Innholdsfortegnelse for April 2016 i Leisure Wheels

SOMETIMES I have gone out of my way to take a ferry across a river. It is, for example, possible to cross the mighty Zambezi at Katima Mulilo with an impressive bridge. I prefer to go to Kasane and make use of the very busy ferry crossing, even though it takes hours. It is just so much more exciting. On last year’s expedition in Madagascar, we had our fair share of ferry crossings to the extent that it came close to satisfying my craving. It started in the first week, on the road from Tamatave to Mananara Nord on the east coast. No less than seven ferry crossings awaited. Madagascar’s ferry crossings are supposed to be simple. All of them are done with big grey vessels, sponsored by the Chinese…

Lexus has launched its all-new luxury SUV, the RX, to the South African market. It’s available as two derivatives – the RX 350 EX and RX 450h SE. All-wheel drive is standard on both vehicles and, from a mechanical point of view, there have been some slight upgrades from the previous generation. The 3.5-litre V6 in the standard 350 delivers 221kW and 370Nm (17kW and 24Nm more than the previous generation) and it makes use of an eightspeed automatic transmission. The RX 450h hybrid has a combined power output of 230kW and powers the wheels via a CVT transmission. The difference in feel between the two RX vehicles was almost imperceptible in the few hours we had with each one. Transitioning from the hybrid to the RX 350 SE, we…

MASERATI has released the first official exterior images of its first-ever SUV, called the Levante. It shares quite a few of its main design elements with other vehicles in the Maserati line-up and is a rather handsome vehicle. Naturally, it’s being labelled as a sporty SUV and Maserati states that it will have unrivalled handling on low-grip surfaces, as well as excellent off-road performance. The technology behind these claims is the Q4 intelligent allwheel-drive system and eight-speed automatic. Both petrol and turbo-charged diesel powertrains will be available, but no official performance figures are available yet. The Levante will be introduced locally, but no arrival date has been set.…

For decades, drivers have been accustomed to accessing and driving cars with physical keys, but no longer. In a groundbreaking move for the automotive industry, Volvo customers will be offered an application on their mobile phones to replace the physical key with a digital key. The new Volvo app enables the digital key on the customer’s mobile phone to do everything a physical key currently does, such as locking or unlocking the doors or the boot, and allowing the engine to be started. “At Volvo we are not interested in technology for the sake of technology. New technology has to make our customers’ lives easier and save them time. Mobility needs are evolving and so are our customers’ expectations to access cars in an uncomplicated way,” says Henrik Green, vice…

THE Magoebaskloof Mountain Pass, on the R71 between Polokwane and Tzaneen, snakes through the mystic, picturesque Modjadjiskloof. It’s turn aft er turn, framed by some of the Lowveld’s finest greenery, plantations and jungle. Th e road surface was recently recoated, we had heard. It is said to be smooth, beautiful, challenging. Pity then that we are in a Hyundai Tucson. It’s a new one, but it’s still a Tucson. We’re on the straight and wide N1 highway, on the way to Polokwane. Th e suave new Hyundai has so far proved to be quite a comfortable long-distance tourer. Th e Tucson had only 55km under its belt when we took off from Johannesburg, and fresh off a ship from Europe, where the latest Tucson is manufactured. We were driving at…

ASK songstress Taylor Swift, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, local rapper Jack Parow or political incumbent Julius Malema what ‘the X factor’ is, and they would all come up with their own answer. Taylor might reckon it’s a singer’s voice, Donald could consider one’s hair as X factor, Jack would probably refer to a few swear words, while comrade Julius… well, he would probably mention that a sparkling personality such as his own is, in fact, the X factor. In the adventure motoring scene there is also X factor – Jeep Wranglers, Toyota Land Cruisers and Landy Rover Defenders come standard with it. And nowadays there are a raft of sport utility vehicles (SUVs) that also claim some ‘X’. In this context, ‘X’ is like a go-anywhere persona, even if…

“The Latino way is to shout insults and wave arms in angry gestures” I TRAVEL a lot, and I’ve seen plenty of 4×4 events – including some weird ones – all over the world. In between the action of the Baja 1000, the Dakar and the King of the Hammers, I stopped in Ecuador and rented a house on the side of a mountain with a glacier-topped volcano in the distance… The quiet domestic life suited me. Well, it did for a few weeks. But I couldn’t turn down an invitation to go to a friend’s farm to experience a tough 4×4 event called the Copa de los Amigos, or the Cup of Friends. Not if there was a seat for me in one of the 4×4 competition vehicles, and…

It took its sweet time to get here, but the new Hilux has finally arrived in South Africa. Toyota has stuck closely to its successful recipe while making the necessary changes to keep the eighth-generation model as competitive as possible in a segment that has never before been as cut-throat as it is now. The styling is conservative, but likeable. The Corolla-like front will probably grow on customers, while the rear end is carried over almost as it was. The engine line-up now consists of two turbocharged diesel engines and two familiar petrol powertrains. The 2.7-litre four-cylinder (122kW/245Nm) and 4.0-litre V6 (175kW/376Nm) are carried over, albeit tuned a bit to improve fuel consumption. The famous 3.0-litre D-4D has been retired and replaced with an all-new 2.8-litre with 130kW and 420Nm/450Nm…

Peugeot has revealed the revised 2008 compact crossover, which will arrive in SA in September. Our biggest criticism against this otherwise grand package has always been the naturally aspirated 1.6-litre petrol engine. It does a fine job, but it’s slightly outdated compared to what you’re getting from its competitors these days. Peugeot has remedied this by getting rid of the naturally aspirated engine and replacing it with a 1.2-litre turbocharged three-cylinder petrol engine. It is available in two states of tune, with the more powerful of the two delivering 96kW and 230Nm of torque. Transmission options include five-speed manual, six-speed manual and six-speed automatic. An additional trimming line will be made available on the facelifted model, bringing it in line with other Peugeots introduced over the last three years. It’s…

“IF you’re not first, you’re last,” said Ricky Bobby in the film Talladega Nights. And that phrase kind of stuck after we first drove the JMC Landwind 2.0T. We knew it was a JMC, and we knew there lived a fourcylinder, two-litre engine under the bonnet. But other than that, it was just another compact, front-wheel-drive SUV that looked reasonably okay but probably drove like a bad political joke. And then we drove it out of the Leisure Wheels offices, and on to the main road. There was a gap, a smallish one… and we floored it, anticipating some hooting and probably some finger language from irate fellow motorists, no doubt annoyed at being held up by a little orange SUV with a peculiar name on the tailgate. Nothing happened…

THE journey of scaling down the world’s longest abseil starts with a single step, over the edge. After parking the GWM M4 near the abseil point, I started the mentally most gruelling hike I have ever undertaken. Seeing the waterfall for the first time, any confidence I had, briskly vanished. To be honest, I did not have that much to start with, especially considering I still had some difficulty getting to grips with what I considered being advanced stopping techniques, despite completing my training of abseiling down a 25m cliff-face three times in a row. At the top, preparing for what was the most difficult thing I ever had to do, I was buckled, fastened and wrapped in more gear than what would normally be considered comfortable. Abseiling instructor Benedict…

I think it’s a ridiculous idea coming right now (the potential lifting of the ban on ivory sales across Africa), when there’s a huge surge of killing going on. The current ivory trade is totally unsustainable, so why would we want to legalise it? Especially when bans have worked in the past. I think what we have to do now is make all of ivory totally illegal and not start talking about legalising it. I don’t know who is actually talking about it but I think it’s a crazy idea. – Iain Douglas-Hamilton, elephant conservationist. The threat to elephants is greater than it’s ever been. Particularly because the economies of Asian countries, especially China, have grown exponentially. Ivory is part of Chinese culture and history – it’s a commodity that…

Distance received/now: 28 135km/29 244km Distance completed: 1 109km Average fuel consumption: 11.91/100km Selling price new: R604 900 Hire purchase per month: R11 952 Service plan: Five-year/100 000km Why do we have it: It’s our serious off-roader for the year, and we don’t intend to keep it 100% standard. Driven by: Gerhard Horn/Danie Botha LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT? Getting a new long-termer is a lot like dating someone new. You slowly ease into the relationship with a series of short encounters in which you get to know the other party a little better. After that it gets more serious, at which point the other party receives a nickname of sorts. This is our new Pajero SWB and it doesn’t have a nickname… yet. We’re still very much in the first…

THE Mercedes-Benz G-Class G63 AMG 6×6 is a glorious thing. But it did cause us to ask ourselves that age-old question: why, oh why? Why had Mercedes built a vehicle with three axles, when ‘two’ has served humanity fairly well up to this point? Probably because they could. And because it’s exclusive in a mine-is-bigger-than-yours kind of exclusive way. Also, because it’s so, so cool. But it’s probably because they could. We found six very cool six-wheelers (although some are actually 6×4s) – and we’ve started the official ‘6×6 Owner’s Fund’ in the office as a result. 6 DODGE T-REX The T-Rex never made it further than the concept phase, but that’s not the most interesting thing about it. It made its debut in 1997, sporting the 8.0-litre V10 engine…

For many years, the Toyota Fortuner has dominated the South African SUV segment, holding rank as one of our country’s most popular selling vehicles. The secret to the Fortuner’s success lies in its well-balanced package of versatility and renowned reliability; but it’s also a damn good off-roader, and a vehicle we’re constantly working with and developing new products for. That’s why we’ve dubbed it Mr Popular. As its owners will testify, the Fortuner has very few weaknesses; however, much like any stock-standard 4x4, it can do with a few extra inches of ground clearance. The obvious solution to this problem is to fit an aftermarket suspension system. We install a wide range of suspension kits (and brands), but in the case of our own Fortuner, we opted for the Ironman…

Ford took the wraps off its heavily facelifted Kuga in Barcelona recently. The styling changes include a larger grille, revised headlamps and tail lights, and a selection of new 17- to 19-inch alloy wheels. It will come standard with Ford’s updated Sync 3 system, but the big news is the addition of a 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbocharged diesel engine in frontwheel drive format. The facelifted Kuga will go on sale in Europe in September, but no release date for SA has been set.…

A WINCH can be a wonderful asset in a tough off -road environment. But it can also be a 4×4’s Achilles heel if you don’t have the right tool for the job. Here’s an example: you’re in the bundu on an overland tour in your kitted out, heavy Nissan Patrol. You encounter some tough 4×4 conditions, but thankfully you have that winch you bought from Frikkie on the corner for that special, neverto-be-repeated Christmas price. You inevitably get stuck, mostly thanks to some extra bravado because of that winch that presides on the bullbar. So out comes the remote and a suitable tree is located to eff ect an eff ortless recovery. With everything in place, you hit that button… but instead of a Patrol being recovered, all you hear…

1 ORDER OF THE DAY Pack your fridge with the things you’ll need first closest to the front, and (if possible) open the freezer only once a day. Th is will reduce the door’s opening time, and the fridge’s overall power consumption. 2 TRANSFER Defrost your meat by placing it in the fridge compartment the night before; doing so will help to keep the fridge cool, and thus save on battery power. 3 BASKET CASE Fitting baskets to your fridge/freezer will ensure better air circulation and consistent cooling; it will also prevent possible freezer burn caused by food making contact with the fridge’s walls. 4 LATCH ON Always keep your fridge/freezer’s locking latches closed to prevent heat penetration and a poor seal performance. 5 AIRTIGHT Storing food in airtight containers…

AS an amateur adventurer, you’ll likely know the golden rules of off -roading, one of which is: know the limitations of your car. You wouldn’t, for example, use a Duster to negotiate Divorce Pass in Namibia. It may off er an off -road experience but it’s worth keeping in mind that it is, and will always be, a soft -roader. A proper 4×4, as they’re called in Leisure Wheels lingo, has fourwheel drive, or part-time four-wheel drive, and not all-wheel drive. We used to think that the diff erences between these three set-ups were common knowledge but a few recent phone calls and emails proved to us that this was not the case. As such, we off er this missive, which hopes to explain the diff erence between AWD and…

THIS is a real Jeep. But it is also an original Ford. To put that opening line into perspective, a short trip down history lane: the United States Army, when it became clear the country would enter World War II, needed a light motor vehicle, and it needed it double time. In 1940, the army drew up a new set of requirements and sent this list to 135 manufacturers. It sounds like a standard tender procedure, but the timeframe was virtually impossible. The army expected a response in 11 days, aft er which manufacturers had 49 days to build a working prototype. Another 75 days aft er that, the army would need to have 70 vehicles for testing. Only three companies entered a bid: American Bantam Car Company, Willys Overland…