Innholdsfortegnelse for December 2021 i CAR

Greetings CAR readers. This has always been one of my favourite issues. Slightly spent from a busy year, yet brimming with positivity for what lies ahead, we look to the future, contact local PR departments and cast an eye over international media portals to best paint a picture of what the next 12 months of motoring will look like. Elmer Wheeler’s infamous phrase, “You don’t sell the steak, you sell the sizzle,” comes to mind as I leaf through the 2022 Preview (p20). Gloriously sculpted metal compassionately photographed in an ideal setting; as yet unexplored power, performance and efficiency. All 62 featured cars are full of promise. We’re yet to find out if the interior plastics are sub-par; if there’s turbo lag and the drivetrain hunts through its ratios; whether…

GarethD_CARmag MilemanMedia Engine: 2,0-litre, 4-cyl, turbodiesel + 48V mild hybrid Transmission: 9-speed automatic Power: 195 kW @3 800 r/min Torque: 550 N.m @1 800 r/min 0-100 km/h: 5,70 seconds* Top speed: 250 km/h Fuel consumption: 5,00 L/100 km* CO2 : 132 g/km Rivals: Audi A4, 3 Series, Lexus IS + strikingly styled inside and out; impressive refinement; effortless cruising ability - adaptive suspension leans towards comfort rather than agility When Mercedes-Benz South Africa invited us for an exclusive first drive on local soil of the W206 C-Class at its East London plant, it would be the latest instalment in a history of quality cars produced locally for a discerning global market. The facility opened in 1950, with marques as diverse as Nash, Packard, Fiat and Auto Union rolling out of the…

@MarkSamuel_ZA Price: R1 811 900 Engine: 3,3-litre V6 turbodiesel Transmission: 10-speed automatic Power: 225 kW @4 000 r/min Torque: 700 N.m @1 600-2 600 r/min 0-100 km/h: n/a Top speed: 210 km/h Fuel consumption: 8,90 L/100 km* CO² : 238 g/km Rivals: Land Rover Defender 110; Mercedes-Benz G-Class, Nissan Patrol + supreme off-road capabilities; smooth suspension; on-road comfort; interior spaciousness - pricey; availability constraints Based on reputation alone, there aren’t too many four-wheel-drive vehicles I’d entrust with my life. When it comes down to it, is there anything that matters more than a vehicle’s track record? What’s come before speaks volumes about quality, durability and reliability. It gives us a pretty accurate sense of what to expect from a new model because it tells us if a manufacturer knows what they’re…

IamDamianAdams 1 130 km 7,56 L/100 km + striking exterior design turns heads; decent practicality and interior space - initial fuel consumption higher than expected; interior fit and finish below par Our Kiger 1,0 Turbo Intens test unit arrived at the CAR garage painted in eye-catching Caspian Blue with a contrasting black roof, dual-tone 16-inch alloy wheels and silver roof rails. This car is clearly all about its styling and I don’t blame Renault for capitalising on the current crossover craze. The high bonnet line is matched by a bluff front-end that houses LED daytime running lights and three-bulb LED headlamps. Round the back, there are intricate C-shaped LED taillamps, a pronounced bumper wrapped in silver and black cladding, as well as an exaggerated spoiler with integrated high-level brake light.…

Sean_ParkerSA 7 821 km 6,60 L/100 km + excellent fuel consumption; substantially lower than the claimed figure - iffy Apple CarPlay connection drops out every so often The Sonet has had a busy month. I used it as a makeshift moving vehicle to cart items to my apartment from my childhood home. The cavernous 384-litre boot boasts a tailgate height of 822 mm that made loading boxes easy. To reduce the number of trips, I folded the rear seatbacks and the space mushroomed to over 1 200 litres of luggage capacity. Job well done, Sonet. With several fuel price hikes over the past few months, I’ve been pleasantly surprised at the average fuel consumption figure of 6,60 L/100km. I suspect most of it is probably down to my careful driving;…

mariusboonzaier The 1960s was arguably the definitive decade in British history: the Swinging Sixties. The Beatles released their debut album, Please Please Me and their subsequent “British Invasion” on the music industry. Fashion designer Mary Quant popularised the mini skirt and it was an era of political activism. However, before this decade of youth-driven cultural revolution came into, ahem, full swing, on the outskirts of London, the mechanical rustle of an atmospheric six-cylinder echoed through Jaguar’s Coventry factory on the evening of 14 March 1961. The British motor manufacturer’s then public relations manager Bob Berry started a hand-built E-Type fixed-head coupé prototype that Jaguar was set to display at the Geneva Motor Show in Switzerland the following day. Leaving the production plant later than initially planned, Berry embarked on the…

Ray_Leathern Petridish_Mooks +a trailblazer for speedy, electric wagons; drives with all the precision you want from a Porsche; breaks all the rules … - … including the bathroom scale – it’s a heavy old hector; off-road clearances could be better We’ve all had that meeting with the school guidance counsellor. Being of misguided youth, you might have confessed your wildest dreams about being a racecar driver, fighter pilot or samurai swordsman. Then came the aptitude test, and, voila, the counsellor’s decree: “You can do anything you put your mind to.” Wow, thanks for that, Sigmund Freud … now I’ve got it all mapped out. Except, in Stuttgart, Porsche engineers who had the same experience must’ve taken that pep talk to heart. How else do you explain the existence of the…

Ray_Leathern 1 942 km 9,00 L/100 km + more menacing than the FX4 courtesy of dark cosmetics - extra power means it will be thirstier, surely? Tell me if you agree with this assertion: the high-water mark of many a great model occurs just before the line-up is about to be replaced. What do you think, CAR readers, does that make sense? Ask yourself this, is it better to get the first of the new or last of the old generation? It’s been a long-standing debate in the CAR office and we’ve tested a fair few cars over the decades that support the theory. Pros and cons abound on either side, of course. The new car will almost certainly pack more punch, claim to consume less of the world’s resources…

GarethD_CARmag 2 753 km 7,83 L/100 km + it’s taken to long-term service with gusto; clever VW DataPlug - nothing obvious yet; no fudging the fuel slips Owing to its immediate 500-plus kilometre road trip to Montagu and back, we didn’t get the opportunity to say a proper hello to our T-Roc long-termer last month, let alone get an in-depth look at some of the car’s excellent features. While active safety tech such as lane-keeping assist and adaptive cruise control with emergency braking are among the options fitted to this range-topping test unit, perhaps one of the most interesting is standard fitment (for this model) of VW’s DataPlug. This Bluetooth-enabled unit clips into a data port under the dash and connects to your smartphone via the Android/iOS We Connect Go…

PeterPalm12 Chrysler 300C Hemi 5 seats, 392/1 062 L 4 airbags, ABS, ESC, stability control R 10 940 February 2006 (300C Hemi), also, 300C Hemi Touring and SRT8 tests 0-100 km/h: 6,96 seconds Top speed: 250 km/h Power: 250 kW Torque: 525 N.m Fuel consumption: 12,22 L/100 km The 300C joins a select number of American cars that offer stand-out styling, unlike the lacklustre shapes that we became used to in previous decades. This long wheelbase with short overhangs has a muscular appeal and the lowish roof reduces window-to-metal ratio to add panache. With the OHV V8, four of the eight cylinders are disabled with low-power demand to reduce fuel consumption. Input from part owners at the time, Mercedes-Benz, is evident in the interior and, in its day, it was quite…

Q1 Audi E-Tron Audi E-Tron Sportback Audi E-Tron GT/RS E-Tron GT BMW iX3 BMW i4 BMW 2 Series Coupé Bentley Continental GT Speed Fiat 500X Sport Cabriolet Hyundai Kona N Hyundai i30 N DCT Jeep Compass Isuzu D-Max Kia Sonet 1,0 T-GDi Kia Sorento Kia Carnival Lexus NX Maserati MC20 Mazda CX-5 Nissan Qashqai Opel Grandland Opel Mokka Porsche 911 GT3 Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT Renault Clio Subaru Forester Volvo XC60 Volkswagen Polo/GTI Volkswagen Golf R Volkswagen Tiguan R Q2 Audi RS3 Sportback and Sedan Ferrari 296 GTB Hyundai Tucson Kia Sportage Lexus LX McLaren 765 LT Spider Mercedes-Benz EQA Mercedes-Benz EQB Mercedes-Benz EQS Range Rover Renault Captur Rolls-Royce Ghost Black Badge Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace Q3 Aston Martin Valhalla Ferrari 812 Competizione Honda HR-V Honda BR-V Maserati Grecale Subaru WRX…

ADVANCED PACKAGE (NO COST OPTION) • Avantgarde interior styling package • Avantgarde exterior package • Folding rear seatbacks • Thermatic Individual climate control • USB package • Central display ADVANCED-PLUS PACKAGE – R21 000 Adds the following to Advanced package: • Driver display • Wireless charging • Illuminated door sill panels • Ambient lighting PREMIUM PACKAGE – R62 000 Adds the following to Advanced package + Advanced-plus package: • Memory package • MBUX Navigation Premium • Parking package with 360-degree camera PREMIUM-PLUS PACKAGE – R118 000 • Digital headlamps • Head-up display • Thermotronic automatic climate control • USB package plus (6 x USB-C ports, 2 x 12V sockets) • MBUX augmented reality OTHER OPTIONS • Rear-axle steering – R22 400 • Head-up display – R22 000 • MBUX Navigation…

NikeshKooverjee 7 months 3 013 km 7,40 L/100 km + generous packaging; versatile cabin layout - no TCS or ESC; glitchy infotainment system Manufacturers across the globe are hedging their bets on the current crossover craze. If recent sales reports are anything to go by, this gamble is paying off handsomely. Admittedly, the Vitara moniker has been around for a good few decades but, with the Brezza name attached, this compact crossover is an all-new direction for the brand. When we tested this same unit in our April 2021 issue, we sang its praises despite a few shortcomings such as minimal standard safety features and a short final drive ratio. Now that we’ve spent additional time with the Indian-built crossover, we’ve become better acquainted with the product that is currently…

NikeshKooverjee 445 km 8,14 L/100 km +punchy turbo engine; dynamic chassis -odd standard features My first ever long-termer when I started as a journalist at CAR some seven years ago was the previous-generation Hyundai i20 1,4 Motion, so, it’s quite fitting I should find myself returning to the Korean hatchback. Interestingly, the directive and relevancy of this segment has changed quite a bit since then with many manufacturers now placing a concerted effort on their up-sized crossover offerings. Regardless, the brief for the i20 remains the same. The model still aims to blend sophistication with a certain level of playfulness. This is even more true now that it sports a 1,0-litre turbo-triple mill that we were demanding for the previous generation. Off the bat, the new unit proves a much…

Stu_John The big difference between the two major on-track clashes involving Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton this year was simple, old-fashioned speed. At Silverstone’s flat-out Copse Corner – where Lewis made a dive down the inside that sent Max Verstappen into the barriers and left him lucky to escape serious injury – the mid-corner speed is over 300 km/h. At the Monza chicane, where another argy-bargy saw the controversial sausage kerbs flip the Red Bull on top of the Mercedes, the contact speed was only in the region of 20 km/h. From the title-challenge perspective, Max undoubtedly came off worst following both incidents. In Lewis’ home Grand Prix, the stewards gave the Brit a 10-second penalty. It still enabled him to comfortably win the race, though, as he was already…

PeterPalm12 Model: Honda Prelude 2,0i-16 0 to 100 km/h: 9,12 seconds Top speed: 212 km/h Price: R99 855 CAR test: September 1991 (also July 1984 and May 1995) Fuel cons: 7,16 L/100 km In the 1980s, Mercedes-Benz wanted a higher volume seller than its large, pricey sedans. Honda also wanted to get going in South Africa and so the deal was done. Hondas were built alongside the German marque and quickly earned a reputation as a quality product, just like the Mercs. The Prelude, however, was fully imported and, as such, was burdened with a 100% import tariff. PACKAGING South Africa did not receive the first-generation Prelude. A good thing really, as it was not particularly stylish, apart from the two-door appeal. Thereafter, matters improved considerably with a variety of…

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Sean_Parker Arguably one of the most famous wins at La Sarthe inevitably has a great story attached to it, as an endurance-racing outsider bustled in to take a runaway overall victory and claim the first four positions in class. The year was 1995, and the McLaren F1 road car was on the tip of everyone’s tongue. South African-born Formula 1 designer Gordon Murray was riding the crest of the wave as the man who had designed the world’s fastest production car, powered by the iconic BMW S70/2 V12 engine. But Murray wasn’t finished just yet and produced a racing version labelled GTR that competed in the GT1 Endurance series. For the Le Mans entrant, the newly formed Kokusai Kaihatsu Racing team headed by Graham Humphreys focused on aerodynamics, braking and…