Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2017 i Leisure Wheels

I t is truly amazing how poorly prepared even experienced African travellers can sometimes be. The lack of proper preparation is often the main reason a bribe is paid. And then we blame the corrupt officials in Zimbabwe, Mozambique or the DRC. The only way to stay out of trouble and avoid greasing the palms of the officials is to not present an opportunity. This we know. Yet, way too often, we are the guilty party. I am not only referring to first-time travellers to the continent, nor people who have a once-in-a-lifetime safari to the Serengeti. I am also referring to people like us, the Voetspore team, who do this for a living. Despite the more than 250 000 kilometres we’ve racked up, visiting 40 countries on the continent,…

Arnold Schwarzenegger is many things: an actor, bodybuilder, businessman and politician. Perhaps most surprisingly – especially when you consider his penchant for driving around in big and thirsty military vehicles – he is also quite the eco-warrior. Yes, these days Arnie is all about the environment. However, it hasn’t lessened his love for hardcore 4x4s. So, what to do? How do you drive a pukka off-roader without feeling guilty about all the glaciers you’re melting with your tailpipe. Well for Arnie, the answer was simple: just make it electric. The Governator approached Austrian company Kreisel Electric and asked them to build an all-electric version of his go-to daily driver: the Mercedes-Benz G-Class. When the Governator asks you to do something, you do it, so a prototype was created in just…

Opel – called Vauxhall in some markets – recently unveiled the Crossland X. The vehicle is a small and very compact SUV, and will be placed below the Mokka X in the company’s existing range. The vehicle will essentially be replacing the Meriva MPV, since buyers are far more interested in SUVs than MPVs these days. The smaller SUV will only be available with front-wheel drive and will sit 70mm lower than the Mokka X. The Crossland X will share its underpinnings with the upcoming Peugeot 2008 and the C3 Picasso, and will be taking on competitors like the Renault Captur and Nissan Juke. Specific powertrains haven’t been revealed yet. General Motors South Africa hasn’t confirmed that the Crossland X will be coming to our shores, but the company is…

Having played coy for a very long time, Ford recently came out and officially admitted that it was bringing back the iconic Bronco, with an all-new version hopefully appearing by around 2020. Apart from stating that it would be a capable off-roader – and also mentioning that the Ranger would be returning to the US market by 2019 – no other details were divulged. But now we might have some hint as to what we should expect from the new Bronco. During a recent investor meeting, hardcore axle manufacturer Dana announced that it had won a contract to supply components for the new Bronco and Ranger. Most intriguingly, Dana stated that it would supply “front and rear axles featuring our latest Advantek gear technology”. This means it will be supplying…

2017 TOYOTA HILUX 2.8GD-6 4X4 RAIDER AT Engine: Four-cylinder turbodiesel Capacity: 2 755cc Power: 130kW @ 3 400r/min Torque: 450Nm @ 1 600r/min Transmission: Six-speed auto Fuel consumption (actual): 9.3 litres/100km 4WD system: Part-time (2H, 4H & 4Low) Electronic aids: Traction control, hill assist control, downhill assist control, vehicle stability control, trailer sway control, rear differential lock Suspension front: Independent, double wishbones Suspension (rear): Leaf springs and rigid axle Brakes (front): Ventilated discs Brakes (rear): Drum ABS: Yes, with EBD Airbags: Six Wheels (original): 17-inch alloy Tyres: 265/65 R17 all-terrain Turning circle: 6.4m Ground clearance: 225mm Fuel tank: 80 litres Payload: 810kg Length: 5 335mm Width: 1 855mm Tare weight: 1 949kg Turning circle: 6.4m 0-100km/h (claimed): 10.8 seconds Top speed (claimed): 175km/h Price: R573 500 1979 TOYOTA HI-LUX 4WD…

F ord is an immensely popular brand in South Africa, and the Ranger has become one of the bestsellers on the local vehicle market. In fact, the Ranger now regularly bests the ever-popular Hilux, which is quite a feat. The bakkie is just as popular on the second-hand market, too. One popular vehicle website had no less than 1 730 for sale when I checked. But the question remains: is the Ranger a good second-hand buy? Well, generally speaking, I think it is. You don’t reach the sales numbers Ford has managed over the last few years by building a bad product. However, there are things to keep in mind when buying a used Ranger. PREVIOUS-GENERATION RANGER Before we examine the newer (and more popular) T6 Ranger, let’s have a…

A reader recently had a gripe about drones and yes, we’ve also been in situations when we felt like pelting one with a large boulder. But we include two amazing drone photos here. Taking a selfie of you and your companion while snorkelling, surrounded by sharks is, well… rather amazing, whether you hate the flying contraptions or not. A LAND ROVER RUNS THROUGH IT The stunning and unimaginable landscape of balancing rocks in the Matobo National Park in Zimbabwe. The park has numerous spectacular caves with some well-preserved bushman paintings, and is home to one-third of the world’s species of eagles. It is also said to have the highest density of leopard in Zimbabwe. Jeroen van Loon #SHARKSELFIE We’re not sure if this is something we’ll try ourselves, but drone…

AS THE SALES FIGURES for the final month of 2016 were released early this year, it quickly became clear that the festive season did not result in an uptick in sales. Clearly, not a lot of people woke up on 25 December to find a brand-new car in their Christmas stocking. A total of 41 639 new vehicles were sold in December, 7 519 cars less than December 2015. That’s a decline of 15.3%. Overall, the new passenger car market and light commercial vehicle markets reflected a year-on-year volume change of -14% in the case of cars, and -7.8% in the case of light commercial vehicles. Once again, though, exports performed well. In fact, 18 668 units were exported in December, which is 1 222 more than were shipped offshore…

T o say that Andrew McLean is an avid cyclist is a gross understatement. Andrew lives and breathes cycling. “Whenever someone proposes a holiday destination, I immediately ask if I can bring my bike. If it’s not a place where you can cycle, I probably won’t go. For this reason, places like Thailand have never appealed to me,” he says. He cycles six days a week, getting up at 3:30 every morning to spend some time in the saddle before clocking in at his well-known cycling store, Cycle Lab. Leisure Wheels sat down with him to chat about his cycling career, the rising popularity of mountain biking and fistfights on the Cape Epic. How did you get into cycling? I was studying physical education with the aim of becoming a…

Speaking of clean electric energy, here’s another interesting bit of related news. Spanish energy company, Acciona recently made history as its vehicle, the Acciona 100% EcoPowered, became the first zeroemissions contender to cross the finish line of the gruelling Dakar. This was the third time that Acciona attempted to complete the Dakar with an electric car. The vehicle tackled the entire 9 000km race using only renewable energy. It placed 57th overall. How was this done? How do you complete the Dakar without actually using any traditional fuel? Well, what there is plenty of at the Dakar is sunlight, so a roof-mounted solar panel was used to harness power from the sun and convert it into electrical charge. Power was stored in six ultra-fast charging lithium battery modules, and these…

On a recent camping trip in the Groot Winterhoek mountains, we tested and were really impressed with the Coleman Fastpitch Instant Dome 5-person tent. It took three minutes to get the tent from a flat piece of material into its dome shape and another three to secure the guide ropes and corners of the tent with tent pegs. That’s not too shabby for a first attempt, which includes time looking at the instructions. Taking the tent down and folding it away took all of four minutes. Made from UV-protected, fire-retardant, rip-stop fabric with an integrated groundsheet, we found the dome to be more than spacious enough for the three of us. You can fit two double inflatable mattresses inside, allowing four people to sleep quite comfortably, five would be a…

AFrica. A single word, which, for many people, is laden with images of mystery, danger and suffering. To visit the continent is to embrace adventure and uncertainty. To attempt to cross it in an old Porsche is, frankly, tempting fate. But that was exactly the fate I chose for my long-suffering 944. With over 320 000 kilometres on the clock, its days as my daily transport were clearly numbered; but it didn’t seem right to simply sell it. One last adventure was needed. A chance to go out with a bang. Unfortunately a few weeks before departure, the Porsche embraced the prospect of ‘going out with a bang’ rather too literally. A bolt on the crankshaft worked loose, the oil pump stopped, and within seconds, the Porsche’s angular nose was…

5. BOWLER EXR S Fifth place goes to the Bowler EXR S. On any other list, it would be a seriously extreme SUV. Here, though, it looks downright sensible. If you’re thinking that its shape and front end look vaguely familiar, you’re right. The EXR S has been designed to resemble a Range Rover, but it has been built from the ground up, complete with composite panels, a hydroformed chassis and a steel roll cage. Under the bonnet is a 5.0-litre supercharged Land Rover V8 that Bowler has remapped to provide 410kW of power and 625Nm of torque. Thanks to all this grunt, the EXR S can go from 0–100km/h in 4.2 seconds, and has a top speed of 250km/h. But how, you ask, can we call such a monster…

Ah, oom Frikkie. Always up for a bit of a 4×4 challenge. An escape route around a tough 4×4 obstacle, he says, is for drivers who should stick to pavements. One day Oom Frikkie and a few friends were enjoying a day out on a tough 4×4 track. The convoy arrived at a particularly steep climb that was about 50 metres high. Not only was it steep and long, it was also narrow, rocky and there were a couple of axle twisters on the way up. Appalled by the lack of guts from his fellow 4×4 drivers, who opted to drive around this tester, Oom Frikkie lined up his 4×4, ready to take a run at the hill at 80km/h. This was despite his wife, Auntie Beryl, trying to convince…

Manufacturer: Mercedes-Benz Model: W115 Pick-Up (La pick-up) Country of origin: Argentina Years available: 1972 to 1976 Body style: LCV/Pick-up Engine: OM61 220D Capacity: 2 197cc Power: 45kW Torque: 126Nm Gearbox: Automatic Mercedes-Benz doesn’t build bakkies, right? Won’t the X-Class be the company’s first foray into the segment? Well, no, not entirely. When you think about it, you realise that the brand has occasionally created vehicles with a load bay before. For instance, bakkie versions of the G-Class have been made sporadically over the years, including the epic G63 AMG 6×6. Go back to the days of the Mercedes-Benz 170, and you’ll also find that the company offered a version of the car with a load bed that certainly looked a whole lot like a bakkie. But no previous Merc bakkie…

The all-new Countryman might be the largest Mini ever built, but that hasn’t prevented the company from creating a John Cooper Works (JCW) version. Appropriately, and quite obviously, this is also the largest JCW Mini has ever created. Since the Countryman is the biggest Mini (and JCW) ever, it makes sense that this version would boast the most powerful engine ever seen in a road-going Mini. The powerplant is a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol mill that develops 170kW of power at 5 000r/min and 350Nm at 1 450r/ min. Top speed is pegged at 234km/h, and the JCW Countryman can race from 0–100km/h in 6.5 seconds. Two gearbox options will be available. As standard, the JCW Countryman will have a six-speed manual shifter, though an eight-speed automatic transmission (with optional manual…

Audi recently announced that it had fitted its eight-millionth Quattro system to an all-new Q5 SUV. The vehicle was constructed at its San José Chiapa plant in Mexico. Audi’s famous all-wheel-drive system is synonymous with the brand and has proved its popularity by enduring 35 years of technological change and upgrades by the automaker. The technology was originally introduced in 1980 on the legendary Ur-quattro and is now available on more than 100 model versions. Standard in the Audi Q7, the Audi A4 allroad quattro, the Audi A6 allroad quattro, the Audi A8, the Audi R8 and all S and RS models, the quattro all-wheel-drive system is available as an option in all other model series. The set-up depends on the type of model. For example, in the compact model…

Looking at the Triton, you can’t help thinking that each body panel has a higher purpose than just wrapping the internals. And it probably does, since form usually follows function. This gives the Triton a more seamless design of integrated lines and crests. A case in point is the ‘J-line’ that separates the cab and load bin. According to Mitsubishi, this line, which was the rabble-rouser on the previous model, has been revised. Not only does it appear less geometrically challenged and disconnected than the outgoing model, but it also allows for a shorter wheelbase. This while maintaining interior roominess thanks to the rear-bench seat that reclines into the concave formed by the ‘J-line’. THE CHANGES ARE NOT JUST SKIN-DEEP On the powertrain front, Mitsubishi’s new 2.4-litre MIVEC turbodiesel engine…

1. PORSCHE BICYCLES Porsche began dabbling in bicycles when the company produced the one-off prototype, the Porsche Bike Spyder 9.85 in 1990. This mountain bike was made from lightweight aluminium, weighed 9.85kg and was showcased in the May 1991 issue of Christophorus (the Porsche magazine). In 1996, Porsche produced the Bike S, also a mountain bike, but this time with front shocks that went on sale to the public. Since then the sports car manufacturer has continued to bring out both high-quality mountain bikes and sleek and dazzling road bikes. The latest mountain machine is the 2016 Porsche Bike RX: a lightweight, high-end carbon-fibre-frame with 20-speed Shimano XTR gearing, a front air suspension fork, hydraulic disc brakes and 27.5-inch wheels. It retails for about R70 000 in Europe. The 2016…

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…

The basic function of a shock absorber is quite obvious, right? The job of a shock absorber is to absorb shocks. Well, yes, that’s true, but it’s a bit more complicated than that... In essence, a shock absorber is a hydraulic (oil) pump. It absorbs shocks from the road, which would otherwise result in a teeth-shattering ride, and it helps keep your tyres in contact with the road at all times. This is done with the help of hydraulic fluid inside the shock that takes kinetic energy and turns it into thermal energy, which can then be dissipated. But how does this work in practice? Each shock absorber consists of a piston (attached to a piston rod) that works against the fluid inside the shock. As the shock travels up…