Table of contents for July 2020 in Leisure Wheels

I returned from Russia only hours before South Africa’s lockdown was implemented. I made it by the skin of my teeth, otherwise I would have been stranded like many other South Africans who needed to cope, unexpectedly, in Japan, New Zealand, Korea or Brazil. Getting back to South Africa demanded some fancy footwork, choosing the right airline and the accessible transit airports. Rome, for example, was not a good idea. I was in Russia to plan a new Voetspore series. In our quest to travel the Brics (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) countries, we recently ticked off India and South Africa. Next on the list of five is Russia. The Russian planning went very well. I’ve never been to this vast country, so more research than usual was…

Volkswagen recently released the first image of the upcoming Tiguan facelift. It seems it will be a substantial facelift with a focus on making the Tiguan a more aggressive proposition. Interior-wise, the Tiguan will receive the latest tech, including over-the-air updates and the latest in infotainment. The engines will likely be carried over as is, albeit with some possible power increases and reduced fuel consumption. The biggest news is the introduction of two all-new engine derivatives. The first is a plug-in hybrid with a claimed 180kW and 400Nm from a 1.4-litre turbo and electric motor combo. The best news of all is the R model, which rumours suggest might use the 2.0-litre turbocharged four from the upcoming Golf R. The power figure is yet to be confirmed but it will…

TO put that adventure to the test we pored over maps and came across three letters. V. A. L. VAL? We’d heard rumours about this little town but now had an excuse to check it out. We didn’t have much time to get out and explore behind the wheel of the Discovery Sport with the coronavirus looming so this little town – less than two hours from Johannesburg – was the prefect opportunity to stretch the legs of the Land Rover’s mid-size SUV across a variety of surfaces. The biggest change is under the skin, with a switch to a latest generation platform, the same as the Range Rover Evoque. This new platform allows for improvements in terms of noise and vibration reduction, occupant comfort and safety. With new features…

I last visited the West Coast National Park (WCNP) about 10 years back during the spring flower season. Th is is the best time to go but it’s also when the park is most crowded so early autumn is arguably the next best time to visit. And with everybody frantic about the coronavirus, rushing about stocking up on food and booze, I had the park virtually to myself. Bliss. Apart from the cathartic calm that overcame me as I rolled under the park’s boom, the pristine Strandveld on the other side (it has had 35 years to recover from centuries of hunting and farming) was a cool green slap in the face which immediately woke me up to what I might see on my day’s journey. Sure enough, a Cape…

WE were sitting in our VWS Land Rover, driving down a dark, bumpy jeep track towards our deployment spot. I couldn’t see the fire but the area was still warm and smouldering and I remember wondering to myself :“Is this where I’m going to die?” I still couldn’t tell you where I was that day, suffice to say that we had driven from Lourensford Wine Estate in Somerset West into the nearby mountains to fight the fire ravaging the area. It was 2016 and this was my first fire as a newly qualified firefighter. On the right of our Landy, a smouldering ashy wasteland ravaged by fire, several tree stumps still alight, the occasional tall tree – a pine? – burnt black as high as the flames had reached. It…

OUR first experience with the Mahindra Scorpio dates back to 2016, soon after its local introduction. It wasn’t as part of a launch or a road test though, but rather our annual Leisure Wheels adventure, where we take a number of serious off-roaders and subject them to four days of real-life overlanding and off-roading. The then new Scorpio was in some pretty serious company. Ford had turned up in an Everest, Toyota in a Fortuner, while Chevrolet pitched up with the now defunct Trailblazer. We even had a longwheelbase Mitsubishi Pajero in the mix. To be completely honest, the poor Scorpio was the subject of many a joke, mostly due to the ‘Micro Hybrid’ badge on its boot. After a quick online investigation by one of the attendees, it was…

APPROXIMATELY two hours from Paarl lies the town of Citrusdal, where nature boasts with the sounds of running water and birds chirping in the trees. The Baths offers an amazing camping experience with a tropical feel and is well-known for its natural hot springs. Thankfully, I am able to go camping all year round and the lush vegetation of The Baths allows you to escape the warm sun during the summer months, while the hot springs are a real treat in winter, with an average temperature of 430C. I’m the kind of camper who enjoys being off the grid, which means each camping trip must be carefully planned, taking into account everything from food to electricity. On the other hand, The Baths makes things easy as electricity and water are…

Toyota finally unveiled its brand-new Yaris Cross, which slots in below the C-HR in the SUV line-up. Its introduction means Toyota now competes in basically every SUV and compact crossover segment. The Yaris Cross benefits from Toyota’s fourth-generation hybrid technology and will be built on the same GA-B platform as the new Yaris. The Yaris and Yaris Cross are the first models to use Toyota’s latest 1.5 hybrid system, developed directly from the larger 2.0 and 2.5-litre powertrains used by recent new models such as the Corolla, C-HR, RAV4 and Camry. It’s a new 1.5-litre, three-cylinder Atkinson-cycle petrol engine, precision-engineered to reduce friction and mechanical losses and optimise combustion speed. The claimed result is high torque at low engine speeds and excellent fuel efficiency. The new hybrid system has a…

The West Coast National Park: The Park was first established in 1985 and is now 32 000ha in extent. It showcases three main types of veld: West Coast strandveld, coastal renosterbosveld and coastal macchia – better known as fynbos. It’s also home to more than 40 land-based mammals (22 sea-based mammals have been recorded as well), over 50 reptile species and more than 250 bird types. Apart from exquisite beaches, watersport and angling opportunities, there are a number of varying length hiking and mountain-biking trails to keep active folk entertained. While there are a good selection of comfortable self-catering cottages and houseboats (the former from around R451–R550pp/pd) you can overnight at, it’s an ideal day-out for Capetonians, too. Booking and entrance fees: Booking is not required for day visitors and…

THE Patrol is an icon in the Nissan line-up and in the world of 4×4 SUVs. Since 1951, almost two million of these vehicles have been sold worldwide. They’re known for their durability, premium design, safety, comfort features and unmatched all-terrain performance. The Patrol has established itself as one of the most capable vehicles around, with outstanding driving performance, great engines and advanced hydraulic body motion control. With that as a starting point, Nissan took all the aspects of a vehicle that already provided owners with top level comfort, safety and confidence behind the wheel and made it even better. Thanks to this latest round of upgrades, the Patrol features a striking new design and enhanced luxury features while retaining its exceptional onand off-road capabilities and class-leading power. WHAT’S NEW?…

SOUTH Africa already had a high unemployment rate, which is only set to climb in the months to come. Th at’s not even counting the number of people who remain employed but had to take some sort of income cut going forward. Times are tough and for proof, look no further than FNB and Wesbank’s payment breaks. Here we have established and reputable financial services providers that provided payment breaks to customers in good standing. Th e result of the first wave of applications was 500 000 credit agreements from nearly 150 000 businesses and individuals. While we applaud FNB and Wesbank for making this service available, it doesn’t take a PhD in economics to figure out it’s not a viable permanent solution. Many people are looking at buying down.…

THESE last months have been a crazy time with the entire South Africa mandated to stay at home. For the first five weeks, our movements were extremely limited and our long-term Isuzu D-Max got to do only a couple of quick blasts to the shops for the essentials. With no overland adventures on the horizon, the D-Max was relegated to a life of mundane tasks. It did give us the opportunity to give the D-Max some much-needed TLC, however, and we killed time with numerous visits to the interior with our vacuum cleaner and it had more bubble baths than a member of the royal family. The Covid-19 crisis and how Government dealt with it is up for debate but it did get us thinking that a post-apocalyptic environment –…

Keep up to date with news, videos, photos and articles, with Leisure Wheels online Like our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/LeisureWheels | Follow us on Twitter: @LeisureWheelsZA | Web: www.leisurewheels.co.za SHARED ON OUR FACEBOOK PAGE We’re sure that single cab Jimnys would sell like hot cakes locally. What do you think? Vincent van Zyl: It will be outpriced by the Nissan NP200. Ben Visagie: I really like it but it won’t be cheap. Sontie Bruwer: Might need to stretch that chassis a bit but yes, it will sell. Marius Botha: It will work but they need to make the loadbin useful. Pieter Keulder: Also think it will be a winner. Xando Araujo: That is horrible. Hummer is making a comeback. This is one professional designer’s idea of what it should look like. What…

Alfa Romeo recently introduced a refreshed version of the Stelvio. It receives LED tail lamps and glossy black finishes on the badges at the front and rear. The sportiness has been further accentuated with newly developed Mopar accessories such as carbon fibre finishes for the grille and spoiler. The interior remains largely unchanged but there are a few additions. The infotainment system’s size has been increased to 8.8 inches, which should make it much easier to use. There’s also a new leather steering wheel and gear lever. From there, the upgrades are rather Italian. You can, for example, tick the option for the carbon Sparco seats if the standard leather and Alcantara seats aren’t good enough. There is also the option of red, green or black seatbelts. An Akrapovič exhaust…

WITH nothing even remotely similar attempted before, what the Sherp team did over the six months it took to complete their mission is unimaginably extreme. To start with, the Sherp is quite possibly the world’s ultimate 4×4. That’s a big statement but after watching it bob around in a lake a few metres off shore and extricate itself with ease from a bog I would have drowned in, it’s one I am confident to make. To fully prove its highly lauded credentials and capabilities though, the team behind it wanted to undertake the ultimate expedition. The plan they came up with – crossing the entire length of Russia near the line of the Arctic Circle – was just so extreme that no one had even conceived it before, mostly because…

HISTORICALLY speaking, Kia’s representation in the compact SUV segment has been left wanting. Th e Soul did an admirable job but the boot was on the small side and the asking price was too high. Consumers didn’t seem to mind, however. Back in 2016, we hosted a compact crossover battle with a twist. Instead of driving and scoring the cars ourselves, we asked a bunch of average South African families to do it for us. Th e Soul was the champion of that particular consumer-based test yet the sales never reflected how good it was. Th e all-new Soul isn’t coming to South Africa. Instead, Kia unveiled the all-new Seltos. Quietly launched mid- November last year, the Seltos quickly established itself as a major player in the segment. Kia sold…

IN recent years, the S-Class has lost some of its ‘latest in-car technology’ magic. Now that so many tech companies are studying the motoring game, all of the nextgeneration in-car technology is showcased at tech expos, like the Consumer Electronics Show (CES). Th is used to be a show for developers, gamers and gadget geeks but it has become a platform for established and emerging companies to showcase their future concepts. BIOMETRIC DATA Many years ago, Mercedes introduced a system that could detect driver drowsiness. Th e system relied on a camera, driver input and a sophisticated algorithm to detect whether the driver needed to take a break. If said driver was found slacking, the Mercedes would display a coffee cup in the instrument cluster. Now Mercedes is taking it…

“Necessity is the mother of invention,” said Plato. “Hmmm,” said his class of philosophy students, not quite sure what he was on about, which, to be fair, is a pretty standard reaction in that particular field of study. But looking back over the 2 350 years of advancement since Plato’s death, we can see humanity is at its most imaginative and resourceful during a time of crisis. The same rings true these days as the planet faces a common enemy, known as Covid-19. By the time you read this, most manufacturing plants will hopefully be back to building cars but for a short moment in time, there was an eruption of glorious ingenuity. Manufacturers donated cars to various charities that helped those hit hardest by the virus. These companies include…

TO combat this, the man who penned the Mini, Alec Issigonis, was put in charge of project ADO 19: the Ant. It looked the part with four-wheel drive, 12-inch wheels, increased ground clearance and, by borrowing from the BMC parts bin, promised a good bottom line. Six experimental prototypes and 24 fully functioning prototypes were manufactured and sent to various corners of the globe. Hard testing resulted in most being scrapped but six have survived: in Australia, New Zealand, the UK and here in SA; both the local ones survive and work today. Like many British products then, the Ant employed revolutionary design, but industry politics and buyouts meant this was not capitalised on and the Ant died. Basically Leyland came on board and, not wanting conflicting products in the…