Innholdsfortegnelse for September 2019 i Leisure Wheels

Voetspore in India recently concluded on SABC2. It was an eventful journey on the subcontinent, giving the Voetspore guys a unique experience of a journey outside the African continent. But there is always a yearning to return to Africa. It was decided, this time, not to travel just in Africa, but to restrict the journey to within the borders of our own country. Voetspore in South Africa goes by the acronym ViSA. The strange part is that this journey requires no visas, not even a passport. We thought it best to go off the beaten track in South Africa. There is a certain danger in doing this journey. Over the past two decades viewers became used to the fact that the locations visited by Voetspore are often exquisite and sometimes…

In addition to launching the Hilux Legend 50 to the local market, Toyota has introduced the new GR-Sport derivative. Let’s get straight to the point: the Hilux GR-Sport is not a Ranger Raptor competitor nor was it ever meant to be. To understand this bakkie, you need to understand how Toyota’s performance division’s naming structure works. The full GRMN badge is placed only on the most epic performance vehicles, like the Yaris GRMN from last year. The GR-Sport is the first step up from standard, which means some things had to be left in reserve. If you’re wondering why the 2.8-litre engine still delivers 130kW and 450Nm of torque, there’s your answer. The engine is mated to a six-speed automatic and the power is sent to the wheels via the…

TOURISTS make the journey from all over the world to visit Botswana. As South Africans, we can learn a lot from this country. Botswana is doing a lot of things right. The country understands that tourism and wildlife are its bread and butter and do a lot to look after them. Hunting is largely banned and civilians may not own handguns. Botswana citizens are given rights by the government that allow them to take the law into their own hands and apprehend would be poachers and illegal immigrants. Sparsely populated, the country protects some of the largest areas of wilderness including the world’s largest elephant population which is conservatively estimated at 130 000. Botswana is one of Africa’s most stable countries, is relatively free of corruption and has a good…

MOST new drivers are pretty darn useless. It’s not that they lack the skill, they have that, we’re sure. It’s rather a case of the modern car being so good that young drivers don’t get to develop any decent driving skills. With the advent of traction control, there’s no more unintentional drifting (except if you disable the system, of course) in a powerful rear-wheel-drive car. Like when you borrowed your dad’s rear-wheel-drive car with a couple of your friends, tackled a corner way too fast (possibly also supplemented by a deft flick of the steering wheel to unsettle the rear) and the back-end stepped out, which you promptly corrected with copious amounts of countersteer, resulting in a delightful power slide, accompanied by a nonchalant ‘oops’ – as if you had…

AH, PHOTOGRAPHY. That legal drug we all dabble in from time to time. And like other drugs, it can be addictive. You start off buying your first DSLR camera and pretty soon you’re adding lenses. Then, just as you’re feeling pretty smug about yourself, you spot someone unpacking their gear from a beaut of a camera bag, sporting an incredible camera strap, using God’s gift to tripods. You turn slightly green. Then you see someone’s photos on Facebook and ask, subtly you think, how they got the light quite so and discover they were using a polarising filter and a flash diffuser. You stare, mouth open and pretty soon you start to resemble Homer when he spots doughnuts. Well, this month, instead of helping, we’re going to make things worse.…

THERE’S an old saying along the lines of “When buying a café pie and Coke, be sure to get a Rennies, too”. This is not true for Kardoesie, however. You can drive here from Cape Town for your pies without any worries about heartburn. Capetonians know about Kardoesie. It is a well-known farmstall and campsite next to the N7 just as you summit the Piekenierskloof Pass en route to Citrusdal. I was offered lunch and it only took me a few seconds to settle on a homemade lamb pie and ginger beer. I’m a sucker for pies and it was certainly the right choice. Bianca Theron and her husband, Barthlo, are in charge of things on the farm. In a jiffy, lunch was on its way and my camping spot…

MANY THANKS A day like this wouldn’t be possible without sponsors, which include Thorpe Suzuki Table View, Total Parklands, Cool Bananas, Red Bull, Monster Energy, Truda Snacks, Clippa Sales, Vodacom Paarl, Puma Drinks and the Combat Jujitsu Academy. TuffStuff Insurance donated enough money to purchase protective overalls for learners. As an official and properly organised event, there needed to be a medical presence on the day, and once more, Metro Rescue and EMS provided their services free of charge. The Atlantis Dunes gate is located at S33° 35’ 54.2” E18° 26’ 55.7”. Permits are available at the gate. Witsand is open from Monday to Saturday from 8am until 3.30pm and on Sundays from 8.30am to 12.30pm. AT 8am, 32 volunteers and their steeds gathered in the gloomy parking lot of…

QUIETEN DOWN, SONNY! Nothing says sporty quite like quad exhaust pipes. They make a nice racket in the petrol, while the diesel remains muted. BROUGHT BACK TO LIFE Hyundai South Africa has recently introduced the locally developed Tucson sport. Truth be told, we didn’t really understand the previous model but in a world currently obsessed with performance SUVs, it makes sense. Since the previous edition of this particular model sold more than 500 units, Hyundai was definitely on to something. It’s hardly a blistering SUV but it is a more entertaining proposition than the standard car. In fact, it might even be the most usable ‘performance’ SUV out here, as you can exploit its potential more than in a car with over 400kW. In other word, you can push the…

AS MUCH as I appreciated my family bestowing the Beacon Isle corner suite on me this year, with its 270 degrees of jaw-dropping vistas and sumptuous accommodation, I’m just not a fancy timeshare guy. I find it too much for my simple tastes and loner sensibilities: things like the lobby pianist’s muzak; the long list of rules (don’t even think of having a cigarillo on your balcony) and the carpet bowls in the lobby and bingo in the bar. Yes, I’m the oddball, I know. Which is why, after I’d done my time there, I was looking forward to camping at Pietersrivier Nature Reserve with my friend, Raimund. The difference between the offerings of these two resorts could not be starker. You realise this as soon as you enter this…

REMEMBER old spaghetti western movies? A lone wolf would walk through those swinging doors, giving every other guy in the tavern a Clint Eastwood-like stare before sitting down and ordering a glass of the barkeep’s finest whisky. The other gentlemen in said establishment wouldn’t dare stare at this man for too long, for he had the six-shooter with the longest barrel. The modern equivalent of this scenario is the school run. A bunch of men gathering together, staring uncomfortably as a new rival enters. Unlike the days where having the longest barrel mattered, these days it’s all about the cars. The undisputed king of the school drop-off zone is the Hilux/Fortuner/RAV4, which is akin to having a rifle as long as The Rock’s forearm. Thankfully, the school drop-off is only…

AS we all know, Land Rover started as a manufacturer of military vehicles and evolved into a maker of luxury vehicles Along the way, Land Rover realised there was a large gap between the hardcore Series models and the lavish Range Rover. The gap had to be filled, so the engineers started working on ‘Project Jay’ (see design sketch above). A year later, in 1987, the board gave the go-ahead and in 1989, the Discovery was introduced at the Frankfurt Motor Show. It goes without saying that it was a huge success; it was the perfect halfway point between the Defender and the Range Rover: capable enough to get you where you want to go but plush enough to ensure the journey is comfortable. Three decades later, after more than…

THE GOOD: High level of standard equipment THE BAD: Nothing yet ISUZU D-MAX 300 LX AUTO 4×4 Mileage at start: 2 934km Mileage: 4 052km Average consumption: 10.55 litres/100km Tank size: 80 litres Distance per tank: 758km THE Isuzu KB has been a household name in the commercial and leisure vehicle markets over the past 40 years (and six generations) as it continually offers built-in-Africa durability and reliability. Isuzu’s bakkie range consistently occupies third place in the South African bakkie race with monthly sales of around 1 400 units across all derivatives. Late last year, the KB name was dropped in favour of D-Max badging. The name change to D-Max brought the bakkie in line with global markets while retaining the proven qualities that have underlined its success. Along with…

THE additional shift, which commenced in August this year, created 1 200 new jobs at the Silverton plant, taking Ford’s total employment in South Africa to approximately 5 500 employees. At the same time, it will significantly bolster supplier companies by adding around 10 000 jobs in this sector. In total, Ford’s local vehicle assembly operations will support 60 000 jobs within the total value chain. “The R3 billion investment in our South African plants, announced in 2017, is coming to fruition with the addition of this third shift to increase production,” says Ockert Berry, vice president of Operations, Ford Middle East and Africa. “The investment enabled extensive reworks at the Silverton Assembly Plant to expand the production capacity from 124 000 vehicles per year to 168 000 units,” added…

Mitsubishi’s Pajero Sport has undergone surgery to make it look a bit more like its siblings. In essence, the Pajero Sport now has the same front end as the recently facelifted Triton while the rear remains more or less the same. The 2.4-litre turbocharged diesel (133kW/430Nm) engine and drivetrain are carried over. The brand’s famous Super Select part-time four-wheel-drive system is part of the package, too. On the inside, it has a new eight-inch colour display in the instrument cluster, as well as an equally large colour touchscreen interface in the centre console. As an added convenience, the Pajero Sport features an electric tailgate. On the safety front, Mitsubishi added lane change assist and rear cross traffic alert. The Pajero Sport will be made available in South Africa but a…

LUCKILY, we live in a country where no experience is ever quite the same as before. You could visit the same spot every year for a decade and chances are you’ll get 10 different experiences. It’s a strange phenomenon. Strange but true. The Panorama Route in Mpumalanga is a prime example. If you’re a South African living in the northern parts of the country, there’s a 90% chance you’ve been there and an 80% chance you’ve been more than once. Yet, there’s always something special which makes every experience different to the rest. Or perhaps it’s just a case of being caught up in the romance of travelling that we find so special? We travelled down the Panorama Route recently and, once again, it was a special affair. Like so…

SOUTH AFRICANS are crazy about their bakkies and in an effort to stand out from the crowd, everyone wants something different. Ford Ranger fans, especially those in Pretoria, have been customising their bakkies with Raptor sticker kits, aftermarket grilles and bonnets for some time, taking inspiration from the iconic F-150 Raptor. In a classic case of giving buyers what they want, Ford has finally developed a proper Ranger Raptor. This is no aesthetic job with a couple of stickers; this is the real thing, with genuine Ford Performance design and engineering excellence. First of all, the Raptor looks the part. Larger dimensions including a 150mm wider front track and flared wheel arches – along with an imposing grille adorned with Ford block lettering – means this bakkie is immediately recognisable…

DID you know Lego manufactures more tyres than any other company in the world? It produces just over 300 million tyres per year, which is around 50% more than Bridgestone, Goodyear and Michelin. It is an unfair comparison, since most of the tyres Lego produces end up on those small generic cars you can buy at any retail outlet for a few hundred rand. Then there’s the high-end stuff, which is what we’re interested in. The R1 000+ sets that you can’t help but admire while doing some light window shopping. Lego’s more sophisticated sets have become somewhat desirable and collectable in recent years. Manufacturers of highly exclusive machines are more than happy to have the Danish firm recreate its most famous creations in plastic brick, making it possible for…

THE GOOD: Frugal, spacious and safe THE BAD: Nothing bad to report this month RENAULT DUSTER Mileage at start: 563km Mileage: 8 328km Average consumption: 6.1 litres/100km Tank size: 50 litres Distance per tank: 790km WE were in attendance this year, once again shocked at how bad a Nissan NP300 looks after its forward momentum is rudely interrupted by a concrete block. Having no idea what cars were involved, we hoped the Duster would be on the 2019 list. It competes in a highly lucrative segment in which more than 2 000 vehicles are sold each month. Alas, it was not to be, but the crash test did inspire some in-depth research into the safety levels of the South African spec Duster versus models available internationally. Before we get to…

THE American Motors Corporation (AMC) was formed in 1954 and was considered a competitor to GM, Ford and Chrysler. AMC was particularly good at building odd vehicles that almost nobody wanted, which inevitably led to its demise in 1987. Now, nearly 30 years later, the now defunct company is being redeemed by the fact that it was responsible for the first crossover. Back in the mid ‘70s, the engineers at AMC realised that off-roaders were massively over-engineered, offering way more 4×4 ability than the average driver ever used. In their minds, there was space for a vehicle that was cheaper, more fuel efficient and easier to live with, yet still offered just the right amount of traction and security for harsh weather situations. They went to the drawing board and…