Switching to the newly rolled out license plates as the car owner did in the above picture requires passing the car inspection test at one of the mecanique centers. How on earth did this Renault 12 do it?!!
photo via Hamza Halabi
Tag Archives | car
Why Are These Car-Mounted Laser Cameras Roaming Beirut?
Over the past 3 weeks, I have encountered cars with roof-mounted cameras like the one above three times around Beirut, twice in Bachoura and once in Tarik El Jadida.
At first I thought they were some new radar guns used by the ISF but then I got a closer look and noticed their brand (Yaan), so I googled it and figured they’re in fact laser high speed cameras.
I have absolutely no idea why these cars are roaming the streets of Beirut, and I’m honestly quite surprised no one made a fuss about it yet especially that it is forbidden to take photos around certain areas in the city. A friend suggested they might be collecting images for Google Street Views, but I doubt it since Google usually uses 360° camera like this one.
If you have any information about these cameras please do share it in the comments.
Watch, Learn, and Abide by The Traffic Law
MTV Lebanon aired a spot on report by Nawal Berri yesterday showing a series of accidents recorded by the traffic monitoring center that happened due to drivers and pedestrians violating the traffic law.
As disturbing as this video is, it is a much needed wake up call to everybody outsmarting others on the road.
Penalty Reduction on Mecanique Fees Until February 2017
I rarely give any importance to the laws passed by the Lebanese parliament, but I know this one matters to lot of people and that’s why I’m sharing it here.
The parliament authorized yesterday a reduction on mecanique fee penalties for people who have not paid their dues over the past years. The reduction is expected to be up to 90% and you have until the end of February 2017 to benefit from it.
However note that the inspection centers are currently closed due to the transportation unions strike, so you might have to wait a bit before you can inspect your car and pay your dues.
Red Bull RB7 Meets Byblos and The Cedars of God
For all of us who have never attended a Fromula 1 race yet, Red Bull made it up by bringing Carlos Sainz Jr. to burn some rubber in his RB7 racing cat at Beirut Waterfront. The event was unfortunately a bit dull for me as I couldn’t attend and watched it on TV instead which sometimes doesn’t give you a sense of how fast the car was going. I hope some professional videos will soon be available online, including some shots from an onboard camera would be cool too!
Anyway, well before the event, the Red Bull team took the RB7 for a photo shoot around Byblos and the Cedars of God. I found this set of resultant photos on motorsport.com and thought of sharing them here because they’re pretty cool.
I couldn’t find the name of the photographer by the way, so if anyone knows it please leave a comment to credit him/her properly.
Review – The 2015 Mini Cooper
Earlier this month I got a media kit about the new Mini Cooper 2015 models. And being a fan of Mini ever since I was a little kid, I thought of checking with Bassoul Heniene if they have a car available for a weekend test-drive, and luckily enough I was driving one following a few calls.
I actually got the traditional two-door hatchback. And the minute I picked it up I knew I’ll be in for a fun weekend. Just like all its predecessors, the 2015 Mini maintains a young cheerful look, and I was quite thrilled with its driving experience.
Body and Interior Design
I personally think what distinguishes the Mini from other hatchback cars is the playful design inside out. The 2015 model got some minor makeover especially with the taillights which no longer look very rectangular, but other elements such as the grille and oval lights remained unchanged. So there’s no dramatic changes here but rest assured the car will keep on turning heads on the street.
And to complement the body look, I found the interior to be trimmed with good materials. It actually looks appealing with some cool details like a ring of led lights around the central display that changes colors according to your driving style.
The base model I had included the following features: automatic headlights, rain-sensing windshield wipers, a six-speaker audio system, an auxiliary audio input, Bluetooth, a climate-controlled glove box, and steering wheel-mounted audio controls.
Seating
The driving position feels commanding with a wider viewing angle than other cars. However, while it felt relatively spacious up front, the rear seats seemed sufficient for children and short people. I also tried to mount my kid’s car seat but he ended up with his legs almost touching my back. But that was the two-door version at the end.
Driving Experience
It’s fun, so fun actually! I personally love to be in total control of the car when driving. That’s why I find some cars like Mercedes to be somehow boring. I mean regardless of the top speed you can reach with some cars, you feel like they’re guiding you and not the way around, but that’s not the case with a Mini. The comparison might sound a bit weird, but with control and fun I was having it felt more like I was playing with an RC car!
The Mini has three driving modes that you can choose from: Green, Mid, and Sport. The green and mid modes are fuel efficient and best suitable for driving in the city and when stuck in traffic. The sport mode on the other hand is much more fun, and you’ll get to feel how responsive the car becomes once you switch to it.
I was eventually driving in sport mode most of the time, and I can assure the turbocharged 1.5L engine did deliver! The car acceleration was pretty impressive and the whole driving experience was pretty thrilling due to the sharp handling and responsive steering you will feel, and that’s only the base model, so I wonder how S model or even the John Cooper Works will feel! Needless to say, driving back my original car didn’t feel very good!
It’s worth noting that the Mini has a start-stop function that automatically shuts down the engine when the car is not moving in order to reduce fuel consumption.
My Take
As I said before, it’s a fun car, but everything comes with a price. The model I had (1.5L two-door hatchback) is priced at $31,500 which is relatively high for a hatchback car… But is it worth every cent? Damn yes. Actually If I had that budget for a new car I honestly wouldn’t think twice before buying one. Feel free to call this review a biased one, but I just fell for the Mini!
Laptop theft in Dora caught on CCTV
Careem – Another cab app launched in Beirut!
Seems like it’s the cab apps day on the blog today! I was searching for similar services to Uber in the region and came across this article on the launching of Careem in Beirut.
Careem is yet another cab app that connects passengers to drivers and works exactly the same way as Uber, except that I felt like the booking process is smoother in Uber. What remains now though is knowing which one has the best fares and service.
Careem is available on iOS, Android, Windows Phone, and Blackberry.
Hit-and-run woman driver kills a municipal police in Saida
Sroud 3a broud
Meanwhile, our parliament was meeting to extend its mandate until November 2014.
Photo via Cheyef 7alak