Nothing succeeds like excess – and Dubai has certainly succeeded. LIV takes Volvo’s upgraded S80 and XC70 there in search of intelligent luxury.
Like all good businesses, Dubai’s success has been founded on forward sightedness and diversification. The Al Maktoum family realized that their oil wasn’t going to last forever and developed subsidiary interests in trade and tourism. But if you look hard enough you can still find traces of the humble fishing village that became this behemoth, and a mere 45 minute drive from the shopping malls and skyscrapers lies the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve. We drove from the heart of this futuristic city to the heat of the desert in Volvo’s upgraded S80 and XC70.