Innholdsfortegnelse for December 2015 i topCar

THE DIESEL EMISSIONS scandal is pitting the people vs the People’s Car-maker. Social media is buzzing with opinions on the Volkswagen brand’s toxicity: who wouldn’t be outraged by the contempt of VW engineers flouting laws designed to protect people’s health, for commercial advantage? And the fallout is spreading beyond VW, putting the gutless European emissions test under the spotlight, and even bringing the diesel engine’s future into question. VW will pay an exorbitant price for its deception: manufacturing and installing software that ran two distinct diesel operating cycles, one for the laboratory to ‘defeat’ emissions tests, and one for the road. The on-road programme reduced the effectiveness of the exhaust emissions control system, increasing NOx pollution to 10-40 times the permissible US limit. In the first few days of the…

Suzuki Mighty Deck Japan has a long tradition of endearingly bewildering car names. Who could fail to love the Mazda Bongo Friendee, Nissan Cedric or Honda That’s (yes, really), to name but a few? Prepare to add to that illustrious roster the Suzuki Mighty Deck making its debut at the 2015 Tokyo motor show. Substitute ‘mighty’ for ‘small’, as this is perhaps the tiniest, cutest pickup truck you’ll see this year. Suzuki describes the Mighty Deck as a ‘fun-oriented minicar’, with a retractable canvas roof section and repositionable load deck, which can be raised and lowered electrically. With a tiny sub-1.0-litre engine and titchy dimensions, officially it’s a ‘Kei’ class car. Toyota Kikai concept Ahh, Tokyo. Land of neon, gadgets and crazy concept cars. Take this Toyota Kikai, for example…

THE RATIONALISATION of the Mini range means that by next year there will be only the hatchback, Countryman and convertible in the stable – which suggests a comprehensive stock-take that pulled no punches. And then this; Mini Clubman is a curious selection for stay-of-execution, especially from a South African perspective where both the Paceman and the Roadster would seem more on brand than the odd little station wagon that started life as a Miss Marple Traveller dithering through the home counties collecting daffodils and queues. And Mini has a carrier already – what, you may ask, is the difference between the Clubman and the Countryman? Both are inflated Minis, both do a better job of ferrying people and goods than the conventional 3- and 5-door hatch. The superficial answer is…

WE’VE ALL BEEN there; embarking on yet another journey of reinvention brought on by a long hiatus, the change of season or a shift in personal or professional fortunes. You fish out the old gym membership or mountain bike, fill the pantry with scrummy organic foods and endeavour to put your best foot forward. Liking yourself again is no bad thing but we’ve all been through the cycle often enough to know you need something a little bit special in your routine if you’re going to make it ‘stick.’ I’d argue this is exactly where Peugeot finds itself with the 208. First launched in late 2012, it all started with such promise, shifting 1731 units in its first full year of sales. But then the B-segment heavy hitters raised the…

I KNOW HOW I’M supposed to begin a Mazda MX-5 review. I’m meant to talk about Jinba Ittai, also known as the unity between horse and rider, Mazda’s ethos about that symbiotic bond the MX-5 shares with its pilot. I could explain how this new car is even more compact than the original car, which was already about the size of a postage stamp. Then there’s the song and dance about how it’s a return to simple rear-wheel driving dynamics and affordability, but in truth, we’ve just experienced all that thanks to the Toyota 86 so, instead, I’ll just start off with a rant. When the Toyota 86 was launched it was attacked for its high sticker price (R297 900) and paltry shuntability (147kW and 205Nm) so it surprised me…

OUR GANG OF four are hardly equal – the only thing they share is seven seats – but they represent the astonishing breadth of 4x4s available. Luxury, size, tech, ability, economy, kudos, it’s a monstrously mixed bag. Let’s have some fun. Audi Q7 Was a designer involved? Q7 is entirely schizophrenic – outside it has all the appeal of a wet flannel, entirely bland, lacking in even cursory interest. Inside however it is a shoe-in for the best cabin on the planet at the moment. Quite how this state of affairs came about is beyond us. Inside the materials, design, layout and space is astonishing – Porsche quality. Explain the appeal This is an SUV for the early uptakers, much like rival XC90 from Volvo. As such the emphasis is…

THE FIORAVANTI’S VISIT to South Africa was hosted by SEFAC, the SA-based Southern Equitorial Ferrari Automobili Club, with club president Giorgio Cavalieri and chairman Barry Simon on hand to welcome the 78-year-old, who was accompanied by his son, Luca. Together with an invited group of Ferrari pilote, they joined FMM curator Wayne Harley for a walk around the display halls, a drive of four of the cars designed by Leonardo (Dino 206GT, 308GTB, 288GTO and F40), lunch and a cellar tour before an overnight stay at the museum’s guest house on L’Ormarins. The following day they were taken on a coastal tour of the Cape starting with a run over the Franschhoek Pass. The SEFAC members were all entertained by Leonardo’s stories, anecdotes and comments – some having the designer…

IN THE CURRENT scenario of ever-larger cars being stuffed full of weighty driver aids, safety kit, and convenience features, downsizing engines while maintaining performance levels has its limitations. Inserting a 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbo motor into a Fiesta works very well, it even copes when asked to pull the larger Focus around, but expecting it to power a 1.6-tonne Fusion without reducing performance to that of a tranquilised elephant is asking too much. Still, the potential reduction in emissions and fuel efficiency gains is hard to ignore. But to make it work Ford and its research partners reckoned they’d need to cut the Fusion’s mass by around 25 per cent. The result is concept MMLV – Ford’s 1195kg Multi Material Lightweight Vehicle... Suspension Front springs made from a glassfibre composite material…

MONTH 2 VW TOUAREG LUXURY 3.0 V6 TDI 4MOTION R-LINE YES I drive a Volkswagen. Yes it has a diesel engine, and no it isn’t singlehandedly ripping a hole through the ozone layer. Okay, what Volkswagen did was dishonest and just plain wrong, but if it’s all the same to you I’d like to move on. And no, I’m not trying to gloss over the issue simply because I didn’t have to pay for my Touareg, in fact our resident Citroën driver has decided to use his soapbox to extol the virtues of the humble petrol car over my dirty diesel. Instead, I’d like to talk about the car on page 52, the Audi Q7 rocking the same BlueMotion 3.0 V6 TDI as my Touareg. Now it’s worth noting that…

MONTH 5 CITROËN C4 CACTUS WITH #DIESELGATE dominating the automotive news out of Europe and the fallout showing no sign of slowing for Volkswagen Group and its management (see page 14), I thought it topical to dedicate this month’s longterm update to the fuel economy of my little Cactus. About halfway through its test period and halfway to its first service, the corking turbocharged three-cylinder engine should be nicely run in at 7777km, so it’s a perfect time to reflect on its real world fuel economy figures. I, just like many of you, wonder how manufacturers get to the wildly optimistic claimed fuel consumption figures. Citroën, for instance, says its Cactus 1.2 e-THP will average 4.7l/100km; so why is my consumption closer to 6.0l/100km? That’s still a commendable figure but…

At the peak of his career ex Sundowns midfielder Brent Carelse dribbled past defenders with consummate ease, using his trademark body swerve and acceleration to good effect. Driving the Chevrolet Trailblazer around Cape Town’s District Six it’s the same - the midfielder is happy behind the wheel and beats the bends with ease. “This is by far the most comfortable cars I have ever driven,” Carelse says. “It drives really well for such a big car. I also own a SUV - my car is a Land Rover Discovery – so I’m used to driving high and proud. But this is special. A car like this is good for long distances or when you go camping with family and children. It’s a seven-seater, there’s enough space for everyone. The inside…

IT’S A VERY EXCITING time to be alive. Well, if you’re a petrolhead. Downsizing has meant smaller-capacity engines now make massive power without compromising fuel economy and emissions. Just look at the four-wheel drive, 280kW, 2.0-litre turbo-four A45, now upgraded with a front limited-slip diff and capable of 0-100kph in 4.2sec. It follows (very) hot on the heels of the second-generation Audi RS3 Sportback, another all-wheel-drive family-sized monster, this one with a 270kW 2.5-litre turbo-five capable of propelling it from zero to 100kph in 4.3sec. Confident statements of significant intent, both. But look closely and you’ll see signs of nerves: a shivering door mirror here, a tiny unanticipated dribble of fluid there. And the reason is staring you in the face – this is the new BMW M2. Having already…

MARANELLO’S CLEARLY NOT shying away from some unusual names in recent years: today it announced the Ferrari F12tdf - the latest track-spec, go-faster F12 super-coupe, which had been predicted to wear the GTO badge. The coupe-only F12 Tour De France has been given a classical high-tech Ferrari going-over. It weighs an impressive 110kg lighter, thanks to a stash of carbonfibre used inside and out. The kerbweight of 1415kg (dry) is impressive when you remember this car measures nearly 4.7m long and 2.0m wide. Visually, you won’t mistake this for anything other than an F12, but Maranello has tweaked the look substantially: there’s a wider track front and rear, the Aerobridge front splitter device is now crafted from carbonfibre (it changes shape at speed), the bodywork is peppered with numerous louvres…

A SAGE – OR WAS it a cynic? – once remarked that the golden age was never the present. When it comes to driving conditions, our sceptical savant was undoubtedly correct. Traffic, speed cameras and social sentiment have tamed our former exuberance. When it comes to fine sports cars, though, life has never been so bountiful. From the P1 to the latest Porsche Cayman, from all modern Ferraris to the F-Type, from GT-R to GT3. Even the French have rediscovered their joie de vivre, as evinced by the Peugeot RCZ and a menu of spirited Renaults. Yet in one key area we are a cursed generation. This is due to the almost total extinction of a breed of car that was once the favoured plaything of bright young folk. Ironically,…

YOU’VE BEEN handed R140k by the parentals to spend on your first brand-new set of wheels. And when we say wheels, we mean an entire car. Granted, you can’t quite get what you used to for the money, and you’ll probably have to spend a bit more if you’re after something with style and a touch of street cred. Or will you? Now there’s a new, Czech-built Toyota Aygo with a tempting price tag to consider. For just R138900 the Toyota surely passes muster in terms of affordability, reliability and future resale value, but as A-segment cars these days trade as much on fashion as anything else, should the Aygo be on your radar? Given that a car this affordable should sell in large numbers, the styling is a little…

THE NEW MINI Cooper is a pretty accomplished hatchback, but we knew that already. We have after all driven both the 1.5-turbo three-pot and 2.0-turbo Cooper S derivatives and, despite larger dimensions, came away thoroughly impressed by their handling and all-round capabilities. The model you see here is the range-topping John Cooper Works edition – JCW for short. It’s got more power and torque, firmer suspension settings and the aggressive looks to match, but have these attributes adversely affected its all-round usability? Tunnel vision Even without our test unit’s chilli-red paint the JCW is very hard to ignore. There’s plenty of visual garnishes to shout its sporting pretentions. Take the bodykit for example: beefed up with a low-slung and assertive stance, this arrangement features enlarged airdams up front, sculpted side…

EVERYTHING SOUNDS better in Italian. ‘Ho bisogno di svuotare la mia fossa biologica’ sounds like poetry, but it actually means ‘I need to empty my septic tank’. Say ‘Dov’è il negozio di scarpe’ and you sound like you’re ordering a pizza in a fancy restaurant, when in fact you’re asking directions to the nearest shoe shop. And ‘Squadra Puzzola’ might sound like a new Formula 1 team, but it’s actually an approximation of ‘Skunk Works’. Which is a pretty ugly name in English, though it’s a cool concept: don’t we all want our cars to be hot-rodded by a ‘skunk works’? A small team of dedicated developers, working in top secret, all black-ops and underground? Ken Block probably has a skunk works building his next drift car right now; Toyota…

Lotus Evora 400 Reworked Evora offers easier cockpit access together with a thumping 295kW. Super-sweet chassis is a serious charmer, but can that interior really justify what’s very likely to be more money than a Cayman GT4? Mercedes-AMG GTS Son of SLS is gorgeous on the outside, awkward on the inside – but all ergonomic concerns melt away as soon as you fire up that irascibly responsive twin-turbo V8. What an engine. Corvette Z06 (with Z07 pack) 2015 Z06 is the most potent and poised Corvette we’ve ever tested. Z07 pack adds carbon brakes, cut-slick tyres and aero. Rain-ready non-Z07 a better bet in these conditions. Porsche Cayman GT4 The Cayman that doesn’t just shout ‘Grandad!’ behind the 911’s back, it also spray paints it on the old boy’s garage…

Let’s get this out of the way – the 488 GTB has lost the 458 Italia’s volume-dial throttle response. But if the throttle response of new Ferraris has been tempered by a switch to forced induction, do bear in mind that compared to its naturally-aspirated rivals it’s still pretty bloody sharp indeed. There’s no lag as you and I know it. If anything the powertrain’s synapse-snappingly clever electronics make the engine’s torque delivery feel more supercharged than turbo-blown. The wailing soundtrack is still superb and the savage lunge from 6000-8000rpm remains epic, so you’ll want to rev the engine to its redline. And yet the now more muscular mid-range muscle spears the 488 out of one corner and on to the next with effortless arcade-game ease. And in normal driving…

PORSCHE 911 GT3 RS 368kW @ 8250rpm460Nm @ 6250rpm 919-cranked flat-six revs to oblivion but feels almost torque-thin in this company, which of course it is LOTUS EVORA 400 295kW @ 7000rpm409Nm @ 3500rpm Supercharged V6 a match for the GT4’s six on paper, but throttle response just isn’t as keen MCLAREN 675LT 496kW @ 7100rpm 700Nm @ 5500rpm More overtly turbo than the 488’s motor. Best power-to-weight ratio here PORSCHE CAYMAN GT4 283kW @ 7400rpm420Nm @ 4750rpm The Cayman gets properly fast, though long gearing blunts the 3.8’s fizz. Nat-asp throttle response a dream MERCEDES-AMG GT S 375kW @ 6250rpm 650Nm @ 1750rpm The middle ground; effortless, accessible speed always on tap LAMBORGHINI AVENTADOR SV 552kW @ 8400rpm690Nm @ 5500rpm Peak power lurks just 100rpm shy of the 8500rpm…

FOR MORE THAN 24 years, Fioravanti Srl has been responsible for a number of dramatic concept cars and features, including a rotating hardtop, which was eventually applied to the Ferrari 575 Superamerica. The list of concept cars comprises Sensiva, a prototype hybrid sports car (1994), Flair, a 2+2 coupé basedon a Fiat Bravo with air brakes and a Cd of 0.18 (1996), Nyce, which was a major study on the reduction of the pieces of bodywork (1996), Thalia, a radical hybrid-powered MPV concept (2007) and Hydra, an evolution of the already aerodynamic Thalia but devoid of windscreen wipers (2008). Other concepts were the F100 (1998), F100R (2000), Tris (2000), Vola (2001), Yak (2002), Kyte(2004), Kandahar (2005), LF-A/1(2005) for Lexus, Skill (2006), Hydra(2008), Ferrari SP1(2008) and a Formula 1/FormulaE proposal LF1…

Audi goes one better than Porsche with three electric motors – one at the front, two at the back – together producing 375kW and 800Nm of torque. The lithium-ion batteries offer a combined capacity of 95kWh and, like those in the Porsche, are made in Korea by LG and Samsung. The Q6 has an innovative combined charging system which allows for quick charge (DC) or slow charge (AC). It’ll take around 50 minutes to pack enough energy to offer 500km of zero-emissions range. The battery pack is integrated into the floorpan to add structural rigidity, and is packed in an underfloor drawer so it can be easily accessed. The cells may be clean, but they add a frightening 650kg to the kerbweight, making the Q6 a 2.2-tonne porker. Like the…

I’M SITTING IN a dark room with a stern looking German engineer suggesting I look directly at a bright light coming out of what looks like a sound booth. It’s dazzling. Obviously. He hands me a pair of yellow lenses and asks me to look again. It’s nothing like as dazzling this time, but worryingly, the little girl who was standing next to the bright light has disappeared completely. She’d been blue. The yellow lenses were of course traditional driving specs. They work to filter out the blue spectrum of light, which is where glare is located. Problem is, some blue light is useful. And most new LED headlights are blue-spectrum rich. So what to do? Zeiss, German manufacturer of precision lenses and laser technology has come up with what…

CONSIDER THE SCENE: CVC Capital Partners, controller of Formula 1’s commercial rights, wishes to cash out of an investment that provided an estimated 300 per cent return; Ferrari plans to list on New York’s Stock Exchange under ticker code RACE; Renault hopes to acquire Lotus by negotiating historic monies in part payment, and McLaren aims to attract investors to compensate for years of poor results. Everything is set: CVC is negotiating with the owners of Miami Dolphins and Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund; FIAT, Ferrari’s owner, sets a date of 21 October for the listing; Renault issues a letter of intent to stave off Lotus’s numerous creditors – including Her Majesty’s Revenue Service – and Ron Dennis and Mansour Ojjeh of McLaren hit on various Chinese investors. What could go wrong?…

YOU GET A lot of Lexus RX450h for Mercedes GLE or Volvo XC90 money, but in the end the RX lives or dies by its hybrid drivetrain, with its promise of slashing fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. In real life, however, Lexus seems to be treading water as far as its hybrid technology is concerned. Where is tangible progress like a modern plug-in layout, lithium-ion batteries or a frugal lightweight combustion engine to partner the e-motors? ‘We know how to do a modern PHEV,’ says chief project manager Takayuki Katsuda. ‘But the plug-in technology is expensive, it carries a weight and packaging penalty, and it only makes ecological sense when powered by CO2-neutral electricity. The full hybrid is affordable, reliable and popular. It has helped the RX to attract 2.2…

THE HOT HATCH recipe has quickly evolved over the last decade and a half with manufacturers having to adapt or die in order to keep up with the pace race. As a result high-revving naturally aspirated engines no longer have a place in today’s frenetic power struggle forcing OEMs to dabble in the dark art of forced induction. Honda’s move to turbocharging represents a massive paradigm shift in terms of engineering for the brand, but this mandatory strategy has culminated in the fastest front-wheel drive hot hatch money can buy – well, around the Nürburgring Nordschleife that is. Is it any good in everyday driving situations? We test its mettle to find out. Samurai warrior In order for a hot hatch to succeed in this ultra-competitive segment it needs to…

ANYONE WITH EVEN the slightest interest in cars will have at some time looked at a Ferrari and been simply awestruck with its looks, especially those from the 1960s through to the 1980s. From a designer’s perspective, to have been responsible for just one model from that golden era when supercars came of age would be considered a privilege, two or three would be entering dreamland, but to be responsible for no less than 11 is bordering on the surreal. Yet that is what Leonardo Fioravanti achieved during his 24 years at famed Italian styling house and coachbuilder Pininfarina. The list is mouth-watering: Dino 206 GT, P5 250 Berlinetta Speciale, 365 GTB/4 Daytona, P6 Berlinetta Speciale, 365 GT/4 BB, 365 GT/4 2+2, 308 GTB, BB 512, 288 GTO and F40,…

EVEN IN THE CORRIDORS of Porsche HQ the Mission E concept car is known as ‘Tesla fighter’. Maybe the E stands as much for Elon Musk as it does for Electric. Either way, you’re looking at a seismic shift in impetus for the way premium cars are powered, and the timing could not be more apposite coming from the VW Group at the exact moment its diesel credentials have been savagely invalidated. Has #dieselgate inadvertently accelerated the evolution of the electric car? It’s not just Porsche – sister brand Audi is going Tesla-chasing too. Its E-tron Quattro concept, which went toe-to-toe with Mission E at the recent Frankfurt motor show, will go into production as the Q6. Both will go on sale in 2018 – soon enough to rattle the…

1 Hydrogen is pumped into the Mirai at a service station, in much the same way – and taking a similar length of time – as filling a petrol car 2 Hydrogen is stored in those yellow fuel tanks at 700 bar. Made of light carbonfibre, an inner layer of polyamide resin resists hydrogen permeation. Gas is sent forward to the fuel-cell stack 3 Large air intakes at the front of the Mirai channel oxygen into the fuel-cell stack. When the hydrogen and oxygen meet, a catalyst prompts a chemical reaction that produces electricity, heat and water. The electricity is used to drive the car’s 115kW electric motor, while the harmless water vapour is emitted from the Mirai’s exhaust pipe 4 A rear battery provides extra assistance to the electric…

DO CHICKS DIG YOUR CAR? KNIGHT RIDER CAR MUG Michael Knight was simply the supporting actor in the Knight Rider series. An ‘82 Pontiac Trans-Am called K.I.T.T was the star of the show, and yeah, chicks loved him. If you loved the series, chances are you also have a wicked ride now which means you must have one of these officially licenced ‘Chicks dig my car’ coffee mugs. £4.80 (+/-R100) www.amazon.co.uk KEEP YOUR FOOD TO YOURSELF EMT LUNCH BAG Do you lose your lunch in roadblocks or to carpool people? Solve the problem with this EMT lunch bag. In this case EMT doesn’t stand for Emergency Medical Transport but Emergency Meal Transport. Each bag has a foam-insulated waterproof lining, a mesh interior pouch, and an ‘Organ Donor’ ID…

MONTH 3 RENAULT CLIO GT-LINE HOW OFTEN do you peruse the cheaper sections of the GBU model listings and say, I wish I could get that model’s diesel engine with this one’s six-speed auto, or this petrol with that manual? Excluding obvious cost implications, why is it we can’t always get the model iterations we want? Renault’s a prime example, releasing the RenaultSport Clio in unconvincing dual-clutch-only guise. It followed that up by teasing us with a delightful 1.2-litre turbo in a Captur, hamstrung by that same drive-numbing dual-clutch tranny. Naturally you can get a manual Captur, but only with the short-onoomph 0.9-litre motor, a combo we’re quite accustomed to in our long-term Clio. Now I hear there’s a 1.2-litre Clio launching soon. Surely a perfect riposte to VW’s 1.2TSI…

KEY INDICATORS – SEPTEMBER 2015 (% change vs Sep 2014) INDUSTRY TOTAL 55 322 (-9.0) | PASSENGER CARS 37 309 (-13.2) | LCV 15 121 (0.3) | EXPORTS 35 181 (14.3) YEAR-TO-DATE 463 106 (-4.0) RECORD EXPORTS, SHRINKING domestic demand. That’s the core-take-out from the new car sales figures reported to Naamsa in September, as the slump in local sales took further hold with the aggregate 9.0% down on the same month in 2014. Meanwhile, exports gained 14.3% y/y, ratcheting up to a new monthly record of 35181 – including an unprecedented 11199 Mercedes C-Class units sailing out of the East London factory. There were other export notables: 6710 BMW 3 Series, 5416 VW Polos, 6570 Ford Rangers and 3956 Toyota Hiluxes. The importers are having a torrid time managing…