Table of contents for January 2024 in CAR

Tuesday, 31 October 439 km: George to Gqeberha In a stark contrast to the traffic-clogged slog out of Cape Town on Day 1, the run up to the famous Outeniqua Pass was refreshingly free of dawdling commuters, and our convoy got stuck into one of the finest stretches of road the Western Cape has to offer. Those of you unfamiliar with this road may well have done some pre-emptive Googling to see what this sinuous gateway to the Little Karoo is all about and you might have marvelled at some of the figures thrown your way. This 13,3 km road incorporates an altitude variance of almost 600 m, with gradients as steep as 1:10 and no fewer than 40 bends. But these figures simply cannot convey just how ideal its…

Monday, 03 November 759 km: Gqeberha to Cape Town We had covered close to 1 000 km on our journey from Cape Town to Gqeberha, not to mention the days spent testing and organising photography at the track, so the CAR team decided nothing fancy was required for the homeward leg: just point the cars at the N2 and go. After games of rock-paper-scissors to determine first dibs on the comfiest cars, we headed for home. This fairly unencumbered time behind the wheel would afford us the opportunity to reflect on some of the things we discovered during our time on Performance Shootout. Believe it or not, a winner still hadn’t been decided at this juncture. This was testimony to the competitive traits each car brought to the table. Some…

As detailed on page 154 of this issue, Honda’s journey to this point in its performance portfolio began when its founder gave the green light for construction of the Suzuka International Race Circuit outside of Nagoya, Japan, just months before the company’s first motor vehicle left the production line. Crimson red in remembrance of this brand’s Formula One heritage, the Type R badge has, over the years, earned its place among high-performance royalty, notwithstanding the lingering disconnect between these products (and their motorcycles) and the shape, size and purpose of volume-selling Hondas usually associated with the school run. Refined by toned-down, less boy-racer exterior styling when parked alongside its predecessors, the new Civic Type R impressed from the outset with almost Porsche 911-like levels of usability, no matter the skill…

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AUDI RS 6 PERFORMANCE Price: R2 332 700 Engine: 4,0-litre, turbopetrol, V8 Power: 463 kW/6 000 r/min Torque: 850 N.m/2 300 r/min Transmission: 8-speed AT, AWD MERCEDES-BENZ A 45 S 4MATIC+ Price: R1 397 793 Engine: 2,0-litre, turbopetrol, 4-cylinder Power: 310 kW/6 750 r/min Torque: 500 N.m/5 000 r/min Transmission: 8-speed AT, AWD RENAULT MÉGANE R.S. 300 TROPHY EDC Price: R949 999 Engine: 2,0-litre, turbopetrol, 4-cylinder Power: 221 kW/6 000 r/min Torque: 420 N.m/2 400 r/min Transmission: 6-speed DCT, FWD BMW M2 Price: R1 503 975 Engine: 3,0-litre, turbopetrol, 6-cylinder Power: 338 kW/6 250 r/min Torque: 550 N.m/2 650 r/min Transmission: 8-speed AT, RWD MERCEDES-AMG GT 63 S 4MATIC+ E PERFORMANCE Price: R4 036 144 Engine: 4,0-litre, turbopetrol, V8 + electric motor Power: 620 kW Torque: 1 400 N.m Transmission:…

AUDI RS 6 PERFORMANCE from R2 332 700 Audi seems determined to bid its high-performance internal combustion engines a fitting farewell. The brand’s stalwart 4,0-litre bi-turbocharged V8 petrol unit installed in the potent RS6 Avant is one of these. The new Performance derivative of this vehicle introduces bespoke styling, a matte-grey exterior finish on the mirrors, spoilers and roof rails, as well as the performance increase its name suggests. Our favourite feature is the considered deletion of up to eight kilograms of sound insulation from the rear of the car in order to enhance the volume of exhaust note that enters the cabin. Larger turbochargers take care of an increase in boost pressure from 2,4 to 2,6 bar, enabling the RS 6 Performance (and the RS 7 Sportback Performance) to…

What began in the late 1970s as a fairly straightforward idea to upgrade popular hatchbacks to deliver increased performance and sharper handling over their more sedate siblings – while maintaining the levels of practicality, comfort and, importantly, the value of the donor product – has evolved into an entirely more complex concept. Based on the challenges associated with directing as much power as possible to driven wheels, and keeping the supposed purity of the hot-hatch concept in the back of the mind, in today’s market, the playing field and the ever-evolving rules of engagement are vast. This is also a segment that is arguably well suited to an all-electric future as a means to wipe the slate clean once more. For the time being, the selection of hatches assembled at…

Our annual Performance Shootout has a long history of support vehicles that have threatened to upstage the actual Shootout contestants in terms of breadth of ability and efficiency, not to mention comfort when there is a full 500 km of national speed limit still remaining to drive to get home on the final day. For this year’s event, the obvious vehicle of choice was our long-term Kia Carnival, a vehicle that had already stolen our hearts with its versatile interior (and eight seats in our EX+ specification), perfectly comfortable and well put-together cabin, and proven 2,2-litre turbodiesel powertrain. For the long trip to Gqeberha, we left the second row of seats in the rearwards-facing configuration (with the middle seat folded as a table) as preferred by the custodian of this…

Model: Toyota MR2 0–100 km/h: 8,29 seconds Top speed: 201 km/h Fuel consumption: 10,1 L/100 km (index) Price: R230 460 CAR test: August 2001 The first MR2 arrived on local shores in 1986, the second in ’91 and the third in 2001, to coincide with Toyota South Africa’s 40th birthday. A solid complement of 500 third-gen MR2s were allocated to SA. PACKAGING As with its predecessors, the MR2 was built with no compromises: no front engine, nor front- or rear-wheel drive. Rather, it had to have the classic mid-engined layout driving the rear wheels to attain motoring’s holy grail of a perfect front/rear weight balance. The decision was also made to go for an open-top configuration with a fabric soft top. A removable hard top was optional and, with no…

Notes • The PRICES shown are the latest available at the time of going to press. Our deadline occurred on 17 November 2023. Readers should check with a dealer before making a decision. • The HP payment calculations are based on a 10% deposit, current prime interest rate @11.75% and a 5-year (60-month) repayment period, with no residual value at the end. • Under ENGINE we list the number of cylinders and the cubic capacity in cm3. Here, V = V-shaped engine layout; H = horizontally-opposed engine layout; The absence of an initial symbol implies an in-line engine layout. • FUEL SUPPLY abbreviations are P = petrol-engined; D = diesel-engined; T = turbocharged, a compressor driven by exhaust gases; S = supercharged, a compressor driven by the engine; P/H = petrol-hybrid…

LUMEO PRO SMART PUMP • R1 400 Lumeo’s Pro Smart Pump is an ultra-portable air pump designed for convenience – or emergencies – in any travel scenario. It is an essential companion for motorists and outdoor enthusiasts and weighs only 550 g. The pump is rated up to 10 bar and is suitable for vehicle tyres, bicycles, ATVs or any other inflatables. The kicker is it can operate without the need for a nearby power outlet. It is not much larger than a smartphone and is really simple to use. Just turn it on and attach the air hose. Once fitted with the appropriately sized inflation nozzle, the desired pressure is selected on the user-friendly interface, or adopted from a menu of preconfigured default settings. The pump will do the…

Monday, 30 October 459 km: Cape Town to George Although we at CAR always try to approach every road test and feature in a balanced and analytical manner, something always infiltrates our annual Performance Shootout to briefly suspend such an approach. In past years, the reasons have been myriad: the presence of a supercar such as a McLaren or Lamborghini, or ultra-luxurious models from the likes of Aston Martin and Bentley, or simply because, despite our determination to remain neutral, clear favourites emerge before so much as a door is unlocked or a wheel turned. But there was something different afoot this year. As the roller door to the CAR garage rumbled roofwards and fluorescent lights fluttered into life, the spread before the CAR team was one that both confused…

Profiled for our November 2023 issue just a week after clinching the national Toyota GR Cup and with one round to spare, 26-year-old Setshaba Mashigo’s talents behind the wheel were realised while seated in his bedroom at home many years back. The future-first gaming world – where sim racing uses advanced setups such as his rig to play Assetto Corsa – has become a multi-billion-dollar industry. Even Formula One drivers (Max Verstappen has one in his private jet) compete online in their spare time, and following in their footsteps, in 2023, Setshaba was handed an opportunity to transfer what he had learnt on-screen into the real world. Handed the keys to a race-prepped Toyota GR 86 and announced among a grid of drivers from various motor media set to compete…

Walking around the CAR garage ahead of Shootout as each of the nine participants was being prepared with stickers and branding, the stand-out observation was that picking a winner from this spectacular selection was never going to be an easy task. In the presence of hallowed performance-pledging badges from BMW M, Renault Sport, JCW, AMG, Type R, Audi Sport and, of course, the relatively new Gazoo crew, what lay ahead was guaranteed to be a daunting, yet hugely rewarding road trip. By the end of Day 1, it was clear that a fast Audi estate would once again be in contention for top spot. In the 2020 Shootout, the RS 4 Avant finished in second spot behind a Porsche 911 and an RS 6 Avant claimed the bronze in 2022.…

You certainly didn't buy this magazine for this column. I am sure you bought it for the sports cars on the cover, the performance icons and action heroes, not some middle-aged man babbling about electric vehicles. This issue of CAR is meant to be a homage, or at least an ode to machinery you would hang a poster of on your bedroom or garage wall. Or, in modern terms, make it the wallpaper on your smartphone’s home screen. Instead, I'm here to inform you of a lie. We were told that EVs would be the end of the road for us, the petrolheads. Toyota, it seems, did not get that memo. My first trip to Japan was just under a decade ago. I remember the first photograph I took in…

space safety& aids cost of 4 tyres road test long-term test Toyota GR Yaris 4 seats 6 airbags, ABS/EBD, stability control R 18 960 January 2019 (Shootout) 0–100 km/h: 4,71 seconds Top speed: 230 km/h Power: 198 kW Torque: 360 N.m Fuel consumption: 9,10 L/100 km Our first encounter with a GRMN Yaris was in 2019. Our test vehicle was hot off the presses and literally priceless (because the price still had to be determined). The power emanated from four cylinders and 1,8 litres, plus a meaty supercharger. This resulted in 156 kW and 250 N.m. All this was fed to the front wheels and, in so doing, limited acceleration times. Our next taste of Gazoo Racing’s (GR) finest hatch was in 2022, where it was ‘all systems change’. The…

Starting as a motorcycle manufacturer in 1948, Honda expanded its business operations to include automobiles in 1963. Prior to that, founder Soichiro Honda (1906–1991) had his people construct the Suzuka Circuit in 1962, believing that a car could not be improved upon unless it was being raced. The first foray into this four-wheel avenue was the T360 truck, followed by the S500 sportscar in October 1963. Predictably, motorsport became embedded in Honda’s vision for his company, which included the automaker’s first participation in Formula 1 from 1964–1968, with only two victories coming in 1965 and 1967. But the turning point came in 1992 when Honda pinned the ‘Type R’ badge on the first-generation NSX. The car, in Championship White with a red badge – a throw-back to Honda’s first F1…