Indholdsfortegnelse for December 2017 i CAR

SIR Herbert Austin built his company, Austin of England, into a successful business thanks to the Austin Seven it produced between 1922 and ‘39. As it turns out, the Seven also helped build several other successful automotive brands. SWALLOW (JAGUAR) The Swallow Sidecar Company, co-founded in 1927 by William Lyons, made prettier versions of the Seven. These sold so well that the company decided to put its own bodies on other brands, too, and in 1932, it brought out the SS Jaguar 100 two-seater based on a chassis provided by the Standard Motor Company. In 1945, the Swallow Sidecar Company changed its name to Jaguar. BMW In 1928, BMW chose to augment its bikes with cars and bought Automobilwerk Eisenach that was licensed to build Sevens. The very first BMW…

FOR seven decades, Mercedes-Benz’s S-Class has been the German automaker’s top-of-the-range saloon and has maintained a reputation for introducing innovative technologies soon replicated by other marques. Although the S moniker was officially introduced only in 1972, the model lineage can trace its history back to the early 1950s when the brand’s flagship models began carrying the “S” designation as part of their name. In 1956, with the 220 S, the letter became a permanent fixture in the names of the Mercedes-Benz premium-class models, underlining their premium status. On a recent trip to Friedrichsruhe, 70 km outside Stuttgart, we were able to experience every generation of the S-Class, from the W108 “Ponton” to the very latest, facelifted incarnation. It was also fitting that the event was hosted in this region; for…

AUDI A8 L 60 T FSI QUATTRO TIPTRONIC PRICE: TBC ETA: Q2 2018 WE ARE HERE BEFORE commencing anything A8-related – the design; the drive; the technology – there’s one burning question that has to be answered: does the latest iteration of Audi’s halo saloon have what it takes to measure up to the eminently comfortable and sumptuous luxury-car yardstick that is the Mercedes-Benz S-Class? Given the latter’s near-unassailable position atop the seldom-stirred premium luxury-saloon stack, the entrance of any potential rival is worth more than just an arched eyebrow above a page of the Financial Times. This is especially the case with the introduction of the new A8, as in many respects it has the goods to best its longstanding rival. The one area where the A8, subjectively at…

TOYOTA FORTUNER 2,4 GD-6 4x4 AT PRICE: R506 000 ETA: Now WE ARE HERE THE Toyota Fortuner is a significant seller in our market. Not only is it the clear leader in the bakkie-based SUV segment but, retailing about 1 000 units each month, it is also one of South Arica’s most popular vehicles overall. However, Toyota isn’t resting on its laurels. An obvious omission in the line-up has been the absence of a 4x4 version of models with the highly capable 2,4 GD-6 engine. There are, after all, such derivatives in the Hilux range and we’ve made no secret that we think this engine is the sweet spot in both the Fortuner and Hilux ranges. Like most, this segment is also moving towards automatic transmissions and, as Toyota confirmed…

WHAT A CLASSIC WORKS VEHICLE COSTS* Land Rover Series 1 £80 000 First-generation Range Rover £135 000 Jaguar E-Type Series 1 £280 000 Walking through the entrance of Jaguar Land Rover’s (JLR) Classic Works facility on a Friday afternoon in Coventry, England, I forget my manners. Our host greets me but I fail to make eye contact. Instead, my errant eyeballs are drawn to some of the most beautiful and rare JLR products on display: an XKSS, Series 1 E-Type and a Series 1 Land Rover. The Landy looks completely out of place, though; not because it is a Land Rover, but rather due to its decidedly tatty condition compared with the other pristine automotive jewels parked here. It is, however, only a temporary condition and this neglected SUV is…

Price: R229 900 0-100 km/h: 13,78 sec Power/Torque: 66 kW/140 N.m Top speed: 171 km/h CAR fuel index: 6,48 L/100 km CO2: 125 g/km TWO years into its local lifecycle, the quirky Renault Captur continues to make the most of its chic, Clio-based styling, sought-after raised ride height and relative value. It has confirmed its stature as a worthy contender in the ever-popular light-crossover segment. Not resting on its laurels, though, and keen to build on the success of this important model, Renault South Africa has used a mild refresh to introduce a compelling new entry-level variant. It is one aimed at (cough) capturing the attention of buyers who may not have had the budget to afford this French offering. While the popular Dacia-derived Sandero Stepway wears its adopted Renault…

Price: R1 044 000 0-100 km/h: 5,72 sec Power/Torque: 260 kW/500 N.m Top speed: 250 km/h CAR fuel index: 9,96 L/100 km CO2: 189 g/km WHEN Audi launched the first-generation SQ5 back in 2013, eyebrows were raised at the prospect of this premium compact SUV and its athletic aspirations. Under the bonnet lay not a high-revving petrol engine mated with Audi’s slick S tronic dual-clutch transmission, but a grunty 3,0-litre biturbo-diesel feeding power to all four corners via a torque-converter slush ‘box. The naysayers, however, were proven wrong and it found success not only globally, but also here in South Africa. Fast-forward a brief four years and the idea of a performance compact SUV suddenly isn’t far-fetched. Porsche has the Macan S, GTS and Turbo, Jaguar the F-Pace in supercharged…

KIA SPORTAGE 1,7 CRDi IGNITE PLUS There’s a welcome charm to one of the most affordable members of the recently expanded Sportage range KEEN on reclaiming lost ground in the local compact-SUV playing field, Kia’s recently expanded Sportage range introduced not only a new turbodiesel engine, but also a new specification level aimed at filling the relatively substantial pricing gap between the entry-level and graciously specced models in the portfolio. It was both the intrinsic qualities of this new powertrain, together with the relative back-to-basics charm associated with Kia’s new Ignite Plus specification level, that appealed to us when we were deciding which Sportage to add to our long-term fleet. This vehicle is finished in stylish Dark Gun Metal paintwork and Ignite Plus models are distinguished from entry-level Ignite offerings…

COOLANT CIRCUIT OF AN AIR-CONDITIONING SYSTEM 1 Compressor. 2 Solenoid clutch (for compressor on/off). 3 Condensor. 4 Additional blower. 5 Fluid container. 6 Condensation drip pan. 7 Evaporator. 8 Temperature sensor. 9 Evaporator fan. 10 Expansion valve. THESE days, air-conditioning is standard on practically all vehicles and, on a boiling day, it is one of life’s great pleasures to get a welcome blast of ice-cold air from the vents. To find out how you can ensure proper operation of your vehicle’s air-con, we spoke to expert Helmut Rübler from refrigeration and repair specialist, Alaska Enterprises. HOW AN AIR-CON WORKS As indicated in the illustration opposite, an air-con operates in a closed system with a refrigerant as the working fluid (see What a gas). This means that the incoming hot air…

LOCAL TIFOSI (2) I found your Ferrari tribute in the October 2017 issue a pleasant surprise. I have been a Ferrari fan since my school days; I matriculated in 1952 and I’ve followed the carmaker’s history and progress ever since. In my time, I have had the privilege of pottering a 250 GTO around the paddock at Goodwood Circuit in 1961 and driving a friend’s Mondial briefly round Cape Town. Regrettably, I did not take up an offer of driving a California when they first came out. Two years ago while in Italy, we spent a long weekend in Modena and Maranello. We visited the original Ferrari works, spent a day in Maranello, which included a tour of the factory, as well as Fiorano Circuit and the equally fantastic museum.…

The Ranger has already proven itself as a tough, dependable foil to the institution that’s the Toyota Hilux. But now Ford’s bakkie is about to add another bow to its string by following in the footsteps of its F150 cousin with the introduction of the model you see in these renderings, the performance-oriented Raptor model. The really big news is that, coinciding with a revised Ranger line-up being introduced in 2019, the Raptor will be assembled at the Blue Oval’s Silverton plant outside Pretoria. Barring its arrival here, though, details of the go-faster Ranger are thin on the ground, but there are some compelling pointers. ETA: 2019 CLIPPED WINGS? Sources close to the Ranger Raptor’s development have revealed that it will be powered by a newly developed 2,0-litre, four-cylinder twin-turbo…

MERCEDES-BENZ X250d 4MATIC POWER PRICE: TBC ETA: Q2 2018 WE ARE HERE WHY brave? Well, the German leisure double cab will enter a fiercely competitive sector globally, and one ruled locally by two bruiser bakkies: the Hilux and Ranger. Sure, the Amarok posts commendable figures considering it’s available only in high-spec, high-price derivatives – and I’m mentioning the refined Volkswagen because it functions as a yardstick for the X-Class – but they’re still minuscule compared with the number of Fords and Toyotas that are snapped up. The Nissan Navara (which, you’ll be aware by now, forms the basis of the X-Class), Mitsubishi Triton, Fiat Fullback and Mazda BT-50, meanwhile, have thus far failed to make inroads. But first some background. Mercedes-Benz has a share agreement with the Renault-Nissan Alliance that’s…

NISSAN X-TRAIL 1,6 dCi TEKNA 4WD PRICE: R457 900 ETA: Now WE ARE HERE SINCE the first-generation X-Trail’s introduction in our market in 2001,it has proven itself a capable and popular family vehicle. This third-generation variant was launched here in late-2014 and, three years later, Nissan has refreshed it while keeping pricing reasonable. External changes are discernible, with a new V-shaped grille, headlamps with revised daytime-running lights, darker rear lenses and a shark-fin radio antenna. Inside, you now get a flat-bottomed steering wheel and improvements to the quality of the upholstery and interior trim. What has not changed, however, is the generous levels of comfort and support offered by the seats. Indeed, a decided advantage of larger-bodied vehicles such as this X-Trail is that the designers don’t have to compromise…

BMW 640i xDRIVE GRAN TURISMO STEPTRONIC PRICE: R1 123 350 ETA: Now WE ARE HERE BEFORE taking my seat at the dinner table alongside one of the key people in charge of BMW’s Gran Turismo programme, the plan was to wait until after the tasty main course – and just before a sweetening dessert – to field my most obvious question: does the world really need cars of this ilk? Instead, I was pleasantly surprised much earlier that evening by the frankness of the BMW personnel on hand regarding the relative strengths and, indeed, weaknesses of the extinct 5 Series GT. The fact that a total of 150 000 cars found (predominantly Far Eastern) homes during this model’s eight-year lifecycle is one positive and, ultimately, the reason for this latest…

 Price: R599 995 Fit and finish are of a high standard and the plush leather seats are comfortable 0-100 km/h: 11,16 sec Power/Torque: 133 kW/430 N.m Top speed: 180 km/h CAR fuel index: 9,6 L/100 km CO2: 214 g/km SOUTH African families love bakkie-based SUVs and we buy them in droves. Given our outdoor lifestyles, it’s hardly surprising considering these vehicles offer vast interior space (with seven-seat capability), rugged off-road potential and many of the mod-cons expected of a luxury vehicle. Kerb-side appeal and street cred certainly don’t hurt, either. The fact that this type of vehicle is less suited to the school run than a typical crossover is of little concern to buyers seeking one vehicle to “do it all”. With the departure of General Motors and with it…

Price: R459 995 0-100 km/h: 11,01 sec Power/Torque: 114 kW/192 N.m Top speed: 186 km/h CAR fuel index: 9,48 L/100 km CO2: 179 g/km WHEN the latest-generation Kia Sportage was launched about a year ago, the range comprised just five models. Entering a highly competitive and derivative-heavy segment, this range looked both small and a little lopsided with one lower-priced offering and the other four between R120 000 and R230 000 more expensive. Poor sales relative to its Hyundai Tucson sibling reflected this disparity and, looking to turn that around, Kia South Africa recently increased the size and broadened the pricing of its Sportage family. Buyers looking to get into Kia’s mid-size SUV now have seven additional models from which to choose. Apart from the addition of automatic transmissions to…

BMW KICK SCOOTER We’re used to BMW Motorrad releasing a new GS 1200 Adventure or S 1000 RR superbike, but electric kick scooters are rarer. With its new X2City, the brand promises individual mobility in city environments beyond the reach of public transport or cars. It has an electric hub motor that can accelerate the scooter to a maximum speed of 25 km/h and the 0,4 kWh battery, which provides up to 35 km range, can be charged in 2,5 hours. The X2City scooter will not be sold through Motorrad dealers, but rather bicycle shops. The retail price in Europe is estimated to be €2 500 (around R40 000). NO MORE KEYS AND DOOR HANDLES Changes in urban mobility, such as car sharing, have created the problem of how to…

WATER PUMP The water pump circulates the coolant through the engine’s cooling circuit. In older/more basic engines, this mechanical pump is driven by the cambelt and functions in combination with a thermostat that regulates the flow of coolant depending on the temperature of the engine. The mechanical water pump has a weep hole that allows water to leak out onto the ground to show the owner that the seals are damaged. Another common failure is when the impeller detaches from the shaft and fails to pump the coolant. The water pump is usually replaced with the cambelt to ensure this critical component’s reliability. In more modern engines, the water pump may be electrically driven and the flow rate controlled by the ECU. This is useful in a stop/start system when…

Age 35 Budget R140 000 Status Single parent of two Vehicle type budget crossover REQUIREMENTS Given the poorly maintained roads where they live, our buyer requires a vehicle with a higher driving position for better visibility than offered by a standard budget hatch, plus extra ground clearance to safely negotiate those annoying potholes. THE VEHICLE More and more crossovers are being launched every year and, for this exercise, we’ve selected some of our favourite budget examples from a few years back. If the buyer is willing to compromise on mileage, more options come into play. Renault Sandero Stepway 66 kW Turbo Dynamique 0 to 100 km/h: 14,76 sec Top speed: 175 km/h Power: 66 kW Torque: 135 N.m CO2 : 161 g/km CAR fuel index: 6,24 L/100 km Renault’s Sandero has…

# 1 PRADA LINEA ROSSA R3 390 This chic item’s avant-garde style begs to be paired with a vintage roadster. # 2 OAKLEY TRILLBEX R1 790 Not only are the red lenses eye-catching, they also UV protect your blinkers. # 3 RAY-BAN CHROMANCE R2 590 Chromance lenses feature a six-layer antireflection treatment, adding clarity to your vision. # 4 OAKLEY HOLBROOK METAL R2 190 These lightweight glasses are fitted with an interior stem-pad for extra grip; perfect for the active user. # 5 PERSOL PO7359S R3 290 The dense metal tones and soft opaque finish set these sunnies apart from the rest. # 6 RAY-BAN GENERAL R2 190 Thirty years later, Ray-Ban’s classic design remains a popular choice. WHERE TO GET THEM All sunnies avalable from Sunglass Hut stores…

 MAHINDRA PIK UP DC S10 4x4 The Pik Up is much improved and can now compete with more modern offerings PRICE: R354 995 ETA: Now WE ARE HERE WHEN we tested the first generation of Mahindra’s double cab in October 2006, we took it to Franschhoek Pass, not to whizz round the bends, but to wind our way up a steep obstacle-laden gravel road that led to a friend’s smallholding at the top of the mountain. The bakkie, then called the Scorpio, performed well both on the freeway and the mountain, and we were impressed with the interior space, ruggedness, reasonable fuel economy and easy-going nature. It preferred 100 km/h and no faster, however, and refinement levels were low. Here we are, 11 years later, and Mahindra has launched the…

NISSAN 370Z COUPÉ PRICE: R661 900 ETA: Now WE ARE HERE IT may be a decade old but, for petrol-heads, there are certain advantages to the 370Z’s longevity. Nissan’s venerable coupé is now one of only a handful of naturally aspirated, manual-transmission, rear-wheel-drive sportscars in our market (the Porsche 911 GT3, Mazda MX-5 and Toyota 86 being the others). With this new facelift, Nissan has further improved on this niche value by adding a semi-racing clutch by Exedy that gives the transmission a little more bite and a positive, racecar-like engagement. This, together with the slightly revised head- and taillamps, are the only new features to the manual 370Z. Everything else, including the charming VQ37VHR naturally aspirated, 3,7-litre V6, remains exactly as it was before … as, welcomingly, does…

Price: R1 346 400 0-100 km/h: 8,42 sec Power/Torque: 221 kW/700 N.m Top speed: 241 km/h CAR fuel index: 7,68 L/100 km CO2: 167 g/km "COACH lands on the runway at the same time as first class.” There’s much contention over whether this sharp idiom was ever delivered by Apple’s Steve Jobs to justify the premium his more elaborately engineered products command over more functional fare, or simply woven into Michael Fassbender’s narrative in 2015’s slick, if factually flimsy, film taking its name from the founder of the US tech giant. Either way, it’s a shrewd observation that, while two discordant things may achieve the same result, it’s the experience that matters. On the same flight, the folks up front will have woken up from a good night’s sleep on…

Price: R499 000 0-100 km/h: 10,60 sec Power/Torque: 133 kW/430 N.m Top speed: 178 km/h CAR fuel index: 9,36 L/100 km CO2: 218 g/km ALTHOUGH the Fullback with the Mitsubishi Triton-sourced 2,5 D-iD engine was only launched a year ago, Fiat has decided to quietly slip the new 2,4-litre turbodiesel version into its range here in South Africa. Before we get to that new engine, though, a quick recap on this Japanese-Italian’s abilities, ones that we tested in our August 2016 issue. It is, of course, a rebadge of the latest-generation Mitsubishi Triton, which is a double-cab we rated very highly in our May 2017 double-cab shootout. In that test, we noted that the Triton felt a lot nimbler than its rivals and the same would apply to the Fullback.…

AS Renault South Africa continues to enjoy success with its impressive (recently updated) Captur range, it’s easy to overlook the admirable qualities it has in common with its larger Kadjar sibling. Built on the Common Module Family architecture Renault shares with Nissan (and thus the popular Qashqai), in this segment the Kadjar offers matching levels of practicality and versatility in a package finished with a touch more flair and character than the Nissan. The Renault, replete with the brand’s signature design cues, stands out from the crowd via a selection of more adventurous colour schemes, including the Flame Red finish featured on this long-term test unit. With distinct C-shaped LED daytime-running lights rounding off the standard package, this Kadjar was also fitted with an optional panoramic sunroof and black 19-inch…

The test track is wet, but the Porsche driver is pushing on with confidence, working his way through comfort, sport and sport+ modes to illustrate the differences. The 4,0-litre V8, delivering 404 kW in the Cayenne Turbo, responds beautifully to the demands of the pilot. Then he turns off traction control and throws the Cayenne, to my delight, into a mighty power slide. Is this the same SUV that scaled the inclines on the off-road course minutes before? Surely such sportscar-like hooliganism should not be possible in an SUV? Porsche thinks otherwise, and during the workshop it had all the Cayenne’s go-faster technology on display. BODY Mass is crucial when it comes to dynamic performance and this also applies to an SUV. The Cayenne now uses more aluminium than ever…

AUDI RS ADDITIONS RS3 Sportback: R895 500 TT RS: R963 000 RS5 Coupé: R1 285 500 AUDI SA bids farewell to 2017 with a bang, launching no fewer than three high-performance models. Fans of the Four Rings can now find the RS5 Coupé, TT RS and RS3 Sportback on local dealership floors. RS5 (above) The most powerful of the newcomers, the RS5 dishes up 331 kW of power and 600 N.m of peak torque. Gone is the barrel-chested V8 motor, though, and in its place Audi has inserted a new twin-turbocharged 2,9-litre V6 powerplant. Like all Audi’s high-performance models, power is delivered to the Ingolstadt firm’s Quattro all-wheel-drive system via an eight-speed automatic transmission. Audi claims a benchmark sprint time of a supercar-scaring 3,9 seconds, while top speed is limited…

WHILE researching sales figures for the Chrysler Valiant article last month, I noticed that the Chev trio jumped from the 41st bestseller in 1972 to the number-two slot in 1973 (15 423 units sold) and then topped the sales charts in 1974 (21 055 units). This, then, is what makes this model so popular. PACKAGING Based on the German Opel Commodore B platform, the design originated in the Opel product-engineering centre at Russelsheim, Germany (Chevrolet, Opel and Holden shared mechanicals at the time). The easiest way to distinguish the six-cylinder cars from the four-cylinder version is by the former two vehicles’ dual round headlamps, as opposed to the latter’s rectangular lighting. A feature of the big Chevs that continued right through to the 1990s (in the Opel Record) was comprehensive…

Mercedes-Benz Bedfordview is a multi-million rand state-of-the-art Lifestyle Centre which is the embodiment of the long and rich heritage of the Mercedes-Benz brand. This multi-level dealership is like no other in South Africa and is celebrating its 10th illustrious birthday, having exceeded all expectations since opening in 2007. It is fitting that their celebrations also coincide with AMG’s 50th Anniversary. The sheer grandeur of the building is breathtaking and a feast for the senses as you enter. The latest, new Mercedes-Benz models are displayed on various levels, while a large selection of Certified Pre-Owned vehicles are also available. Their dedicated AMG Performance Centre, designed to the latest international standards, showcases the most stunning AMG performance vehicles on offer; including the gorgeous new GT C Roadster and awe-inspiring GT R. This…