Here on the The National Motoring desk, we like to test the cars properly. When I tested a big white VW van, for example, I didn't just drive it to the mall and back. I took it on a four-emirate jaunt, got caught in the rain and a shamal, and used it to move a fridge. A hulking great Kia Mohave, meanwhile, had all back seats folded down flat so a friend and I could fill it with furnishings for our apartments. I recklessly took a Mercedes G-Wagen over the rocky terrain of a US Army rifle range on an island off the coast of Oman. In 2008, a huge black Audi A8 passed the impress-the-parents-at-the-airport test as well as the enough-boot-space-for-Mum's-coffin-sized-suitcase test.
And speaking of Audis, the latest to be subjected to the Motoring desk's rigorous testing was the 2010 Audi A5 Cabriolet. It is a rare sporty convertible in that it has a reasonably generous back seat, and I was eager to find out if it could accommodate two adults in the back in comfort.
Just as well then that my friends Charlie and Russell were in town. They are both reasonably tall and it was the first time in the UAE for both of them, so what better way to test out the comfort levels of the back seat, as well as the car's capabilities, than on a drive from Abu Dhabi to Al Ain with the tourist drive up the winding road of Jebel Hafeet.
The black body with a deep red roof impressed my guests, with Charlie commenting on the classy minimalist exterior design. He was dead right. There is not a hint of extra tizz, fuss or nonsense with the A5's clean lines. The red roof would have been too much if the car was festooned with pinstripes, silly hubcaps, superfluous metal or anything gold-plated. But against the simple black body and restrained hubcaps, it was just the right amount of flashiness.
Once inside, Charlie was more impressed by the red leather seats than Russell, but both agreed there was plenty of legroom and just enough headroom for the tops of their heads to not graze the ceiling. Like any two-door, there was some body contorting required to get in and out, but once my back-seat drivers were safely strapped in, it was a merry trip to Jebel Hafeet. We noted, with amusement, the arm that pokes out from behind the front seats when the engine is started to offer the driver and passenger their seatbelts. It is a cheeky way to try and ensure the front seat passengers belt up as it is hard to ignore.
At the foot of the mountain, we put the roof down to enjoy the perfect weather. It was on Jebel Hafeet that the A5 proved itself to be a driver's car. The car is equipped with an eight-speed sequential manual gearbox, which might seem like an absurd indulgence, but is amazingly versatile. Using the gearbox in manual mode up and down Jebel Hafeet was a tremendously engaging experience. On the way down, I hardly needed to touch the brakes as I used the gears to control the speed. You can manually change gears using either the gear selector or paddle shifters. I preferred the gear selector but those blessed with larger hands than mine might prefer the paddles.
It is an automatic with a manual mode that lets the driver take charge rather than making annoying suggestions as to what gear you should be in, as per other quasi-manual systems. In the automatic mode, it'll hit eighth gear at around 120kph. That's just silly. Knock it into the manual mode and you'll have a lot of fun at high speeds, with some lovely sounds coming from the engine as you shift up and down, engine-braking as you approach speed cameras or when you want to avoid rear-ending a plodder in the overtaking lane.
There's also a sports mode that gives you an extra boost on the motorways but frankly, it's far more fun to start the overtaking move in sixth or seventh gear and rip it up to top gear as you fly past. It has the hot-hatch fun factor, but with a bit more luxury.
From the driver's seat, you also have a comfortable, supportive, multi-adjustable seat and a centre console control system that makes it pretty easy to control the music, temperature and operate Bluetooth without taking too much attention away from the road. Once we had been up Jebel Hafeet, taken the tourist photos and enjoyed an al fresco lunch at the Mercure Grand, we made our way back to Abu Dhabi, with the roof still down. Our back-seat passengers said their ears started to pop once I hit about 110kph, so I pulled over and closed the roof for the drive back to the capital.
When I reluctantly returned the car to Audi head office, I again dropped the roof for one last burst of sunny driving among the cut and thrust of Dubai traffic. As I drove through the tunnel on my way to the Airport Free Zone, I turned up the radio. It was Diana Ross singing Chain Reaction - so I wasn't going to win any cool points - but I could hear both songs clearly with the top down.
The only real negative, apart from the inevitable loss of some boot space, which is always a trade-off with a convertible, was the headliner. The car is, inside and out, a triumph of subtle yet sexy design, but I have no idea what possessed Audi to cover the ceiling in a dull white fabric vented with little holes. It looked like it was made from an old man's underwear. The holey fabric would have worked much better in black. But that style misstep aside, the A5 Cabriolet is a true joy to drive.
motoring@thenational.ae
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
If you go
The flights
There are direct flights from Dubai to Sofia with FlyDubai (www.flydubai.com) and Wizz Air (www.wizzair.com), from Dh1,164 and Dh822 return including taxes, respectively.
The trip
Plovdiv is 150km from Sofia, with an hourly bus service taking around 2 hours and costing $16 (Dh58). The Rhodopes can be reached from Sofia in between 2-4hours.
The trip was organised by Bulguides (www.bulguides.com), which organises guided trips throughout Bulgaria. Guiding, accommodation, food and transfers from Plovdiv to the mountains and back costs around 170 USD for a four-day, three-night trip.
Cryopreservation: A timeline
- Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
- Ovarian tissue surgically removed
- Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
- Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
- Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
Company%20profile%20
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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
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
COMPANY PROFILE
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47
The Baghdad Clock
Shahad Al Rawi, Oneworld
The biog
Age: 35
Inspiration: Wife and kids
Favourite book: Changes all the time but my new favourite is Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
Best Travel Destination: Bora Bora , French Polynesia
Favourite run: Jabel Hafeet, I also enjoy running the 30km loop in Al Wathba cycling track
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre V6
Power: 295hp at 6,000rpm
Torque: 355Nm at 5,200rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.7L/100km
Price: Dh179,999-plus
On sale: now
More from Aya Iskandarani
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
The Bio
Hometown: Bogota, Colombia
Favourite place to relax in UAE: the desert around Al Mleiha in Sharjah or the eastern mangroves in Abu Dhabi
The one book everyone should read: 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It will make your mind fly
Favourite documentary: Chasing Coral by Jeff Orlowski. It's a good reality check about one of the most valued ecosystems for humanity
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
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The bio
Studied up to grade 12 in Vatanappally, a village in India’s southern Thrissur district
Was a middle distance state athletics champion in school
Enjoys driving to Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah with family
His dream is to continue working as a social worker and help people
Has seven diaries in which he has jotted down notes about his work and money he earned
Keeps the diaries in his car to remember his journey in the Emirates
