New & Used Car News & Tips

Compact family cars are head-over-heart propositions, where swanky styling and scintillating driving dynamics often take a back seat to safety and practicality. Let’s just be kind and say that these workhorses are seldom bought for their emotional appeal. With that said, there are compelling options out there, the leaders being Volkswagen’s Jetta, with its massive cabin and near-premium build quality, and the Ford Focus with its engaging driving dynamics and cosseting ride quality.

Out with the ageing Alto and in with the brand-new Celerio. Suzuki's small-car offensive continues unabated with the launch of their latest city slicker, bringing striking styling and decent safety kit to the bottom end of the new car market. Suzuki calls the latest addition to their range an “extra large small car”, but this doesn't mean that it casts a large shadow.

South Africans love travelling to neighbouring countries in their off-road vehicles. These are often fully loaded, in more than one way: The owner has bolted on every accessory he’s heard of — from a powerful winch to jerry cans on the roof racks — and he’s packed enough food and drink to feed the US army for a month. Yes, our vehicles tend to be heavily packed and sometimes grossly overloaded.

This is the story of Merc’s magic carpet ride and is to be read with Steppenwolf’s Magic Carpet Ride as background music.

Once upon a time (in 1992) when director and scriptwriter Quentin Tarantino’s independently made debut film Reservoir Dogs was released, Mercedes-Benz made available its first generation ADS I Adaptive Damping System in the W140 SEC Coupé model.

Take smart technology, mix it with a sophisticated chassis and add one of the best production engines currently available. Wrap it in a sleek body and fuse it all together to create a vehicle good enough to take on the best.

This is what Ford did to create its latest Mondeo, the fourth generation of this mid-sized sedan which was available in South Africa from 1993 for nearly a decade before it was discontinued. Now it’s back, under a new, quite apt name: Fusion.

The latest and smallest S model from Ingolstadt is a sizzling little number. But is it a worthy successor to the first S1? We find out.

Audi’s latest little sizzler had a prolonged gestation period. Why? Well, for one its S1 nomenclature (its name, basically) raised concerns.

You see, back in the 80s the revered Sport Quattro S1 established Audi’s four-wheel drive and rally credentials. So the immediate question was: Would a baby based on the A1 do justice to the legacy of this rally icon?

Hyundai’s top-selling ix35 range has recently received another boost with the introduction of a smaller, more efficient and more advanced turbodiesel mill. We drove it.

Following the worldwide trend in engine downsizing Hyundai has recently strengthened its local model range with a small, yet more advanced, oil-burner under the hood.

Compared to the marque’s tried and trusted 2-litre CRDi (130kW @ 4 000rpm and 392Nm @ 1 800 – 2 500rpm) this latest Euro 5 compliant 1.7-litre power plant delivers 85kW at 4 000rpm and a solid 260Nm between 1 250 and 2 750rpm

In the four years since its initial début, Kia’s third-generation Sportage has turned the mid-sized sports utility vehicle class into something of a fashion show. It isn’t merely good to look at either, for its aggressive styling gets backed up by decent build quality and an above-average driving experience. Now, after receiving the world’s most discreet facelift, it’s ready to face increasingly appealing competition.

So you’d like a boutique hatchback, but find the Fiat 500 a little too small, and the Mini and Citroën DS3 too pricey? Apparently, this sub-segment does exist, because Opel just launched exactly that car, in the form of the stylish new Adam. Designed to appeal to the fashion-conscious city dweller, it offers all the style and luxury demanded by style driven buyers. It also fits neatly, both size- and price-wise, into the gap between the (smaller) Fiat and the (larger) Mini and DS3.

Apart from the inevitable sunburn on my large forehead (read: massive bald spot), I really enjoy cruising in a stylish drop-top. And even though I’ll never again feel the wind blow through my hair, the pleasure of seeing clear skies and scenery while driving amply compensates for the need to wear a baseball cap whenever I drop the roof.

The eastern Free State is home to spectacular scenery, with the Golden Gate National Park treating its visitors to panoramic views of the Maluti mountain range as the road turns away from the Highveld plains. Getting there is a bit of a palaver, however: it’s not only quite a distance from Gauteng, but the driving conditions are far from ideal. Years of neglect have taken their toll on the surfaces of secondary roads, creating potholes big enough to swallow a Picanto, and corrugations severe enough to loosen a devout nun’s morals.

It’s been to both the North- and the South Poles, it’s built on three continents and sold on six, and has been featuring near (or at) the top of the local sales charts since time immemorial. It’s also a firm favourite among off-road enthusiasts and the foundation of many a championship-winning rally car. If ever a vehicle could legitimately be called a legend, it’s the Toyota Hilux.