Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2019 i Leisure Wheels

This is my last column. I think. Maybe. Possibly. I’ve been in this position a few times. Leaving the magazine, then returning. Leaving a bit longer… returning. That’s kind of been the pattern for the past 20 years, ever since the very first issue of this publication. This time I’m not leaving exactly. With the magazine growing on all fronts, I’m handing the editorship reins to Reuben van Niekerk, while I’ll take on the role of a managing editor, concentrating on developing exciting new projects for 2019. Besides being a car nut with his own collection of old Volkswagens, Reuben has successfully completed one of the world’s toughest mountain-bike races, the Cape Epic, no less than five times. With just one leg. Some years ago, Reuben was riding a motorcycle…

I need some more information on the Foton Tunland 2.8TDI bakkie you guys tested a while ago. What’s your opinion about it? Nico Labuschagne, via social media Hi Nico, the Tunland was a surprisingly good bakkie and all-rounder. It had a decent and spacious interior, and a strong Cummins turbodiesel engine. Although our unit had some modifications, it was capable off-road, despite the lack of a rear differential lock. Our bakkie sipped around 9.2 litres/100km. Sadly, the Foton Tunland is no longer for sale in South Africa, with Imperial Imports pulling the plug on the Chinese bakkie. And that’s not so good for resale value and long-term parts availability.…

For the past 100 issues, covering a period of more than seven years, it has been my privilege to write a monthly contribution for Leisure Wheels. These articles, called the Voetspore Diary, represent a glimpse of what we have experienced during our travels on the African continent and beyond. It is, like any proper diary, more a collection of thoughts than any systematical set of essays. It represents 99 essays of ideas we believe worth sharing. In this issue, #100, we do some reflection. My first contribution was written just after we returned from the Cape to Casablanca expedition, down the western side of Africa. To date, this has been our longest journey: 23 000km. Many topics stood out during this journey. There was fabulous Morocco, the wreck of the…

The Americans are the best when it comes to naming stuff. In the last three years alone, they’ve given us the Hellcat, TrackHawk, Hellephant and now, the Gladiator. The Gladiator is basically a double-cab bakkie, based on the all-new Jeep Wrangler. It’s not its first foray into the bakkie market but rather the first attempt to introduce this kind of car on a large scale. At the time of going to print, Jeep stated that the Gladiator has not been confirmed for South Africa… yet. Like our online audience, we think it’s just a matter of time. Perhaps Jeep is hesitant because of the exchange rate, or it’s not sure how the South African audience would respond to what would in all likelihood be a R1 million-plus bakkie? From where…

The all-new Santa Fe launched in South Africa at the end of last year and we think it’s a lot of car for the money, especially at the bottom end of the range. But did you know Hyundai is going even bigger with the all-new Palisade? It was unveiled at the LA Motor show late last year and as you can see from the photo, it’s quite a large car. Well, big enough to house standard 20-inch alloy wheels. It’s also large enough to seat eight people across three rows. To keep them all happy, the interior has seven USB outlets, wireless charging and host of colour displays. The only powertrain mentioned so far is a 3.8-litre V6 mated to an eight-speed automatic. Hyundai will offer both two- and four-wheel…

They call it Bullet. And it’s not a Ford Mustang. It’s a 12V compressor, with a maximum pressure of 150PSI. It also has a standard quarter inch release fitting, a 2.5m power cable with battery clamps and a maximum airflow of 180 litres/minute. You may say that those specifications are the same-old, same-old as many other 12V compressors on the market. What really sets this one apart, however, is the packaging: it comes in an ammunition box-style container which not only ensures the compressor is housed in a secure location, but makes packing it easier, keeping all the bits and pieces together in a rugged and tough package. More information: olcenturion@oppositelock.co.za Tel: 012 653 2026…

“THAT’S SO CUTE!” said the delightfully pleasing-on-the-eye damsel in the parking lot, in front of our offices. Yes, it is, but it’s not cute. It’s Qute. Q. U. T. E. Like in a name, the Bajaj Qute. And it can possibly drive over mountains while drinking no petrol. “Wow, that’s so… cute!” she said again. Fair enough. We were not going to argue with the lovely damsel, her mere presence enough to lift the collective spirit and inspire great bravery for the task that lay ahead. The task of driving a 200cc motorcycle that happens to have four wheels and, slightly worryingly, four seats, up a mountain. A less pleasing-on-the-eye male colleague then ruined this special moment. “Does it have air-conditioning?” Really? Is that even a question? Of course it…

MY love affair with the Northern Tuli Game Reserve stretches back to 1989 when I bade the corporate world farewell and negotiated a concession to build my first tented camp – Santhata Camp – in the game reserve. I later built a second tented camp at Tuli Safari Lodge. The reserve integrates the Mashatu Game Reserve, Tuli Nature Reserve, Charter Reserve and other smaller game reserves. Tuli is an area with numerous archaeological and historical sites, which endow us with evidence of early communities. Pottery shards, beads, smelting relics and granaries can be seen at a few of these sites. Apart from a portion of land in Ghanzi, around Gaborone, and Lobatse and farm land in Pandamatenga, the Tuli Block remains one of the few areas where freehold land in…

Isuzu’s KB bakkie range has been South Africa’s third bestselling bakkie for several years. Only Toyota’s Hilux and Ford’s Ranger sell more units per month. This is despite the fact that several of the Isuzu’s other bakkie rivals are much newer and more modern. Think Amarok, Triton, BT-50, Navara. The Isuzu, which may sport new lights, kit and badges – and now also a new gearbox – is still longer in the tooth than those bakkies, if you look under the skin. And especially if you look at engines. The Isuzu’s turbo-diesel mills may be well proven and familiar but they no longer represent the sharpest end of the turbodiesel technology market. What is it with the Isuzu then? Why does it still manage to rake in the sales, despite…

A mere six months ago, electric mobility seemed decades away, at least here in South Africa. Then Jaguar Land Rover came along and installed a network of charging stations to allow electric vehicles to travel on the main arteries of our beautiful country. At the time of going to print, the Jaguar I-Pace had already completed a trip from Johannesburg to Durban in a single day. Suddenly, buying an electric car doesn’t seem like such a bad idea. More recently, we received news that Rimac (maker of ridiculously quick electric supercars) will open a dealership in Sandton and rumours that Tesla will be launching locally aren’t dying down. In fact, we recently heard a rumour from a reliable source that Tesla is already eyeballing SA’s lovely collection of wind turbines…

JOHAN and Louis met while they were in the army. The two were in charge of guarding the camp at night, which required less effort than they thought. During their long discussions, it was revealed both were motoring enthusiasts. Johan had a beat-down Mini which he drove while wearing a motor-cycle helmet. It was on the verge of conking out and he wanted to be prepared for the inevitable accident that would follow. Louis was into bikes but more often than not, bummed a lift from Johan whenever they got a weekend pass. In solidarity with his new bestie, he also wore a helmet. After completing their service each man went off in his own direction. Both eventually found success: Johan as an engineer and Louis as a security company…

T he obvious automotive star of World War II was the humble little Jeep, which would eventually spawn an entire brand which is still in business today. The Jeep would eventually inspire loads of similar vehicles, even in those countries it helped topple. The Americans jumped into the war after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbour. The USA was understandably keen to supply arms to the British, and among the things they sent over was a huge consignment of Jeeps. The British decided the Jeep concept worked really well, so after the war in the late 1940s, it decided that it would build its own version of the Jeep. Being British, theirs would just be better than the Jeep, of course. The British army issued a set of specifications in 1947…

Your comments in the January issue about the irrelevance of the mediocre crash test results of the Nissan Hardbody refers: Of course, the crash test results are relevant and vitally important to promote passenger safety. Saying they are not is irresponsible and naïve. Would you let your family drive in a vehicle that is not safe? Some car companies spend millions to ensure safety is an integral part of their designs, from day one. Why can’t Nissan do the same with the Hardbody? And, why are they allowed to sell a substandard car here in SA? Jack le Grange, Cape Town Thanks for your feedback, we appreciate it. First, the tests are certainly relevant. We just don’t believe they are as relevant here in SA as they would be in…

Reader Werner Schaap and some friends were navigating the remote Ugab River, which is mostly bone dry. There, they were lucky enough to come across a herd of Namibia’s elusive desert elephant. These hardy elephants have a bit of a reputation for bad tempers, and they’re not too fond of people. However, with nowhere to go following the surprise encounter, Werner says he had no choice but to switch off his Jeep Wrangler’s engine, and hope for the best. As the elephants drew closer, Werner says it got pretty hairy… he had no idea what the elephant would get up to. Next to the Jeep, they had a good sniff around, and one even put his trunk on the bonnet… then the herd moved off slowly, without a sound. “It…

Much praise has been heaped on the Suzuki Jimny for being the cheapest 4×4 with low-range on offer in South Africa. We’ve never been comfortable with this statement, because of the existence of the Mahindra Thar. At R223 000, it’s by far the cheapest way of getting into a ‘real’ 4x4. Unfortunately, we’ve never been able to get behind the wheel of this scarce off-roader and you almost never see them on the road. We’ve always had a sneaking suspicion that it might be so horrific that Mahindra simply didn’t want anyone driving it. Luckily, Mahindra recently invited us to do an off-road driving course at its training facility and we asked if we might be able to do it in a Thar. “Sure,” said Mahindra and off we went.…

The Porsche Macan is the latest premium SUV to undergo a facelift but this one runs more than skin deep. Porsche recently dropped diesel from its entire line-up of cars and will, from now on, focus on petrol and hybrid models. The standard Macan will be equipped with a four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine, while the Macan S features a new 3.0-litre V6 turbocharged petrol with 260kW and 480Nm on tap. When equipped with the optional Sport Chrono Package, the new Macan S accelerates from 0 to 100km/h in just 5.1 seconds. The top speed is rated at 254km/h. The S also receives the same upgrades first introduced on the four-cylinder models a few months ago. These include a three-dimensional rear LED light bar. The headlights are LED as standard, and…

It all began nearly 20 years ago. That’s when Samantha Skyring walked 120km in a week through the Namib Desert, with several oryx (gemsbok) encounters along the way. The encounters eventually resulted in Samantha creating the Oryx Desert Salt product. The salt is a pure gourmet salt naturally harvested from a salt pan within the remote Kalahari Desert of South Africa. Apparently salt water from an ancient, unpolluted, underground brine lake is drawn up onto the pan and sun-dried. Filled with essential minerals and trace elements that exist naturally in salt, as nature intended, Oryx Desert Salt is unrefined, unprocessed and free from additives. More information: oryxdesertsalt.co.za…

SPOTELESS Colourful. Creative. Progressive. Friendly. Vibey. Safe. Words not often used when describing an African capital yet every single one holds true for Kigali. As far as technological advances go, this city is light years ahead of South Africa, with hyper-speed fibre, traffic lights that count down, boulevards sans plastic bags or litter, and with a constant sense of being in a metropolis that works, in every sense of the word. The greatest asset of the capital, however, must be its people. They are so considerate, and walking around the city at night with damn expensive camera equipment never once posed a problem. What stands out from our visit is the incredible Rwanda Genocide Museum, potless. in my mind as powerful and harrowing as the ‘Killing Fields’ in Cambodia. There is…

“The best views were in the places humans haven’t been for a long time, especially on the beaches” WELL, it’s actually easy if you’re Derick. In addition to being a partner in multiple successful businesses, Derick used to plan and execute local car launches for manufacturers. We’ve been lucky enough to attend a few of these events and all of them were meticulously planned. There was, however, one launch concept that he never managed to sell to a manufacturer, which is a massive pity since it was the one he was most excited about. The basic concept was to do a round trip of South Africa, visiting every single one of the country’s lighthouses. We have exactly 50, of which 45 are operational, three are decommissioned, one has been demolished…

Isuzu MU-X – your ticket to adventure IT’S luxurious, it’s plush and it’s… well, it’s an Isuzu. These are the bare essentials of the Isuzu MU-X, the brand’s long overdue offering in the bakkie-turned-SUV market. It is powered by Isuzu’s well-proven three-litre turbodiesel engine. The intercooled four-pot delivers 130kW and 380Nm of torque, and although it won’t blow your hair back when you floor it, it has plenty of poke. The engine’s renowned reliability record is a major selling point, too. Just ask all the Isuzu lovers out there. The engine is mated to a six-speed automatic gearbox that boasts a sequential sport mode. The 4×4 derivatives are fitted with Isuzu’s Terrain Command 4×4 system with a dial in the centre console (next to the gear lever) that offers the…

THERE’S definitely a trend of buying down these days and there is some merit to it. Smaller generally means better fuel consumption so the smaller the car, the less fuel it’s bound to use, right? Well, yes and no. In the case of the Renault Duster it’s a definite yes, but when it comes to the Suzuki Jimny, it’s not quite the same. SUZUKI JIMNY AT The full test of the automatic Jimny can be found elsewhere in this magazine but here we’ll focus specifically on its fuel consumption. Weeks ago, we tested the manual GLX and it consumed 9.7l/100km. We thought the automatic would be slightly heavier – as that’s traditionally the case with these things – but we were wrong. The automatic Jimny proved to be more frugal…

Ford Everest 3.2TDCi XLT 4WD AT The hole deal It’s been the quiet before the storm for the Ford Everest project vehicle. And on the one ocassion when we really used it, Murphy decided to give us the finger. THERE we were, taking the Ford out of the basement parking for the first time in a while and Murphy decided to, well, throw us a curveball. We had to transport eight people in the cabin. Which is no mean feat, since the cabin can seat only seven. We nevertheless squeezed in, and off we went, successfully delivering the eight passengers at the required destination. But then Murphy joined us in the cabin. The three passengers in the rear-most seats had moved the middle row forward to access the rear space.…

Change gears and shift out of your comfort zone. One of these guided self-drive safaris could be that once-in-a-lifetime adventure you’ve always dreamt about. Or, if you are looking to get your kids off the couch and into nature, we have some new options, too. For more information on any of these tours, or to book your trip: Email lwtravel@ramsaymedia.co.za, or phone Tel:. 021 530 3380. 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 enroute, including South Luangwa, Ruaha, Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti.After our five-night stay in Serengeti, we travel east to Lake Victoria and down south all along Lake Tanganyika. Included in the agenda is a visit to the Gombe National Park for…

Mahindra has celebrated the first six months of local vehicle production as well as its sales growth by introducing a limited Karoo edition of its Pik Up double cab. In addition to the Karoo model, Mahindra also introduced an S6 specification level in the double cab range. In doing so, it has enabled Mahindra to offer a double cab at R299 999 for the 4×2 and R329 999 for the 4×4 version. The list of luxury specifications on the S6 includes front fog lamps, colour-coded bumpers, and mirrors with side mouldings, remote central locking, a USB-enabled audio system, ABS brakes with electronic brake-force distribution, two airbags, a differential lock and power windows. On the Karoo edition, Mahindra added a tow bar, tonneau cover, a nudge bar and roll bar and…

The all-electric Jaguar I-PACE has achieved a five-star Euro NCAP safety rating, confirming it as one of the safest family vehicles on the road. Jaguar’s first electric performance SUV scored a 91% for adult occupant protection, 81% for child occupant protection and 81% for safety assist. I-PACE scored maximum points for both the side barrier impact and the more severe side pole test, with good protection of all critical body areas. This latest result means all three members of the Jaguar’s PACE SUV family, E-PACE, F-PACE and I-PACE, have the maximum five-star Euro NCAP rating, demonstrating Jaguar’s commitment to engineering some of the safest family cars. The I-PACE is the 10th consecutive model from Britain’s biggest vehicle manufacturer to receive five stars. The I-Pace arrives in South Africa shortly.…

The Multi-Sharp 2-in-1 knife and scissor sharpener is the perfect tool for all kitchens, workshops and DIYers as it quickly restores a sharp edge, to the correct angle, even on large, blunt kitchen knives. It is suitable for all smooth edge knives, cleavers, choppers and mezzalunas and sharpens large and small, right and left-handed scissors. With the back edge of the knife on a flat surface, simply draw the sharpener across the cutting edge. After five to six passes, the tungsten carbide heads restore a sharp edge right up to the tip, even on the bluntest edges. The tungsten carbide sharpening heads are reversible to double their life. More information: vermontsales.co.za…

During our previous expedition – from Angola to Swakop, across Skeleton Coast, Kaokoland, Damaraland and Dorob National Park – we also had two Isuzu backup vehicles. Over the course of the mission, we came up with some nicknames for not only the vehicles, but some of the other items in common use, too. For example, the morning ablutions spade soon became known as Sir De Villiers Graaff… I’m sure you get the drift. On the previous expedition, the one KB was a stick-shift so we named him Trevor (as in Manuel = manual). The other one was R.E.M. (Automatic, For the People, you see). This time around both vehicles were manual shifts, so we stuck with Trevor. The other X-Rider was fitted with a seemingly bombproof RSI Smart Canopy, and…

Driving a brand-new Suzuki Jimny six weeks before its official debut causes quite a stir. A good chunk of people knew what it was but weren’t quite prepared to see it on the move on local soil. There was a much larger audience of people who had no idea what it was but were immediately drawn to it thanks to its epic design. The Acid Green hue probably helped; we’ve seen a Jimny in just about every colour now and the reaction is always the same and almost always positive. You get the occasional naysayers who point out the fact that it looks “too much like a G-Class,” but by now most people are aware that the Jimny’s forefather (the LJ) actually predates the biggest Benz by nearly a decade.…

The entry-level, single-cab workhorse doesn’t get the praise it deserves. Their sales run into the thousands each month and they keep South Africa in a working condition by completing a variety of mundane day-to-day tasks. When shopping around in this segment, there are three key things to look out for: reliability, running costs and load rating. For the purposes of this article, we also factored in a bit of ruggedness. While some of these models aren’t 4×4s, all of them have raised bodies so they should at the very least be able to cope with a badly corrugated gravel road. We also capped the retail price at R200 000, not only to demonstrate what kind of depreciation you’ll have to cope with, but also to reveal just how wide the…

SMOKE ‘EM French racing driver Pierre Gasly lights up his Scuderia Toro Rosso’s rear wheels during practice for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The race was held in November at the Yas Marina Circuit in the United Arab Emirates. In the final practice session, Gasly and fellow Frenchman Romain Grosjean (Haas) had a nasty coming together when the slow-moving Haas got in the way of a flat-out Toro Rosso. Back in the pits, Grosjean headed over to the Toro Rosso paddock to smooth things over with Pierre. The race didn’t go much better for Gasly. The race organisers apparently ordered him to retire because of an oil leak from the Honda engine. Getty Images (Red Bull Content Pool) TUNNEL VISION? Brazilian pro surfer Italo Ferreira tube riding (apparently that’s what…

A YEAR AGO, a Haval H6 C arrived at our offices, almost brand new. Curiously, it had some faux racing stripes. It was curious because this was a Chinese SUV. And we all know that Chinese automobiles may be a lot of things, but ‘sport’ and ‘speed’ are not qualities you’d readily associate with them. The ‘racing stripes’ were initially indeed a moot point. We drove the Haval around the block a few times and then we understood why Haval had deemed it appropriate to install those stripes. The Coupé is powered by a two-litre, turbocharged fourcy-linder engine that produces 140kW and 320Nm of torque. It’s the same basic engine that used to power the legendary Mitsubishi Lancer Evo, a rally-bred machine for the road. Over the years, Mitsubishi sold…

As motorists, we have a strange relationship with tyres. Attentive motorists might have the pressure checked at least once a week while others might just have a local dealer give them a once-over before setting off on the annual holiday. For the most part, they tend to get ignored until one or all need to be replaced and suddenly you find yourself at the mercy of a salesman who might as well be speaking French… “What profile are you looking at, sir?” “Well, I was looking at my Twitter profile, but I haven’t checked my Facebook profile since this morning, so I might as well look at that.” At this point the salesman has probably figured out you simply want a set of round rubber pieces that will keep the…

AT the time of going to print, new vehicle sales continued to decline, mostly due to an interest rate increase in the third week of November. According to the National Automobile Association of South Africa (Naamsa), the new vehicle market declined 4.6% to 47 486 units compared to November 2017, meaning sales year to date have declined 0.9%. “While consumer confidence looks to be reasonably positive, the interest rate hike during the month would have impacted sales during November negatively,” says Ghana Msibi, WesBank executive head of sales and marketing. “Further planned rate increases over the next 12 months will not bode well for new vehicle sales.” Although the market numbers are down, consumer demand appears to remain robust. “Considering WesBank application data, consumers are clearly keen to buy cars,”…