Innehållsförteckning för March 2020 från Go! Drive & Camp

Rear passengers in the Toyota Land Cruiser 200 VX-R will now be able to sit back comfortably while watching their favourite movie. This vehicle has just been fitted with 14 JBL Premium speakers and two 11,6” screens on the back of the driver and front passenger headrests, so kids can watch Frozen 2 while on the go. In addition, the centre console for the rear passengers has one HDMI socket, two USB sockets and one 12 V power point. The multimedia system allows users to listen to the radio, play music and videos from a USB memory stick or cellphone, or watch DVDs via the HDMI port. However, the driver and front passenger have the final say, as they can override the touchscreen upfront, and turn off the entertainment if…

Why would you take the soul-destroying N1 and N10 highways from Gauteng to the Addo National Elephant Park when there’s a far lovelier back road? Go on, set aside at least four days for this route and pre-programme the coordinates we provide on your GPS (without them, you could easily get lost). In return for your efforts, you will be rewarded by the opportunity to camp in a gorge, explore a forest, drive a 4x4 trail up a mountain and at the end of your journey you will witness scenes of elephant, zebra, buffalo and warthogs grazing on a vast African plain. It is possible to tow an off-road trailer on this route, but because many of the gravel road passes along this route have hairpin bends, we strongly advise…

Here we are in March already, even though it feels as if we’ve only just wished one another a happy new year. The reality, though, is that the Easter weekend is just around the corner, and then the winter break starts… with the short holiday between the children’s third and fourth quarters following shortly thereafter. And then, believe it or not, the summer holiday will be upon us again. We should all strive to make the most of the time we have, and for each of these holidays, we’ve picked out five fantastic spots where you and your loved ones can pitch camp to relax and enjoy. Easter weekend ALMEGA CARAVAN PARK, HAMMANSKRAAL Directly across the road from the Dinokeng Reserve, is the caravan park that André Geyser developed on…

FISHING RESORT L’AGULHAS CARAVAN PARK DEEP SOUTH The L’Agulhas Caravan Park is the southernmost campsite on the continent. It is a rectangular piece of land laid out next to the main street of the village. Lengthwise, it is half the size of a rugby field, with a slight slope on the sea side. And just like a rugby field, there is no shade. Here you camp among the residents’ houses, in a fenced-off campsite with only a knee-high picket fence and a row of houses between you and the sea. In the camping section you will see two rows of white poles about 18 m apart. The tap for your site is next to one pole and the power supply with its four blue caravan socket is at the opposite…

The latest Ford Everest not only gets a new engine, but also the same 10-speed gearbox as the Ranger Raptor, a new anti-sway bar to counteract body roll, and more electronic aids to keep you safe. The bark It may be difficult to believe, but the new 2 ℓ Bi-Turbo diesel engine delivers more power and torque than Ford’s older 3,2 ℓ TDCi engine. It kicks out a whopping 157 kW and 500 Nm compared to the 3.2 engine’s 147 kW and 470 Nm, all thanks to twin turbochargers. The layout consists of a small high-pressure turbo connected in series to a larger low-pressure turbo. Airflow to the two turbochargers is controlled with valves that open and close depending on engine speed. At lower engine speeds, the two turbos work…

Invader’s trailers are somewhat unique: they are neither caravan nor off-road trailer. Instead, they’re a little of both. There are two models to choose from: the Duo and the Quattro. As their names indicate, one is for two people and the other for four. At first glance, they look the same but the Duo’s roof – that pops up from the body – has a bed that slides out to the front. The Quattro’s two beds fold out from the lid and are designed in such a way that you don’t have to climb up a ladder to reach them. Invader uses fibreglass for the body and stainless steel for the hinges. Except for the chassis, which is galvanised, everything else is made from aluminium. As a result, the trailer…

We regularly hear of motorists being fined in neighbouring countries, such as Mozambique, for not displaying the correct warning stickers on their trailer or for having the stickers applied in the wrong position. When you buy a set of stickers, there are no instructions on where the stickers should go. And when you look at the queue at a border post, there appears to be no consensus on sticker placement even though actual rules exist. We checked with an AA travel shop and also carefully perused the National Motor Vehicle Regulations (MVR) – and focused in particular on Road Traffic Act 29 of 1989 and 93 of 1996 that outlines legislation regarding trailers. Let’s take a look at what goes where. ZA stickers South African vehicles crossing the border to…

One of the first modifications that serious off-roaders consider is a proper set of all-terrain tyres to fit their standard rims or an aftermarket set of wheels. It’s no longer a surprise to see your neighbour’s bakkie sporting fat new 33” takkies. Then you might also want to lift the suspension and fit off-road bumpers – all of which serve to increase approach, breakover and departure angles. The Russan all-terrain vehicle manufacturer Sherp ATV, has been making vehicles that can traverse tough terrain for more than 20 years – and their namesake vehicle is a no-nonsense single-minded approach to off-road superiority. It’s the brainchild of company founder Alexei Garagashyan, a Saint Petersburg native with an interest in unconventional vehicles. It’s basically a pod not much bigger than a small sports…

Owners of Land Rover Series 1, 2 and 3 and others with leaf springs are gearing up for the LR Series festival at Rust de Winter’s ATV site in April. Land Rover Series owners will stay in a special Series campsite where like-minded owners can get to know one another, compare vehicles and swap adventure stories around a campfire. The festival starts on Friday and carries on until Monday morning, and activities include rides in old Land Rovers and all manner of games. There will also be food stalls, a swimming pool and playground for children. An exhibition arena will be open all weekend where visitors can view unique products as well as the range of Landie services on offer. Land Rover Series owners who wish to participate pay R500…

The Weg Ry & Sleep Bakkie Run is the first and only event celebrating these iconic vehicles. Get your bakkie (any bakkie) and your teammates together and come join us in the Bushveld town Alldays for an epic family-oriented weekend of fun events: 4x4 obstacles, rallying, drag racing and everything in-between. Bakkies of all shapes and sizes can enter and will compete in different classes. This means you, in your 4x2 Isuzu KB farm bakkie, have the same chance of winning as the guy in the Ranger Raptor. So, pick a theme, dress up and come kick back for a weekend of motoring fun. WHERE? Alldays, Limpopo WHEN? 24-27 April 2020…

Oil company Shell admits it already determined in the 1980s that carbon emissions would lead to climate change. In a conversation with Time magazine in January this year, Shell’s big boss Ben van Beurden acknowledged that oil use is harmful to the environment. “Yeah, we knew. Everybody knew,” says van Beurden. “And somehow we all ignored it.” Due to enormous pressure from environmentalists and Shell’s shareholders, the company now wants to radically change its business model. “We have to figure out what are the right bets to take in a world that is completely changing because of society’s concerns around climate change,” he adds. According to the S&P 500 stock market index, the share of the energy sector in the US Stock Exchange has shrunk from 28% in the 1980s…

The Magaliesberg runs like a boundary between the Rand and the Bushveld. On the southern side of the range are the gold mines of the Witwatersrand, while on the other side is where you’ll find another kind of gold: some of the most popular camping sites in the country. ATKV Buffelspoort, tucked right up under the Magaliesberg, is one such golden resort. Located just outside Mooinooi, the resort features just about every form of family fun you can imagine – from a waterslide and Jacuzzis to large resort-sized indoor and heated swimming pools as well as plenty of stands. A mere 53 km away, at Rust Oord Bushveld Camp, the pace is a lot more laid back. As the name of this new resort suggests (translated from Dutch as “rest…

Ruah Park lies just north of Pretoria next to the Dinokeng Reserve and is one of the area’s newest campsites. This is a quiet getaway where you immerse yourself in nature in a kloof surrounded by two high ridges. The kloof is covered in indigenous forest, and the stream fed by a fountain that flows through the resort culminates in a dam at the bottom of the camp. With all the indigenous trees and water, the birdlife here is any bird watcher’s dream. The red-chested cuckoo and woodland kingfisher welcome you loudly. A frog chorus sings you to sleep at night, and early in the morning the birds wake you up again, as if to say it’s time for coffee. And if you’re up early enough, you can watch the…

“We went camping as a family this past December at the pet-friendly Eagle Falls campsite close to Oudtshoorn, George and Uniondale. Our Sprite Swing caravan kept up with the Bush Lapa Boskriek off-road trailer accompanying us as we turned off the N9 highway onto a good dirt road. The winding road takes you to Eagle Falls, deep in the fertile Kammanassie Valley, where the dry Little Karoo borders the oasis of the Molen River. I must admit the last 3 km of that road was a bit of a challenge, though. TELL US MORE ABOUT THE CAMPSITE. All our drinking glasses broke on that last stretch of road, while, weirdly enough, not a single egg cracked. So we didn’t expect to see many road caravans. But there were many… including…

When Volkswagen introduced its 3 ℓ V6 bakkie three years ago, the carmaker had already made a name for itself in the double cab segment with its 2 ℓ bakkies. At the time, the 3 ℓ V6 diesel engine was one of the most powerful in South Africa and produced a whopping 550 Nm. Back then there were three V6 models to choose from. Now there is a fourth, which is the equivalent of the 2 ℓ series’ Dark Label: the Canyon. What’s changed? The most obvious difference is the colour. Volkswagen calls it “Honey Orange”, and the colour is used exclusively for the Canyon. There are a few more cosmetic differences, such as orange stitching on the seats, steering wheel and even along the edges of the safety belts,…

There are two schools of thought when it comes to purchasing a chair you can drop your derrière on at the campsite. You either buy a cheapie and replace it every year or so… or you get a decent one that potentially lasts a lifetime. We’re with the latter crowd, and though some of these are at the more affordable end, you can’t second-guess their quality. The usual susfects PACK IT ALL IN OZTRAIL REGAL ARMCHAIR If you want a chair that can do it all then look no further than this one. It’s made from high-tensile steel that can carry a lot of weight, with a magazine pocket in the seatback, the largest drinks holder we’ve ever seen (big enough for two cans) on the right-hand side, an insulated…

Since 2018, Invader Off Road Campers appointed dealers nationwide to look after sales of its caravans. By the end of last year, Invader held its first award ceremony for the salesperson and trader of the year. Tygerberg Caravans in Cape Town walked away with both prizes while Invader Pretoria was named the runner-up dealer. ! Sorry, our bad In the February issue, we mistakenly attributed the statement that Jeep may be going to use Peugeot-Citroën technology to Marco Pigozzi, Fiat-Chrysler’s European head of marketing. We apologise for the mistake.…

Seats that massage your back and derrière are nothing new, but Jaguar Land Rover is developing a shape-shifting seat that adjusts to lift and lower your hips to mimic the movements your body makes when walking. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than a quarter of people worldwide don’t walk around enough. WHO wants us to get more exercise because the muscles in our legs and hips can shorten if we sit still behind a steering wheel for too long – something that can also lead to back pain. “The wellbeing of our customers and employees is at the heart of all our technological research projects. We are using our engineering expertise to develop the seat of the future using innovative technologies not seen before in the automotive…

“If you downshifted too quickly to second gear, the revs would hang perilously in the red” “In 1985 I was getting quite fed up with my 1983 Toyota Land Cruiser 60 Series station wagon. Apart from the fact that it was an excellent vehicle overall, it was simply not up to the task of towing my 1984 Jurgens Gazelle, which tipped the scales at 1 850 kg. The 2F was a carburetted version of Toyota’s 4,2 l six-cylinder engine, and back then it produced only 100 kW and 270 Nm of torque – figures not nearly enough considering the combined towing mass. Then there was the issue around gearing on the four-speed manual gear box. In normal daily driving, this wasn’t a big issue, but the ratios, particularly between second…

Almost all fish tastes good pickled. And it keeps for at least a week in the fridge. You will need (serves 6) 1 tablespoon Cape Malay curry powder 1 kg fish fillets (we used dorado, but yellowtail or hake will also work well) 4 tablespoons olive oil FOR THE PICKLE 2 tablespoons olive oil 4 large onions, sliced into rings 4 garlic cloves, chopped 2 tablespoons mild curry powder 1 tablespoon cumin seeds 1 tablespoon turmeric a pinch of chilli powder ½ teaspoon coriander seeds, crushed 2 cm ginger root, grated 2 cinnamon sticks 4 bay leaves 1 cup brown sugar 3 tablespoons marmalade 3 cups red-wine vinegar 1 cup water 2-3 lemons 2 tablespoons preserved lemon peel, chopped (optional) To make 1 Sprinkle the curry powder over the fish,…

Towards the end of 2018 we put some of the most popular bags of briquettes and charcoal to the test. The clincher? How each fared braaiing a steak. But there are wood enthusiasts who’d never go near a bag of the black stuff and so we got our Facebook followers to motivate for their favourite wood for a new test. We chose the nine most popular varieties, based on likes and comments, and here’s what happened. How we performed the test Our predecessor title Drive Out performed a similar test, so we used that format as a basis for our own. This time, we left the cooking for another time, and took readings of the individual fires with a handheld laser thermometer – at a distance of a metre and…

I’m not one for traffic jams. In this I’m not alone, I realise that, but I lose my temper all too easy when I’m driving in the city – and I don’t even have to spend much time in traffic. We live relatively close to both my work and my child’s school, which is why we seldom spend more than half an hour on the daily commute. But during those 30 minutes, several incidents will make my blood boil (and teach my daughter words that bring her grandparents to their knees). It’s usually a confluence of events that lead to the eventual outburst. It will start when I allow someone in who doesn’t show thanks. Then there will be a few cars right in the middle of an intersection and…