What were your favourite cars of 2016? Not just you, but the collective you: our readers. Well, thanks to the power of the internet and cold, hard stats, you can read on to find out precisely which sextet of new metal gleaned the most clicks in the past 12 months. The formula was simple: which 2016 models that we reviewed in the Motoring section during 2016 had the most hits on The National’s website?
For anybody who has spent more than 15 minutes on the UAE’s roads, the majority of the most popular cars that we road tested this year won’t come as too much of a surprise: the top end of the list stars a muscle car, an SUV, a pick-up truck and one of Mercedes’s best-selling saloons. But there were also strong saloon-car plays from a duo of less expected sources.
It’s also interesting to see that not all of these cars were necessarily favourites of our reviewers, so read on to find out our roll call of the six that ruled 2016, why they were so popular (or otherwise) and what our reviewers loved (or hated) about them.
6. 2016 Mercedes E-Class
From G-Wagens to Maybachs, the Emirates hasn’t been shy about its love affair with Mercedes. But it fell to one of the German marque’s least flashy models to continue carrying that torch this year.
Its technological advancements, as detailed by our reviewer Gautam Sharma, clearly found favour with many of you: “Say hello to the all-new E-Class – a techno powerhouse that dispenses with the norm of Merc’s flagship sedan [the S-Class] getting first dibs on significant new advancements. One example: the latest E enables you to open the car via your mobile phone rather than a key; you can also use your phone to remotely park your car in tight spots where opening the door would be a squeeze or impossible.”
A price tag of Dh273,987 affords similarly large figures when it comes to performance: 332hp and 480Nm of torque means that the E is certainly no slouch, racing from standstill to 100kph in 5.3 seconds in its E400 4Matic form.
Its personality, though, is less easily defined: “My only criticism: the C, E and S all look like (different-sized) clones of each other,” reasoned our reviewer. “What happened to individuality?”
• To read the full review
5. 2016 Ford Ranger
Despite workhorse origins, high-rolling pick-up trucks remain a favourite with UAE buyers as daily drivers outside of professional commitments. With a 3.2L, five-cylinder engine, the Ranger (base price: Dh115,000) isn’t quite as ostentatious as some of the hulking examples coming soon to a rear-view mirror near you, but Ford recognised its potential as a unit shifter.
“The Ranger is first and foremost a commercial vehicle – a pick-up truck that can seat five in a crew cab with a load space behind that’s bigger than the floor space in most apartment living rooms,” said our reviewer Kevin Hackett. “But Ford isn’t content with simply marketing it to the tradespeople of this world because it reckons the Ranger is good enough to be taken seriously as a leisure or everyday mode of transport, too. And on the face of it, I’d have to agree.”
We might not have been wholly convinced of the Ranger’s charms, but the second half of our conclusion seemed to chime rather louder with our readers: “I still wouldn’t buy one because pick-ups aren’t my thing, but if you are in the market for something like this, you owe it to yourself to try it out before parting with your money.”
• To read the full review
4. 2016 Renault Talisman
Reviewed in the heady, hopeful days right at the start of the year, before every other celebrity starting dropping dead and various other world events conspired to make 2016 feel like a rather awful 12 months, the sizeable Talisman is arguably the most surprising inclusion on our list. Not least, as our reviewer Gautam Sharma suggested, “Renault has never quite managed to crack the GCC market”.
With its long snout, its looks might not catalyse amorous glances from all onlookers, although it was love at first sight for our scribe: “The Talisman is beautiful. It’s not often I’d say that about a bread-and-butter four-door saloon, but in this case it’s true. And it certainly isn’t the case with the frumpy Korean-built Safrane that Renault has been peddling here for the past six years. With a sleek fastback roofline and well-executed melange of curves and sharp edges, the Dh95,000 Talisman looks more expensive than it is.” Valentine’s Day clearly came early this year.
“Sadly, the only thing that might hold it back in our region is the Renault badge it wears,” was our verdict, but while we don’t yet have any full-year sales data to back that up, the interest generated by our Road Test suggests that the French brand might be onto something from an unexpected source.
• To read the full review
3. 2016 Porsche Macan GTS
The Macan has always seemed a perfect storm for the UAE market, particularly with Emirati buyers: speed, room and the prestige of the Porsche badge all add up to a mightily attractive package. And that seems to be backed up by the popularity of our review of its latest GTS variant, which has a base price of Dh292,400.
“In 2014, the Macan appeared, which represented the entirely logical business case for producing a Porsche-branded crossover SUV, or CUV, or whatever acronym you choose to use,” recalled our reviewer Phill Tromans. “The world scoffed, snorted and felt faintly insulted that Porsche should build a car for ferrying small children to school. But Porsche released it anyway, and what do you know, it was excellent.”
It wasn’t all unadulterated praise: “So what’s not to like? Well, most of the praise written above should be followed by the phrase ‘for an SUV’ … it’s heavy, sits higher than a proper sports car, so it does roll a bit more than purists would demand ... and, yes, the steering could be a little more textured and feelsome.”
Porsche has promised that it will be giving another car the GTS treatment next year, and our overall impressions of the Macan suggests that it might be a wise investment: “If family commitments mean a 911 or Cayman isn’t an option, the Macan GTS is a purchase that you can make with a look of smug triumph.”
• To read the full review
2. 2016 Geely Emgrand GT
One of the motoring trends of the year in the UAE was the seemingly unstoppable march of the Chinese, with a variety of manufacturers veritably flooding the market. Affordability was the name of the game – take our second-place car, Geely’s Emgrand GT, which you can pick up from a measly Dh59,995.
But in this case, you can disregard the cheap-and-not-all-that-cheerful reputation that cars from the Far Eastern country have commanded in the past, as our reviewer Mark Andrews found: “Interiors are usually the first let-down on Chinese cars, but the GT has upped the game. Materials and finish beat most of the Japanese and Korean competitors, and are on a par with many European models. The equipment levels, however, put most luxury cars to shame.
“This is by far the most convincing Chinese car yet to enter the market,” we concluded. “It has excellent equipment levels – an area Chinese cars usually excel in – but for once, this isn’t glued together with substandard materials and build quality.”
This won’t be the last you hear from the carmakers of the People’s Republic – not by a long shot.
• To read the full review
1. 2016 Ford Mustang GT 5.0
With statistics, there can only be one winner. Unless, err, it’s a draw. But there was no need for extra-time and penalties with our most read Road Test of the year: the latest incarnation of Ford’s pony car trumped the nearest competition by several hundred hits.
Why is the ’Stang such an enduringly popular motor? Well, aside from the fact that it has been rescued from the jaws of a slow, ugly death since the fifth generation erased all memories of its 1980s/1990s eyesores, with its 441hp, 5.0L engine for a starting price of Dh188,000, the GT wields just about the best power-to-cash ratio of any muscle car on the market.
It’s a monster fit for everyday consumption; a cruiserweight champ that not only inflicts bruises on its American compatriots, but also manages to start a dust-up across the pond, as our reviewer Kevin Hackett pointed out: “The Mustang’s rivals are also becoming better with each generation, with Dodge’s Challenger and Charger, as well as Chevrolet’s Camaro, baying for blood, and this means traditional muscle-car buyers are now spoiled for choice. But what this new Ford does is take the fight to the Europeans in a way that the others haven’t yet managed. And after my week-long fling, I’ve made up my mind: I’m buying one.”
• To read the full review
