Indholdsfortegnelse for June 2018 i Go! Drive & Camp

RAV4 ON SHOW Toyota launched a new RAV4 at the New York International Motor Show. The RAV4’s designers apparently focussed on the keywords “adventure” and “refined” to create a tougher yet more elegant vehicle. The latest RAV4 is wider and lower and is more aggressive-looking on the outside. Inside the finishes have been given a facelift and there’s now more legroom for rear passengers. The RAV4 will have the same chassis as the Toyota C-HR that was launched last year. It will also get multi-link suspension at the rear and a new 2.5 ℓ four-cylinder petrol engine with an eight-speed transmission as well as a hybrid engine with continuously variable transmission (CVT). The 2019 Toyota RAV4 will be available in South Africa from the second half of 2019. Brand new…

When you leave on this specific trip, says Herman Kielblock, co-owner of Unbounded Namibia and one of Bhejane 4x4 Adventures’ guides, you’re burning with anticipation. “I often used to play hooky and then lay on my bed reading The Skeleton Coast by John Henry Marsh. I was enthralled by this kind of adventure and that’s why I do what I do today.” It’s Herman’s inquisitiveness that brought him here, ready to lead a convoy of adventure-seekers to the northern part of the Namibian coastline. It’s a place the Portuguese seafarers dubbed “The Gates of Hell” and the Bushmen refer to as the place God forsake. In the Skeleton Coast your plans and schedules mean nothing. Here nature has the last word. DAY 1 | THE SKELETON…

Skurweberg is a working farm in the Roggeveld, about 45 km outside Sutherland. The farm is in a valley straddling the Fish River and is a stone’s throw from the Ouberg Pass that winds from the edge of the plateau to the Tankwa Karoo. You can stay over in a self-catering cottage or camp next to the river and hike, bike, swim, stargaze, or simply experience farm life with Witjan and Elsa van der Merwe. But Skurweberg is actually better known for its 4x4 trail all along the edge of the plateau, with exceptional views over Tankwa and challenging rock obstacles. So, what do you say, are you keen to take on Granny’s Bum, Broekskeur (which roughly translates as tough going) and Banggat (scaredy-cat)? The drive The trail starts and…

It can certainly be crushing when you’ve planned your trip down to the last detail and you’re looking forward to leaving only to discover that a small oversight has the potential to shake up the entire experience. That’s what happened to Fred Weitsz when he discovered that the booking he’d made for a camper truck to attend the AfrikaBurn festival in 2017 was for the wrong dates. Fortunately, Fred realised his mistake four months ahead of time, but after phoning all around the country and being unable to secure a suitable vehicle for the end of April, he decided to simply buy one and not miss any of the festivities in the Tankwa Karoo. Just what I was looking for “I really dislike sleeping in a tent, and figured that…

Let’s get the obvious out of the way: The Maxmo Campo is not the first image that pops up when you think of a motorhome. It’s not the kind of home on wheels that a retired couple uses to camp for months on end on the KwaZulu-Natal south coast. What it is, though, is a cutting-edge solution for active adventure-seekers who need a vehicle with which to enjoy the outdoor and camping life and that can also be used to transport the kids around town. This kind of leisure vehicle is what’s referred to as a hybrid. Leon Ras, owner of Maxmo, says he is very excited about Campy, the smallest of the range of motorhomes that he manufactures. “We’ve created something new for the local market,” explains Leon. “The…

You’re roughing it with your off-road trailer in the middle of nowhere and your fridge is packed with everything from T-bone steaks, chops, boerewors, and fresh tomatoes and cheese for the all-important braaibroodjies. But the dung hits the fan, the fridge conks out, and now you’re stranded what feels like a million miles from civilisation without fresh provisions. In situations like these it will help to have a plan B when your supply of daily nutrition is threatened. But your survival doesn’t have to depend on those nasty biscuits they pack into life rafts and tell you tastes like shortbread. We’ve found some classics and even stumbled across a couple of surprises that don’t compromise on taste, calories or nutrients. BREAKFASTS ON THE GO According to the Nutrition Society of…

“Put your boots on, because if we have to run you don’t want to do it barefoot. I grew up camping – every year our family tackled the road from Sasolburg to Sodwana. The last 100 km or so was dirt road, and countless times Dad got stuck with our Opel Rekord and the fold-up caravan because the last stretch was basically just loose sand over dunes. If I remember correctly, our family never really camped alone. If it wasn’t Dad’s (then) unmarried brother, uncle Peet, it was uncle Evan Corbett – a work friend of my dad’s – and his family who came along. Even Mom’s brother-in-law, a lanky Hungarian businessman who only ever wore a black suit and thin tie, joined us. This time we drove more south…

Volvo aren’t messing around. They’ve won several motoring awards in various markets and almost completely shaken off the stigma of being dull but safe cars. Nowadays Volvo’s are sensational without sacrificing their reputation for safety. The all-new XC40 is no different and after being named European Car of the Year, it has arrived in South Africa. We drove it around Midrand in Gauteng and although we weren’t given adequate time to thoroughly test it, we obtained a realistic impression of what this car has to offer. The looks department From the outside the XC60’s stubby body reminds one of a bull dog. But unlike that breed, this Volvo has the legs of a terrier. It’s quite high off the ground with plastic panels on the lower sections of the body…

“The Swaeltjies came about in 1998 at the ATKV Eiland Spa when a bunch of campers decided it would be nice to stay in contact with each other. “We realised all of us, the majority pensioners, were just like swallows that fly from the cold,” says the chairman, Paul Jansen. He emphasises that they are not a registered club but rather a group of friends. They do have an official emblem though, and when you join you get one as well as a number. Your name, phone number, address and birth date are also put on their list, which is circulated amongst the members together with their newsletter, which also contains info about all the activities that are in the pipeline. These activities are planned together with the resort management…

CHICKEN-AND-VEGETABLE SOUP Here a cheep, there a cheep Transform a can of chicken soup and a chicken breast into a solid meal. Ingredients (enough for 4) 1–2 cups chicken stock 2–3 chicken breasts, deboned and deskinned 1 can (400 g) cream of mushroom soup 1 packet vegetable noodles (like baby marrow noodles) salt and pepper, to taste fresh parsley Here’s how 1 Bring the chicken stock to a boil in a pot and poach the chicken breasts in the liquid for about 15 minutes. Remove the chicken, shred with two forks, and put back in the pot. 2 Mix in the mushroom soup and bring to a boil. Then add in the vegetable noodles and reheat. Flavour to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with freshly chopped parsley. go! Drive…

“If you hit a cow or a kudu late at night on a deserted road, your chances of survival will greatly increase if you have a bull bar. It doesn’t count in a manufacturer’s favour to have a reputation for dangerous products. That’s why they spend millions making their vehicles safer with things like crumple zones, airbags and other safety measures. Bumpers and bonnets are also designed these days to minimise injuries to pedestrians. A bull bar doesn’t care about the wellbeing of pedestrians though. It might sound cold-hearted, but if you hit a cow or a kudu late at night on a deserted road, your chances of survival will greatly increase if you have a bull bar fitted. This is the primary purpose of a bull bar. And like…

Life amongst the Dead Vlei They travelled to Namibia to celebrate her husband, Glen’s, 50th birthday and she returned home with some of the scenery in her pocket, says Sally Mackay from Durban. “I took this photo in the iconic Dead Vlei in Namibia. Through the dead trees you could see a couple standing on the opposite side of the vlei. From my side they were surrounded by the trees and it created a frame around them. The people give scale and context to the photo with its dry surroundings as background. I decided on black and white to highlight the texture of the dead trees.” The Dead Vlei is on every serious nature photographer’s bucket list, and when you’re there you simply have to make the most of it.…

“For the longest time my best pal Leon and I have been ardent campers. More recently we entertained the idea of taking Agarob and Engeltjie along. To be more specific, Agarob is my 1968 Land Rover Series 2A and Engel is Leon’s 1969 Sprite Muscat caravan. We were up for the challenge and wanted to find out how practical an excursion of this sort would be. Remember that those of us who drive these vintage Land Rovers don’t wave their hands to greet other Landie owners, but more to show that their hands aren’t covered in oil. We departed one weekend from Durbanville in the direction of Yzerfontein on the West Coast. We dressed up in period-appropriate clothing and Leon looked just like one of those pipe-smoking English bankers from…

Okto Caravans, a new local manufacturer, has announced that it is entering the South African caravan market. Okto’s plant is in Pretoria North with Loftus Caravans in Randburg as the Gauteng branch. Two existing caravan dealers in Cape Town and Durban have already been appointed as Okto dealers and will be announced soon. Amongst them the owners and shareholders of Okto have decades’ worth of knowledge and experience. Keith Laing, the former managing director of Jurgens Ci, as well as Tinus van Wyk, who served as production director there, are at the helm. Woody, Joël and Neil Loftus of Loftus Caravans, the biggest road caravan dealer in the country, oversee Okto’s marketing. With 30 years’ experience in caravan sales under their belt, they know the market as well as buyers’…

Fifteen years ago, Porsche fluttered the dovecotes with its Cayenne. British and Italian sports car manufacturers first resisted the SUV trend, but the writing was on the wall and those manufacturers eventually accepted that you simply have to have an SUV in your ordnance if you want to be successful. These days Jaguar has the F-Pace, Alfa the Stelvio, there should soon be a Lamborghini Urus on our roads, and both Ferrari and Rolls-Royce are working tirelessly to roll out their SUVs in a year or two. Off-road ability isn’t as important as it used to be. As long as the swanky vehicle has all-wheel drive and you get to look down at the person in the car next to you, it’s all good. We tested Maserati’s Levante S on…

If you look at how the new Land Rover Discovery is equipped for caravanners, you’d be forgiven for saying that it has no equal in this market segment. The rear suspension’s height can be adjusted, which means the ball height also lifts or lowers along with the suspension. It makes it so much easier to hitch caravans with different ball heights without having to use a drop plate. The hitch also has a built-in electronic scale to see what the coupler on the ball weighs. The Discovery also checks the caravan’s lights to see that all the bulbs are working as they should. And if that wasn’t enough, the Discovery also helps you reverse the caravan around a corner… without you touching the steering wheel. It’s simply astounding. And then…

When it’s time to let go of your faithful set of wheels and upgrade, most prospective buyers will look at the condition of the seats as an indication of what kind of care you took of your vehicle. It’ll stand you in good stead to keep your seats covered because it’s almost like insurance you take out for your car’s interior. Avoid unsightly stains, smells and unnecessary wear and tear on your seats with one of these seat covers. Mellvill and Moon Traditional seat covers for Toyota Hilux Traditional and tough Just like the other model from this brand also featured on these pages, this three-piece seat cover has flaps on the sides to allow seats equipped with side airbags to pop open and keep you safe. The 100% cotton…

Do it all yourself 2016 TOYOTA HILUX 2.8 GD6 4X4 Apart from a few minor irritations, he’s only ever had fun with his Toyota Hilux, says Lourens Greyling from Louis Trichardt. “I used to drive a Fortuner and then a Hilux Legend 45 for about a year. The Legend 45 had small issues, but then I developed an itch and decided to buy the all-new Hilux right off the showroom floor for R570 000 two years ago. It’s comfortable, reliable, safe and has loads of power. If money wasn’t an issue then I’d definitely be driving a Land Cruiser 200 VX. But otherwise I’m quite happy with my Hilux – and drive it on a daily basis. Towing my 2014 Wildebeest Exclusive, the 2.8 ℓ engine consumes 11,76 ℓ/100 km…