Indholdsfortegnelse for April 2023 i CAR

SAUBER–AUDI Last year, Audi announced its intention to join motorsport’s premier formula at the Belgian Grand Prix after the change to F1’s technical regulations for 2026. It would later emerge that Audi would partner with the Sauber team, which currently operates as Alfa Romeo Racing, after purchasing a small stake in the Swiss outfit. Audi Sport will continue to use Sauber’s Hinwil facility. It includes a wind tunnel vital for success in Formula One, but the power unit will be built at an expanded version of the Neuburg an der Donau site in Germany, not too far from company headquarters in nearby Ingolstadt. Neuburg is the facility responsible for developing the powertrains that led Audi to an unprecedented run of wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. As Audi…

• TOYOTA’S TAKE ON SUZUKI CELERIO The latest development in the relationship between manufacturers Toyota and Suzuki is that the latter’s Celerio budget hatchback will be rebadged as a Toyota. The new model will be titled Vitz and is set to replace the Agya as the most affordable model in Toyota’s local line-up. In addition to some cosmetic tweaks, we can expect the Vitz’s standard specification to differ from that of the Celerio. • DETROIT RIVALS SQUARE UP WITH RAPTOR The Raptor badge has been associated with off-road performance for more than a decade, but little has come close to matching the Ford nameplate for outright bundu-bashing ability. Ram Trucks has closed the gap with its 1500 TRX, a 6,2-litre supercharged V8 double cab that packs 523 kW. Chevrolet is…

Price: R3 610 600 0–100 km/h: 5,59 seconds Top speed: 250 km/h Power: 390 kW Torque: 750 N.m Fuel index: 14,16 L/100 km CO2 : 275 g/km Modern touches have improved a much-loved motoring iconGareth Dean New V8 engine is refined, yet provides ample punchRyan de Villiers We are living in a fast-moving world. From the inexorable move towards the digitisation of almost every medium of communication known to humankind to the increasing drive in the direction of fuel-efficient motoring and electrification, some of the tenets of our society are in a state of flux. Many things imbued with time-honoured charm are dwindling in our rear-view mirrors. This is why it’s heartening to see some things managing to circumvent such caprices (or at least adapt in a less jarring manner) and remain…

GarethD_CARmag 7 016 km 8,12 L/100 km smart safety features saved me from an almost certain accident some may find their intervention distracting Our GT-Line S Sportage continues to turn heads, but there is much more to this halo model than just attention-grabbing looks. While the sporty styling addenda and myriad convenience features are definite drawcards, I have come to appreciate some of the innovative safety features sewn into its shapely frame during the wealth of motorway commuting thrown my way this month. Exclusive to the GT-Line S is Kia’s Care Follow Assist and Smart Cruise Control set-up. Utilising a combination of radar sensors and camera feeds – which oversee such functions as the steering, throttle and brakes – this system maintains a set following distance between you and the…

Notes • The PRICES shown are the latest available at the time of going to press. Our deadline occurred on 20 February 2023. Readers should check with a dealer before making a decision. • The HP payment calculations are based on a 10% deposit, interest rate @10.5% and a 5-year (60-month) repayment period, with no residual value 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 E…

The Aston Martin DBS 770 Ultimate will be made available in coupé and drop-top guises – numbering 300 and 199 units, respectively – and all examples have been sold ahead of the launch later this year. The 770 Ultimate is driven by the most powerful version of the Gaydon-based company’s turbopetrol 5,2-litre V12 engine. Thanks to tweaks to the air induction and ignition, and a 7% increase in boost pressure, it now makes 566 kW at 6 500 r/min and 900 N.m of torque at 1 800 r/min. Power is sent to the rear wheels through a ZF-sourced 8-speed automatic transmission with special shift calibration for this model. Stopping power is provided by the carbon-ceramic 410 mm front discs and 360 mm rear discs that do service in the regular…

You can tell an awful lot about the Rimac Nevera in the first 200 m. Not how barkingly fast it is or how far it moves the game on in the rarefied world of the hypercar – those realisations come later – instead, how polished it is purely as a product. How well built it is, how sweetly matched the weighting and gearing of its steering seems, how synchronised its throttle and brake pedals feel, how easily you can climb in and out, how clearly you can see out of it, how beautifully damped it is and how refined it is at everyday speeds. Even after 20 seconds, you can tell the Nevera rides perfectly for a car of this type. You can tell, too, how fundamentally well resolved it…

Price: R808 600 Engine: 2,0-litre, four-cylinder, petrol + electric Transmission: CVT Power: 107 kW @6 000 r/min + 80 kW/202 N.m electric Torque: 188 N.m @4 400 r/min 0–100 km/h: 8,5 seconds Top speed: 177 km/h Fuel consumption: 4,5 L/100 km (combined) CO2 emissions: 103 g/km Rivals: Alfa Romeo Tonale, Audi Q3, BMW X1/X2, Mercedes-Benz GLA, Volvo XC40 overdue tech improvements, premium interior feel shallow boot, hybrid adds negligible driving appeal, rivals are sportier WHERE WE DROVE IT *Claimed figures For anyone from ruling parties to market leaders, the benefit of incumbency is a powerful enabler. It allows those in command to look forward, whereas in its wake, the pack keeps chasing. In the realm of automotive hybridisation, for Toyota, this defining market standing was institutionalised with the introduction of the…

Price: R1 169 500 0–100 km/h: 8,54 seconds Top speed: 160 km/h Power: 140 kW Torque: 370 N.m Range – CAR index: 424 km Sensibly sized crossover, which is not over-complicated, but priced rather close to the more powerful EQBPeter Palm The electric motor provides instant torque, making acceleration quick and effortless. Smooth, quiet ride and looks the partPeet Mocke Reminiscent of the gold rush days in the 1880s, there is frenetic advancement happening overseas in the haste to migrate to EVs. They all said it was coming to a continent near us, and it is already here. Casting aside the problems of Eskom and load shedding for now, we take a look at the Mercedes-Benz EQA to see how it stacks up against others such as the BMW iX3…

Some of the world’s leading automotive markets have already committed to – and in some cases, legislated – a hard timeline for the adoption of battery-electric vehicles (BEV). Led by those who currently sell a significant majority of their products in these markets, a number of manufacturers have already introduced BEVs into their model line-ups and committed to BEV-only line-ups within similar time frames. These decisions are entirely logical, as they tend to be smaller manufacturers, producing vehicles in a limited number of factories, unable to sustain the costs of developing and building both ICE and BEVs. In contrast, the heads of two of the largest vehicle manufacturers have cautioned against the timeline and commitment to BEVs as the only solution to carbon reduction. Akio Toyoda of Toyota frequently reminds…

Model: Volvo 164 0–100 km/h: 10,5 seconds Top speed: 170 km/h Fuel index: 15,8 L/100 km Price: R5 495 CAR test: April 1970 (two others from 1973 to 1975) PeterPalm12 Visit at carmag.co.za/cars-for-sale To find the latest New and used cars for sale After the Second World War, most survivors had to pick up the pieces, rebuild and slowly pull themselves out of poverty. This meant transport had to be highly affordable, leading to smaller cars with smaller, four-cylinder engines. After some years, the straight-sixes began to reappear as luxurious alternatives to small inline-fours. PACKAGING The 164 looks much larger than the 144, but is just 76 mm longer, mainly in the wheelbase. This impression is possibly owing to the large, square grille and quad headlamps. These impart a distinct Jaguar-…

Building on the e-tron models that have gone before it, and those on the way, Audi’s Activesphere concept probably stands a better chance of getting the green light than the other Sphere concepts such as the Skysphere roadster, Grandsphere sedan and the Urbansphere MPV/SUV. OUT-OF-THIS-WORLD LOOKS On the face of it, the concept is a bakkie, which, in case you hadn’t noticed, is all the rage right now. But technically, it’s not, because of the styling along the profile that aligns more with the look of a four-door crossover coupé. Then there’s its resemblance to the RS Q e-tron vehicles, which scored 14 podiums at this year’s Dakar Rally and have been flying the flag for EVs in high-level motorsport. For those unsure where the Activesphere is supposed to sit…

The stylish younger brother to the full-size Range Rover offering, the sleek Velar is perhaps not yet the off-roading guru its big brother is. The British firm has seen fit to embrace the fact that the Velar’s target market is more concerned with how it fares on the road. Upfront, the Velar’s kerb-side appeal was enhanced with a new grille as well as the company’s new “pixel” LED headlamps that include a sliver of daytime running lights. At the rear, the bumper’s lower half was redesigned so the tailpipes are hidden, and there are new LED taillamps. Buyers can opt for a leather-free cabin, which uses a combination of wool by Danish textile experts Kvadrat and polyurethane inserts. The new material is claimed to have been put through 60 000…

Cape Town street circuit had finally arrived! The familiar commuting routes we travel had turned into an all-out race circuit. Casting my mind back as far as I can remember, there has always been a conversation around the Mother City playing host to a motorsport event – becoming the “Monaco of South Africa”. Perhaps it was without all the glitz, glamour and palatial money boats belonging to oligarchs in the harbour, but there was a circuit, and some of the best drivers in the world outside of F1 raced the cars in front of a sell-out crowd of 25 000 people. However, there is more to it than just the racing. The economic benefit might be an easy go-to in its favour. Looking at the effects of the pandemic and…

WLutjeharms Petridish_Mooks There is nearly a different BMW for every day of the week here, from two-door coupés to four-door sedans. As Colin van Son pulled out his collection of BMWs, a few remained behind in the garage, as they are currently undergoing full restorations. What is a balanced collection without a project or two? These projects include two sought-after BMWs – the South African-only 1986 745i and a rare 1988 E28 M5 – as well as a 1973 3,0-litre CS coupé. His collection spans a beautiful and exciting era. It would be an understatement to say Colin is a BMW enthusiast. His passion runs deep and he has travelled to Munich to visit the BMW museum and explore the firm’s hometown. Although his focus is on BMWs, he is…

Price: R1 346 866 0–100 km/h: 5,03 seconds Top speed: 180 km/h Power: 340 kW Torque: 709 N.m Fuel index: 5,4 L/100 km CO2 : 37 g/km Plentiful power meets serene, zero-emissions urban driving, all without being overly tied to the caprices of our EV charging infrastructure; what’s not to like?Gareth Dean “The best of both worlds.” In a society where sticky compromises are often the best we can hope for, all we can ask is that with clever manoeuvring, it brings forth a perfect solution, from business deals to relationships, and pretty much any situation where two entities are at odds. It is much the same in the world of motoring. With fuel prices headed skywards and the growing urge to adopt electrified mobility solutions, there must be a halfway…

KyleSplice 6 months 11 739 km 10,14 L/100 km brawny exterior and unmistakable presence; flawless package doesn’t fit in modern parking bays; thirstier than it should be Ask any elite athlete about the importance of finishing strong, and you’ll be told about the importance of standing up straight, pushing down the final leg, keeping your head up, and so on. So it was with our long-term Ranger Raptor, which saw off a rather strong contender just before we returned to sender. The Ranger Raptor burst its way on to the South African double cab bakkie market when nobody expected anything of the sort. Almost nine years after the Americans launched the Raptor brand model as the most extreme model variant of the F-150, the Ranger – also cut from the…

As the vultures now feast on the proverbial corpse of the Ferrari F1 team’s recently departed team principal, looking back to 2022 and the foundations that set up Mattia Binotto’s fall, it truly was a case of “più le cose cambiano, più restano le stesse” (the more things change, the more they stay the same). This now-tired trope was first published in a French journal, Les Guêpes, the title of which translates to “The Wasps”. How could matters get so out of hand to warrant a forced resignation from a man who had led Ferrari to second in the 2022 driver’s and constructor’s championships? Come the season’s opener at Bahrain, Binotto could hardly believe his luck. His cars had emerged second-fastest behind the all-conquering Red Bulls after preseason testing; what’s…