The Renault Sherpa can easily handle bouncing over dunes at 45°; the question is, can its passengers?
The Renault Sherpa can easily handle bouncing over dunes at 45°; the question is, can its passengers?

Sherpa: French for 'go anywhere'



The Hummer H1 has been good in the hands of the United States military, but this old-school light tactical truck can't hold a flare to France's take on the terrain buster, the Renault Sherpa 2. And unlike the Hummer, the Sherpa is available for the civilian market - in the Gulf at least - though not in large numbers. Renault is cagey about the cost of the vehicle and the number it expects to sell here, but it has a definite idea of its market.

While it would be a romantic notion to imagine a fleet of Sherpas taking to Liwa and the Empty Quarter for hunting trips, most units will be acquired for the far more down-to-earth purposes of the oil and gas industry. The Sherpa's speed, agility and derring-do make it a vital fast-response vehicle for oilfield emergencies and repairs. With just four cylinders within its 4.8L diesel power plant and a maximum output of just 215hp, the Sherpa's strength is in its torque. Almost 815Nm, in fact, with peak output between 1,200 and 1,700rpm giving it seemingly unparalleled ability over dunes. Unusually for a dedicated off-roader, the Sherpa uses six automatic forward gears allied to a separate, full-time, four-wheel-drive transfer box with a torque-dividing differential between front and rear drive axles.

Because this was a vehicle originally built for the military - the Sherpa currently takes part in a number of United Nations operations around the world, and we're told several armies, including the French, are looking at it as a serious tool - it was designed to protect its occupants, and accordingly it can be built with armour protection up to Stanag Level 1 to ward off shell fire, grenades and mine blasts.

Of course, this will add some considerable extra weight to the unladen chassis, but what is remarkable about the Sherpa is its ability to maintain the same performance figures up to a maximum burden of nine tonnes. What is doubly remarkable is that these figures include 140kph as its top speed. Given the terrain it can tackle, the speeds possible and the adventurous French driver at the wheel, the Sherpa's performance can be electrifying.

Looking like an overly endowed H1 from the outside and running on 34-inch tyres, it boasts a track of almost two metres, a wheelbase of over 4.5m and one of the biggest Renault badges known to man. Inside, four sports seats with full racing buckles provide the comfort amid all the utility: webbing, map lights, lockdown storage and little else. The driver is ensconced behind what looks like a bus console, with an oversize steering wheel, a swathe of knobs and switches and a radio player.

Grab handles are available, but only in the form of the roll-bar skeleton frame. If you can't reach up, you had better prepare for the sort of ride you would get at a rodeo. With an approach angle of 58° and a departure angle only eight degrees shallower, the Sherpa really can go anywhere?and at pace. After deflating the tyres hydraulically from the cab, it might take the best part of a minute to get to a decent speed, but given its capability there is little need to hammer the brakes. Dunes of 45° are child's play, and it feels like the only components in the Sherpa to get a real workout are the seat straps, which immediately show their value.

During our ride, we also saw the car's value in a practical setting. A 15-tonne, six-wheel drive Kerax support truck had come to a stop atop a dune. Dwarfed by the beached truck's mass, the Sherpa still arrived to help and, within seconds, the big brother was shifted by the tactical truck's massive torque, and roared off. Unfortunately, the Sherpa left the manoeuvre slightly injured, its tyre inflator malfunctioning and pumping out all the air. Given the size of the rubbers, the smell of burning tyre can become overwhelming; as can be the prospect of unbolting 20 or so nuts and replacing something that weighs more than a man.

But in spite of this glitch, the Sherpa is well-tested, a fleet of six having completed the Cape to Cape adventure last year, travelling from North Cape in Norway to Cape Town in South Africa for a four-month rally to show the model's capability. The UAE public, meanwhile, will be able to witness it in action at this week's Desert Challenge, where it will take part in active testing. And hopefully, we will one day see the beast tearing over the dunes in a recreational capacity. However, at a price that is no doubt as punishing as the environment it can cover, the Sherpa will be a prized sight, and one will be remembered as much for its imposing proportions as for its remarkable ability. motoring@thenational.ae

Libya's Gold

UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves. 

The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.

Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.

Company%20Profile
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Airev
Started: September 2023
Founder: Muhammad Khalid
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: Generative AI
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47
 
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

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FIXTURES

All kick-off times 10.45pm UAE ( 4 GMT)

Tuesday
Mairobr v Liverpool
Spartak Moscow v Sevilla
Feyenoord v Shakhtar Donetsk
Manchester City v Napoli
Monaco v Besiktas
RB Leipzig v Porto
Apoel Nicosia v Borussia Dortmund
Real Madrid v Tottenham Hotspur

Wednesday
Benfica v Manchester United
CSKA Moscow v Basel
Bayern Munich v Celtic
Anderlecht v Paris Saint-Germain
Qarabag v Atletico Madrid
Chelsea v Roma
Barcelona v Olympiakos
Juventus v Sporting Lisbon

Jigra
Director: Vasan Bala
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
Rated: 3.5/5
Cinco in numbers

Dh3.7 million

The estimated cost of Victoria Swarovski’s gem-encrusted Michael Cinco wedding gown

46

The number, in kilograms, that Swarovski’s wedding gown weighed.

1,000

The hours it took to create Cinco’s vermillion petal gown, as seen in his atelier [note, is the one he’s playing with in the corner of a room]

50

How many looks Cinco has created in a new collection to celebrate Ballet Philippines’ 50th birthday

3,000

The hours needed to create the butterfly gown worn by Aishwarya Rai to the 2018 Cannes Film Festival.

1.1 million

The number of followers that Michael Cinco’s Instagram account has garnered.

THE%20STRANGERS'%20CASE
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The biog

Mission to Seafarers is one of the largest port-based welfare operators in the world.

It provided services to around 200 ports across 50 countries.

They also provide port chaplains to help them deliver professional welfare services.

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Tax authority targets shisha levy evasion

The Federal Tax Authority will track shisha imports with electronic markers to protect customers and ensure levies have been paid.

Khalid Ali Al Bustani, director of the tax authority, on Sunday said the move is to "prevent tax evasion and support the authority’s tax collection efforts".

The scheme’s first phase, which came into effect on 1st January, 2019, covers all types of imported and domestically produced and distributed cigarettes. As of May 1, importing any type of cigarettes without the digital marks will be prohibited.

He said the latest phase will see imported and locally produced shisha tobacco tracked by the final quarter of this year.

"The FTA also maintains ongoing communication with concerned companies, to help them adapt their systems to meet our requirements and coordinate between all parties involved," he said.

As with cigarettes, shisha was hit with a 100 per cent tax in October 2017, though manufacturers and cafes absorbed some of the costs to prevent prices doubling.

'My Son'

Director: Christian Carion

Starring: James McAvoy, Claire Foy, Tom Cullen, Gary Lewis

Rating: 2/5

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: ARDH Collective
Based: Dubai
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Sector: Sustainability
Total funding: Self funded
Number of employees: 4
DUNGEONS%20%26%20DRAGONS%3A%20HONOR%20AMONG%20THIEVES
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World Test Championship table

1 India 71 per cent

2 New Zealand 70 per cent

3 Australia 69.2 per cent

4 England 64.1 per cent

5 Pakistan 43.3 per cent

6 West Indies 33.3 per cent

7 South Africa 30 per cent

8 Sri Lanka 16.7 per cent

9 Bangladesh 0

SPECS

Engine: 4-litre V8 twin-turbo
Power: 630hp
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: 8-speed Tiptronic automatic
Price: From Dh599,000
On sale: Now


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