Features

The range-topping version of Ford’s compact Ranger pick-up model line, the Wildtrak is a thoroughly capable hauler and off-roader with robust performance and high levels of refinement for its segment. An upscale private use lifestyle truck incarnation of a model line and segment rooted in rugged work truck utilitarianism, the Wildtrak adds extensive equipment, convenience and comfort levels.

Hardly the first mixed work and play compact truck, the South African-built Ranger Wildtrak is, however, exceptional in how it combines a rugged sense of charisma, design and desirability with genuine tough workhorse capability. Moreover, the Wilktrak brings to the table a modern driver assistance safety systems, clever convenience and packaging, spacious ergonomics and plenty of mod con features.

Distinctive and desirable

Driven extensively on two occasions in Dubai and in Jordan through the Dead Sea, Wadi Rum, Petra and Aqaba, the Ranger Wildtrack proved to be the standout star during a recent and rigorous event showcasing Ford’s truck and SUV range. Timed to coincide with Jordan’s Independence Day and 100th anniversary of the Great Arab Revolt, the Wildtrak proved an ideal companion through such varied terrain and conditions.

A much improved and handsome truck when first launched in 2011 and Europe’s bestseller in its segment, the Ranger “T6” generation’s gained a more rugged and assertive aesthetic disposition. Revised since last year, the Ranger’s better integrated bumper, moody heavily browed and slimmer headlights and broad and tall new familial hexagonal grille make it particularly distinguished and charismatic among compact pickups.

In top adventure-wagon Wildtrak spec, the Ranger features a body coloured bumper with matt black inserts, grille and rear bumper, power-folding “titanium-effect” mirrors, aluminium roof rails and integrated aerodynamic cargo bay sports bar. Fitted with standard 265/60R18 footwear and only available with spacious four-door double cab body style, the Wildtrak optionally features an integrated lockable rollback cargo cover for improved convenience, security, refinement and aerodynamics.

Torque and traction

Lighter and more compact yet more powerful than most competitors’ V6 engines, the Ranger Wildtrak’s sole and range-topping 3.2-litre common-rail injection turbo-diesel 5-cylinder engine delivers 197BHP at 3000rpm and an avalanche of 347lb/ft torque throughout 1500-2750rpm. Driven through a slick optional 6-speed automatic gearbox with electronically controlled manual shifts, the Wildtrak is quick for a 2193kg truck, crossing the 0-100km/h benchmark in 10.6 seconds.

With quick spooling turbos and little detectable low-end lag, the Wildtrak is muscular off-the-line and with a tsunami of torque proved indefatigable and rapid plowing up through sand dunes in Wadi Rum, making effortlessly confident progress in third and fourth gear. Meanwhile on road, the Wildtrak’s engine is eager for a low-revving turbo-diesel, with reassuring mid-range highway flexibility and with a 175km/h top speed, it easily powers through air resistance to higher speeds than less powerful turbo-diesel trucks.

Driven through its rear wheels in normal on-road conditions, the Wildtrak’s four-wheel drive system can be activated on the move at up to 120km/h. With four-wheel drive engaged, the Wildtrak easily coped with rugged and demanding low traction desert conditions during test drive. However a 2.48:1 low gear reduction ratio and optional locking rear differential allow for more extreme, low-traction, incline, crawling and towing capabilities.

Refined and rugged

Effortless off-road, composed and comfortable on highway, agile through switchbacks and most fuel efficient during the event, the Wildtrak’s high rigidity was demonstrable on quick dirt road, desert and heavily rutted highways. Without any perceptible hint of flex or squeaks, the Wildtrak’s rigid body pays dividends in terms of safety and ride and handling qualities, allowing its sophisticated front and rugged rear suspension to operate with precision.

Refined and settled given its live axle and leaf spring rear suspension, the Wildtrak’s electric steering may not be sportily swift in ratio, but feels precise through narrow winding hill climbs. And combined with relatively compact dimensions and good cabin visibility, it is manoeuvrable in town and easy to place on road. Meanwhile, favourable weight distribution and double wishbone front suspension allow for tidy turn-in.

Well controlled through corners with much less body roll than expected, the Ranger Wildtrack suspension settings seem well-judged for on-road refinement and off-road ability in terms of articulation. Narrow and compact with short front overhang and high 230mm ground clearance, the Wildtrak’s extensive off-road abilities include generous 800mm water fording depth and 28° approach and departure, 25° ramp and 35° tilt angles.

Spacious and sophisticated

Easily accessible and spacious in all directions inside, the Ranger Wildtrak’s cabin is particularly well refined from harshness and vibrations, and with decent insulation from diesel clatter. Ergonomic inside, the Wildtrack’s rugged two-tone cloth upholstered 8-way electric adjustable seats particularly standout for their supportive yet comfortable contours, padding and bolstering, keeping one comfortable for hours on end. Driving position is alert and upright, with steering rake — but no reach — adjustability. 

A thoroughly capable workhorse, the Ranger Wildtrak can accommodate 1180 litres within its cargo bay, 1007kg payload, tow up to 3500kg and features electronic hill descent control. The Wildtrak also features numerous mod cons including TFT instrument cluster, rear parking camera and front sensors, 240v power socket, A/C and Sync 2 infotainment system with 8-inch touchscreen, mobile phone connectivity, CD, USB socket and voice command functions.

Europe’s best selling pickup truck and the only one in its segment to achieve a full five-star Euro NCAP rating as of 2015, the Ranger features standard seven airbags, load adaptive control, emergency brake assistance, electronic stability control with rollover mitigation and side impact door beams. Advanced for its segment, the Euro spec Wildtrak even features optional adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assistance, trailer sway control, traffic sign recognition and forward collision alert and mitigation.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Engine: 3.2-litre, in-line, common-rail turbo-diesel, 5 cylinders

Bore x stroke: 89.9 x 100.8mm

Compression ratio: 15.7:1

Valve-train: 20-valve, DOHC

Gearbox: 6-speed automatic

Driveline: Four-wheel drive, low gear transfer case, locking rear differential

Gear ratios: 1st 4.171:1; 2nd 2.342:1; 3rd 1.521:1; 4th 1.143:1; 5th 0.867:1; 6th 0.691:1

Reverse/final drive: 3.4:1/3.73:1

High/low range: 1:1/2.48:1

Power, BHP (PS) [kW]: 197 (200) [147] @3000rpm

Specific power: 61.6BHP/litre

Torque, lb/ft (Nm): 347 (470) @1500-2750rpm

Specific torque: 147Nm/litre

0-100km/h: approximately 10.6 seconds

Top speed: 175kmh

Fuel consumption, urban/extra-urban/combined; 11.4-/7.4-/8.9 litres/100km

CO₂ emissions, combined: 234g/km

Fuel capacity: 80 litres

Length: 5,362mm

Width: 1,860mm

Height: 1,848mm

Wheelbase: 3,220mm

Headroom, F/R: 1,022/975mm

Legroom, F/R: 1,058/902mm

Ground clearance: 230mm

Cargo volume: 1,180 litres

Approach angle: 28°

Break-over angle: 25°

Departure angle: 28°

Tilt angle: 35°

Kerb weight: 2,193kg

Payload. Net/gross: 932/1,007kg

Towing capacity, braked/un-braked: 3,500/750kg

Gross vehicle mass: 3,200kg

Gross train mass: 6,000kg

Suspension, F/R: Double wishbones, coilovers/leaf springs, live axle

Steering: Electric-assisted rack & pinion

Lock-to-lock: 3.5 turns

Turning circle: 12.4 metres

Brakes, F/R: Ventilated discs 302x32mm/drums, 295x55mm

Tyres: 265/60R18

SAN FRANCISCO — Apple’s Siri made a big splash when the wisecracking digital assistant debuted on the iPhone five years ago. But as other tech giants jockey to build intelligent “chat bots” and voice-controlled home systems capable of more challenging artificial-intelligence feats, Siri at times no longer seems cutting edge.

On Monday, Apple is expected to demonstrate an upgrade to Siri’s smarts as it kicks off its annual software conference. It’s a potentially momentous time for the company; sales of its flagship iPhone are slowing, and AI is emerging as a key tech battleground. Apple, Google, Facebook and others are racing to create digital services that consumers will find indispensable for shopping, chatting, controlling other appliances and simply getting through their daily lives.

And while Siri has gained new abilities over the years, some experts believe Apple still lags in the AI race, hindered in part by its unwillingness to pry too deeply into your personal information.

“Google Now has kind of eaten their lunch,” said Chris Monberg, the co-founder of Boomtrain, a start-up that makes artificial intelligence software used by online retailers. Monberg argues that Google’s proactive digital assistant provides more useful reminders, recommendations and tips on local weather or traffic, largely because it reads his e-mail and other data from his Android phone and crunches it with sophisticated algorithms on Google’s powerful servers.

Amazon’s Echo home speaker likewise has its fans; it recognises informal voice commands and can order flowers, pizza or a ride to the airport. Similarly, many analysts believe the future lies in plans by Facebook, Google and Microsoft to incorporate intelligent “bots” into the voice- and text-messaging services that people use to chat with their friends.

In some respects, Siri remains plenty competitive, at least so long as you stick with Apple’s other services. If an iPhone owner uses Google’s Gmail, for instance, Apple’s software may not scan those e-mails for useful information. But Jan Dawson, a tech analyst at Jackdaw Research, notes that Siri can volunteer helpful reminders from the Apple calendar, offer suggestions based on a user’s location, or search for images stored in Apple’s photo app.

Still, some experts say Apple is at a disadvantage with Google, which has compiled vast quantities of data — about individual users and consumer trends — from its search engine, Gmail, maps and other popular online services. (Many of those Google services remain popular on the iPhone, despite Apple’s best efforts to replace them.)

With AI, “systems get much better the more they know about the user”, said Alan Black, an expert in voice-enabled technology at Carnegie Mellon University. And while today’s smartphones have powerful processors, he added, they don’t have the capabilities of more specialised processors used in big data centres.

Apple collects plenty of data from its users, but hasn’t “focused on connecting all the dots”, said Raj Singh, the co-founder of Tempo AI, an artificial intelligence start-up acquired by Salesforce.com last year.

Google, of course, makes money from advertising that’s keyed to individual interests. Apple, which makes most of its money from iPhones, says its software respects customer privacy by working with an individual’s data on the iPhone or iPad, while anonymising information that’s uploaded to its servers.

“We don’t mine your e-mail, your photos, or your contacts in the cloud to learn things about you,” Apple VP Craig Federighi said at the company’s Worldwide Developers Conference last year. “We honestly just don’t want to know.”

Apple declined comment on plans for Siri. Last fall, however, Apple acquired a start-up that makes AI software specifically for mobile devices, and another that helps computers carry on extensive voice conversations. And tech news sites have reported Apple may loosen its restrictions on Siri’s ability to work directly with other companies’ software. That could enable Siri to book a restaurant reservation on command, or order a ride from a car service, rather than show a link to an app like Open Table or Uber and requiring the user to do the rest.

Imposing that extra step may seem like a classic “first-world problem” — hardly a serious burden. “We’re getting lazier as technology is getting smarter,” joked Forrester Research analyst Julie Ask. But for tech companies, she added, money and power flows from providing the software that consumers use to interact with other companies and services.

Along with new Siri features, Apple is expected to unveil other software improvements for its iPhones, iPads and Mac computers. Analysts are also predicting an overhaul of Apple’s music service. And after Apple’s dust-up with the FBI earlier this year over its iPhone security, some believe Apple might announce new security measures to protect users’ data.

Experts say the quality of Apple’s software and online services is increasingly critical to maintaining its popularity with consumers.

Services like Siri, Apple Music and Apple Pay add significant value to the iPhone and other Apple devices, Dawson said. “They’re important to keeping the Apple ecosystem attractive.”

A Rare Blue Bird Flies with Me

Youssef Fadel

Translated by Jonathan Smolin

Cairo-New York: Hoopoe/American University in Cairo Press, 2016

Pp. 235

In the late 1990s, a time of political opening in Morocco, former political prisoners began publishing memoirs of the torture and abuse they had suffered after failed coup attempts in the early 1970s unleashed over two decades of repression. In this book, Youssef Fadel, who as a student activist was arrested and imprisoned in these so-called Years of Lead, tells the story of their suffering in novelistic form.

According to translator Jonathan Smolin, his novel “should be read as part of this collective experience of human rights abuses, testimony and reconciliation in Morocco… Unlike other works about the period, however, Fadel does not focus on a single real-world site of torture or the experience of one individual. Instead, he breaks new ground by weaving together details from dozens of accounts into a single… narrative that reflects the collective consciousness of the country during the Years of Lead.” (pp. x-xi) 

“A Rare Blue Bird Flies with Me” is also notable for its innovative style. Fadel’s extensive use of the present tense give the book a compelling immediacy, while the bizarre occurrences and details he includes are well-suited to portray a situation that can only be described as such. Short sentences encase powerful descriptions ranging from harsh ultra-realism to lyrical surrealism, conveying life in a prison where inmates are literally left to starve and rot, as well as the hopes and dreams they once harboured.

Multiple voices alternate to tell the story from different angles: that of Aziz, the only surviving prisoner out of hundreds sent to an abandoned casbah in the desert; Zina, his wife, who sets off on one more desperate search for him; her sister; two prison guards; and Hinda, a dog at the casbah. 

These diverse narratives reveal the past lives of the major characters — how they got where they now are, as well as a vast kaleidoscope of feelings and motivations: Aziz’s vacillation between logic and delirium as he thinks he is nearing death; Zina’s determination to find him despite many sidetracks; the guilty feelings of one guard as opposed to the total indifference of the other (he’s only following orders); and Hinda’s unique take on human behaviour: “It seems aggression runs deep in their blood. And their ignorance cannot be surpassed.” (p. 99) 

But it is not all suffering. In the novel’s scant 24-hour now-time, as Zina travels south and Aziz tries to stay alive, their narratives take the reader back in time to their respective childhoods; there are charming descriptions of nature, magical encounters with birds and butterflies, and many passages on Moroccan popular culture. 

One learns how they met, and how Aziz disappeared the day after their wedding 20 years ago, never to return. He was an air force pilot, and his sense of duty made him show up at the base that day as his commander had insisted, thus unwittingly involving himself in the attempted coup. As Zina sees it, “His mistake was that he loved flying. He was piloting his plane while I was on the roof waiting for him to appear. But he didn’t. Not in my sky or in any other sky.” (p. 141)

Fadel’s novel is not only an indictment of the authorities’ abuses during that period, but also of many social ills: the numbing effects of poverty, the misuse of religion, deceit, corruption and patriarchal norms. Aziz, Zina and her sister are all de facto orphans, shunted from relative to relative after their fathers leave their mothers and remarry, their mothers remarry, and so on. The children’s welfare seems to be the last priority in these arrangements. The precarious backgrounds of Aziz and Zina make their meeting and falling in love all the more joyful, only to be aborted by Aziz’s disappearance and imprisonment. It is as if the authorities and society conspire to dash the dreams of a whole generation. 

The emphasis on childhood experiences, set in relief by Hinda the dog’s perspective on human cruelty, give Fadel’s story a universal scope stretching beyond the specifics of the Moroccan experience, to expose inhumanity wherever it may be. Taking this idea a step farther, the book is an implicit plea to nurture what is good in human beings rather than squashing their potential. “A Rare Blue Bird Flies with Me” is available at the University Bookshop (Gardens).

WASHINGTON — Overweight or obese women give birth to larger babies, says new research which could make some pregnant women think twice before reaching for that box of ice cream.

Mothers with high blood sugar or diabetes, even within a healthy range, also tend to have bigger babies, according to a study recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Conversely, having higher blood pressure during pregnancy causes women to deliver smaller babies, researchers at the British universities of Bristol and Exeter, who led the study, found.

“Being born very large or very small can carry health risks for a newborn baby, particularly when that’s at the extreme end of the spectrum,” said Rachel Freathy of the University of Exeter Medical School, who co-wrote the report.

Understanding which characteristics of mothers influence birth weights may help reduce the number of babies born too large or too small, she added.

The researchers examined data from more than 30,000 healthy women and their babies across 18 studies.

All the women had European ancestry and lived in Europe, North America or Australia. They gave birth between 1929 and 2013.

The researchers examined genetic variants associated with womens’ body mass index, blood glucose and lipid levels and blood pressure, together with measurements of those characteristics during pregnancy and babies’ birth weights.

A four-point higher body mass index (BMI) for mothers results in a 54 grammes higher birth weight for babies, the study found.

Researchers also determined ratios for correlations between higher glucose levels in mothers’ blood and higher birth weights, as well as higher blood pressure in mothers and lower birth weights.

“The estimated associations between these maternal traits and birth weight [either increased or reduced] are substantial and of clinical importance,” the authors wrote.

“They support efforts to maintain healthy gestational glucose and blood pressure levels to ensure healthy foetal growth.”

You’re in love with your tablet, have become addicted to it, and plan to do a million things with it, but everyone around tells you that you shouldn’t really, for it just doesn’t have enough resources and power to compete with a laptop, not to mention to replace it. Well, is it true?

It is not, and some tablet models truly can serve as well as a laptop, in countless situations. In others they would even outdo laptops. Tablets provide at least twice and in some cases up to four times the useful battery charge of laptops. Tablets are instantly up and working when you switch them on, with no wait time at all for the operating system to load. Last but not least tablets are lighter to carry around than laptops and can withstand harsher physical conditions like shocks and high temperatures.

Web columnist John McCann put it very nicely: “The tablet is now a thing”.

Which tablet to use? As a start we can eliminate all those that feature a screen smaller than 12 inches, for indeed the smaller sizes just would not be enough to provide a comfortable viewing for many tasks, from web browsing to photo editing, e-mailing, playing computer games, practising social networking, writing an essay or even programming. This still leaves us with a certain number of machines that are fit and qualify for the job. As good examples: Microsoft Surface Pro 4, Samsung Galaxy Note Pro 12.2, Samsung Galaxy TabPro S, Apple iPad Pro, HP Pro Slate 12 and Asus EEE Slate 12.1. 

A tablet’s real power is actually only limited by the speed of your Internet connection. Since most everything these days is done “up there” in the Cloud, the performance of computers of all kinds, regardless of the physical format, is essentially dependant on the quality and the speed of the network.

Besides, only a few years ago a laptop’s processing power, graphics capability and memory size were the same as what any tablet — or smartphone for that matter — features today. As for the accessories and the options, the list is long thanks to the USB connectivity. With a simple OTG (On The Go) USB short cable you can instantly connect a keyboard, a mouse, a large capacity hard disk to the tablet, or any USB accessory, transforming it this way into a device that is very versatile, flexible and that never overheats or annoys you with the noise of its cooling fans like a laptop would when you take it to the limit. Don’t have an OTG cable? No problem, you can perform practically all the same connections wirelessly, thanks to Bluetooth. 

Tablets are used by the Jordanian traffic police to register and report road accidents. Computer professionals also use them to access distant computers for remote maintenance, with popular applications like TeamViewer and that can be found in Android, Mac or Windows versions, therefore covering all configurations and all variations of tablets. The possibilities and the actual applications are virtually endless.

Some will argue that there are still limitations. Of course there are, but they remain exceptions and only affect a minority of users. Heavy Photoshopping for example or designing a complex project with Adobe Illustrator are out of the question. So is advanced database programming. Don’t think MS-Access or Oracle with a tablet, that’s really not what it is designed for.

Others find it frustrating that they cannot charge the tablet while at the same time they would be using the USB port to connect a keyboard or a mouse. This is true on some models that come with only one port, but then again with 8 to 12 hours of battery autonomy, this is not necessarily a limitation. Here too, Bluetooth can come to the rescue, freeing the only available USB port.

Large screen tablets have definitely made the grade and may well be the most practical of all formats of computer-like machines found on the market today.

NEW YORK — For decades, pregnant women and women who may become pregnant have been advised to take folic acid to help prevent certain birth defects.

But a new study suggests it may be possible to get too much of a good thing — very high levels of the vitamin in mothers’ blood at the time of childbirth was linked to higher risk of their children developing autism years later.

Other research points to an opposite relationship between folic acid and autism, showing that adequate amounts of the vitamin at the time of conception can significantly reduce the risk.

Indeed, some experts raised questions about the new research. They note the findings are preliminary numbers, and based on a small number of families seen at only one hospital.

Also, the analysis is based on measures of the vitamin in mothers’ blood at the time of delivery, which may not reveal much about what was going on in the women’s body at the time of early fetal brain development.

Even the researchers themselves said there’s no cause to change current public health recommendations. “We are not suggesting anyone stop supplementation,” said one of the researchers, M. Daniele Fallin of Johns Hopkins University’s school of public health.

But it raises an intriguing question that should be explored in other research, Fallin said. Two outside experts agreed.

“It’s a finding that has plausibility,” said Dr Ezra Susser, a Columbia University professor of epidemiology and psychiatry. He said other researchers have wondered whether too much folic acid can cause problems.

The findings were presented Wednesday at an autism research conference in Baltimore.

Folate is a vitamin found in foods that is important in cell growth and development of the nervous system. A synthetic version, folic acid, is used in supplements and is used to fortify flour and cereals.

Decades ago, researchers found certain levels of folic acid could prevent major birth defects of the baby’s brain and spine. In the early 1990s, US health officials began recommending that all women who might become pregnant should take 400 microgrammes of folic acid daily. And in the late 1990s, federal regulations began mandating that folic acid be added to flour, bread and other grain products.

Those steps are considered one of the great public health success stories of the last half-century. Officials estimate that 1,000 birth defects are prevented each year because of it.

The new researchers followed 1,391 children who were born at Boston University Medical Centre in 1998 through 2013. About 100 of them were later diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder.

The researchers went back and looked at levels of folate and vitamin B12 in the blood of the children’s mothers at the time of childbirth. They found that 16 of them had very high levels of folate, and 15 had extremely high levels of vitamin B12.

Those are very small numbers of cases. But they represent significantly higher proportions than were seen in moms whose children who didn’t develop autism.

If both levels are extremely high, there is more than a 17-fold greater risk that a child will develop autism, the researchers said.

Most of the moms in the study said they took multivitamins — which would include folic acid and vitamin B12 — throughout their pregnancy. But the researchers say they don’t know why some women had such high levels in their blood.

It may be related to taking too many supplements and eating too many fortified foods. Or there could be a genetic reason that caused some women to absorb more folate than others. Or there could be a combination, they said.

Many studies of autism focus largely on white children in middle- and upper-income families. This one drew mainly from low-income and minority families, the researchers noted.

I was one of those people who made fun of jet lag. Call it the arrogance of youth but I really believed this condition was a whole lot of balderdash created by the moaners. These were folks who constantly moaned and complained about everything and I did not have much time for them. 

I loved travelling and had vowed to see as much of the world as possible as soon as I could afford it. I would carefully save my money and instead of splurging on expensive accessories I rushed to buy flight tickets. The result was that most of the travel agents became my good friends who would get me fantastic deals. With the advent of the Internet I became an expert at getting the best prices on all the online booking sites. 

For a couple of decades I was a happy frequent flyer and visited one place after another at the drop of a hat. My suitcases became battered and my passport swelled to accommodate all the international visas. New cultures enthralled me and the alien languages were like music to my ears. From taxi drivers to bartenders, everyone gave me their visiting cards and urged me to make a trip to the unusual hideouts. I noted the instructions carefully and would try my best to comply. 

Amidst all this excitement I never got jet-lagged. Crisscrossing the globe did not bother me one bit. All I needed to do after reaching a new destination was to unpack my bag and dive headlong into the local time zone. Whatever they were having, breakfast, lunch or dinner, I enthusiastically joined the rest of the citizenry, and my body clock adjusted accordingly. It was as simple as that. 

But suddenly, I came to the painful realisation that I was no longer immune to it. All my jokes about jet lag came back to haunt me, and the scorn I treated it with, bit me in the head, so to speak. Soon, after every 11-hour transatlantic flight I started to become disoriented and the extreme fatigue I experienced lasted for days on end. 

For years, I considered jet lag as merely a state of mind. But studies have proved that it actually results from an imbalance in our body’s natural “biological clock” when we go across different time zones. Basically, our bodies work on a 24-hour cycle called “circadian rhythms” that is influenced by our exposure to sunlight and determine when we sleep and when we wake.

While travelling through a number of time zones, the person’s body clock gets out of synchronisation with the destination time, as it experiences daylight and darkness contrary to the rhythms to which it has grown accustomed to. The natural pattern no longer corresponds to the environment and so the body cannot immediately realign these rhythms, it is jet lagged. The speed at which one adjusts to the new schedule depends on the individual as well as the direction of travel; some people may require several days to adjust to a new time zone, while others experience little disruption.

I copy this information to my husband on messenger. He reads it at his office. After 20 minutes my phone beeps with a response. 

“Are you writing with your eyes closed?” he types. 

“How can you tell?” I ask. 

“You seem sleepy,” he types back. 

“No, no,” I deny. 

He sends me a toothy smiley. 

“Zzzzz,” I give up, and go to sleep.

Launched regionally in Dubai in tandem with Nissan Middle East’s end of the financial year announcement, the latest incarnation of the Japanese brand’s bread-and-butter D-segment mid-size saloon is a thoroughly face-lifted car with decidedly more aggressive aesthetic treatment, improved chassis settings and more advanced technology suite for 2016.

First launched as a 2013 model, the current generation Altima was noticeably sportier looking for the typically conservative front-wheel drive D-segment. Now revised, the Altima’s chunkier, sharp-edged new aesthetic brings it into line with Nissan’s aggressive new corporate design language first seen on the 2014 Murano crossover, and more recently the Maxima saloon.

Sporting posture

Dubbed Energetic Flow by Nissan, the Altima’s revised styling features a new appearance and part forward of the A-pillars. Complex and somewhat busy but unmistakably assertive and effective in creating a sense of tension and momentum, the Altima’s new front deeper more sculpted intakes and surfacing, angular lines and ridges and sharper lower lip and lights.

Angled narrowly inwards, stretching back and with a sharp peak rising in the middle, the new Altima’s boomerang-like lights flank the brand’s new V-Motion grille design, which not only adorns the Maxima, but has also been grafted onto Nissan’s now long-serving GT-R high performance coupe, for its latest 2017 model year facelift. 

More subtly restyled from rear, the revised Altima similarly features boomerang-style rear lights re-sculpted bumper, and dark lower element to accentuate its high, short rear deck and built-in spoiler surfacing. Wavy over its front arches and with flowing, rakishly descending roofline, the face-lifted Altima’s use of active grille shutters, underfloor covers and front and rear fascia, achieves improved aerodynamics.

Eager and progressive

With its similarly aggressive front treatment, size and driveline options, the new Altima blurs the gap between itself and its pricier, sportier and more luxurious Maxima sister. Offered in naturally aspirated 2.5-litre 4-cylinder and 3.5-litre V6-cylinder engines for Middle East markets, the Altima latter range topping V6 is, however, tuned to develop 30HP less than is deployed for the Maxima.

Long-serving, widely used and familiar in different states of tune, the Altima’s all-aluminium VQ-series DOHC 3.5-litre V6 engine is silky smooth, progressive and eager. Producing 270HP at 6400rpm and 258lb/ft in Altima application and driving the front wheels through a smooth and efficient continually variable transmission (CVT), it allows for an estimated 6.1-second sprint through 0-97km/h.

Refined and willing to unleash its power with quick rising increments, the Altima 3.5’s over-square engine is keen to rev to its 6600rpm limit and delivers responsive precise throttle control. Retuned to behave more like an automatic gearbox, the Altima’s CVT transmission feels less elastic in ratio changes than previous, and delivers clearer delineation between simulated pre-set ratios in manual shift mode.

Smooth and reassuring

Noticeably improved and better allowing one to experience the VQ engine’s eager high rev character, one was, however, unable to fully explore the Altima’s re-worked transmission during a short undemanding test drive. Of particular interest is how quick shifting through and committed to pre-set ratios it is during demanding manoeuvring conditions where it would be called upon to make successive and decisive changes.

Riding on MacPherson strut front and independent multi-link rear suspension with front and rear anti-roll bars, the face-lifted Altima’s chassis tweaks include revised dampers, bushes and geometry for improved ride comfort and handling ability and control. Meanwhile, the Altima features equal length half-shafts to reduce the torque steer that is typical of powerful front-wheel drive cars.

Driven on mostly smooth roads and sweeping corners the Altima rode with supple refined comfort and felt stable, settled and reassuring at highway speeds, with decent body control and some lean through corners. With little chance to push closer to its dynamic limits, one found that its retuned power-assisted steering is quick and precise, with somewhat improved road feel, while its driveline was mostly refined.

Comfort and refinement

Fitted with standard Active Understeer Control — which one assumes is a brake-based torque vectoring system — the Altima 3.5 seemed more agile and eager turning in than expected. However, with relatively modest width 215/55R17 tyres and noticeably heavier 62 per cent biased front weighting in the 3.5-litre version compared to the 2.5-litre, one would expect some understeer if pressing hard into a corner. 

Benefitting from a more advanced driver assistance suite, the Altima is optionally available with Predictive Forward Collision Warning, radar-based Blind Spot Warning, Forward Emergency Braking, Intelligent Cruise Control and Rear cross Traffic Alert systems. Additionally it features standard ABS brakes, electronic brakeforce distribution and electronic stability and traction control systems. 

Refined and well-appointed with comfortable, spacious and well-adjustable front seating, the Altima cabin features user-friendly controls and tasteful design, best in dark rather than light colours as tested. Featuring upgraded infotainment systems, the Altima 3.5 comes with a 7-inch touchscreen, smartphone integration, mobile apps, text message assistance, voice recognition and additional optional smartphone accessible features.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Engine: 3.5-litre, transverse V6 cylinders

Bore x stroke: 95.5 x 81.4mm

Valve-train: 24-valve, DOHC, variable timing

Compression ratio: 10.3:1

Rev limit: 6600rpm

Gearbox: Continuously variable transmission, simulated 7-speed auto, FWD

Gear ratios: 2.413:1–0.383:1

Reverse / final drive: 0.745:1 / 4.602:1

Power, BHP (PS) [kW]: 270 (273) [201] @6400rpm

Torque, lb/ft (Nm): 258 (350) @4400rpm

0-97km/h: 6.1 seconds (est.)

Top speed: 210km/h (est.)

Fuel consumption, city/highway/combined: 10.7-/7.35-/9 litres/100km* *US EPA

Fuel capacity: 68 litres

Length: 4,879mm

Width: 1,830mm

Height: 1,471mm

Wheelbase: 2,776mm

Track: 1,575mm

Aerodynamic drag co-efficient: 0.28

Headroom, F/R: 1,016/942mm

Legroom, F/R: 1,143/916mm

Hip room, F/R: 1,371/1,323mm

Shoulder room, F/R: 1432/1432mm

Boot volume: 517 litres

Kerb weight: 1,530-1,570kg

Weight distribution, (%) F/R: 62/38

Suspension, F/R: MacPherson struts / multi-link

Steering: Power-assisted, rack & pinion

Turning circle: 11.4 metres

Lock-to-lock: 2.8 turns

Brakes, F/R: Ventilated discs, 297 x 26mm / discs, 292 x 9mm

Tyres: 215/55R17

When it comes to mental health and cognitive function, the importance of rapid eye-movement (REM) sleep — that deep, restorative stage of sleep that we cycle in and out of throughout the night — is so well established that experiments depriving humans of it would be considered unethical.

But there are still mysteries surrounding the function of REM sleep to be explored, including whether, why and how it plays a key role in memory. In a new study, researchers report they have found a novel way to conduct such research — by using tiny lights embedded in a mouse’s brain to disrupt a single aspect of sleep.

Their research has turned up evidence that, after we experience a day’s worth of interaction with our complex world, uninterrupted REM sleep is key to turning those lessons learned into emotional memories and contextual memories.

While conducted in mice, the new findings flesh out the beginnings of memories that are central to the human experience.

Emotional memories deepen and enrich our lives. But they can also haunt us, to paralysing effect, after a traumatic event. These are our longest lasting memories, probably because memories associated with strong emotions such as fear and nurturance were for so long key to our survival. Contextual memories help us recognise objects, people and places and recall their significance. Consolidating these types of memories is essential to learning and navigating our physical and social worlds.

While researchers have found sleep and memory formation to be deeply intertwined, the exact phases of sleep in which that’s happening aren’t well understood. In the new study, published in the journal Science, researchers used optogenetics, a technique in which chemicals and light are used to switch specific neurons on and off, to peer at the process of memory consolidation during REM sleep in mice.

REM sleep is a tricky feature of mammals’ somnolent world to capture. A little over an hour into our nightly slumber, humans begin slipping in and out of this unique stage of sleep for longer and longer periods of time. To the outside world, it’s marked by rapid twitching of the eyes under our lids, a near-total loss of voluntary muscle movement and apparent vivid dreaming.

But inside the brain, the coming and going of REM sleep is marked by more subtle changes: in the hippocampus, amygdala and neocortex — regions of the brain that are central to learning, emotions and memory — certain neurons begin to hum in a synchronous, distinct pattern. This so-called theta rhythm has long been suspected to foster the process of consolidating certain memories.

To find out whether that’s so, researchers at Canada’s McGill University and Switzerland’s Inselspital University Hospital used optogenetics to disrupt the hum of theta rhythm in the brains of sleeping mice, without waking them up.

They focused on a group of neurons in the brain’s medial septum that serve as a “pacing” mechanism to start and stop the theta rhythm in the hippocampus during REM sleep. By selectively switching those neurons to the “off” position, they let the mice sleep, but prevented their brains from entering into REM sleep.

Then they watched how the mice’s lack of REM sleep affected their memory.

In mice, laying down emotional and contextual memories is a simpler, more survival-oriented matter.

In a lab, researchers measure a mouse’s successful consolidation of an emotional memory by giving it a foot-shock when it steps on a specific spot, and then watching to see if the mouse — having committed its fright and dread of another shock to memory — goes on to avoid that spot.

Researchers use a mouse’s reliable impulse to explore a new object, or a familiar object in a new spot, to test whether a contextual memory has been formed. If a mouse fails to favour a novel or newly positioned object over a familiar one for exploration, it’s assumed he has failed to make a contextual memory.

Sure enough, mice deprived of REM sleep, while well rested, were less likely than undisturbed mice to have formed memories of conditioning experiments they underwent before sleep. They were less likely to avoid the place they were shocked and unlikely to evince any memory of having seen one of two objects before.

The approach used by the researchers to explore how REM sleep affects certain kinds of memory, marked a “radical departure” from past efforts, wrote Dr Bernat Koksis, a professor of psychiatry and a sleep researcher at Harvard University Medical School. Optogenetics allows a much finer look at the complex process at work than do sleep-deprivation studies or population-based studies that draw broad associations, he suggested.

The researchers have shown a link between REM sleep and emotional and contextual memories, Koksis wrote. But the mechanism at work, the hippocampal theta rhythm, may be at work in other processes, too, not all of them connected to sleep, he added.

A better understanding of theta activity in our brains while we’re awake might find that the unique brain state explored by the researchers here is also at work in spatial navigation, as we physically or mentally travel our world, Koksis wrote.