, and no all-wheel drive. You could even justify going to the lower-level yet still upscale Golf GTI; yes, it's got 45hp less than the R version and only front-wheel drive, but it weighs less and, with a base price of Dh97,735, is the very slight difference in performance worth the jump of more than Dh30,000 for the base R?
The Golf R is good at very many things, and anyone who buys one would be happy to drive it every day as either a daily commuter or hot hatch. The problem is, at this price, it brings to mind many other cars that I'd also be very happy to drive, most which would leave me with more cachet on the bonnet or more money left in my pocket.
The Specs
Price, base / as tested Dh128,277 / Dh171,000
Engine 2.0L turbocharged four cylinder
Gearbox six-speed DSG
Power 255hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 350Nm @ 2,400rpm
Fuel economy, combined 8.4L/100km
The biog
Birthday: February 22, 1956
Born: Madahha near Chittagong, Bangladesh
Arrived in UAE: 1978
Exercise: At least one hour a day on the Corniche, from 5.30-6am and 7pm to 8pm.
Favourite place in Abu Dhabi? “Everywhere. Wherever you go, you can relax.”
Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
MATCH INFO
Rugby World Cup (all times UAE)
Third-place play-off: New Zealand v Wales, Friday, 1pm
Meghan%20podcast
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
THE SPECS
Engine: Four-cylinder 2.5-litre
Transmission: Seven-speed auto
Power: 165hp
Torque: 241Nm
Price: Dh99,900 to Dh134,000
On sale: now
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How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
- Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
- Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
Company%20profile
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The specs: 2019 BMW i8 Roadster
Price, base: Dh708,750
Engine: 1.5L three-cylinder petrol, plus 11.6 kWh lithium-ion battery
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power: 374hp (total)
Torque: 570Nm (total)
Fuel economy, combined: 2.0L / 100km
GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
RESULTS
5pm: Maiden | Dh80,000 | 1,600m
Winner: AF Al Moreeb, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer)
5.30pm: Handicap | Dh80,000 | 1,600m
Winner: AF Makerah, Adrie de Vries, Ernst Oertel
6pm: Handicap | Dh80,000 | 2,200m
Winner: Hazeme, Richard Mullen, Jean de Roualle
6.30pm: Handicap | Dh85,000 | 2,200m
Winner: AF Yatroq, Brett Doyle, Ernst Oertel
7pm: Shadwell Farm for Private Owners Handicap | Dh70,000 | 2,200m
Winner: Nawwaf KB, Patrick Cosgrave, Helal Al Alawi
7.30pm: Handicap (TB) | Dh100,000 | 1,600m
Winner: Treasured Times, Bernardo Pinheiro, Rashed Bouresly
How to help
Donate towards food and a flight by transferring money to this registered charity's account.
Account name: Dar Al Ber Society
Account Number: 11 530 734
IBAN: AE 9805 000 000 000 11 530 734
Bank Name: Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank
To ensure that your contribution reaches these people, please send the copy of deposit/transfer receipt to: juhi.khan@daralber.ae
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Globalization and its Discontents Revisited
Joseph E. Stiglitz
W. W. Norton & Company
The Case For Trump
By Victor Davis Hanson
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
The specs
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: seven-speed
Power: 620bhp
Torque: 760Nm
Price: Dh898,000
On sale: now
