khulekani-on-wheels-blog

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Driven: 2.2 CRDI Kia Sorento

By Khulekani Dumisa (@dumisa_khulekani)

 Affordability is a key factor to consider when buying a car. Actually, it should be when buying everything. Alas, we know that it is seldom the case when buying cars. South Africans are known for buying cars as status symbols often overlooking things such as affordability and practicality. On my recent appearance on Ignition’s Buyers Guide, one of the viewers had written in to ask what he should buy between a Kia Koup and a Mazda 3 sedan. The viewer has two children. His wife wants the Mazda 3 whilst he prefers the Koup for its sportier credentials. This chap shouldn’t have written in at all. The Koup will be wholly unsuitable for the needs of his family but to underscore the type of thinking that goes into buying a car, the chap found himself unable to decide. Fortunately for him, his wife knew what the right call was. We also helped him to choose the right choice in the circumstances.

 Recently we got to test the Kia Sorento. The Sorento hasn’t found much success in South Africa but has done well considering the segment it competes in. Our test Serento was the 2.2 CRDI LS. This is the second from bottom version and retails from R489,000. The CRDI LS Sorento did not have luxury extras such as cruise control, a Smart Key with Start/Stop button, leather upholstery, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and gear knob, and electric folding side mirrors with integrated indicators and many more other features that we had become accustomed to in our previous test car from Kia but what the Sorento lacked in fancy extras, it made up in size, power and practicality.

 The Kia Sorento is a massive car that can easily swallow up a family of five of all sizes as it did our travel party to Rustenburg in North West. There is tons of space in the cabin. The driver and front passenger have ample legroom but the clear winners are the occupants of the back seat. You could swear all the Sorento’s 4,7 meters of length went to this row of seats. The mammoth 660-litre could swallow up our luggage for the weekend without any of it having to come into the cabin. No more fights between dad, mom and the kids about which teddy should not make the weekend trip away.

 Perhaps the biggest surprise was the engine. What a sweet engine. Our 2.2 litre diesel 6 speed automatic engine is capable of 140 kW of power and 440 Nm of torque. A word of caution is that you should not be bothered by the 0 - 100 km/h sprint of 9.3 seconds. It means nothing. The Sorento has enough power to carry its body very well. It does this ever so capably in peak hour traffic when it must accelerate to negotiate a change of lanes and when you are on the highway needing to maintain power up an incline or when overtaking. The sweet part is that the use of power does not become a burden at the fuel pump. Kia claims fuel consumption of 6.7 litres/100km. At our worst we managed 7.8 litres/100km which is not too far from the 6.7litres/100km. I must say this was achieved using the ECO mode driving which is designed to achieve optimum fuel efficiency. The other modes are normal and sport. We did try the latter and it made the drive even more fun but that came at seeing the fuel consumption climb up and within a short while, we were back on ECO mode.

 The highlight of trip was how the car handled itself on the gravel road to our bed and breakfast about 16 km from Rustenburg. The suspension which uses a MacPherson Strut for the front and a Coupled Torsion Beam Axle at the back allowed the car to take the gravel in its stride. None of the bumps were transferred into the car. We had complained in the city that the engine was a bit loud but surprisingly on the gravel road, where we expected the car to be the nosiest, none of that happened. The car was composed and quiet for the most part.

 The Kia Sorento 2.2 CRDI LS does not have fancy features such as a massive entertainment screen, electronically adjusted seats or a large panoramic roof but we found its quality interior with soft quality plastics adequate and perhaps enough to convince us that we could spend a lot of time inside the Sorento. One thing we missed in our test car was cruise control. Still, that was not a deal breaker.

 If affordability is a thing for you and you are looking for a decent family car with tons of space at a good price, we have no problems recommending the Kia Sorento to you. Other alternatives are the Toyota Fortuner, Ford Everest and Korean sister, the Hyundai Santa Fe.

 Our test Sorento 2.2 CRDi LS is sold with the industry leading five-year/unlimited kilometer warranty, a five-years/unlimited km roadside assistance and a five-year or 100 000km service plan.

 These are the models in the Kia Sorento range and their pricing:

 Kia Sorento 2.4 LS Manual 5-Seater - R457 995

Kia Sorento 2.2 CRDi LS Automatic 5-Seater - R489,995

Kia Sorento 2.2 CRDi LX Automatic 5-Seater - R582,995

Kia Sorento 2.2 CRDi EX Automatic 7-Seater - R686,995

Kia Sorento 2.2 CRDi SX Automatic 7-Seater - R713,995

Kia Sorento 2.2 CRDi SXL Automatic 7-Seater - R733,995

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Driven: one of 7 new additions to Kia Sportage range

Khulekani Dumisa (@dumisa_khulekani) & Benjamin Chunga (@benjaminthecreative)

Recently we attended the launch of the 7 new additions to the Kia Sportage range. Although a far superior product than the previous generation, the current generation of the Sportage hasn't had the success enjoyed by its sibling the Hyundai Tucson locally. Could the new additions ignite the fire of the Kia Sportage? If the specifications and pricing of the new models are anything to go by then the battle is half won for the Sportage and it should find more local success with these additions. What are they?

New 7 additions

The entry level Sportage 2.0 Ignite gains an automatic at R 382,995, just R13,000 over the entry level 2.0 Ignite Manual. If you are familiar with the Sportage range, you will know that Ignite models are anything but entry level and have as standard, features such as LED daytime running lights, automatic headlight control, rear park distance control, Bluetooth connectivity, and steering wheel-mounted remote controls packed into them.

There are customers who like a bit more luxury in their car and Kia says for those customers, but critically still keeping prices affordable, there is the new Sportage Ignite PLUS models. The new Ignite PLUS specification sees the standard Ignite model gain several exterior improvements, including the addition of front fog lights, as well as a wheel upgrade from 16-inch to 17-inch, while the interior gains an electrochromatic rear-view mirror.

Up next in the range will be the EX models with all of the features included in the Ignite grade as standard but adding features such as an electric parking brake, front park distance control, rain-sensing wipers, cruise control, a smart key with start/stop button, leather upholstery, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and gear knob, and electric folding side mirrors with integrated indicators.

Finally, new EX PLUS powered by a 2.0 litre engine petrol specifications will adds 19-inch alloy wheels, electric front seats, a rear-view camera as well as a 7-inch touchscreen with integrated satellite navigation.

A new engine

In keeping with the mandate of affordability in the Kia Sportage range, Kia has introduced a 1.7-litre CRDI engine as an alternative engine option. The new 1.7-litre turbodiesel engine produces 85 kW of power and 280 Nm of torque. The Ignite PLUS CRDI is offered with a 6-speed manual transmission. At the time of writing this piece, the fuel consumption figures had not been released by Kia.

The Drive

In a first for us, we got to test drive the new Kia Sportage EX Plus within 7 days of launch. Thank you to the folks at Kia for organising this. We took the Sportage EX Plus to the historic town of Vryheid in Northern Natal. The road to Vryheid from Johannesburg is a combination of national roads and quite a few provincial roads of a varying degree of qualify. On the national roads, the Kia Sportage proved itself to be a composed ride, gliding along comfortably. You could have mistaken the ride quality for a far more luxurious product. Although the engine had to dig a bit deeper to maintain the same speed on the hills, overall it took the trip well. Overtaking wasn't a mission at all and you do a lot of it on provincial roads.

That was the national roads and we know SANRAL pulls all the stops to keep them in great shape. The same can't be said of provincial roads. Different provinces seem to adhere to different standards and as if that's not enough, within the provinces themselves, the roads appear to also adhere to different standards. In the KwaZulu-Natal leg of the trip for example, the R34 stretch between Newcastle and the R34/R33 interchange is in a good shape. However, the R34 towards Vryheid is in a poor shape. How did the Sportage fair? Quite well. It wasn't shaken by the bumps and potholes on the road although one of the tyres did. You can tell that a lot has gone into the ride quality. The car doesn't only attempt to match the superior products in looks and interior quality but it also does so in comfort and ride quality. Although a lone trooper for the trip, we could imagine a family of five having no complains about comfort and enjoying the trip in peace.

As if fighting potholes and uneven surfaces wasn't enough, I took the car on an excursion up one of Vryheid's best kept secrets – Vryheid Hill- for a game drive. The Hill offers the visitors the opportunity to see some unspoilt vegetation, spot a wide range of species of birds and game like zebra, antelope and kudu. It's pretty much all for free considering that they ask for a donation of R10 to be placed in the honesty box at the unmanned exit. The Sportage is no off-roader but the odd gravel road drive is not a major ask for the Kia Sportage especially in South Africa when pretty much everything is taken off-road. Vryheid Hill offers plenty of little gravel roads. The Sportage didn't feel threatened at all. Such was the confidence it bestowed in me that we decided to engage the downhill break assist on my way down Vryheid Hill. Foot off the brake and it worked like a charm.

Finally, a word on fuel consumption of the Sportage EX Plus. Kia claims a fuel consumption of 8.1l/100km from the 2.0 114 kW and 192 Nm engine. Going down to Northern KwaZulu-Natal, we managed to get about 9.2l/100 km and on the trip back to Johannesburg, this went up to about 10.5. In Vryheid, the Kia Sportage proved to be slightly fuel thirsty hovering around 12.5/100 km. Small towns have a lot short distances and stops. It's not like being in the city.

The Sportage is a quality offering and the new additions to the line-up are welcomed as the consumer will have more options at more affordable prices.

This is the pricing of the Kia Sportage range (new 7 models in bold):

Sportage 2.0 Ignite Manual                                         R369,995

Sportage 2.0 Ignite PLUS Manual                           R376,995

Sportage 2.0 Ignite Automatic                                R382,995

Sportage 2.0 Ignite PLUS Automatic                     R389,995

Sportage 1.7 Ignite PLUS Manual                           R406,995

Sportage 2.0 EX Automatic                                     R429,995

Sportage 2.0 EX PLUS Automatic                          R459,995

Sportage 2.0 CRDI EX Automatic                              R487,995

Sportage 2.0 CRDI EX PLUS Automatic                R517,995

Sportage 2.4 GDI SX AWD Automatic                      R557,995

Sportage 2.0 CRDI SX AWD Automatic                    R567,995

Sportage 1.6 T-GDI GT Line AWD DCT                    R599,995

The prices include a 5-year / 90,000 km service plan and a 5-year / unlimited kilometre warranty. Kia also throws in 5 years / unlimited kilometres roadside

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New Mini John Cooper Works Range launched

By Sala masindane (@salaontop)

With the runaway fires having wreaked havoc in George recently, the prospects of attending a car launch in that region may have been dampened somewhat but I must commend the people of the region for working hard to recreate the beauty and magic of the area. You can see that a lot of effort is going into this. Considering the time of the year, the weather was the best for the day, not too cold or too hot, just perfect. The George Airport was where the new generation of the Mini John Cooper Works (JCW) Countryman and the Clubman ALL4 were waiting for us and without any delay we were on the road with our test JCW Countryman. The Countryman is the biggest model in the entire range of the British brand. As if that wasn’t enough, the JCW engineers have ensured that the 170 kW engine is the most powerful engine ever to be fitted in a Mini. Mini no more?

The thought of launching two cars at once may be a bit of a novelty but it makes sense if you consider that, although distinct vehicles, the JCW Clubman and Countryman have so much in common. They both come with a 2.0 litre petrol 4-cylinder turbo engine which pushes out 170 kW and 350 Nm torque, they both employ a 6-speed manual transmission and an 8-speed Steptronic sports transmission engine, both operate the all-wheel drive system (aptly named ALL4) and both have 18-inch John Cooper Black Grip Spoke light alloy wheels which wear red shoes (Brembo sports brake system). Both cars also have a claimed combined EU fuel consumption of 7.4 l/100 km (automatic: 6.8 l/100 km). The JCW body kit stands out (side skittle and front grill mesh) from the Cooper S, it gives the cars that special effect.

It wouldn’t be a Mini without the airplane lookalike cockpit, the new Mini John Cooper Works Clubman and Countryman come with a standard 6.8-inch screen with the touch screen an optional extra. The interior has sporty feel with standard John Cooper Works racing steering wheel, heating sporty seats and door sill finishes. The JCW models are easily identifiable with a red stitch across the gear and steering wheel.

So, what is the difference between the JCW Clubman and Countryman? The new Mini JCW Clubman is for those that believe in the Golf GTI’s and Audi S3’s of this world. Its low go-kart like suspension is smooth on the corners, it’s a define sports car. The Clubman is the car you use when you going impress your vrrr pha friends. It pushes more 29 kW more than the Clubman Cooper S, with an acceleration of 6.3 seconds from 0 to 100 km/h whereas the JCW Countryman will do that in 6.5 seconds. Although slightly slower than the Clubman, the JCW Countryman is a masterstroke from Mini. The combination of performance and practicality combines very well together in this one.

The prices for the new JCW Clubman and Countryman range are as follows:

John Cooper Works Clubman R558,612

John Cooper Works Clubman Automatic R584,516

John Cooper Works Countryman R610,612

John Cooper Works Countryman Automatic R636,516

These include a five-year or 100,000km maintenance plan.

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BMW I3 REX Driven

By Khulekani Dumisa (@dumisa_khulekani)

The world is changing and cars are changing along with it. If it’s not new advancements being made on autonomous driving, you are being told about alternatives to fuel powered engines. Recently we got to experience first-hand the latter in BMW’s I3 REX electric vehicle (EV). Interestingly this was our second EV review within a month or two; the first being the Nissan Leaf. The I3 REX experience was interesting as we had something to compare it to and we could make the most of this opportunity as we had experienced an EV before.

 The I3 REX looks more visually appealing from outside than the Nissan Leaf. Step inside however, and the competition is easily won by Nissan. Although the dashboard is slightly dated in the Leaf, it does feel more technologically advanced and more car-like with the two generous information display screens in front of the driver and a 7 inch touch screen in the middle unlike the BMW’s two small screens, one in front of the driver and other at the center. In fact, at my comfortable driving position, the BMW I3 REX’s driver information screen kept on being obscured by the steering wheel. You might say the design philosophy is different in the BMW I3 REX and BMW have gone for a minimalistic look. That may be so but that can’t be at the expense of functionality.

 Both cabins are roomy and there’s ample legroom for both front and back passengers in both cars. The Leaf has an advantage as it sits five persons in total whereas the I3 REX only takes four occupants. The BMW does have two cool factors. Firstly, the suicide doors are really cool and a party trick of note and secondly, in this SUV obsessed world, the I3 REX does benefit from an elevated driving position. The Leaf has the final say when it comes to boot space. The Leaf’s 370 litres of boot space far surpasses the I3 REX’s 260 litres. Both cars’ back seats do fold to extend load capacity to a maximum load capacity of 720 litres and 1,000 litres respectively. You might wonder how the leaf loses the extended load capacity tussle but the Leaf’s seats don’t fold flat to the floor because that's where the batteries are.

 The drive is fairly comfortable on both cars although the BMW I3 REX does feel more refined. The Nissan Leaf is powered by an electric motor which kicks out 80 kW of power and 254 Nm of torque. The BMW I3 REX is quicker with 125 kW of power and 250 Nm of torque. The Leaf does 0 -100 km/h in 11,9 seconds whilst the I3 REX manages that in 8.1 seconds. Take off is pretty decent in both cars as the power kicks in almost immediately when you step onto the accelerator.

 Range anxiety (thinking you are going to run out of power before you reach your destination) was not an issue when we got to test the BMW I3 REX. We had managed just fine with the Nissan Leaf’s 135 km range which is a lot less than the I3 REX’s combined range of between 240 and 330 kilometers. The I3 REX is capable of this range thanks to a 0,6 litre petrol “engine” which helps to charge the electric motor when it runs out of power. I had the I3 REX for seven days and put it through its paces. I even did a return trip of over 70 kms (parts of which included highway driving) and I never once had to go fill up at the petrol station. Like the Nissan Leaf, the I3 REX employs the braking regenerative charging system which uses your breaks to charge the car. So the car recharges whenever you are braking or going downhill. It does use more electricity going uphill but not as much as you gain going downhill.

 The charging network for the I3 REX is fairly developed but obviously not as wide as the fossil fuel brigade found on every street corner. You still have to rely on home charging most of the time which is seamless. For a full charge, you are safer aiming for an overnight charge although the I3 REX’s home charger is surprisingly quick.

 You get a lot of questions when you drive an EV, especially on looks and range. The question I enjoyed fielding the most is whether I could live with the I3 REX and the answer is an unequivocal yes. It is as practical in the city as any “normal” car can be. It is spacious, drives well and isn’t bad looking at all. The starting price of R683,600 may spoil the party a bit but not enough to deter me from the BMW I3 REX.

 Ed – at the time of writing this piece, BMW had introduced a new sport version of the I3 REX, the BMW I3 REXis. The new model has 10kW and 20Nm more than the normal I3 REX and does a claimed 0-100km/h sprint in 6.9 seconds. That’s quick.

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Meet the swift Suzuki Swift Sport

By Khulekani Dumisa (@dumisa_khulekani)

What makes a car special? The answer to this question still eludes us to this day. This is because the answers to this question can be so subjective.  If you were to ask the question, you could get answers such as it’s the way the car looks, the way it drives, the way the interior is designed, the size of the tyres, the sound of the engine, the colour (of the exterior and the interior!), the seats, and recently, the design of the lights, or how all these come together.

I had the Suzuki Sport on test recently and I was not sure what to expect. The 1.6 naturally aspirated 100 kW and 160 Nm engine was not about to give me sleepless nights of excitement. It’s a far cry from the Polo GTI’s 141 kW and 250 Nm for example. I had to keep an open mind however. That is my approach to each assignment, no matter what has been said about a car, I judge it on its own merit. Comparisons are inevitable but each car needs to be seen for what it offers before it is bashed and compared to its competitors.

When the car arrived, I could not help but think how bold of Suzuki to brand it with its GSX bike colours. Other than cars, and if you do not know, Suzuki is renowned for making super bikes and the GSX is one of their most successful bikes. So, from a marketing Suzuki perspective, it was a nice gesture from one arm of the company to celebrate the success of another arm of the company but from a bystander’s perspective, the question was inescapable, did the Suzuki Swift Sport deserve to be clad in GSX colours?

Within minutes of the car’s arrival, I immediately set out on a 15 minute drive to take one or two pictures of my latest drive. I pushed the car into one or two curves and I remember thinking that it has very impressive road manners. The car felt grounded and in control. What confidence from the little bugger I thought.

The Suzuki Swift Sport sits at the top of the Suzuki Swift range and goes for R267,000. The entry level Swift 1.2 GA retails from R154,900. The Swift Sport cannot be compared to those models. It’s like trying to compare an RS3 to an entry level Audi A3. Okay, the gap is not that vast. The Suzuki Swift Sport does not cost almost three times more than the entry level Swift.  The Suzuki Swift Sport has a lot of kit than the lower models like generous sports seats, keyless go, keyless entry, alloy wheels, cruise control, extended rear spoiler, double exhaust and a large bumper. Unfortunately though, the Suzuki Swift Sport shares its small boot with the lower level models.

Other than my daily commute to the office, I took the Suzuki Swift Sport on an out of town excursion to Magaliesburg. The route had all sorts of exciting tasks for the Swift Sport to shine on and boy the Suzuki Swift Sport not only managed to come up tops but it excelled. There were steep hills, mild and sharp bends, and there was a fair amount of motorways involved. It was a marvel to see a car with not a lot of power relatively speaking handle itself so well in all these conditions. Yes, being a manual with not much power, the Swift Sport is an engaging and involved drive but there is a sense of accomplishment with being able to make the environment bend to your will with a capable car that does not give you any more help than you need. This makes the Suzuki Swift Sport one special car.

Perhaps it’s not just the way the Swift Sport drives that makes it special but how that combines with the support from the generous sports seats and a pointed front wheel drive system. This is the most fun I have had in a naturally aspirated car with not a lot of power at its disposal but an honest six speed 1.6 naturally aspirated engine.

 The Suzuki Swift range is priced as follows:

- Suzuki Swift 1.2i GA M/T R154,900

- Suzuki Swift 1.2i GL M/T R169,900

- Suzuki Swift 1.2i GA A/T R186,900

- Suzuki Swift 1.4i GLS M/T R225,900

- Suzuki Swift 1.4i GLS A/T R242,900

- Suzuki Swift 1.6 SPORT 6M/T R267,900

All the 1.2 models come with a 2 year / 30,000 km service plan which is bumped up to a 3 year / 60,000 km service plan for the 1.4 models and the Suzuki Swift Sport.

At the time of writing this piece, Suzuki had released images of the new Suzuki Swift Sport. It looks chucky and mean. I enjoyed the 1.6 naturally aspirated engine but I hope the next generation comes with a turbo and a bit more oomph.

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The Audi A5 is a worthy citizen in the street of extra ordinary gentlemen

Christmas comes once in a year and this year it came early for me. I had the privilege of reviewing the second generation Audi A5 Coupé on my birthday week. At first blush, the Audi A5 would typically be branded as a blesser car (South African lingo for people who have made it in life and are not afraid to use their financial muscle to show it). The thought would not be entirely unjustified. Being a good premium product, the Audi A5 instantly makes you feel as if your station in life has improved. Typically I am not the fancy wear type but with the machine that was in front of me, I felt the need to suit up.

On review, I had the moonlight blue A5 140kW 2.0 TFSI Sport S tronic Coupé. From the exterior, the A5 still has the resemblance of the first generation that was released in 2008. The major exterior difference is more curves on the body styling of the car. This is more evolutionary rather than revolutionary in terms of design. With that said, the interior is revolutionary considering that is where you’ll spend most of your time. Audi also maintains that the new A5 is also 60 km lighter than its predecessor, for all those days that you feel the need to exercise by pushing the car just a little bit.

The new A5 is offered in three models, the 2 door coupe, the 2 door cabriolet (soft top) and the 5 door Sportsback. My test A5 had a 2.0 litre turbo petrol engine which produces 140 kW of power and 320Nm of torque with a claimed fuel consumption of 6.5 l/100km. This is purely based on your driving; I managed an average of 7.5 l/100km due the fact that I was driving on the highway regularly and the car was pushed a bit. Next up in the petrol range you will find a much quicker 2.0 litre turbo FSI 185 kW and 370Nm S tronic Sport. In between there are the two 2 litre petrol engines, there is TDI engine which produces 140 kW of power and a thunderous 400 Nm of torque. For those who enjoy the vrrrphaa life, there’s the S5. The S5 leaps from 0 to 10 km/h in 4.7 seconds thanks to its 3.0-litre TFSI engine with 360kW and 500 Nm.

The interior of the A5 is on steroids, the best in its class. It comes with the Audi Virtual Cockpit (with MMI navigation plus with MMI touch-optional), which can be viewed in different modes, either on the 7-inch screen or the 12.3-inch TFT display in the instrument cluster (easy to use without disturbing the driving experience). Apple Car play and Android Auto are also optional extras. The door bins are huge; you can fit your wallet, water bottle and still have space to store your 3 phones (if you are a blesser).

If practicality is in question, the Sportsback is the ideal choice as there is more rear legroom compared to the Coupé and the Cabriolet. That said, the rear legroom in the Coupé is not bad and adults can sit comfortably in there, especially for short drives. The 2 door does add a sporty and more drivers’ car feel to it. The new A5 comes with different “drive select modes” which includes efficiency-petrol saving, comfort-normal daily driving, auto, dynamic-sports mode and individual (which is a combination of all the modes as selected by the driver). This is no gimmick. There is a remarkable difference in each of the driving modes thanks to a new suspension.

Safety features include exit warning, park assist, collision avoidance assist, turn assist and traffic sign recognition, with driver assist features including active lane assist. The new A5 is a gentleman with some serious street cred.

The Audi A5 is priced is as follows:

- Coupé 2.0 T FSI 140kW S Tronic:                                       R589,000

- Coupé 2.0T FSI S Tronic Sport:                                           R623,000

- Coupé 2.0 TDI 140 kw S Tronic:                                          R619,000

- Coupé 2.0 TDI 140 kW S Tronic Sport:                               R653,000

- Coupé 2.0 TDI 140 kW quattro S Tronic:                             R652,000

- Coupé Cabriolet 2.0 TDI 140 kW qauttro S Tronic Sport:   R686,000

- Cabriolet 2.0T FSI 140 kW S tronic Sport:                           R723,000

- Coupé 2.0T FSI 185 kW quattro S Tronic:                           R723,500

- Coupé 2.0T FSI 185 kW quattro S Tronic:                           R757,500

- Cabriolet 2.0T FSI quattro S tronic:                                      R 823,500

- Cabriolet Cabriolet 2.0T FSI quattro S tronic Sport:             R 857,500

- Coupé 3.0 T FSI 260 kW quattro S tronic :                          R928,000

- Cabriolet 3.0T FSI 260 kW quattro tiptronic:                      R1,028,000

The Coupé and the Sportsback share the same prices.

The prices include a standard with the 5 year/100 000km Audi Freeway Plan.

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Meet the all new Land Rover Discovery

By Anele Zondo (@neythebae_sa)

The new Discovery has arrived in South Africa and I attended the second phase of the launch at the Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit. This was my first car launch and what a great start!

The new shape

Before I get into, I want to start with the new design and body change. My take is, unlike most things, with cars, it should be love at first sight (Ed – some cars grow on you like the Citroen C4 Cactus that is no longer offered in South Africa). It was the opposite with the Discovery for me. The new look feels like a blend of a Range Rover and a Mercedes Benz GLE. I am not a fan of the rounder back. I questioned the Land Rover instructors about the change and (almost as if sensing my pain) the response was, “it will grow on you”. And, that it did. I was a true convert by the end of the day (Ed – you see).

The Updates

The new Discovery enjoys a new aluminium body instead of a steel frame donned by previous models. This manages to shell a whopping 480 kilograms off the car. The result is a lighter, more fuel efficient and agile product.

The Driving Course

I experienced the car in 3 driving phases: off-road; on-road and obstacle driving.

Off-road Driving

Taking the beautiful beast off-road felt like I was living the dream of a traveller adventurist. I am talking about up to 127 degrees side slope driving, and up to 45 degrees steep slope driving (in smart driving mode, touching no paddles, just steering and braking).

On Road Driving

The Discovery is very smooth and luxurious and can trick you into thinking you are in a luxurious sedan rather than the capable off–roader that it is. The new drive train benefits from more responsive braking and quick acceleration. The car’s self-parallel parking technology will spare you many blushes with fate.

Obstacle Driving

Being one of the most capable SUVs on offer, this car will make you feel like you can take on anything that the road throws at you. Yes, even mini-bus taxi drivers.

Interior and Specs

The steering wheel is thin and actually feels good on the hands. Being at the pinnacle of automotive luxury, Land Rover did not disappoint with the interior design. The Land Rover comes with cool new features too like an App designed to control your car no matter how far away you are from it.

In terms of comfort, the driver and the front passenger seem to have been prioritised. There’s a bit of a gap in comfort between the front seats and the rest of the other rows. Perhaps not a Land Rover thing but the consequences of 7 seat convenience. The electronically controlled seating configuration means the car can easily be transformed into a seven seater.

Engines and pricing

Two 3 litre V6 engines are available in the Discovery line up. These include (i) a supercharged petrol with 250kW of power and 450Nm torque, and (ii) a turbo diesel with 190kW of power and substantial 600Nm of torque. Both engines employ an automatic gearbox. The Discovery 3.0 Litre Td6 Diesel retails from R980,000 whilst the 3.0L Si6 Petrol retails from R1,018,500.

My impressions

I liked the hands free parallel parking, new technology and improved fuel efficiency. I did not like the small boot space when the last row of seats is up and, although it grew on me eventually, I did not like the new shape.

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Excellence has a new name in the Volvo XC90 Excellence

By Benjamin Chunga (@benjaminthecreative)

They say special things happen to special people, well something special happened to us. Volvo South Africa decided to treat us by bringing their most prized possession, the majestic XC90 Excellence, for a day visit with us.

Much like Frank Lloyd Wright’s fallingwater house, the Volvo XC90 is aesthetically pleasing from any angle you look at it from. One look at this beautiful car and your mind begins to wander, as you try to paint a picture of what the interior might look like. A quick look inside reveals all the little hidden gems that Volvo has bequeathed to this model, such as the crystal gear knob, the Walnut finishes, as well as the smooth genuine leather. You’ll be pleased to know that these genuine items make up most of the car’s upmarket interior. Every finish you see is genuine, meaning if it looks like wood, it really is. A single glance at the Excellence badge on the sides of the car immediately tells you that this is the epitome of luxury and comfort. We found to be true for almost every feature we explored. The second you sit down you immediately notice the attention to detail in this work of art, seen in things as tiny as the patterns on the champagne flutes matching other areas of the car, to the amount of control you have over your seating position, even in the back seats.

 The Volvo XC90 Excellence boasts many innovative features, such as temperature controlled cup holders, a fridge big enough to hold two 750ml bottles which replaces the middle back seat, an iPad style center from which you can control most of the cars functions, as well as a Bowers and Wilkins sound system, crafted after the Gothenburg Concert Hall to give you a truly premium listening experience, no matter your music preference. It’s like listening to Beethoven play Moonlight Sonata on a piano made of Swiss chocolate. Interestingly, the Bowers and Wilkins sound system is customized specifically for the Volvo XC90 Excellence. Worried that the exterior noise may take away from this theatre-like atmosphere, a glass partition which separates the luggage area from the passenger compartment has been added to the XC90 Excellence. This enhances soundproofing but maintains the sense of space.

Now, the XC90 Excellence is not just about aesthetics, it is a beast in a suit thanks to the combined power out of 300kW/ 640 Nm power output of the T8 Twin Engine  backed by a 235 kW/ 400 Nm supercharged and turbocharged 2.0-litre 4-cylider Drive-E petrol engine and a 65 kW/ 240 Nm electric motor. The car has two supplementary driving features where an on-board generator allows you to charge the batteries as you drive, at the cost of a fraction of your fuel, or save the charge you already have. In other words, you can use ‘Hold’ mode to cap the battery at a certain level, preventing it from dropping below the set level. But if you’d rather be safe than sorry, it can reach full charge within three hours from any 3-prong outlet. No fancy charging stations needed. At full charge, you’re looking at a maximum range of 45km for the 9.2 kWh battery pack. All these features don’t result in a slow, heavy SUV by any means though. The XC90 Excellence can get from 0-100 km/h in just over 5.5 seconds, leaving many a driver red faced and in the distance. We do not recommend this for this elegant car.

 Although aimed at the city commute, the XC90 Excellence can be the perfect travel companion for the odd trip to the countryside. With the removal of the third row of seats, luggage capacity in the XC90 Excellence varies from 431 litres (with luggage cover extended) to 726 litres (loaded to roof height). This means you will be able to pack more than enough suitable attires for a stroll in Berg.

All this said, the Volvo truly is an amazing and outstanding car which leaves little to the imagination. Volvo outdid themselves on this one. All that’s left to ask the Volvo design team is, where to from here?

The Volvo XC90 Excellence retails from R1,550, 000, and is available on an order-only basis. The price includes a 5-year/ 100 000 km full vehicle warranty and full maintenance plan.

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The new Peugeot 3008 SUV is a beautiful take on a very busy SUV Segment

By Khulekani Dumisa (@dumisa_khulekani)

It is an open secret that Peugeot hasn’t had the best run lately. Peugeot continues to suffer from largely negative perceptions about the brand and French cars in general. Since the launch of the new Peugeot 2008 SUV, things have started looking up. Last month Peugeot reported 71 sales. Although not sustainable in the long run, his is nothing to be sneered at considering that the likes of Mitsubishi reported a mere 46 sales in the same period.

The Peugeot 2008 SUV was meant to turn things around for Peugeot but perhaps due to its station wagon like appearance, it hasn’t been able to do that. Peugeot have called out the 2008 SUV’s bigger brother, the Peugeot 3008 SUV, to inspire the magic that dispels the negative perceptions and propels the brand to greater heights. Local car launches are usually not for top management but it was not surprising to see the MD of Peugeot Citroen South Africa, Francisco Gaie, at the launch of the new Peugeot 3008 SUV. You could tell from his mood that he believes so much in the car and its ability to turn things around for his marque. I think he may not have to do much selling. The Peugeot 3008 SUV is a beautiful vehicle inside out and comes to South Africa having already bagged 2017 European Car of the Year.

Peugeot is launching three versions of the Peugeot 3008 SUV, the Active, the Allure and the GT Line. As you would have guessed, true to the French car approach, even the entry level has an impressive list of specs. You will find features such as electric mirrors, automatic wipers with rain sensor and daytime running lights as standard on the entry level Active. The Allure steps things up by adding aluminium pedals, front and rear central armrests, front and rear parking sensors and, stop and start. For the top spec GT Line, you will be treated to an aviation style handbrake, on-board navigation, full feather upholstery and cornering assist fog lights as standard features. Although not off-roaders, the Allure+ and GT Line+ models benefit from Peugeot’s Advanced Grip Control which is designed to enhance the car’s traction system and allow it to cope better with challenging terrain like snow, mud and sand.

All versions of the Peugeot 3008 SUV have been launched with one engine, a 1.6 turbo petrol with 121 kW and 240 Nm. The engine has enough power and you do not have to do much to feel that power, especially when overtaking. To be honest this is all Peugeot needs for the 3008 SUV but you cannot be taken seriously in these circles unless you are offering a credible diesel option. Peugeot is aware of this and will be bringing the diesel option early 2018.

The 3008 SUV has ample space in the cabin for 5 adult occupants. The boot is also decent. Although the car has shed some 100 kilograms in weight, luggage space has improved. The 30087 SUV has luggage capacity of 520 litres with the luggage cover. This is almost 90 litres bigger than the previous generation. With the luggage cover and the second row of seats folded flat, the luggage space extends to a massive 1,670 litres.

My impression is that Peugeot have executed themselves very well with the 3008 SUV. The car is beautiful both inside and outside. The curvy lines combine well with assertive grille that dominates the front of the car. Step inside, you are greeted by a quality, modern yet easy to use interior. The standard virtual cockpit called Peugeot i-Cockpit makes for a functional and entertaining interior, and the piano dials add a touch of class to this as well. The car is a pleasure to drive thanks to the small steering wheel which improves visibility and legroom for the driver, and gives it a go-cart feel although it is a decently sized SUV. The drive can feel a bit harsh at times but will not make you feel uncomfortable or regretting your choice.

The Peugeot 3008 SUV is priced is as follows:

-   Active  1.6 THP Auto: R399,900

-       Allure  1.6 THP Auto: R444,900

-       Allure+  1.6 THP Auto: R464,900

-       GT Line  1.6 THP Auto: R499,900

-       GT Line+  1.6 THP Auto: R569,900

The prices include a 4 year / 60,000 kilometres service plan, a 3 year / 100,000 kilometres manufacturer warranty, 3 year roadside assistance and a 12 year anti-perforation warranty. An optional 5 year / 100,000 kilometres full maintenance plan is also available.

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Credit downgrade? The Suzuki Ciaz is here to make your money go further

by Sala Masindane (@salaontop)

Although there was a welcomed relief for manufacturers in July with sales going up compared to the same time last year, it is hard to deny that consumers are under pressure and increasingly trying to make their money go further. So, what if you have a b-segment car budget but you need a c-segment car? Well, look no further than the Suzuki Ciaz. Like the Baleno, which is bigger than most of its peers, the Ciaz is almost the same size as c-segment cars but has a b-segment price tag. The entry level Suzuki Ciaz retails from R206,900.

What else can we tell you about the car now that we have given up the most interesting thing about it. Well, the car has many class leading features that you will struggle to find in similarly priced competitors. These features are even available in the entry level GL model. These include automatic climate control and projector headlamps.

The Ciaz will also spare you many trips to the pumps with a decent claimed fuel consumption of 5.4 litre per 100 kilometres for the manual and 5.5 litres per 100 kilometres for the automatic. No matter how much we pushed the car, we could only take it to a fuel consumption of 6.2 litres per 100 kilometres which is not too far from the claimed fuel consumption. This is becoming a trend for us with Suzuki cars we test. They deliver on the fuel efficiency promise.

All Suzuki Models are powered by a 1.4 naturally aspirated engine with has 70 kW of power and 130 Nm of torque. The engine carries the body well but at times you do feel that the car can do with a little bit more power, especially when taking on the Chapman’s Peak inclines, I felt the need to gear down quite a bit.

On test we had the 1.4 GLX 5 speed manual transmission. The GLX model sets itself apart from the GL model with standard features like keyless entry and push button start, leather seats, front footwell lights, front fog lights, 16-inch alloy wheels and even a rear-shade as standard.

The massive 510-litres is ideally for a young family or for a guy like me that travels with their wardrobe. Sigh. The Ciaz has decent legroom. All the adult occupants I travelled with felt comfortable in the car. Although the overall quality of the Ciaz is on par with the completion, the dash could do with more of a premium feel to it. Other than that, this in many ways a car that is here to make your money go far. At the time of writing this, Suzuki had made the case for the car even stronger by offer a 200,000 unlimited kilometre warranty.

The Suzuki Ciaz is priced as follows:

Suzuki Ciaz 1.4 GL 5MT R206,900

Suzuki Ciaz 1.4 GLX 5MT R232,900

Suzuki Ciaz 1.4 GLX 4AT R247,900

These prices include 3 year / 60,000 kilometres service.

[khulekani-on-wheels-blog]

Get in with the all new Kia Picanto

By Sala Masindane (@salaontop)

Its 09:00 on a cold day in Cape Town at the roof of the Radison Blu Hotel, for a minute, I thought I was lost or at the wrong venue for the launch of the new Kia Picanto. The car before my eyes was a second generation Kia Picanto and not the all new Kia Picanto. We had to drive for about 36km to a secret location in Philadelphia, where the new Kia Picanto was patiently waiting for our arrival. Master stroke from the KIA crew. Reminding us about the proud Kia Picanto was a good start for what was about to come.

Start street style smart

The new Kia Picanto is available in four trims: Start, Street, Style and Smart. In the entry level Picanto Start you will find useful standard features such as Aux and USB ports, and Bluetooth connectivity. There is no screen 7" colour infotainment system that is found in higher specs but the LCD audio system is mounted at the top of the dashboard, and doesn’t look bad at all. In the middle specs, you will find standard features such as power front windows, daytime running lights and auto light control. The top of the range Picanto 7" colour infotainment system, Bluetooth with Voice Recognition, LED daytime running lights, LED rear combination lights, electrically-folding, heated side-mirrors, aluminium pedals, two-tone cloth and leather upholstery. With the level of spec in the Smart, all Kia has to do is to add a quicker turbo engine to the Smart and then they will have a Picanto Sport in their hands.

The Picanto Smart

For the launch, were treated to the 1.2 Smart Picanto and all the 11 youthful colours, which include the ‘Lime Light’, ‘Shiny Red’ and ‘Pop Orange’. The new daytime LED lights stood out from afar, calling you to come closer to experience stretched an extended new Kia Picanto compared to the previous generation. Some models of the new Picanto boasts a 7-inch LCD screen, multifunctional steering wheel controls, Bluetooth connectivity and ISOFIX child seat mountings on the rear of the car. The biggest party trick for me is the Apple CarPlay and Andriod Auto, this basically means you can connect your phone to the car and use it on the 7-inch LCD screen. So, imagine calling your besties without touching your phone or being interrupted while driving. Yep, you are correct now you can ‘SIRI’ or voice control your phone on the new Picanto. The top of the range Kia Picantos also comes with a rear reverse camera (with dynamic guidelines).

The 1.2 litre 61 kW naturally aspirated petrol engine drives impressively well in traffic and on open roads, however it does get a bit sluggish on the steeps but the odd change down to lower gears will solve those problems. This is a city car though and even the 1.0 49 kW naturally aspirated petrol should be okay for those purposes.

Prices

At R195,995 for the top spec it is a bit pricey but the kit that the car packs sort of justifies it. Word for the competition, I am reminded of the words of the great Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu warning the ruling party to stay out of trouble, watch out!

The prices of the new Picanto at the time of writing this piece were:

1.0 Start Manual         R134,995

1.0 Street Manual       R149,995

1.0 Style Manual         R159,995

1.0 Style Auto             R172,995

1.0 Smart Manual       R179,995

1.2 Start Manual         R150,995

1.2 Start Auto              R163,995

1.2 Street Manual       R165,995

1.2 Style Manual         R175,995

1.2 Style Auto             R188,995

1.2 Smart Manual       R195,995

The new Kia Picanto comes with unlimited kilometre 5 year warranty. Where is the service plan Kia?

[khulekani-on-wheels-blog]

New bakkie rule aims to save lives

By Khulekani Dumisa (@sirkhulz)

South Africa has a huge public transport problem and as such, a lot of players find themselves playing in this sector. Very often these players are unregulated and operate vehicles that are unsuitable for public transport purposes. One of the main culprits have been bakkies doubling up as taxis. This includes bakkies with or without canopies. Let us dispel the myth that it becomes safe to carry human beings in load section of a bakkie if there is a canopy. It does not. The load section does not have seat belts for one.

Bakkies doubling up as taxis have become notorious for high death tolls when they are involved in accidents. Victims are often school children as some of the taxi bakkies also operate as school buses. Apart from the loss of life, accidents are a huge financial burden (or cost) to the economy. It is with this unnecessary loss of life in mind that government acted and introduced an amendment to Regulation 250 of the National Road Traffic Act, 1996. In terms of the Regulation, as of 11 May 2017, it is illegal to carry school children and any other person for reward in the load area of a bakkie.

This is not a law without teeth and the perpetrators run the risk of being fined, having their vehicles impounded and ultimately forfeited to the state should the driver fail to stop carrying people in the back of their bakkies after being fined a couple of times.

Enforcement may be tricky as many of these transgressions happen in neighbourhoods where traffic policing is usually not present. What also can’t be ignored is that there is a gap in the public transport system that has allowed taxi bakkies to flourish. If government does not come up with a viable solution, another problem might be brewing. We unfortunately can’t keep on passing laws in order to get ourselves out of every problem.

Parents of children who are transported by taxi bakkies will in doubt be left scrambling for transport alternatives. A few months into the new Regulation, one wonders if government can claim success for this new rule. We do hope that in the interest of saving lives drivers have been complaint.

Due to the difficult nature of policing this rule, we do encourage citizens to contact nearest traffic officials should they spot a driver transporting school children in the load section of a bakkie.

[khulekani-on-wheels-blog]

The Nissan Leaf is a car of the future that you can have today

By Khulekani Dumisa (@sirkhulz)

Imagine there's no heaven It's easy if you try No hell below us Above us only sky Imagine all the people living for today

Imagine there's no countries It isn't hard to do Nothing to kill or die for And no religion too Imagine all the people living life in peace, you

You may say I'm a dreamer But I'm not the only one I hope someday you'll join us And the world will be as one

Those are lyrics from John Lennon’s Imagine. John Lennon did not live to see the world he was challenging us to strive for. The more I think about it, nearly 40 years after his brutal death, the world is still quite a way off from seeing the Lennon utopia expressed in the beautiful words above.

I did experience a utopia of a different kind in the past week with one of our test cars, the all-electric Nissan Leaf. I must confess that Range Anxiety, described as a worry on the part of a person driving an electric car that the battery will run out of power before the destination or a suitable charging point is reached, being a factor until I got to the handover point which was the Nissan Dealership in Melrose Arch. I remember being engulfed in excitement at the giant leap Nissan had taken and that for the next 7 days, at least from a transport perspective, I would be contributing zero emissions to the environment.

Apart from the fact that the Nissan Leaf is an all-electric car, it is a pretty normal car in all respects. It has roomy cabin and a modern dash with a futuristic looking multi-function display drive computer and a generous touch screen in the middle. The spec we drove came complete with heated leather seats for the front and rear passengers. The boot is pretty decent too. The Nissan Leaf would easily be mistaken as the spiritual successor to the Nissan Tiida to the non-discerning eye.

The Nissan Leaf is unbelievably quiet that for reversing, you get a reverse camera and a back-up beeper (usually reserved for trucks) to warn passers-by that your car is moving in reverse. The ride is comfortable and remained so even in some harsh Joburg roads. The 80 kW and 254 Nm motor which brings power to the wheels at almost the same time as when you engage the petrol (oops, the accelerator) will leave many Formula 1 VW Polo drivers seeing red at the ultimate South African robot-to-robot Grand Prix.

Our Leaf had a total range of 195 km although we always charged up to 130 km. 130 kms might not seem like much but with relatively short return trip to work, it meant I had to charge the car once every two days. And this happened because I chose to drive the car on the highway. You might have guessed this already, the Leaf and the highway are not friends. Think Superman and Kryptonite. On the odd day where I behaved like a proper Leaf driver and avoided the highway, I actually returned home with a decent range still. How is that possible you may ask, the Leaf has your normal drive mode (D-mode) plus B-mode drive which cleverly recharges the car’s battery using the solar panel on the rear-boot spoiler as you drive along, especially when you are braking. You can feel the difference between D-mode and B-mode. The breaks become a bit harder with the latter. This might irritate you but will never be uncomfortable and if you have bought into the point of the energy efficiency of the car, this will be a minor sacrifice in the greater scheme of things.

So, you have bought into the zero emissions lifestyle. The question on your mind will be where you can charge your Leaf if you are not at home. That’s where you might struggle a bit. Whilst Nissan has invested quite a bit in its recharge infrastructure, things are still in its infancy stage (although if you get your hands on a public rapid charger you will get 80% charge in just 30 minutes). You will not struggle for example if you live in the Northern Suburbs of Johannesburg whilst the same cannot be said for you if you live elsewhere. The best solution is still to charge at home. These teething issues are easily forgotten when visiting petrol stations and parting with your hard earned cash is not a part of your lifestyle anymore.

The Nissan Leaf retails from R474,900 and is a decent car. In fact the Nissan Leaf is a car of the future that is here right now. The Nissan Leaf competes with the BMW I3 94Ah which retails from R606,800.

The Nissan leaf comes with a 3 year service plan and a healthy 6 year / 150,000 km warranty

[khulekani-on-wheels-blog]

Introducing the updated BMW 4 Series

By Khulekani Dumisa (@sirkhulz)

Within an hour of having landed at the scenic Kruger International Airport in Nelspruit, we were introduced to the new BMW 4 Series. In the line-up is a coupe, gran coupe and a hard top convertible. Petrol engines dominate the line-up and are offered in the 420i, the 430i, the 440i and the flagship M4 whilst only one diesel engine, the 420d, does duty for team 4 Series.

The updates

The interior upgrades across the 4 Series range include an instrument panel with double stitching, chrome accents and a centre console which comes in a high-gloss black colour, all combining very well to confirm the car’s quality status. Still in the interior, there have been updates to the optional Navigation system Professional with iDrive Touch Controller which now comes with three easy to use tile like split screens. The driver can also order an optional Multi Instrument Display which adds to the car’s visual displays in the various driving modes. Outside, the car has been treated to subtle sharper lines which give the car a sportier look, new LED headlights that come with a hexagonal shape, new LED back lights, more pronounced air intakes and two new colours, Snapper Rocks Blue (my favourite of the line-up) and Sunset Orange.

The complete line-up and engines

The 4 Series Coupe, Gran Coupe and Convertible are powered by a 135 kW engine for the 420i, a 185 kW engine for the 430i and a 240 kW engine for the 440i. A 140 kW 420d engine does duty in the Coupe and Gran Coupe but is not offered in the convertible. The rationale is that most buyers opt for the Coupe and Gran Coupe and the lower engines have to be made available to them in order to make the car more accessible. All models are available in manual and automatic except the 440i which is only offered in automatic.

Prices

Interestingly BMW has adopted the same pricing structure for the Coupe and Gran Coupe. These are the prices for the complete line up:

BMW 420i Coupe: R603 200 (M) / R624 400 (A)

BMW 420d Coupe: R639 300 (M) / R660 100 (A)

BMW 430i Coupe: R690 300 (M) / R711 100 (A)

BMW 440i Coupe: R861 100 (A)

BMW 420i Gran Coupe: R603 200 (M) / R624 400 (A)

BMW 420d Gran Coupe: R639 300 (M) R660 100 (A)

BMW 430i Gran Coupe: R690 300 (M) / R711 100 (A)

BMW 440i Gran Coupe: R861 100 (A)

BMW 420i Convertible: R715 400 (M) / R736 200 (A)

BMW 430i Convertible: R827 600 (M) / R848 400 (A)

BMW 440i Convertible: R985 100 (A)

 The drive

In the first of our two test drives for the day, we got the 420d Gran Coupe. The 2 door version of the 3 Series that has 4 doors as one Instagram user quipped. Not quite, the Gran Coupe sits lower, is wider and sportier than the 3 Series. The 420d is powered by a 140 kW engine. This makes the car surprisingly fast off the mark and more than capable at normal and faster driving speeds. The engine is surprisingly loud for a car as luxurious as the 4 Series. Perhaps the biggest criticism is the ride quality. BMW has treated the Gran Coupe and the Coupe with a stiffer suspension for sportier handling. The sports suspension upgrade was apparently not supposed to compromise the ride quality but throw in our so-so road conditions, ride quality has been slightly compromised. This does not take away from the overall impression of the 4 Series considering that this improvement is also meant to improve straight-line stability and provide better steering.

In our last test drive was the majestic 440i convertible. Sheer driving pleasure. The 4 Series is not a sports car but this gets you close enough. The steering is pointed and the handling is superb. The power, oh the power, at your fingertips and at the command of your foot is unbelievably impressive.

[khulekani-on-wheels-blog]

Rugged refined gentleman is what the new Nissan Navara is

by Salaphezulu Masindane (@salaontop)

 If you are South African, you will know that no segment is as heated as the double cab bakkie segment. It was no accident that recently I found myself at the chassis review of the new Nissan Navara. Call it the re-launch. Nissan remains a solid bakkie seller but the Navara hasn’t taken off as Nissan expected. This is despite that in our view, the Nissan Navara is one of the most comfortable bakkies out there. In fact this is one of Nissan’s unique selling point about the Navara. Unrivalled comfort.

As part of the chassis review, I got to experience the comfort of the Nissan Navara by driving the car from the day before the launch when Nissan kindly delivered it to me. At no point, did it feel like I was driving a bakkie but it felt like I was in a tried and tested SUV like the Nissan Patrol. I think that’s where the new Navara’s slogan comes from, Nissan seems to have been able to bridge the ever elusive divide between made a bakkie that is “Rugged” but also comfortable as an SUV, talk about redefined!

The review presentation was done by Hirokzu Kuzo-san, General Manager- Technical Africa. Kuzo-san cast aside all the doubts we had about the new chassis, in terms of durability and sustainability. This is not a misplaced fear, the previous generation chassis has been causing quite a stir in the United Kingdom. To top it all off, the new chassis was there for all to see, touch and critic. The major take away point is that the new chassis has a 5-link coil rear suspension, while other manufacturers are still using the leaf suspension. The difference in the two is that the Nissan is exceptionally comfortable.

Strangely the 5-link coil rear suspension will not be available on the single cabs (ten steps back?). Nissan’s rationale is that the single cabs are heavy duty and workman vehicles. Fair enough but I can bet you your bottom dollar that farmer Masango will not be pleased. On a serious note, he will sympathise with the rationale that the new chassis would not be able to sustain the pressure in the long run but let’s face it, bakkies these days, double cab or otherwise, are for everyday use and comfort is important. Thumbs up to the new chassis, we hope it gets rolled out across the range in the near future.

This is the current local line up of the new Nissan Navara:

2.3 4x4 SE Double Cab MT: R514,900

2.3 DDTT 4x4 LE Double Cab MT: R565,900

2.3 DDT 4x4 LE Double Cab AT: R597,900

Prices include a 3 year or 90,000 km service plan and a 6 year 150,000 km warranty.

[khulekani-on-wheels-blog]

The Ford Everest is a Beast of a Machine

By Amanda Mfuphi (@mfuphi)

 What happens if you are one of three main fighters in a competitive space? You could always take comfort in coming second as there will always be someone who will take the last spot and third spot. I mean no one wants to come last in any race, right? But then, what if that number 3 falls away? Now you could be number 2 and last in the segment. Not good news. With General Motors pulling out of the country and the expected demise of the Trailblazer in South Africa, the Ford Everest will only be doing battle with only the Toyota Fortuner (I sadly do not recognise the Pajero Sport for this analogy). Number 2 can't be comfortable anymore and the Ford Everest will need to do all it can to take the top spot if it does not want to see itself coming out second and automatically last in the race. I spent some time with the Ford Everest this past week and I think it has what it takes to capture the hearts and minds of the would-be Trailblazer buyers and close in on the Toyota Fortuner.

My first impression of the Ford Everest was, what a beast of a machine. As a person who has been with the Ford family since my first car, a Ford Fiesta 2005, model to my current drive, the  2014 Ford Kuga 2014, I found the Ford Everest to be an impressive car and a potential upgrade (Ed – no money exchanged hands for this review). Another appeal of the Ford Everest is that it is locally produced. Ford deployed R2.5-billion to its Silverton Assembly Plant in Pretoria to produce the car locally and make it competitive price wise. Enough about me, let’s talk about the car. The super elevated drive position in the Ford Everest gives the driver an edge in detecting life’s irritations like traffic jam miles away. Interestingly, this saved us from getting stuck on the N3 in Johannesburg on our way to Durban. Upon spotting the traffic jam ahead of us, we quickly managed to off-ramp and saved ourselves valuable time in our trip. This high ride position also made me feel safe and secure throughout the whole journey.

 In Durban, I put the Ford Everest beast through a mild test to test on its ability to handle terrain an SUV might encounter in the hands of a South Africa driver. You know how we South Africans like challenging our SUVs whether they have off-roading abilities or not. I must say the notion of “no parking sir” is a myth with the Ford Everest, this beast has massive ground clearance that enables a driver to easily glide over a pavement or two (be careful not to break any traffic rules). Despite numerous protests from friends that a 4X4 is required to tackle the beach sand, I took the 4X2 Ford Everest on a drive to one of Durban’s beaches sand and the Ford Everest emerged victorious.    

 The Ford Everest is a spacious 7 seater for large families. There is ample space upfront, in the second row and the third row. Small children can actually sit comfortably in the third row for a long trip. I found the plastic step on either side of the second row useful for getting in and out of the third row. Most of us have had interesting tussles with gravity trying to access third row seats. The boot space of the Ford Everest is equally satisfactory even with the third row of sits up. Should you require bigger boot space, the third row seats can easily be folded down to give you extra boot space. 

 The Ford Everest 2.2 TDCi XLT automatic comes standard with a large touchscreen fitted with Ford’s latest generation SYNC3 integrated communications and entertainment system. SYNC3 includes a total of 10 speakers, Apple CarPlay (which works like a dream), Android Auto and 2 USB ports for multimedia connectivity. This means fewer fights about charging ports during those long road trips.

 The Everest’s 2.2 engine produces 118kW of power and 385Nm of torque. This gives the engine more than enough power for both highway and city driving despite its big frame.  Take offs and overtaking manoeuvres are not a drag. For such impressive power, the 2.2 engine had an impressive fuel consumption of 9.4l/100km on the drive down to Durban which climbed up to a reasonable consumption of 9.7l/100km on the uphill drive to Johannesburg. This is a bit far off from Ford’s claimed 7.3/100km but acceptable for a vehicle this big.

 These are the prices of the complete Ford Everest range (which are correct as at 30 June 2017):

Ford Everest 2.2 TDCi XLS 6MT 4X2: R459,900

Ford Everest 2.2 TDCi XLS 6AT 4X2: R477,900

Ford Everest 2.2 TDCi XLS 6MT 4X4: R537,900

Ford Everest 2.2 TDCi XLT 6MT 4X2: R489,900

Ford Everest 2.2 TDCi XLT 6AT 4X2: R509,900

Ford Everest 3.2 TDCi XLT 6AT 4X2: R569,900

Ford Everest 3.2 TDCi XLT 6AT 4X4: R639,900

Ford Everest 3.2 TDCi LIMITED 6AT 4X4: R699,900

 All models come standard with Ford Protect, including a four-year/120 000km comprehensive warranty, five-year/100 000km service plan, three-year/unlimited km roadside assistance and five-year/unlimited km corrosion warranty.

 The space and comfort of the Ford Everest make it a good choice. You may climb into a Fortuner and feel that it is much of a more premium offering but switch on the ignition and get driving, you will wish you were in the comfort of the Everest. Seeing that these vehicles will be used by most families to criss-cross the country, the Everest has the potential to flip the would-be Trailblazer buyers and close the gap between itself and the popular Toyota Forturner.

 Likes: size, comfort and space. Dislike: hard plastics on dashboard (have you seen the Fortuner’s cabin?). Party trick: Big screen with Ford’s SYNC3.

[khulekani-on-wheels-blog]

The choice is yours and the Suzuki Vitara is a good one

By Khulekani Dumisa (@sirkhulz)

Choice. Something you are blessed with when you have to buy a car, house, phone, clothes, and so on. I could go on and on. That’s not the complete picture though. Your choice is very much informed by what you can afford and what makes sense at a particular time. You see when shopping for an SUV, you are blessed with the choice to buy the amazing Audi SQ7 with a 4.0-litre TDI turbo-diesel V8 engine but your budget, unless you hold an address at Camps Bay, often than not, curtails your enthusiasm. Naturally you don't give up, you think about exercising your God given choice and before you know it, the Audi SQ5 comes to mind. That is quickly followed by the Audi RS Q3 and so many other great choices. I won't go to the Audi Q2, it still needs to tag itself as something that makes sense. Other than budget, your choice needs to make sense and that car doesn’t make sense. Marketers will tell you otherwise, they will even point to impressive sales figures but trust me it doesn’t. It’s too expensive to make any sense.

Back to your choice. By now we have unfortunately established that I am talking about your choice that your budget can accommodate which in this day and age, where almost everyone is obsessed with SUVs, more often than not, you’ll find yourself looking for something in the compact SUV segment. It's not as depressing as you think because at the breakeven point between choice and budgets, you’ll find your choice hasn't deserted you. You are really spoilt for choice in this segment, ranging from the Suzuki Vitara I tested to the Ford Ecosport, the Renault Duster and the class leading Nissan Qashqai. There are many others I haven’t mentioned. Recently the Chinese mounted an assault in the segment with the Haval H2 which is incredibly popular in China.

So, what if you've exercised your choice and ended up with the Suzuki Vitara? Naturally you'll want affirmation that your choice is a good one. Whilst driving the Suzuki Vitara over the past weekend, it was nice getting a pat on the back from a chap who stopped me to tell me that new Suzukis nice and complements from my mommy friends who were so impressed with the Vitara’s looks that they insisted on a demonstration that involved opening the back doors and the boot to check the Vitara’s rear legroom and the boot because these things matter to them. What if the affirmation comes from other Suzuki Vitara drivers who believe in your choice so much so that they vote it Compact Family Car of the Year at the Cars.co.za Consumer Awards? Feeling like a champ already? Great, you've made a good choice.

I had the Suzuki Vitara on test this past long weekend and liked it not only because it came to me with a crown from its victory at the Consumer Awards but because it is a really impressive car. The first impression on me was the ride position. Suzuki has managed to give you a good ride position without compromising comfort. That matters. Others get it so hopelessly wrong that you never find that happy driving position or you end up bumping your head on the roof all the time. Ouch.

The Suzuki is spacious upfront as well as at the back. There all sorts of storage spaces in the cabin and boot is also good. You have the option of making the boot completely flat by keeping the hard cover on or removing that hard cover for a deeper boot space. This is a clever concealment place to keep items hidden from wondering eyes. The boot space can also be extended by folding the back seats down.

All Suzuki Vitaras are powered by a 1.6 naturally aspirated engine. The engine is good for 86 kW of power and 151 Nm of torque. The power is good enough to ferry passengers with luggage over long distances which means you have sufficient power for the school run and city driving. I had the automatic guise of the Vitara whilst the engine drives well, I struggled a bit overtaking. I found myself having to deploy the paddle shifts to gear down to get some power for the extra oomph. This minor irritation is easily mitigated by an impressive 6.4 l/100 km fuel consumption which I managed in my long drive from Gauteng to the Kingdom of the Zulus. This is not far off from Suzuki's claimed 6.0 l/100 km.

The Vitara comes in 6 trims, from the bottom of the range GL, all the way up to the GLX manual with ALL GRIP. The ALlGRIP function gives the car extra traction for an improved off-road driving experience. The Vitara is not an off-roader but feels at home driving on the odd dirt road even without the ALLGRIP feature.

 The GLX automatic I had on test came with standard features such as daytime running lights, adaptive xenon lights, paddle shifts, keyless push start system, PDC (front and back), automatic wipers and a large panoramic sunroof just to name a few. Even with these standard features, the GLX auto comes in at a decent R337,900.

These are the prices of the complete Suzuki Vitara range (which are correct as at 19 June 2017):

- GL (5MT): R267,900

- GL+ (5MT, 2WD): R303,900

- GL+ (6AT): R321,900

- GL+ (5MT, ALLGRIP): R327,900

- GLX (6AT, 2WD): R337,900

- GLX (5MT, ALLGRIP): R356,900

The above prices include a three year 100,000 km warranty, a four year/60,000 km services and a three year roadside assistance package.

Likes: space and driving comfort. Dislikes: no touch screen. This is 2017. Party tricks: double panoramic sunroof!