Test Drive | The Daily Star

  • 2018 Proton Preve

    While the unregistered Proton was being delivered to me for the test drive, a traffic sergeant stopped it to check for papers. I received a call because the traffic sergeant wanted to verify we were not on a joy ride.

  • 2018 BMW F90 M5

    If there's any petrol-head who requires an introduction to BMW's famed M-division, it's highly likely that they're not a petrol-head at all. For over 45 years, the letter “M” in the context of German performance cars has meant an undying pursuit of driving thrill,

  • 13 cup holders, 2 men and a Toyota Rush

    Toyota and Daihatsu went and redesigned their aging five-door crossover into something resembling what people wanted: a not-so-mini SUV.

  • 2018 Proton Saga

    Back in the late 90s and early 00s, government pool cars meant only two models—locally assembled Mitsubishi Pajero SUVs built by

  • 2018 BMW X3

    The X3 is BMW's contender in the same class of luxury crossovers such as the Audi Q5, Porsche Macan, Jaguar F-Pace and Mercedes GLC. All of these you will see on Bangladeshi streets on a good, traffic-free day.

  • 2018 Landwind X5

    Front wheel drive, city oriented SUV with enough space for five chubby biriyani loving adults. It's a mid-size 'jeep-gari' on a budget.

  • 2018 Toyota Corolla Altis

    The Toyota Corolla is not JUST a car. Almost everyone in Bangladesh that has been in a car has been in a Corolla. It is ever present in our collective line of sight and was almost on the verge of becoming a national heritage. It moved Bangladeshi people like it the Ford Model T did the Americans of the early 1900s. And now we have the new Corolla.

  • 2017 Great Wall Wingle 6

    Great Wall makes another budget pickup truck with updated looks, interiors and mechanicals. It is cheap but is it cheaply made? We find out.

  • 2017 Hyundai Tucson

    This is the third generation of the crossover SUV from Hyundai. While the original two generations (2005-2010 and 2009-2015) were small and rather frumpy looking, the current model has clearly grown up.

  • Haval H9

    The Haval H9 is the one proper SUV from the same guys that bring in Great Wall pickups. It is also the biggest they have, comparing easily to the Toyota Land Cruiser Prado.

  • Honda Vezel Hybrid

    Test Drive: Honda Vezel Hybrid

    The Vezel is the go-to compact SUV for Bangladesh right now. But that's the petrol version. How good is the hybrid version then?

  • Test Drive: 2017 Haval H6

    The Chinese are great at many things. China is basically a Business Process Outsourcing startup posing as a country with one party rule, exploiting cheap labour for decades to produce every last imaginable thing on the planet. From phones to motorbikes to toys and cheap knock-offs, they've managed to dominate global manufacturing in every industry, except one – cars. Until now.

  • 2017 BMW 530i

    The BMW 5-series gets a complete redesign, with new engines and all new tech adapted from the 7-series flagship. It's a significant car for the Bangladeshi market, and we take a closer look.

  • A day with a 2017 Toyota Land Cruiser V8

    We have the king of the off-roaders at our disposal - Toyota's Land Cruiser, with a big stonking V8.

  • Ssangyong Tivoli XLV

    The Korean car maker Ssangyong has included a whole lot of options for the money. And they've seemingly hired a proper designer after ages, because the Tivoli XLV looks great. Does it perform on our streets? We find out.

  • 2016 Ford EcoSport Black Edition

    Take a regular Ford EcoSport Titanium, throw some black paint on the chrome bits and you have the Black Edition. Unlike Mercedes, there's no performance bump from all the blackness, but otherwise it's quite a good car. Take a look.

  • 2017 Mercedes Benz E200

    The latest Mercedes E class is a fantastic combination of style, road presence, luxury and comfort. We take out the E200 for a test drive to see how well it copes at being one of the most reputed executive sedans in the world, in Dhaka.

  • 2015 Honda S660

    What is nearly as small as a CNG auto-rickshaw, but has four wheels?

  • 6 days, 6 Toyota hybrids and some burnt tyres

    Early September this year, Toyota invited us over to Japan's Fuji Speedway to understand and sample a range of their hybrid vehicles. They wanted us to know how serious they are about saving the world through continual tweaks. Here are six very different cars for possibly very different sets of people. And it rained. Question is, did I learn anything?

  • 2017 Honda Civic

    The brand new Honda Civic is a redesigned beauty with a massive new direction: turbo.

  • 2016-17 Toyota Avanza

    We all secretly agree that MPVs are our life savers, carrying things that no cars can and going places where no cars dare tread. One of the most promising MPVs in the Bangladeshi market is Toyota Avanza, which has gone through a lot of evolution since its inception thirteen years ago. We took the latest generation RWD MPV out for a test drive and Navana was kind enough to throw in the older model to escort us.

  • THE 2017 BMW 7 SERIES

    BMW has gone mad in a very calculative and delicious manner with the latest generation of their flagship, the 7 series. We take the uber-luxury limo out on a date.

  • Jonway A380

    The Chinese are not known for making particularly great cars. They are usually cheap, tacky and often unreliable. Jonway tries to buck that trend with the new 2016 Jonway A380. Brought in by Rancon Imports, it's a crossover SUV whose design features closely resemble a car we are all familiar with – Toyota RAV4.

  • Lexus RX200t

    For starters, the Lexus RX200t is more fun than I expected a mid-size luxury SUV to be. The 2.0 turbo makes 235bhp and 258lb ft of torque while looking like an unmasked Predator from the Arnold movie. Also, we put our sub editor's head under the automatic rear door.

  • 2016 Hyundai Sonata

    Who knew 15 years ago Hyundai would make exciting looking cars? The 2016 Sonata is great to look at and great to sit in. We take it for a spin to find out if it drives as well as it looks.

  • Front

    2016 Honda CRV

    Besides the terminology, there is nothing really thrilling about crossovers, especially when it's a mid-sized SUV. But Honda's CRV has been the segment boss since its inception more than two decades ago. This week the SHIFT team hunts down what makes the latest fourth gen CRV invincible amongst its league.

  • Front

    2016 BMW X1

    This second generation X1 is a mini crossover. It is also the smallest from BMW, sold in Bangladesh with the most interesting engine for tech geeks.

  • 2016 Great Wall Haval H6

    Great Wall's hopes of making an impact on the global market rides on one mid-size SUV: the all new Haval H6. We take a look at this aspirational alternative to other mid-size SUVs in Bangladesh.

  • 2017 Hyundai Elantra

    The 2017 Elantra in Bangladesh, redesigned to look good. Does it drive 'good' also?

  • 2016 SsangYong Tivoli

    The Tivoli - a funky little Korean SUV with space, loads of standard features and a surprise footnote. Find out more about Ssangyong's little trickster.

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