Innholdsfortegnelse for January 2019 i Leisure Wheels

A week after we sent our December issue off to the printers, news broke all over the interweb – even making international news – about the Nissan NP300 bakkie’s dismal performance in the Global NCAP crash test. It was quite relevant because we had just published a road test on the NP300 2.5dCi 4×4 and this bakkie scored zero points in the test, NCAP calling the structure integrally unsafe. But as the outrage about Nissan’s apparent disregard for its customers’ safety spread like wildfire on social media, the more I started to question the whole hullabaloo. Let me explain: the Nissan’s design is 20 years old. The only reason Nissan can offer this bakkie at less than R400 000 is because it is 20 years old and all the jigs…

Land Rover finally showcased the all-new Range Rover Evoque. The previous model did wonders for Land Rover so it’s hardly a surprise that the styling is an evolution rather than a complete overhaul. While we hardly ever comment on styling matters, we think the new Evoque is an absolute stunner. Style additions include super-slim LED headlamps, flush door handles and sophisticated front and rear lamp graphics. The interior is a study in minimalism and is made from fancy recycled material, rather than the usual leather and plastics. New technologies include the twin touchscreen Touch Pro Duo system, featuring new, faster software, 16-way seat controls and cabin air ionisation that complement the increased interior space. While the car’s footprint is almost identical, the longer wheelbase yields 20mm extra rear knee room…

The Maputo Special Reserve, consisting of beautiful floodplains, lakes, swamps, woodlands, forested dunes and pristine beaches, covers around 104 000 hectares, and is located on the shores of Maputo Bay. Situated about 100km south-east of the Mozambique capital of Maputo, the reserve was proclaimed in 1932, originally called the Maputo Elephant Reserve. Since 1932, much hardship and turmoil hit Mozambique, a devastating civil war raging from 1977 to 1992. In that time, the country’s people fell on hard times. Now, 26 years after the strife ended, this reserve is gaining momentum as conservation efforts start paying dividends. Today there are nearly 400 elephant in the park. There is an old saying of someone “having the memory of an elephant”. This rings extremely true with some of the older elephant in…

LEG 1: CAPE TOWN TO LUSAKA (2 940KM) Cape Town is pretty dark and cold at 3:30am. Yep, it may be September but this year it seemed winter had dug its heels in properly. A caffeine fix was our first line of survival as the boys got set for the long road from Cape Town to Kigali. “It’s effing far, bru”, mumbled Derek across a strong mug of coffee while we bundled the last bits of gear into the two Isuzu X-Riders. They’d been properly pimped for the 13 000km round trip, with everything from the latest rubber from Dunlop’s all-terrain tyre range, to just about every Front Runner fitting you could imagine. Together with Bertus and Igor, Derek was to take on the great road north towards Lusaka, completing…

AFFORDABILITY is top of mind for the vast majority of South Africans. Sure, there are the elite for whom the difference between R800 000 and R1.8 million is a mere numerical illusion, an insignificant detail. They see, they want, they buy. For the rest of us, there are plenty of factors to consider when buying a vehicle. Like affordability, and practicality, safety, security and resale values. Some of us also add 4×4 ability, overland suitability and range per tank to that train of thought. In that vein, the new Haval H9 provides plenty of reason to ponder. Created by a former Toyota man who had a hand in the Hilux and Prado designs, the H9 is a huge seven-seater. It features a permanent 4WD set-up and there’s a transfer case,…

FRIKKIE and Hennie are standing next to the braai. Frikkie says his car is the best because it has a 2.8-litre naturally aspirated straight six engine. Hennie counters with a brand new car he just heard of, featuring a 4.0-litre V6. The discussion goes on for a few minutes until they eventually arrive at the doorstep of the 8.0-litre quad turbo powertrain in the Bugatti Chiron. Welcome to engine capacity top trumps, where nothing but size matters. Had Frikkie and Hennie known their history, they would have known eight litres is almost nothing compared to what folk built in the early 1900s. Without the help of turbocharging, there was nothing you could do but build a large engine and hope for the best. As technology leapt forward, car engines eventually…

MPUMALANGA is a beautiful province but there have been some sad tourist-related stories in recent years. The most obvious place to start is Pilgrim’s Rest, which used to be a quaint little town where you could spend the morning walking around and looking at the various tourist attractions, followed by an agreeable lunch at one of the various non-franchise restaurants. These days it’s as dilapidated as the old mine beneath it. It’s a sad story, especially if you remember it as it once was. On the recent Renault Duster launch, we bunked in the accommodation next to Merry Pebbles Resort, which inevitably came up during the dinner discussion. It seems everybody in South Africa has been there at some point, so we decided to head on over early the next…

TANZANIA WILDEBEEST MIGRATION 20 JULY TO 28 AUGUST 2019 Get yourself ready for a life-changing experience. We visit five countries with awesome national parks en route, including South Luangwa, Ruaha, Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti. After our five-night stay in Serengeti, we travel east to Lake Victoria and south all along Lake Tanganyika. Included in the agenda is a visit to the Gombe National Park for some chimpanzee tracking. Gombe came about due to the efforts and work of the world-renowned Jane Goodall. We will visit the monument where the famous words “Dr Livingstone I presume” were uttered by Stanley when he eventually met up with Dr Livingstone. Visits to Kapishya Hot Springs and Victoria Falls also feature. Price includes guide fee, all hotel/chalet fees where applicable, all park, vehicle…

ONE could argue that Henry Ford was the most influential automotive personality of all time. He changed the automotive landscape forever by introducing the mass production assembly line, which made cars affordable to the masses. Before Ford came along, the best people could hope for was a brisk horse but he made it possible for Joe Soap to get a brand-new set of wheels without having to flog one of his kidneys. Ford famously stated that he wanted the workers on the assembly line to be able to afford the car they were building. So, he paid them decent wages and brought the average price of new cars down significantly by building them faster and more cost-effectively. This concept of mass production coupled with higher wages even sparked an entire…

Fishing in Henties: that is what legends are made of. Four guys in a double cab with four rods, decent tackle and a fridge on the back. Go to South West Africa, catch a ton of fish, fillet and freeze it, get severely sunburnt, nurse a good hangover and return home with countless stories… those were the good old days. Somehow it’s not like that anymore. There are less fish, the rules are stricter, the brandy and Coke not as sweet anymore. Is this true? Is there perhaps an alternative? We are all in agreement: what happened in years gone by was wrong. South African fishermen on alcohol-induced Skeleton Coast expeditions probably made a serious dent in the fishing population of the Namibian coast. Something had to be done. After…

THE MITSUBISHI COLT BAKKIE STARTED IT ALL. Back in its heyday, more than 1 000 new Colts were sold every month and the bakkie soon garnered a bit of a cult following. To this day, many fans still drive a Colt with hundreds of thousands of kilos on the clock, and swear by it. The current Triton though, has had a less glamorous ride here in SA. Thanks to factors such as unfavourable exchange rates and availability of specific derivatives, Mitsubishi postponed the introduction of this Triton; so much so that many fans tired of waiting for it to arrive and took up juicy offers from mainstream players such as Toyota and Ford. Rubbing further salt into Mitsubishi’s wounds was the introduction of the Fiat Fullback – which is essentially…

The all-new Mercedes Benz G-Class is finally available in South Africa. At the moment the range includes only the G63, but a 350d model will join it next year. As standard you get a 430kW 4.0-litre V8 biturbo engine, the rear-biased all-wheel drive (40:60) with three differential locks, the fast-shifting nine-speed automatic transmission, the double wishbone independent front suspension and the adaptive adjustable damping. The gearbox has a model-specific software application to achieve very short shift times. The multiple downshift function allows more spontaneous bursts of speed, while the double-declutching function in ‘Sport’ and ‘Sport+’ transmission modes makes for an even more emotional driving experience. Defined engine manipulation ensures faster gear changes. Low range can be engaged via a switch at speeds of up to 40km/h. The gear ratio of…

This small border post is situated about 450km from Johannesburg and is open between 8am-5pm, every day of the week. During the holidays, the post can get very busy but in off-peak season it’s probably one of the most relaxed posts to cross between SA and Mozambique. You’ll need third-party insurance to cross into Mozambique, and you acquire this at the border for R280, or purchase it in SA at accredited AA sales agents. The driver of the vehicle needs to secure a temporary import permit (free when we crossed). You’ll also need a certified copy of the vehicle’s registration papers in the name of the driver, or if the driver is not the owner of the vehicle, a letter of authority from the valid owner. If the vehicle is…

These gear items have proved critical to the success of our various adventure missions during the Beyond the Rift Valley Expedition. DUNLOP GRANDTREK AT3G ALLTERRAIN TYRES: With one of the most comprehensive range of SUV products, Dunlop has a tyre for just about any terrain. The AT3G is the company’s first three-ply SUV/4×4 tyre It features a rugged tread pattern for rugged terrain, and the reinforced sidewalls prevent penetration and also offer good stone ejection properties. Contact: dunloptyres.co.za SPOT GEN3 TRACKING DEVICE The SPOT Gen3 gives you a critical, life-saving line of communication when travelling out of range of a terrestrial cellular network. With this device you can let family and friends know where you are, that you are okay, and if the worst happens, it sends – by the…

AFTER a flight to Cape Town, we were herded into one of those generic boardrooms all hotels seem to have. But unlike the formal business briefing we’re accustomed to, this one was rather casual. Hilarious even. When celebrating 20 years of doing business in South Africa, you take a look back at the history of the cars that were on sale and while Kia has a crop of stunning vehicles on sale currently, things weren’t always as rosy. First up was the unfortunately, or perhaps ironically named Kia Pride. Even the bigwigs couldn’t hold back a grin upon seeing this tragic piece of metal on a big screen again after all these years. The laughs continued straight on through an image of the first-generation Rio and the first-generation Kia Sportage.…

VOLVO XC40 T5 Our current leader in the quest for frugality is the XC40, but in D4 guise. With a turbocharged diesel engine under the bonnet, the XC40 packs a healthy 140kW/400Nm punch so we weren’t expecting much of a difference in performance between it and the 185kW/350Nm turbocharged petrol T5. How wrong we were… The T5 not only packs a noticeably harder punch, but it makes a nicer sound, too. Even in comfort mode, it’s ready to leap forward without hesitation. Volvo says it will sprint to 100km/h in 6.4 seconds but it actually feels faster. What a joyful thing to run, if you can afford it. In eco mode, it feels oddly similar to our long-term Haval H6C. The T5 responds slowly and it takes ages for the…

Getting its boots dirty IT all started as a surprise for the folks at BFGoodrich, who had supplied five new KM3 mud terrain tyres (285/70 R17s) for our Ford Everest project vehicle. They were surprised when the big Everest rocked up at the event, taking in the upsized SUV from all angles. But there was a bit of, er, well a… situation. There was a line of Ford Ranger bakkies, all fitted with the new KM3 tyre, waiting to tackle a rough 4×4 trail, with a host of members of the media and 4×4 industry piloting the Fords. The event organisers came with a suggestion: instead of leaving the Everest in the parking lot, with the rest of the delegates’ vehicles, would we mind if the Everest joined the Rangers…

IT’S ALL PERU IN 2019 The 2019 Dakar Rally will be based entirely in the southern and central regions of Peru, South America. The total distance competitors will have to cover will be in excess of 5 000km (less than in previous years), and the competitive stages will amount to about 3 000km. Teams from a total of 54 nations will compete, with more than 500 registered competitors with almost 200 bikes, 44 trucks and 103 cars. The event kicks off on 6 January 2019 in the Peruvian capital of Lima and ends there again on 17 January. THE Toyota Gazoo Racing SA team has been at it since 2012. Over the years, the team has come tantalisingly close to winning the fabled Dakar Rally but could never quite make…

Just over two years have passed since the current Kia Sportage made its South African debut, which means its facelift is a year early. Not that we mind, because the upgrade includes a few things that will definitely make a difference to the driving experience. Kia took the opportunity to revamp the range a little to suit the needs of its local audience. At the front, the Sportage retains its striking headlamps, incorporating unique LED daytime running lights, as well as a slightly revised, more prominent ‘tiger nose’ grille and a new bumper. At the rear, it gains a revised bumper that emphasises the car’s width, while the rest remains the same. Other enhancements include a new selection of alloy wheel designs in 16-, 17- or 19-inch sizes (model dependent),…

Toyota’s all-new RAV4 will arrive in South Africa in the first quarter of 2019, sporting two petrol engine options. It will also be available with two advanced all-wheel-drive (AWD) systems. The mechanical AWD system has been updated with Toyota’s first dynamic torque vectoring system that apportions torque between the left and right rear wheels as well as between the front and rear axles. The RAV4 will be offered with new four-cylinder direct-injection engines: 2.0-litre petrol with front-wheel-drive and 2.5-litre petrol with mechanical all-wheel drive. The latter will be mated to a new eight-speed automatic transmission, including a lower first gear for enhanced start-off performance and a much wider ratio spread than the six-speed automatic it replaces. The new 2.5-litre engine will have 152kW and 243Nm on tap, while the 2.0…

THE Machangulo Peninsula is full of surprises. Like the story of a local game ranger who, early one morning, was jogging on the peninsula’s remote beach, the Indian Ocean prodding away insistently at the pristine sand. In the distance he spotted a big wooden log that had washed up on the beach. He aimed closer to the washed up log, to get a better look. Then, just metres away from the piece of wood, the ‘log’ suddenly moved, baring… teeth? Lots and lots of teeth! Turns out it was a massive Nile crocodile, basking in the sun on the beach like a lazy holidaymaker, after apparently taking a dip in the ocean. Thankfully this is not a regular occurrence. Instead, the crocs are normally more at home in myriad inland…

THE adventure bike market has grown a lot over the last few years. There are a few models to choose from and, as is usually the case, every manufacturer has a dedicated fanbase who will provide you with multiple reasons why their chosen bike is the best. As with cars, we believe in deciding what you want first and then doing the research on what bike best suits your specific needs. While it would definitely get the job done, you wouldn’t buy an enduro bike for the daily commute. You also shouldn’t purchase a simple inner-city runabout to drive up a mountain, unless you work for Leisure Wheels. Which gives us a nice transition into the first option on our list. ENTRY-LEVEL FUN SUZUKI VANVAN The VanVan dates all the…

In a first for our Photo Focus feature, this month’s quote hails from one of the subjects of the photographs on this page, American cliff diver David Colturi. He told the official Red Bull cliff diving web page: “I am scared of the potential consequences of a cliff dive gone wrong. Almost as scared as having to hold down a 9-5 office job.” Well said, David, well said. STAR STRUCK Earlier this year, Australian cliff diving star Rhiannan Iffland headed to her home country and the remote Katherine Gorge, in the Northern Territories, about 250km from Darwin. Called the Rainbow Dive, Rhiannan launched herself off a 21m-high platform, into the river below, where a few nasty crocs may have lurked. This photo was taken prior to the jump, on the…

Signed, wheeled and… delivered! “OH my goodness! Someone’s stolen the engine!” It’s an exclamation we’ve uttered a few times now. And it always comes after driving Isuzu’s MU-X 3.0D-Teq SUV and then sliding in behind the wheel of the 250. Of course, the engine was not stolen, it was just the driver that needed some, er, adjustment. The three-litre engine produces 130kW of power and 380Nm of torque at 1 800r/min. It’s smaller 2.5-litre sibling manages 100kW and 320Nm, the latter also peaking at 1 800r/min. There is more turbo lag in the smaller engine though, hence that reaction when you drive the 250 after spending a few hundred kays in the MU-X: you floor the accelerator and there’s nothing, nothing, nothing… then, boost! And you’re away. Adjusting to the…

There are no two ways about it: driving at night in rural Africa is not the smartest plan. Stray animals, reckless drivers, unroadworthy vehicles, overloaded buses speeding along at 130km/h, potholes which can swallow an entire hatch… these are some of the pitfalls that face drivers when they tackle remote rural roads after the sun has set. It makes perfect sense, then, for any driver who has to commute in the dead of night on rural roads to be able to see as best as possible, to avoid an incident. The fitment of aftermarket driving lights can increase vision by leaps and bounds, ensuring a safer driving experience. Back in the day, a set of two additional halogen driving lights, mounted on a nudge bar, got the job done. More…

A manufacturer’s business affairs are usually discussed during the briefing at a new vehicle launch. Sales figures form part of the brief, if only to prove that it’s still selling a lot of cars and making a decent profit. Journalists are rarely called in to a briefing to discuss “the vision forward”, which may or may not be marketing speak for bad news. We’ll be honest and state that we were expecting FCA to announce it was dropping Alfa and that it would soldier forth with only Fiat, Abarth, Fiat Professional and Jeep. Luckily, this was not the case. Alfa is still alive and well in South Africa. In addition to this great bit of news, we can also look forward to a host of new products being introduced this…