Indholdsfortegnelse for December 2020 i CAR

Greetings CAR readers. Now that my first CAR magazine (November 2020) is a distant reflection in the rear-view mirror, I guess it’s time to settle into something approaching the “new normal” for CAR in December. Chatting to this month’s featured columnist Alexander Parker – whose new book, 50 People Who F**ked Up South Africa: The Lost Decade, you have to read – he wanted to explore South Africa’s shifting middle class and what impact that has had on the nation’s buying patterns over the last decade. I’ll let him elaborate further on page 50 but, essentially, SUVs and crossovers (be they full-size or compact) are where the market is at right now. That’s why we’ve gone all-in on leisure-lifestyle vehicles this month. There’s a fierce face-off between Land Rover and…

Price: R1 095 600 (90 range starts from) Engine: 3,0-litre, 6-cyl, turbo- and supercharged petrol (P400) Transmission: 8-speed automatic Power: 294 kW @ 5 500 r/min Torque: 550 N.m @ 2 000-5 000 r/min 0-100 km/h: 6,0 seconds* Top speed: 209 km/h* Fuel consumption: 11,1 L/100km* CO2 : 252 g/km Rivals: Mercedes-Benz G-Class, Jeep Wrangler, Toyota Land Cruiser Prado extremely capable off-road; compact design; latest tech awkward access to rear seats; rear seats don’t fold flat Land Rover will follow through on its promise to add the much-anticipated short-wheelbase Defender 90 to its model line-up with pricing from R1 095 600 in 2021. It’s the one many have been waiting for, with its compact and more urban-friendly size and design. To find out whether it’s more than just a look-at-me city…

It could have been the perfect lounge or dining hall but instead, Nekkies Smit decided to fill it with a host of collectable Land Rovers and Range Rovers. Walking through the display area at the Wellington branch of his business, Gateway Offroad Centre, it is clear Nekkies’ passion for all things Land Rover has become more than that. It has blossomed into a viable business where he services, maintains, restores and customises Land Rovers, old and new. As is so often the case, Nekkies’ interest in Land Rovers started at a young age. “I grew up in a farming community and we were used to seeing all sorts of 4x4s. In 2000, I bought my first Defender, a Series II. It was in a terrible state because I couldn’t afford…

CAR IN THE WAITING ROOM My introduction to CAR magazine is a fairly recent one, after perusing an issue at the local barber. I decided to flip through the pages as I waited for the stylist to complete their work on my best friend’s hair. The magazine in question was the July 2018 issue which featured the Roush Ford Ranger 3,2 TDCi Double Cab bashfully charging through the sand. While reading, I was impressed by how informative and welcoming your magazine truly is. As a woman, I never thought I would be reading about cars and enjoying the content provided by your team. One particular piece that stood out was the Rover P6 Starter Classic by Peter Palm. His in-depth knowledge on the engine, components and other interesting facts is…

Price: R851 100 0-100 km/h: 10,83 seconds Top speed: 175 km/h Power: 150 kW Torque: 500 N.m CAR fuel index: 9,60 L/100 km CO2 : 209 g/km Since its inception, the purpose of a double-cab bakkie has changed significantly. Initially, the concept was a perfect practical offering to business owners who needed to lug their workforce and equipment about. Over the years, however, this segment has evolved from catering for the utilitarian buyer to one where the double cab is considered a viable family vehicle. Consequently, manufacturers have focused on equipping such models with more lifestyle-minded features. One such example is the updated Toyota Hilux in GD-6 4x4 Legend guise which boasts the new roller-shutter package. As the flagship of the range, it also ushers in several comfort and convenience features…

TWO-STROKE QUERIES Many thanks for the interesting article on two-stroke engines (CAR August 2020). I have the following technical questions regarding two-strokes: 1. Expansion chambers are used for tuning purposes. How does one calculate the size and shape of this chamber to increase power? 2. What causes a hole in the piston top when running a two-stroke without an exhaust and, therefore, without backpressure? I ask because it has happened to me. LOUWRENS OOSTHUIZEN Kleinmond We are glad you enjoyed our article. Let’s jump straight in to answer your questions. Question 1: Not a trivial question at all. The optimum exhaust design on a two-stroke engine involves gas dynamics, organ-pipe mathematics and some black art, shall we say. The main parts of the pipe consist of the downpipe, diffuser (divergent…

First touchscreen infotainment system Buick Riviera 1986 It’s fair to say things were simpler back in the late 1980s as the digital revolution was just gaining traction on a consumer level. The likes of Sony’s Walkman allowed folks to tote their music along with them and the arrival of the Apple Macintosh and IBM 5150 moved advanced electronics away from prohibitively impractical government and scientific applications and into our homes. While these groundbreaking innovations were bringing about radical changes to everyday lives, our cars were still decidedly analogue. Sure, electronic fuel injection and myriad engine sensors had been whirring away under the bonnet for some years but, in the 1980s, the controls for our cars’ audio and ventilation systems were still rooted in physical switches and dials. It was against…

Everyone – with the possible exception of face mask manufacturers and the founder of Zoom – will be pleased to see the back of 2020. For many, it’s been a year to regroup and that’s certainly true for Jaguar Land Rover. It has a new boss and will go into 2021 with a totally refreshed model line-up, from the updated Jaguar XE to the tech-filled Range Rover. This will include several new plug-in hybrid models, some of which are heading to South Africa and which we got to drive in England alongside the new Defender 90. First up is the Range Rover Evoque PHEV, which gets a 15 kWh lithium-ion battery to bolster its 1,5-litre three-cylinder petrol engine. The Evoque is still a great piece of design with a real…

Like all intrepid explorers, once at the summit, it was impossible not to become transfixed by the boundless emptiness and sheer scale of Ouberg Pass. Likewise, it was impossible not to fall in love with the vehicles that had got us there. How did we rate the Volvo XC90? Rest assured the boffins from Gothenburg who built it have probably never seen a route as rugged as the one to Ouberg Pass. True to character, the Volvo played it safe and sensible and, while it did protest a few times with a low-tyre-pressure warning (a slow puncture that only fully revealed itself days later), it displayed impressive wheel travel and off-road agility. The Mercedes-Benz GLE 400d 4Matic … well, it was by far the fastest and most opulent vehicle of…

There’s a dealer on Koeberg Road in Cape Town that specialises in pristine elderly Mercedes-Benzes. A 1986 560SEL there caught my attention: 205 kW of leather-clad, extended-legroom resplendence, replete with rear leg rests, electric rear seats, air-conditioning and hot-and-cold running butlers. It has been gently run-in over 34 years with 248 000 km on the odometer and, at just R140 000, it could just be the perfect set of wheels for the school run. A quest for power and space found me there instead of a new-car dealership. Quality cars are prohibitively expensive and it occurred to me that COVID-19 has compounded and accelerated existing societal change. A change that is plain to see in car sales data. The number of jobs lost in the first four months of the…

Reader EDDIE HARVEY wins a 12-month subscription to CAR magazine, South Africa’s leading motoring title, for his great letter. FOUR GREAT ADVANTAGES OF A CAR SUBSCRIPTION: 1. Stay current by never missing an issue of your favourite magazine. 2. A free digital subscription is included. 3. Enjoy the luxury of home delivery. 4. You get the magazine before it goes on sale. (A subscriber already? Extend yours by a further 12 months, or give it to a friend or relative.)…

Ford Ranger 2,0 BiT Double Cab 4x4 Raptor The Raptor’s Fox suspension and impressive turbodiesel allow it to take off-road performance to a new level, earning it top billing in our recommendations list. Toyota Hilux 2,8 GD-6 4x4 Legend RS AT Improvements to the Hilux are significant and welcome, but the asking price for the roller shutter package is perhaps too steep for this to be a justifiable purchase. Isuzu D-Max 300 3,0TD Double Cab 4x4 LX Arctic Trucks AT 35 Nails it in the looks and suspension departments, although the engine and drivetrain are dated. This caters to a specific niche in the double-cab market. USED OPTION (<2yrs) Mercedes-Benz X350d Double Cab 4Matic Power The X350d serves up 190 kW and a pretty head-turning design. 2019 models are now…

8 months 4 775 km 13,1 kWh/100 km + instant access to torque; one-pedal driving; high levels of refinement; affordable to run - range plummets on the highway; public charging infrastructure; you can’t actually buy one Were it not for the word “electric” emblazoned along its flanks, I suspect our E-Golf – one of just six examples buzzing around the country as part of Volkswagen SA’s electric vehicle pilot project – would have gone by largely unnoticed by other motorists. That’s not what happened, though. Not by a long shot. At first glance, it looks pretty much like a standard version of Wolfsburg’s popular seventh-generation, five-door hatchback. But pay close attention and you’ll be able to pick out clues to the fully electric powertrain lurking silently beneath that familiar skin.…

To measure just the maximum power and torque outputs, an inertial dyno can be used. If a large, heavy-diameter drum with known inertia is used, the rotational acceleration under full load can be used to calculate the torque (see equation below) and power. A typical dyno run would last a couple of seconds (power dependent) as the engine speed increases to maximum while the dyno drum speeds up. This type of data is not suited for engine calibration as you cannot keep the engine speed constant but it is great for power shootouts at car or motorcycle meets.…

As virtually any South African motorist can attest to, the country’s highways and byways are seldom short of drama. Whether it’s a gut-churning crash or simply oblivious motorists behaving badly, there’s often something remarkable happening on the tarmac right in front of you. Rather than whipping out your smartphone (which you most certainly shouldn’t do behind the wheel) to film that road-rage brawl or catch that crooked traffic cop red-handed, you might consider investing in a dashcam. It may end up paying for itself if you are ever involved in a collision. There are basic front-facing items, setups that record the cabin environment (best suited for fleet owners who wish to monitor driver behaviour), and more comprehensive systems that include both front- and rear-facing cameras. The thing is, shopping for…

Notes • The PRICES shown are the latest available at the time of going to press. Our deadline occurred on 20 October 2020. Readers should check with a dealer before making a decision. • The HP payment calculations are based on a 10% deposit, current prime interest rate and a 60-month repayment period with no residual at the end. • Under ENGINE we list the number of cylinders and the cubic capacity in cm3 . Here, V = V-shaped engine layout; H = horizontally-opposed engine layout; The absence of an initial symbol implies an in-line engine layout. • FUEL SUPPLY abbreviations are P = petrol-engined; D = diesel-engined; T = turbocharged, a compressor driven by exhaust gases; S = supercharged, a compressor driven by the engine; P/H = petrol-hybrid and…

When we think about the late, great Sir Roger Moore, we might best remember him in the role of James Bond. However, before those seven feature films, Roger Moore found his suave acting style on screen in the 1960’s British TV series The Saint; a show that featured the equally stylish Volvo P1800 S as a hero car … undoubtedly one of the prettiest Volvos ever produced. As with most movies and TV series, more than one car was required for filming purposes during the show’s 118 episodes. However, this survivor pictured is known the world over as The Saint car. Although there were precious few James Bond-style car chases in the show, the classy aura of the Volvo was clearly portrayed in the episodes. Any vigorous driving merely revealed…

1990 MAZDA EUNOS COSMO Toyota may have been first with CD ROM navigation but Mazda’s rotary-engine grand tourer was the first car to feature GPS navigation. It offered live navigation and wasn’t subject to the memory storage constraints placed on prior CD ROMs. 2000 CHRYSLER 300M Just a year after the first consumer Bluetooth device launched, Chrysler decided to adopt this new wireless medium in several of its 2000-model vehicles. The system added media functionality in 2004, becoming the firm’s Uconnect system. 2005 ACURA RL Execution remains hit-and-miss but voice control is becoming more commonplace. The first such factory-fitted system – Acura Voice – had issues with microphone pickup, yet, could oversee navigation, climate control and hands-free telephony. 2014 FERRARI FF The FF’s all-wheel drive may have been the big…

In a radical move away from the traditional hinged board sun visor arrangement, Bosch has come up with a state-of-the-art system to eliminate solar glare in the driver’s line of sight. Using a transparent LCD screen divided into hexagonal cells, the Virtual Visor will block and unblock sections of the visor according to a camera feed that tracks the movement of sunlight across the driver’s eye line. A major advantage to this system is that roughly 90% of the visor remains transparent at all times, vastly improving visibility without the need for fiddly adjustment that requires drivers to take their hands off the wheel. TRUMPETED TURBO For all of the advancements in lag-reducing turbo technology, the issues of low-end responsiveness and torque generation continue to dog forced-induction engines. However, dual-volute…

JUMPING ELANTRA I have a Hyundai Elantra with a manual transmission. It is two years old and has 28 000 km on the clock. I had no issues until winter 2019. When pulling away in the morning, the car would make a series of violent jerks as if the clutch was bouncing. Once the engine had warmed up, it got better but on really cold days the bouncy-clutch feeling happened when pulling away at a traffic light even after driving several kilometres. Although the problem has been the same this year, due to lock-down I haven’t driven the vehicle as much. When I did go to work, it was much later than I usually would, so therefore not as cold. The Hyundai dealer has had the vehicle in twice, the…

Rover started building big-wheel bicycles (Penny Farthing) and tricycles in 1877 and was called the Rover Cycle Company. The first Rover motorcar was an 8 hp model in 1904. In 1906, the word “Cycle” was dropped from the name and later the Rover logo adopted a Viking longship. Fast forward to today and the brand, together with MG, is now owned by Nanjing Auto. No Rovers are currently produced although its parent company, SAIC, still manufactures MGs under the name Roewe. The reason for the name change is that Jaguar-Land Rover retains the Rover name and logo. Interestingly, Nanjing has a production history dating back to 1947, and SAIC back to 1955, so these companies are not exactly newcomers to the automotive world.…