Innehållsförteckning för Feb/Mar 2022 från Go! Drive & Camp

“I took it along on my next camping trip – and used it so often, I never removed it from my camping ammo box after that” Toast Coetzer’s ode to his yellow one-man tent on p 120 reminded me of that one item I always take along when we spend some time in nature. Something that’s also worthy of an ode. It’s not our tent – we’ve probably replaced it three times already as our needs have changed. It’s not my camping chair either, because I’m a big guy and my chairs have a habit of not making it to old age. I replace mine every year or three. Ultimately, it comes down to one of two items: my braai tongs and my Leatherman. The former occupies a very special…

Until recently, the Chinese company Chery was known for its humble and inexpensive vehicles that got the job done but didn’t exactly take your breath away. That changed somewhat when the Chery Tiggo 4 Pro was released. Now, Chery’s newfound image as an exciting vehicle manufacturer has been cemented even more by the striking Chery Omoda 5. There isn’t much information available about the Omoda 5 yet. What we do know is that it gets two 10,25-inch touchscreens inside, and it’s designed to accept internal combustion engines, hybrid technology, or full electric propulsion. “It’s encouraging to know that the Omoda 5, just like every other new Chery, will be future-proof, and that we can support every type of customer’s requirements, whether for powerful and economical petrol and diesel engines, or…

The third row of seats in your Toyota Fortuner has its obvious advantages, but it does take up valuable luggage space. Fortunately, these seats are removable, but then you end up with open holes by the wheel arches on both sides. Booxe has designed a set of lids to close these holes. The Booxe Gap Cap is made of plastic and fits all Fortuner models from 2016 and up. You don’t have to drill any holes or screw in anything; you place the lid using only your hands. Price A set of Gap Cap lids costs R795 – place your order online. Contact 087 379 7539 or 066 176 2522 booxe.co.za…

The first mu-X was particularly popular in Australia, but back then, General Motors decided to sell the mu-X in South Africa as the Chevrolet Trailblazer. This was one of GM’s less successful decisions, as the Trailblazer didn’t do nearly as well here as the mu-X did in Australia. But that’s all in the past, and now Isuzu’s latest SUV has arrived. What do we have here? Not only does the latest Isuzu mu-X look different on the outside, but its cabin is also larger than before. This means Isuzu extended the mu-X’s body by 25 mm to 4 850 mm. Up front, the grille is larger and the spotlights in the bumper sit lower down. The wheel arches are no longer as prominent, and the side windows are longer (the…

There’s something wrong with this ocean. The water is supposed to be warm – more than 20 °C. It’s August, after all, and this is the Indian Ocean. But here in Port Edward, the water is freezing cold. It’s starting to rain, and the wind’s blowing with a vengeance. Our plan was to start our big journey from the East Coast to the West Coast with a lovely dip in the warm sea. We dip a tentative big toe, but that’s as far as we get. And so we check the weather forecast to see what awaits us on the journey from Port Edward to Lamberts Bay – all 1 700 km of it. The news is not good: it’s cold and there may even be snow. IT’S RAINING CATS…

The mountains and vineyards make this a truly picturesque part of our country – it’s quite surprising, really, that there isn’t a greater variety of campsites in the area. You’re barely an hour’s drive from the Mother City, which means that for Capetonians, it’s close enough for a weekend outing, while those coming from afar could easily chill out for longer while exploring the Cape. De Hollandsche Molen and the Franschhoek campsites differ significantly in their offerings, but both make for a fabulous experience. DE HOLLANDSCHE MOLEN Fun times The moment you spot the multitudes of trampolines, huge swimming pools, and all the kids cycling up and down the campsite, you know this is a popular resort. You’re in nature, and young and old are equally happy. Parents can relax…

With its standard towbar and trailer sway control, the Isuzu D-Max 300 LX 4x4 (automatic) is built for towing. On top of that, the rear-view camera comes standard. Plus, it has a towing capacity of 3 500 kg. But, as we’ve pointed out before, legislation only allows you to tow a caravan with a gross vehicle mass of 2 095 kg (the tare weight of the Isuzu). Even so, you can still tow most of the caravans on the market with the Isuzu. During our visit to Franschhoek Camping, we hitched a fully equipped Bush Lapa Miskruier (GVM 1 500 kg) and towed 229 km. Our route was there and back on the Old Cape Road Pass and then over the Helshoogte Pass to Stellenbosch. With two adults and two…

The Paarl Valley was originally inhabited by the Cochoqua, a prosperous Khoisan tribe that farmed mainly with livestock. The Cochoqua called the mountain above their valley !hom !nãb/s – or Tortoise Mountain. Later, in 1657, a fiscal of the Dutch East India Company, one Abraham Gabbema, renamed it “de Diamondt and de Peerlberg” because of the way the mountain’s largest granite domes glistened in the sun after a morning shower. Peerl, old Dutch for pearl, would later become Paarl. The granite domes that impressed Abraham so much are today called Bretagne (French for Britain) and Gordon’s Rock (named after the Dutch explorer of Scottish descent Robert Gordon) and a third, smaller dome closest to the town is Paarl Rock, or the pearl of Paarl. Our route starts at the Afrikaans…

“After a disastrous tour in 2009 with my Volkswagen Syncro bus, I decided to upgrade to a more conventional off-roader. I spotted the dark blue roof of Knersus – its wasn’t called that yet, of course – among other cars at a second-hand car dealer. I took a deep breath… and that was it. The Land Cruiser, with its 4,7 l-V8 engine, was already 10 years old and had more than 200 000 km on the clock – in my opinion, it had just been run in quite nicely. It already boasted a few extras: a spot for the second spare wheel, a long-distance fuel tank, and a drawer system in the rear. It appears, however, as though the previous owners weren’t particularly concerned about servicing the vehicle, and a…

The name Castrol, the British oil manufacturer, comes from castor oil. Yes, the nasty laxative your grandmother made your dad take as a kid was used as a lubricant in engines way back when. Englishman Charles Wakefield of the Wakefield Oil Company discovered in 1906 that castor oil, made from castor beans, had a good viscosity to lubricate engines. Plus, it had a boiling point of 313 °C. Wakefield registered this engine oil under the name Castrol. It was one of many lubricants manufactured by the Wakefield Oil Company, and it was so popular that Wakefield later rebranded his entire company after this product. And no, Castrol is no longer made from beans……

Big Fish Caravan and Camping outside Jeffreys Bay has added stands and upgraded the power points. In addition to the 38 stands, the owners have set up two private stands, each with its own bathroom, on the banks of the Gamtoos River. Both have a paved slab, braai area,and their own light. The power points have a domestic socket as well as a Fredlin socket. Domestic sockets have also been installed at some of the other stands that previously only had Fredlin points. In the older section of the resort, 14 stands border the river. They’re all nicely level and on grass. Each has a tap with municipal water, plus a built-up braai area (with a grid) and a light that has its own switch. Two separate ablution blocks service…

With its Wonder, Journey, and Dream models, Destination Caravans has established itself as a premium manufacturer of luxury caravans in South Africa. Thanks to their years of experience, Destination has now designed a caravan with a layout that suits every camper, says owner André van Helsdingen. He observed his clients’ needs over a long period and used this feedback when designing the Nature. There’s another positive result to not customising the body of the standard Nature. It shortens the construction process with a streamlined production line. It further contributes to higher quality and a better price. André sticks to his regular building materials, which means that the Nature’s body also consists of fibreglass with a PVC interior layer. While the other models have independent suspension, the Nature gets a dual…

Minibuses are not as popular as hatchbacks, bakkies, and SUVs, but that’s all changing. Sales figures of minibuses have increased by 55% from 2020 to 2021, and experts reckon their popularity will continue to grow. Hyundai’s timing, therefore, couldn’t be better. The Hyundai H1 van has become a bit long in the tooth, and consumers are ready for something new. But are they ready for the Staria? What do we have here? The Hyundai Staria is available in three versions: the Executive, Elite, and Luxury – plus, a panel van and a five-seater multicab will be released later. The first three mentioned, the passenger versions, have 2 to 11 seats, although the nine-seater layout is likely to be the most popular for practical reasons. The Executive and Elite focus on…

In the late 1960s, Danie Ochse, a farmer from the Eastern Cape, decided he had enough of Graaff Reinet’s drought. He moved to the Western Cape and bought himself a piece of land next to the water in the hopes that he’d never have to worry about drought ever again. Here, on the banks of the Berg River, Danie – and then his son George and later his grandson Chris – eventually developed a family resort that’s one of the most popular campsites in the area and attracts thousands of visitors every year. When you consider everything this resort has to offer for the entire family, it’s easy to understand why it bursts at the seams, especially during peak season. The kids will stay busy for hours, that’s for sure.…

Hennie and Emmerentia, who had to postpone their retirement trip for a year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, finally toured the Kruger National Park last year. At various stops, they were joined by friends and old acquaintances. We left them in Marekele in the previous issue, just as they were getting ready to cross the border into Botswana. Hennie continues the story… “It was still pitch dark, but we were ready to go. On Thursday, 3 June 2021, our brand-new passports, which had been patiently waiting in the safe for a year, were due to get new stamps. We were to cross the border at Groblersbrug and then enter Botswana through the Martin’s Drift border post. We headed for Lephalale and turned towards the border. We got there sooner than…

After a 14-year co-operation agreement with Ford, Mazda decided to break away and join Isuzu. The latest BT-50 is based on the upcoming Isuzu D-Max, which landed in Australia ages ago. Unlike the collaboration between Volkswagen and Ford for the new Amarok and Ranger, Mazda was not involved in the development of the D-Max at all. Mazda simply gets a complete bakkie from Isuzu – with a Mazda badge on it, some unique body panels, and that signature Mazda grille. Inside and out The large grille has you taking a second look when a BT-50 heads toward you, because you could easily mistake it for a CX-5 or another Mazda. It’s commendable when a vehicle manufacturer ensures all its models follow a style guide. Mazda calls its design language the…

Most caravans are built for convenience in the campsite, but who hasn’t stood scratching their heads to figure out where the family’s bicycles should go? And what about your 125 cc scrambler… this would usually be left at home. One solution is the so-called toy hauler that’s popular in America and some other countries. Locals haven’t really taken this seriously yet, but manufacturer Unipod has a number of models available. You’re allowed to tow Unipod’s Bushpod Lite with your standard driving licence, and both models – the Lite and XL – have a load capacity of 720 kg. For the test, we hitched the XL. The bikes (or motorcycle) fit through the back door. The opening is almost a metre wide, which means there’s no hassle when you load your…

When you buy engine oil, you will see letters and numbers on the container – something like SAE 15W-30. But what does that mean? SAE stands for Society of Automotive Engineers. These are the guys who determined the standardisation of engine oil. W stands for winter. The number before the W is an indication of the oil’s viscosity at low winter temperatures and the letter after the W is the viscosity at the temperature of a running engine – that’s usually around 90 °C. That letter before the W is the most important, because it determines how liquid the oil is after it’s cooled overnight. If you live in a cold country like Canada, you want something like SAE 5W-30, because 5W oil remains liquid even in icy temperatures. The…

2000 CHRYSLER PT CRUISER American Bryan Nesbitt was obsessed with the cars of the 1930s, and when the wave of nostalgia hit the car industry with models such as the VW Beetle and the Mini Cooper, Bryan found his calling. His PT Cruiser looked great as a concept car, but something went wrong along the way. The size of the PT Cruiser’s boot was praised in advertisements, but due to those chunky wheel arches, it’s pretty tight inside. 2010 NISSAN JUKE The Juke is a product of Nissan’s European design studio in London, but Shiro Nakamura at Nissan Japan signed off on it. The Juke was launched in Johannesburg in October 2011, and South Africans were devided by its appearance from the start. Some Juke owners are like bull terrier…

If you like camping with family and friends, do add the name Sonwyserskop to your list. This campsite is located on the farm Keurbosch outside Piketberg and belongs to Kokkie and Jo-Anni Coetzee. They farm with grapes, citrus, and cattle, and the campsite is the latest addition to the farm. The idea was to set up a campsite for the Coetzee family so they could host large gatherings. Then Kokkie and his family decided to open the facilities to the public. The section of the farm where they laid out the 20 stands (with 10 domestic-socket power points) already had well-established trees, including wild olive and yellowwood trees. They built four family bathrooms, plus a communal lapa with a fire pit in the middle. There are four built-up braai areas…

This Swedish vehicle manufacturer recently invested in the Israeli arms manufacturer Spectralics. The latter company has developed a digital film that it aplies to the inside of a glass canopy of Israeli fighter jets. The film is called MLTC (it stands for multi-layered thin combiner) and displays a holographic target image to a fighter pilot and replaces the traditional heads-up display, or HUD. The technology is not yet perfect, but Spectralics has made enough progress to grab Volvo’s attention. Volvo is investigating the possibility of using MTLC technology in the windscreen of its cars, thus displaying holograms of stray animals and other dangers to the driver. If the technology is indeed suitable for cars, it will still take several years before holograms appear in your vehicle, but this confirms Volvo’s…

Ten years after the previous model landed on our shores, Ford introduced its new Ranger to the world at the end of last year. The latest model was developed in collaboration with Volkswagen, but it’s a little bit more Ford than VW. If it’s strongly reminiscent of the previous Ranger, that’s because it is indeed built on the same (improved) T6 platform with similar bodywork panels and dimensions. Although the bakkie is on the same platform, it’s pretty much all new, and only a few items remain the same as in the outgoing model. Let’s take a closer look. What do we have here? Let’s start with what fans are most looking forward to: the Ranger gets the 3 ℓ V6 Power Stroke turbodiesel from the American Ford F-150. This…

Can you believe Peugeot is 212 years old? The company started off as a steel foundry in the French town of Sochaux, and its first vehicle dates back to 1889. The Peugeot family remained in charge until relatively recently, but the company is now part of the Stellantis group, which owns several car brands. Like so many vehicle manufacturers, Stellantis forges ties with its competitors for it to be able to keep manufacturing costs low, and this is also what happened with the Peugeot Landtrek. What do we have here? The Peugeot Landtrek was developed in collaboration with the Chinese Changan Group. China gets the Kaicene F70, and South America and Africa, the Peugeot Landtrek. It’s essentially the same bakkie; the biggest difference being the badge. The Landtrek is available…

FISHING RESORT DIE KAIA HOME AWAY FROM HOME Die Kaia is six kilometres outside Somerset East and lies on the Little Fish River, which flows towards Gqeberha and into the Indian Ocean. The campsite belongs to Festha Erasmus, and is on the farm Grootplaas, which belongs to her and her husband Danie. Fifteen years ago, there was nothing here, Festha says, but they were looking for a picnic spot outside the town where people could come to relax. There was already grass growing on the riverbanks, and the lapa and bathrooms were the first buildings to go up. The campsite continued to be developed, and now, as you drive in with the river in front of you, the caravan stands are to the left and the ones for tents are…

The Nissan Navara’s first model made a big impression, but it feels as though the latest models lost some momentum with their more modest looks. We drove the brand-new Navara as a test vehicle for a week, and more than one person along the road said: “Nice bakkie!” It’s true: Nissan has breathed new life into the Navara with this more aggressive look. And if towing and camping are important to you, the new Navara might just catch your eye, too. Getting hitched The first Navara model we tested 10 years ago had a 2,5 ℓ diesel engine that delivered 140 kW and 450 Nm. The next generation got a 2,3 ℓ diesel engine with exactly the same muscles. Now, the wheel has turned, and the latest model has the…

When you temporarily exchange your bed at home for one in the camp, you still want to have a good sleep. Nothing stops you from replacing the standard mattress in your caravan with one you prefer. It’s a completely different matter when you camp with a tent. Storage space is a bigger problem, as you don’t have the convenience of extra space in a caravan. Everything has to fit in your car – and the most you can do is add a roof rack or trailer. Taking the mattress from your spare room will use up all the space in your trailer. The answer, of course, is a mattress that folds up or, even better, one that inflates. Mattresses that fold aren’t really the answer, as they’re usually more square-shaped…

Let’s imagine a rock hits your rig’s sump, creating a hole, and all the engine oil ends up on the ground. You can’t continue on, because, as you read on previous pages, oil is essential to prevent your engine from seizing. Collect all the metal shards, clean them properly, and use Pratley Steel epoxy glue to patch the hole in the oil pan, much like a jigsaw puzzle using the shards. Yes, it can work – we have firsthand experience. Yes, there is a can of oil in your toolbox, but that’s just to top up the engine and not enough to replace all the oil. You heard somewhere that you can use cooking oil… Could that be true? Cooking oil is, after all, a Newtonian liquid, just like engine…

During my first few years as a travel journalist, I didn’t own a tent, and I often had to borrow one from a friend. Everything went well until this tent “disappeared” once next to the Pongolapoort Dam outside Jozini. I thought it was stolen at first but spotted it the next morning floating about 100 m away in the dam. The wind was the thief. It was high time to get my own tent, and I knew exactly what I wanted: a strong, lightweight tent that could fold up small enough to fit into a backpack when I went hiking – or my suitcase when I had to fly to my destination. A fly-in camping holiday isn’t really something seasoned campers readily attempt, because what on Earth do you do…