Innehållsförteckning för Aug/Sep 2022 från Go! Drive & Camp

BUITE EXPO While attending this year's third big caravan show, the kykNET Buite Expo at Sondela outside Bela-Bela, we realised again how spoilt for choice South African campers are. At the annual Caravan Show earlier this year at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand, more than 20 new caravan models were on display and two new manufacturers made their debut. A month later - at the first kykNET Buite Expo of the year outside Malmesbury three more new manufacturers showed up and five new models were on display. This trend continued at the expo outside Bela-Bela: two other new manufacturers were there and about 10 new models were on display. Here are the newbies we spotted at Bela-Bela. CUSTOM CANOPIES & TRAILERS Custom Canopies is known for its Moremi range…

The Caravan Club of Southern Africa (CSA) celebrated its 75th anniversary this past Easter. The club, which consists of 33 regions and has a whopping member count of more than 1 000 members, gathered at Kaia Manzi outside Bronkhorstspruit. This “Rally SA” takes place every third year when all the members gather in one place. Due to various factors - including COVID - the 2021 rally was postponed to this year. As with the previous Rally SA in Richards Bay (2018), the ceremonial flag hoisting served as an opening even though the rainy weather tried to throw a spanner in the works. A Good Friday service followed, after which guests to participated in the Easter Egg Hunt. The rain started to really pour down on Saturday, but it didn't dampen…

Those of the older generation may remember Praetor Monteerders: the predecessor to BMW South Africa. The company's plant in Rosslyn, Pretoria, not only built BMWs, but also the Jeep Wagoneer station wagon and Gladiator bakkie. Manufacturing ceased in 1970 when Kaiser Jeep SA terminated its partnership with Praetor, and the plant was taken over by BMW AG two years later. And now, more than 50 years on, the Jeep Gladiator is finally back on local soil. We don't know how many Gladiators were sold by Praetor, but Stellantis South Africa sold 55 new Jeep Gladiators within the first two weeks after its launch - and that's without the proud new owners setting eyes on the new bakkie! Inside and out The Jeep Gladiator retains the Wrangler's grille, but the slots…

It seems our days of having to wear masks are a thing of the past, but now we're bombarded with persistent load shedding, the Zondo Commission, and the friendly-yet-urgent requests to return to the office amid rising fuel prices and the prospect of traffic jams… Sometimes, you simply have to go: “Stop the bus, I want to get off!” About 22 km from Clanwilliam, a twohour drive from Cape Town on the N7 in the direction of Namibia, there's an ideal place to get off that bus, pitch your tent, caravan, or bush trailer, and forget about everything that's complicated. Pure bliss. This is where you'll find the Rondeberg Holiday Resort, on the banks of the Bulshoek Dam. The resort and its 30 different stands (with enough space for 180…

READER STORY We had been in Namibia for a number of weeks already. My wife Terèsa, and our granddaughter Tinneke (11) had travelled through Windhoek and Etosha to get to the Epupa Falls in the north. Our plan was to now head to the secluded Camp Syncro, right by the Kunene River, and into the Marienfluss. We'd been here before, around 2005, and crossed over the Vanzyls Pass in a Toyota Prado. This time, however, we were in our Iveco 4×4 motorhome and didn't want to tackle that infamous track, especially as we were travelling on our own. At the Epupa Falls Lodge and Campground, I chatted to owner Koos Verwey about an alternative route to Camp Syncro. Koos is a legend over there and knows the Kaokoveld like the…

Wayne Jacobs, a reader from Cape Town, wrote to us about the condition of the roads in the Pilanesberg National Park, and how they've deteriorated. It's been a popular destination for campers for many years, as here you'll see the Big Five nine times out of 10. We've camped in this lovely reserve no less than four times in the past 16 years, and written about our experience. The first visit was in 2006, and the introduction to the article summed up the situation well: “Pack your things and hitch your off-road trailer. Go and see for yourself why campers are so passionate about the Pilanesberg.” Back then, Louise Grobler camped there too, and told us it was her sixth visit: “Here you can relax, and the children enjoy it.”…

STANLEY MOTORS Stanley Motors, in its plant in Johannesburg, assembled Willys-Overland Jeeps, Hudsons, and Peugeots in 1960. When Kaiser Manufacturing Co bought Willys-Overland, Stanley Motors had to cede its Jeep to Preator Monteerders, the predecessor of BMW South Africa (read more on p 34). Two claims to fame? Stanley Motors was the first plant to use petroleum gas furnaces to dry the enamel paint on vehicle bodies, and they prided themselves for having a separate training centre and cafeteria for “non-Europeans”. SAMAD The South African Motor Assemblers and Distributors was founded in 1945, when £500 000 was handed ewer to a former vice chairman of the American Studebaker Corporation to establish this brand on local soil. The plant in Uitenhage (today Kariega) paid the government about £1,2 million in the…

The second generation Volkswagen Amarok was introduced to the world via YouTube on 7 July this year. The video confirmed there are five engine choices: three 2 ℓ four-cylinder turbodiesels that generate between 110 kW and 154 kW, a 3 ℓ V6 turbodiesel (177-184 kW), and a 2,3 ℓ four-cylinder turbopetrol (222 kW). Volkswagen doesn't state this outright, but we now know that all these engines come from Ford. The engines that deliver more than 154 kW are matched to a 10-speed automatic transmission - the same as the new Ford Rangers. As for the drive train, you can choose between rear-wheel drive, part-time four-wheel drive and permanent four-wheel drive. There are four trim levels: the Amarok base model, followed by Life, Style, Pan-American for off-road adventures, and Aventura for…

CAMPING DESTINATION The year's longest night in June is a distant memory, yet spring is stingy about giving us warmer days. And by now, most of us need a break as we head into the last few months before the December holidays. Perhaps those few days off in October is just the medicine you need. We pitch camp at the Anchors Caravan Park at the lower end of the South Coast, and discover a peaceful campsite where you can recharge so you can return home filled with energy. And if the South Coast is simply too far away, head to the other side of Piet Retief, about a four-hour drive from Gauteng and 250 km from the North Coast. Get your first taste of summer at the mineral hot springs…

The Tshugulu 4x4 eco-route is about 13 km long as we drive it here, but there are ways you could double the distance. We, however, did the route the way the SANParks rangers told us to. Before, the route was marketed as an activity for which you had to get an extra permit. Nowadays, though, only guests of Tshugulu Lodge are allowed on it, with a few exceptions. At R1 780 per night for four people, it's not cheap to stay here, but if you consider the location, amenities, and size of the lodge -and your free access to the route – it's good value for money. Leave the lodge and drive 500 m back on the road you arrived on. Look out for the sign that sends you on…

REEL & WHEEL ZELPY FISHING AND GAME RESORT OPTIONS GALORE If the name Zelpy Fishing and Game Resort sounds unfamiliar, campers may recognise it by its old name, Eastco Magalies. But anglers can still cast their lines in the water in the three dams pear the stands, plus there are two more dams in the game camp some distance away along the road. There are also eight new stands - complete with paving and shade cloth - in the open behind the heated pool, where you camp on grass. Each have water, a power point, and a braai area. Like the original three dams, one of the two new ones also has black bass, carp, catfish, and kurper. You don't pay extra tq fish, but everything you catch must go…

In April 2021, we wrote about the first Suzuki Vitara Brezza launched in South Africa. At the time, the Brezza was available in two trim levels: the GL base model and the more luxurious GLX, both available as manual or automatic. Since then, Suzuki has added a third model, the S-Edition, with the same transmission choices. All three models are powered by Suzuki's K15B engine, also used in the Jimny, among others. It delivers 77 kW of power and 138 Nm of torque - this may not sound like a lot compared to the modern 1 ℓ turbocharged engines, but with the relatively low vehicle mass of 1 140 kg, the Vitara Brezza is surprisingly agile. The engine's revs are a bit high for our liking, though. On the open…

Let's state upfront that if you're well acquainted with hydraulic gear pullers and know the torque load of any given bolt without looking it up, page on. This article is not for you. But if “gear puller” and “torque load” sound like Greek to you, you need to ask yourself how skilled you are to carry out vehicle repairs. For example, if you've never replaced a CV joint in your Toyota Hilux yourself, it won't help you to pack a hammer, chisel, punch, pry bar, torque wrench, or multiple sockets. And you have to know which cotter pins to pull out with your cotter pin puller before you get to work. Most of us, however, know how to replace oil, light bulbs, and spark plugs. And when something is loose…

The Defender trio is now complete with the short 90 series, the medium 110 and the long 130. (All that is left now is a bakkie version… but that probably won't happen.) The original Defender 127 - later renamed to 130 - was Land Rover's workhorse, and specifically aimed at the military and utility companies. Most definitely not the brand's most luxurious or most beautiful car. Instead of continuing its original purpose. Land Rover has decided to elevate the latest Defender 130 to be a type of flagship among its Defenders. Inside and out The Defender 130 is 34 cm longer than the Defender 110 - not for extra cargo space, but to make room for more seats. The only way they could retain the Defender's distinctive rear design was…

The Overberg's name stems from originally being the unknown interior behind the Hottentots Holland mountains that halted the eastern expansion of Jan van Riebeeck's settlement. In time, a path was found through the mountain range, and the vague Dutch definition of “over het berg” (over the mountain) had to-change, because even more mountains awaited on the other-side. The boundaries of the Overberg district remain vague to this day, but it's generally accepted that it's the undulating plain between the Riviersonderend and the Langeberg mountains in the north and the ocean to the south, with its western boundary the Hottentots Holland mountains, and its eastern boundary either the Breede or the Gourits rivers 100 km farther east. Whatever the case may be, we present a winding route that will familiarise you…

MY WHEELS “Our children were at university for many years, and anyone who's been through that can tell you what an expensive story it is. But who would deny their child something great in order to buy a new (or different) vehicle every three or four years? That's why I decided to drive my car for as long as I possibly could. I bought a new Toyota Corolla 1.6 GLE in 2005, and I haven't regretted the purchase for a second. We've used it for our daily commute to and from work, we've gone on holiday with it - towing trailers, too - and I helped my student offspring move around probably about 15 times. We love to camp and have been towing a Gypsey Caravette 6 to various inland…

The EdgeOut is loosely based on the teardrop design - a double bed-on-wheels with a kitchen at the back. But that's where the similarities end, as the EdgeOut is unique in many other respects. The angular shape is quite reminiscent of an American Stealth bomber and is the work of industrial designer Relief Krige - he's just walked away with an international award in Germany. (Read the news report on p 22. - Ed) It's not only the EdgeOut's shape that is trendy, but also the building material: plastic. The owner of EdgeOut, Vonnie Heyns.also owns 4EVR Plastic Products that focus on industrial plastic products, and the specific material used for the EdgeOut is known as LLDPE (linear low-density polyethylene) composition. Aside from the chassis, the hull consists of two plastic…

Christo and I have been married for 37 years. There's a saying he uses all the time: “Now I don't need anything else.” But that's only until he gets another bee in his bonnet… I sometimes wonder whether some of these notions can be ascribed to a midlife crisis, or whether they're simply still manifestations of his adventurousness and love for nature. Because as soon as I think his extreme desire for a new adventure has been quenched, not only does a new craving make itself known, it's also bigger than previous ones. Sometimes my 59-year-old husband's adventurousness leads to enormous challenges. I can usually handle it because I manage to see the bigger picture. But perhaps my strength is waning and can no longer keep up. Christo, on the…