Innehållsförteckning för May 2018 från Go! Drive & Camp

Together with its teardrop caravan, Jaguar Trailers has launched another lightweight caravan that you can tow with an ordinary light vehicle driver’s licence: the Zazu-2, and it’s also aimed at couples. It’s notable that more and more caravan builders are focussing on lighter caravans, especially those with a GVM of 750 kg and lighter. (For anything heavier you need an EB driver’s licence.) The double bed in the Zazu folds out of the right-hand panel, and as with most of these size caravans the door is also at the back. The roof lifts off the left panel, close to the foot of the bed, and creates enough space where you climb in through the door. In the current model there are three clothes cupboards with canvas doors at the nose.…

The owners of MacLaren have designed a DIY air con system specially for caravans. The imported MacLaren HB 9000 is a compact all-in-one model custom-made for caravans. The unit is 71 cm long, 40 cm wide, and 28 cm high, which means it fits underneath the caravan’s bed. It’s a much better place to sacrifice space than, for example, the nosecone because not only does it then place extra weight on the coupler, but you also lose space for items like a gas bottle, spare wheel and water can. The MacLaren HB 9000 works with 220 V and blows cold or hot air, which means you can use it year-round. What is included? Amongst others a 5 m isolated pipe as well as a stencil to help you see where…

Land Rover has built the world’s first full-size luxury SUV coupé: the Range Rover SV Coupé. Its 5 ℓ turbocharged V8 petrol engine kicks out 416 kW and 700 Nm and accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in just 5,3 seconds. Only 999 of them will be made – by hand, of course – and those interested can place their order with Land Rover South Africa. The reason for the SV Coupé’s existence is because Land Rover wanted to show off their very best craftsmanship and engineering prowess. Gerry McGowan, head designer, says: “The Range Rover SV Coupé is a celebration of the Range Rover bloodline. It’s the most distinguished, luxurious, and exclusive Range Rover ever built.” The SV Coupé is also the fastest Range Rover to date with a…

The well-known 4x4 accessory dealer Opposite Lock has added two new winches to its existing catalogue. The “smaller” OLP500 can pull 4 310 kg and OL12500 a whopping 5 670 kg. Both models’ shells have a double waterproof seal and the high-performance motor is connected to a three-stage planetary gear system and automatic full load brakes. The original metal cable is no more and the OL9500 uses a 25 m long plasma rope (9,5 mm thick) while the OL12500 has a thicker plasma rope (11 mm) of 24 m. Both models weigh 31 kg and has a IP68 rating, which means they are dirt-, sand-and dust-resistant and can be submerged in 1,5 m deep water for at least 30 minutes. The OL9500 and OL12500 cost R12 495 and R13 495…

You know the story: A Ford person is a Ford person and for him or her there is no other car. The same goes for a Toyota or Land Rover person and many other car people. It’s exactly like that with caravans, specifically P’Zazz owners. If you chat to a P’Zazz owner you’ll quickly hear there’s no other caravan like it. Once a P’Zazz owner, always a P’Zazz owner. The late Wildrich Groenewald, an architect and interior designer from Vereeniging, was the creator of the P’Zazz. His WJ Motorhomes built the P’Zazz in the early to middle 1990s. After that Jurgens took over the manufacturing for four years and then stopped because it became too expensive. These days the two-, four- or six-wheel caravans are collector’s items. When Gideon de…

Gone are the days when dogs were second-class members of the family, relegated to sleeping outside and being fed once a day by one of your cousins when you go camping with your family. No, nowadays they get just as much attention as anyone else in your household – complete with regular parlour visits and play dates with other pups. But just because you want to go camping with your dog doesn’t mean that you should or can. It all depends on where you want to go and what you want to do. Of course, a lot depends on your dog’s temperament and how much obedience training it’s had – not much different from humans... Bolo’s behaviour Before you even start to find pet-friendly accommodation when planning your next trip,…

Businesswoman Karen Petersen is trading office life for the open road – for charity. Karen will participate in the Put Foot Rally that leaves Cape Town on 17 June and ends 9 000 km later in Vilanculos, Mozambique. Participants must donate at least R750 to buy shoes for school kids in need. Conservation programmes for endangered animals like rhinos, elephants, lions and leopards are also supported. The main aim of the event is to raise R1 million and 6 000 pairs of shoes, but Karen also wants to raise money for her favourite charity, Gift of the Givers. According to the Put Foot Rally rules participants are required to take part in groups, which is why Karen’s 75-year-old mom and dad are also going along as part of her crew.…

Mercedes-Benz South Africa recently released the prices for its X-Class, which will be available on local showroom floors soon. There are two trim levels: Progressive and Power. The former is aimed at people looking for a hardworking bakkie but who also want to show off their business acumen. The Power is at the top of the spectrum and is for those who want a lifestyle vehicle with style and performance. We’re still waiting for news on the V6’s price – it still has to be launched – but it’s clear that it’s going to be more expensive than Volkswagen’s Amarok V6. Here is the prices for the entire 250d range: X-Class X220d 4X2 PROGRESSIVE manual R642 103 X-Class X250d 4X2 PROGRESSIVE automatic R694 025 X-Class X250d 4X4 PROGRESSIVE manual R696…

Local is lekker, and no other 4x4 accessory manufacturer is more local than LA Sport. The company recently designed a new snorkel that’s manufactured locally. It’s made of linear low-density polyethylene which is highly resistant to the African sun. The snorkel is one single unit and the air intake sits flush against your vehicle’s roof. The advantage of this is that the snorkel’s head can’t be ripped off by low branches. (By the way, if your Land Cruiser V8 diesel’s standard snorkel head has gone missing along the way, LA Sport sells replacements.) LA Sport’s snorkel creates less wind noise and directs more air to the engine. Prices range from R3 450 for a Hilux snorkel to R4 995 for one that’ll fit a Land Cruiser. The latter’s price is…

“After a week or so behind the wheel – especially if it included a mountain pass or two – you’ll look at the Stelvio differently.” It seldom happens that love at first sight develops into something more substantial. A lasting relationship is something you have to nurture constantly, and puppy love has to survive tough times before it can grow into a profound and enduring friendship. This is also the case with the Alfa Romeo Stelvio. The first couple of hours behind the wheel of a Stelvio passes by well enough, but it’s not exactly a life-changing event. There are even a few frustrations, like the finicky switches, oversensitive steering, and complex computer. It’s difficult to put your finger on what exactly the problem is. But after a week or…

“Our Sawa region has an annual phantom camp, and the idea is that members don’t know where they’re heading. This year the Phantom started misleading our members early on Facebook. The weekend eventually arrived and members received their clue the Friday morning at the Engen filling station on the N7. On the piece of paper was a route they had to follow to the Kardoesie Campsite near Citrusdal. “We were no less than 48 caravans that gathered for the weekend and we had a lot of fun. Everyone who attended was treated to coffee and breakfast in bed, and we even had a 5 km fun walk that was completed by quite a few members. We also swam and some of the members challenged each other to a paintball match.…

I suspect my love-hate relationship with tents began when my dad bought a fold-up caravan. Besides its many other flaws, the caravan was saddled with the name “Skipper”. I can’t and won’t elaborate too much on old Skippertjie, mainly because it dredges up really unpleasant memories. I do, however, vaguely remember snippets of a windy holiday in East London’s municipal caravan park. There are flashes of ProNutro mixed with sand crunching between my teeth and poles losing their battle against the wind and crashing down on us. It must have been 1971 because there are also flashes of Three Dog Night’s “Jeremiah was a Bullfrog” playing over the tinny speakers of the putt-putt course. “Joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea” it bellowed, but here on land things…

The designers at Lexus extended the RX 350 by 110 mm, the roof is 10 mm higher, and the hatchback is more upright. The longer RX 350 also gets the suffix “L” to its name. The reason for the modification is because Lexus’s clients asked for a third row of seats. The RX 350L’s back seats have space for two passengers and a child seat. The curtain airbags have been made longer to protect the rear passengers and there are anchor points for the child seat. The seats lift and lower electrically and the rear passengers have their own air con buttons. The front-and middle-row seats are still heated, but not the ones at the back. The rear seats have synthetic upholstery instead of leather like the rest – apparently…

The Chinese technology manufacturer BAIC’s (or Beijing Electric Vehicle Company’s) electric vehicle department, BJEV, recently announced it will be launching its first self-drive vehicle. It will be tested over the course of the next few months on the busy streets of Beijing, and if it performs well there it will be making its way to South Africa. According to Tao Li, spokesperson for BAIC, the South African government is wary of self-drive vehicles, but the company is confident that the BJEV vehicles will work on our roads. BAIC’s plant in the Coega SEZ, an industrial area outside Port Elizabeth, will be completed at the end of the second quarter. The plant will initially manufacture vehicles with ordinary internal combustion engines – to get a foot in the door. BAIC’s Arcfox…

Midas’s Click & Collect service makes things super easy: You simply order parts and accessories through their website, pay for it, and then fetch it at your nearest branch. And the service is free. Why? you might ask. Well, let’s say the Midas branch in Kathu doesn’t have those leopard-print seat covers you want for your off-roader. Now you can order it and it will be delivered to the branch for free – and you receive a notification when it’s ready for collection. Because you don’t deal with a sales person you can also order during weekends and on public holidays – and you can tell the system that someone else will be collecting your order for you.…

The popularity of SUVs keep on rising, especially compact SUVs, and motor manufacturers are cashing in with vehicles such as the Hyundai Tucson and Kia Sportage. But if you want to (and can) fork out a little more, you could consider luxury SUVs such as the Mercedes-Benz GLA, BMW X2, Audi Q3, and now also the striking Jaguar E-Pace. There are two engine options: turbodiesel and turbopetrol, both of which are further divided into various models according to power delivery and trim levels. The basic model is the D150 diesel (110 kW, 380 Nm) and the top model the petrol-powered P300 HSE (221 kW, 400 Nm). The exterior In essence the E-Pace is a small F-Pace, although Jaguar prefers to market it as a unique product. The E-Pace uses Jaguar-Land…

A lot can be said about battery life and how it relates to recharge rates. In the interests of simplicity, here’s the gist of it: A deeply discharged battery must be given enough time to recuperate. There’s a popular misconception that a battery can rapidly recharge in a short space of time. This is simply not true for most batteries. Unfortunately, very few battery manufacturers and fitment shops convey this message, and overland travellers are paying the price. Using a popular 105 Ah (wet cell) deep-cycle battery as an example, the graphs highlight a few lessons about dual-battery ownership. This graph shows how much usable energy can be drawn from a 105 Ah deep-cycle battery. The highlighted area depicts the safe operating zone and equates to a 70 % depth…

The Chinese manufacturer GWM has launched its luxury range in South Africa. And the Haval range is indeed luxurious: The finishes and quality compare favourably with that of the European brand names. Considering the price you pay, Haval offers far more than European competitors. Just look at the Haval’s H6 C’s interior. You’d be forgiven for thinking you’re going to fork out more than half a million for this vehicle, but you couldn’t be more wrong. The most expensive of the six models that are available locally costs less than R400 000, and the difference between that one and the cheapest variant in the range is a mere R60 000. The H6 C is available in three variants: the City, Premium and Luxury. The latter is the one we hitched…

In an ideal world we wouldn’t have to lock our doors at night or need a fence around our property, but the reality is that we do. Just because we’re away on holiday letting our hair down doesn’t mean we can let out guard down too. Stay one step ahead of the bad guys with these security solutions. Don’t get caught napping. 1 AXON TASER PULSE Smooth operator The tiny Axon Pulse features a smooth design so that when you need to pull it out in an emergency situation it doesn’t snag or catch on anything. It’s also very portable, weighing in at just 228 grams. You aim with a laser sight and you can choose between single-fire and multi-cycle functions, just in case the 30 seconds that will limit…

Do it all yourself 2000 MITSUBISHI COLT RODEO 2.8 TDI 4X4 If you have the engineering know-how and are patient enough to work on your vehicles in your spare time, you can buy cheap and save on labour quotes, says George Wetselaar from Iswepe in Mpumalanga. “In 2006 I decided that I wanted my own deep-sea boat for fishing. But even before I went out to purchase a vessel, I had to find a 4x4 and learn how to surf launch off the beach properly – as I had seen the guys do at Sodwana Bay in KwaZulu-Natal on numerous occasions. To suit my budget I knew I’d have to carefully tread the waters of the secondhand market. I decided that a Mitsubishi Colt Rodeo 4x4 was just what I…

“We were camping at Storms River Mouth with our caravan in February. After checking in at reception, I noticed an old, well-kept caravan standing all on its own behind the tent sites. As we drove closer, a glance at its insignia on the front made me think it was an old Jurgens model of some sort. Closer inspection revealed it was something called a Welton. My curiosity got the better of me and I simply had to approach the owner, who is a resident of Mossel Bay. He informed me that the caravan was originally manufactured in England by Safari Caravans Ltd of Bowbridge in Gloucester. The company made just two models: the Safari and this one, the Welton. This friendly chap bought the Welton brand new in the UK…