Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2017 i Leisure Wheels

In what car did you learn to drive, and what was your first car? Any fond memories of them? I learnt to drive in my mother’s Mini. My first car was a blue Volkswagen Beetle. We always had to push-start the Beetle as the battery was dead. We would also squeeze seven people in the VW to go and watch the cricket at the Wanderers cricket grounds. What is your favourite 4x4 that you’ve owned or driven on an expedition? The Mercedes-Benz G-Glass – there is no better vehicle for an adventure. How did you get into the life of an adventurer? I strongly believe one does not become an explorer, I believe one is born an explorer. Although I was too young to recall, my parents have always said…

Uber recently decided to expand a self-driving pilot programme it was running in San Francisco by unleashing driverless Volvo XC90s on city streets. The move marked the next phase in a deepening alliance between Volvo and Uber after the two companies signed an agreement in August to establish a jointly owned project to build base vehicles that can be used to develop fully autonomous driverless cars. These cars were initially tested in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The latest cars to be used in San Francisco have been built by Volvo and sold to Uber, after which Uber’s own selfdriving hardware and software package was added, most visibly in the roof-mounted control apparatus. These cars will drive around San Francisco autonomously, but as part of the pilot programme, will at all times have…

It’s being reported that VW is looking to release an electric van that’ll be a spiritual successor to the iconic Microbus by 2020. But we’re not getting too excited. Volkswagen has been throwing the idea around for a long, long time (since 2001), but so far nothing has come of it. The 2001 VW Microbus Concept was a real looker and it still looks good today. For a while it seemed as if it might enter production, but this plan was abandoned in 2005. In 2011, the idea was revisited, but then the Bulli was unveiled. Again, this was a great little van inspired by the old Microbus (and given the popular German nickname), but it also never saw production. Then in 2016, Volkswagen released another reimagining of the Microbus.…

The nature of vehicle ownership and operation is changing. There’s the fact that so many car and tech companies are focusing on autonomous vehicles, of course, and then there’s the move towards a ridesharing economy that’s being spearheaded by companies like Uber and Lyft. Well, Mercedes-Benz is getting in on the action. It’s been dabbling in autonomous vehicles for a while, but it’s now also looking at ride sharing. Mercedes-Benz Germany recently launched an app called Croove, which facilitates peer-to-peer (P2P) car sharing. What’s different about a P2P service compared to something like Uber? Well, a P2P service essentially facilitates the renting of vehicles by private owners. Mercedes-Benz is offering the service only in Much municipality at the moment, but if there’s enough interest, it’ll be rolled out to the…

IT'S always a treat when you get your hands on a vehicle you thought you’d have to wait a while for. So when Mazda South Africa approached us late last year and asked if we’d like to spend some time with the updated Mazda BT-50, which only gets its official launch in February, we jumped at the chance. But what to do with the vehicle? Spending a week driving to the grocery store and back seemed like a bit of a waste. We needed something a tad more interesting. After a brief caucus, it was decided that we would take it down to the Cape to tackle some of those famous mountain passes. We’d have loads of time to test it on the highway, and also see how it performed…

TOYOTA FORTUNER 2.4GD-6 RB TOYOTA FORTUNER 2.4GD-6 RB Engine: 2 393cc, four-cylinder turbodiesel Power: 110kW @ 3 400r/min Torque: 400Nm @ 1 600r/min Gearbox: Six-speed manual Traction aids: Stability and traction control, rear differential lock Ground clearance: 225mm Suspension front: Independent, double wishbone Suspension rear: Four-link with coil springs Tare weight: 1 924kg Warranty: Three-year/100 000km Service plan: Five-year/90 000km Price: R454 000 Sales (November 2016): 1 135 Average consumption: 8.7 litres/100km Range (80 litres): Approx 919km CHEVROLET TRAILBLAZER 2.5D LT AT Engine: 2 499cc, four-cylinder turbodiesel Power: 132kW @ 3 600r/min Torque: 440Nm @ 2 000r/min Gearbox: Six-speed automatic Traction aids: Limited slip rear differential Ground clearance: 219mm Suspension front: Independent, link assembly Suspension rear: Five-link with coil springs Tare weight: 2 003kg Warranty: Five-year/120 000km Service plan: Five-year/90…

R119 000. That’s how much you’ll pay for a brand new Renault Kwid Expression, the base model of the new range. Made in India, the Kwid doesn’t pretend to be anything but a cheap, economical-torun motoring option. In India, the Kwid is a regular Top 10 seller, offering plenty of standard features at a very competitive price. The same principle applies to the Kwid here, and for cash-strapped consumers who want to buy new, it makes a lot of sense. Apparently the first batch of Kwids shipped here have already all been snapped up. Sharing its platform with the Datsun GO (a product of the Renault-Nissan Alliance), the little Kwid features a surprising amount of standard kit (unlike the Datsun), especially if one considers the price. We drove the Dynamique…

For more information on any of these tours, or to book your trip: Email: lwtravel@ramsaymedia.co.za Website: leisurewheels.co.za/travelpackages / Or phone Inshaaf Amos @ Tel: 021 530 3380 *Sign up for any one of the Leisure Wheels 4x4 Safaris, and get this handy bag, free. Compact and easily storable when empty, this versatile bag can be used to carry just about anything. From books to travel documents, to an exercise towel and water bottle. NEW! PONDOLAND TRANSKEI WILD COAST (21–28 MARCH OR 8–14 OCTOBER) Pondoland, on the Transkei Wild Coast, is one of the destinations so many people would like to visit, but know so little about, and do not want to go there on their own. It is a land of wild cattle and wilder beauty, of waterfalls plunging directly…

Google has created a new self-driving company called Waymo. The company has had a self-driving programme for more than seven years (its little driverless cars can be seen all over Silicon Valley), but it is now spinning off an independent organisation which will focus on self-driving programmes exclusively. It was also announced that 100 autonomous Chrysler Pacifica minivans have been created to join the Waymo fleet in 2017. It wasn’t announced exactly when these vans will hit the streets, but apparently it will be early in the year. The Pacificas are all plug-in hybrids that have integrated Waymo’s software and hardware. “With this great new minivan on the road in our test markets, we’ll learn how people of all ages, shapes, and group sizes experience our fully selfdriving technology,” said…

Yes, the Mercedes- Benz G-Class has been around for a very long time, but it seems as popular and in demand as ever. In fact, 2016 was a record year: no less than 20 000 of these vehicles were built at Magna Steyr in Graz, Austria, where the vehicle has been produced since 1979. “The individualisation and continuous technical optimisation of the G-Class contribute to the great success of the original off-road icon which still makes no compromises when it comes to off-road,” says Dr Gunnar Güthenke, head of the off-road product group at Mercedes-Benz. “The production of 20 000 G-Classes in one year confirms the high demand for the ‘G’ and likewise, the quality of our vehicles, something that is highly appreciated by our customers. I am pleased and…

Ford F150 Raptor US motorsport officials are clearly adopting a ‘Let’s make off-road racing great again’ approach; they have included a new factory stock class in the Best in the Desert off-road racing series. Ford’s 2017 F150 Raptor is one of the stock 4x4s that compete in this class. It is sold with an adjustable off-road racing suspension in stock trim, so it can go the off-road mile. Powered by a turbocharged 3.5-litre Ecoboost engine, the Raptor has 305kW of power and a 10-speed automatic gearbox. It also has a new transfer case that automatically manages the power distribution between the front and rear wheels. The system is said to combine the best attributes of clutch-driven, on-demand all-wheel drive with durable, mechanical-locking four-wheel drive to send power to the wheels…

MY love of riding dual-purpose motorbikes through the Karoo started with an epiphany. I was in a cottage, halfway up a hill overlooking the veld to the Valley of Desolation near Graaff-Reinet. I had always hankered after a more fulfilling and balanced lifestyle; one that wouldn’t see me spending the majority of my life at the office or in traffic; one that would allow me to work from home, even in my pyjamas, if I felt like it. My main objective was to uncover a vocation that would be so engaging, so enjoyable and so fulfilling it wouldn’t feel like work; and one that I could also make a few shekels from, of course. While meditating on this in the early morning sunlight outside my hired Karoo cottage, a fiery-coloured…

SEA turtles are charismatic animals that are recognised worldwide as rare and highly endangered. Numbers have been declining for decades, and the protection and monitoring of the remaining breeding sites critically important. One of those breeding sites found on mainland Africa runs along the eastern seaboard of Mozambique and South Africa. Two turtle species, the loggerhead and the leatherback have been breeding here for many centuries, but both are now under serious threat. Loggerhead numbers are declining worldwide and leatherbacks, the largest turtles in the world, are critically endangered, mostly due to humans. Loggerhead and leatherback turtles have been laying eggs on the southern Mozambican coast just north of the South African border for centuries, although there were no accurate records prior to 1994. Pierre Lombard and his family were…

It started as another great day in Africa: Oom Frikkie and Auntie Beryl were traversing the Moremi National Park in Botswana, in their 4×4 bakkie. Then Oom Frikkie decided to head off on a twee-spoor track because it was, clearly, a shortcut. Auntie Beryl protested, mentioning lions and death and so on. Oom Frikkie, of course, carried on regardless. Then, around a bend, a long stretch of mud presented itself. Exactly three seconds later, the bakkie was buried up to its axles in the mud. So, how will Oom Frikkie and a rather upset Auntie Beryl get out of this predicament? 4x4 Mega World’s Kurt Brunner says: Start praying and call a marriage counsellor are my first thoughts. There are numerous possibilities that come into play. Let’s start with the…

THAT WAS ONE CRAZY YEAR. There was Brexit, there was the unlikely election of Donald Trump, there was the destruction of Aleppo. It has all been very dramatic and confusing, so most of us are probably quite happy to see the back of 2016. It was also a bad economic year. The economy struggled, and this had a clear effect on the local motor industry. New vehicle sales suffered. We saw an average decline of around 10% year-on-year, but this figure was bolstered by pretty decent sales to fleet and rental customers. Looking only at dealership sales, the decline was even worse. A lot of this had to do with consumers feeling the pinch. There was less money to go around and consumer confidence was low, so people ended up…

O n the Namibian coast there are certain places that mere mortals like us are not allowed to visit. These are reserved for conservationists, researchers and perhaps someone with a wallet big enough to buy his way in. But for us, these places are out of bounds. The southern part of the Namibian coast with its well-protected diamond areas are well known. The Sperrgebiet is an area that tourists, 4×4 enthusiast photographers and fishermen know to be the forbidden land. But this, too, is the case further up north. One can travel past Henties Bay, through the gate into the Skeleton Coast Park at the Ugab River, all the way to Torra Bay and even Terrace Bay. Five kilometres north of Terrace the progress, travelling north, is abruptly halted. To…

Kia’s latest little hybrid crossover, the Niro, has set a Guinness World Record for lowest fuel consumption by a hybrid vehicle. The vehicle travelled across the Unites States, from California in the west to New York in the east. During its trip of 3 715.4 miles (5 979.3km), the Niro averaged 76.6mpg – that’s a mere 3.07 litres per 100km. “We’re extremely pleased with the Niro’s recordbreaking performance,” says Orth Hedrick, vice president, product planning KIA Motors America. “We set out to build a vehicle that offers real-world utility, great looks and fantastic mileage, and setting the Guinness World Record title confirms our achievement.” The Niro EX was driven by Wayne Gerdes of Carlsbad, California, and co-driver Robert Winger of Williamsburg, Virginia, using only 48.5 gallons or (4.1 tanks) of…

Campworld has introduced a unique caravaning option on the international Airbnb vacation rental booking website. Airbnb is a trusted global community marketplace for people to list, discover and book unique accommodations around the world – from a penthouse in London to a caravan holiday in Montagu, in the Western Cape. The programme launched in January in partnership with the Montagu Caravan Park, with a Sprite Splash for rent. The caravan can accommodate two adults and two children on the inside, and there’s plenty more space in the full side tent that is attached to the van. The caravan park is located in the heart of the Cape Winelands, and there’s lots to do at the caravan park and in the surrounding area. But the unique attraction is the fact that…

OUR trip to the upper Zambezi in September originated in an unusual manner. While I was researching a small, lightweight folding boat that can be carried on a car’s roof racks, I made friends, via the internet, with the Southern African franchise holder who lives in San Diego, California. A number of email exchanges culminated in Pieter, my brother and fellow adventurer, and I being invited to his fishing lodge on the upper Zambezi in Zambia. The lodge, called Kavumbu, has up until now, been used exclusively as a private family retreat, but owners are considering making it available to a few keen fishing groups. Kavumbu is situated about 80km north of Katima Mulilo and we accepted the invitation to test this concept with enthusiasm, having previously had some memorable…

The Toyota Hilux has a well-deserved reputation for reliability. It is, for the most part, a very rough and robust vehicle. That said, every older vehicle will have its niggles and idiosyncrasies. THE HILUX KZ-TE This is especially true of the sixthgeneration Hilux with the KZ-TE motor, which is the first vehicle we’ll look at. The biggest problem with any KZ-TE Hilux is the fact that it’s probably at least 15 years old by now, and any vehicle that long in the tooth is going to have some niggles. It’s also worth remembering that the comfort, handling and performance of a 15-year-old Hilux is far more workhorse/LCV than we’re used to today. The sixth-generation Hilux is far more basic and less refined than the latest model. It’s not impossible to…

LADA NIVA (FROM RUSSIA, WITH LOVE) The Lada hails from Russia, and it was on sale here from 1996. At the time, pricing started at R68 000 for the base model, and optional extras included an Audioline radio/tape and two speakers (R667), striping (R399) and carpets (R827). Russian company VAZ began developing the ‘Renault 5 on a Land Rover chassis’ 4×4 concept in 1971, and the Niva design was largely based on the Fiat 124. This included the interior and engine. The coil-sprung Lada had an independent front suspension and a fivelink system at the back. The four-wheel-drive system had three differentials (front, centre and back) and a transfer case through which you could select high or low range (with the centre diff open or locked). The Niva’s 1.7-litre fourcylinder…

Once upon a time, serious 4×4s had two shifters. There was your normal shifter for navigating through your vehicle’s gears, and there was the second, smaller one, which you used to put your vehicle in four-wheel drive and engage low range. These days, well, things are different. That second little lever is pretty much gone. Hardly any vehicles still come with one. For the most part, you select 4WD and low range with the push of a button. Permanent 4WD vehicles only have a button for low range, and sometimes one that will allow you to lock 4WD. But something that hasn’t disappeared is a transfer case. It’s still essential. Back when you selected 4WD and low range manually and mechanically, though, it was a far more noticeable cog in…

T Text: Gert van Rooyen Hese days, we all know that oilburners can be powerful and reliable enough to take part in motorsport. Back in the late 1980s, diesel engines weren’t nearly as popular, but perceptions were starting to change. One of the reasons for this was the diesel-powered Nissan Patrol that managed to finish in the Dakar Rally top 10 (it was the first diesel vehicle that managed to do this). By proving that a diesel vehicle could compete in the gruelling race, it showed just what an oilburner could do. Officially, it was called the Nissan Patrol Fanta Limon. It was powered by a fourcylinder 2.8-litre turbodiesel that provided 109kW of power. It weighed 1 600kg and had a top speed of 150km/h. It debuted at the 1986…