CAR Reviews

JOHANNESBURG – For a manufacturer with such an ingrained sense of adventure, it’s been mission accomplished in terms of the success of the boutique Range Rover Evoque. The fastest-selling model in Land Rover’s history, I clearly remember the buzz and sense of anticipation that surrounded ...

Updates to Kia’s people-mover include improved spec and overall efficiency. Is that enough to draw away buyers from a potential SUV purchase? Introduced as the Carnival in 1999 before adopting the more familiar Sedona nameplate (latterly with a “Grand” suffix) through two further generations, ...

UPINGTON, Northern Cape – Does the average South African bakkie-buyer really need the ability to blast along off-road terrain at breakneck speeds? Or string together drift after dirt-flinging drift? Or, indeed, jump the vehicle off a gravel-road crest at 120+ km/h without fear of the underpinnings ...

Does a larger engine and self-shifter make the halo Kona an automatic choice? After our first taste of the Kona, it’s fair to say the CAR team was quite enamoured with Hyundai’s quirky little crossover, levelling particular praise at its bold styling and engaging road manners. The turbocharged ...

KYALAMI, Gauteng – You always have to question the logic behind hosting the launch of a new performance car at a racetrack. Sure, it looks like a perfect match but in the case of plying Mercedes-AMG’s new CLS53 on the Kyalami circuit, there’s the definite feeling that only half the ...

FRANSCHHOEK – “You drive,” I tell my co-pilot, pulling over next to the road. He's a little surprised, as this is not where the scheduled driver change should take place. But I need a short break. It might seem I didn't want to spend as much time as possible savouring every moment behind ...

SARDINIA, Italy – There's a straight section of asphalt ahead. Roof down, second gear and throttle pinned. The rev needle rises urgently, building to an almighty crescendo at 9 000 r/min. I depress the heavy clutch and slot the next ratio home to repeat the performance. The island scenery ...

Not one, two or three… No, the new X5 M50d makes use of four turbochargers, and the results are astonishing... You can’t really miss those kidney grilles, can you? They dominate the new X5’s face, as they do the X7 and facelifted 7 Series. On the X5 M50d, however, they exist for ...

Jaguar’s top cat is a charming motoring throwback with plenty of punch... Some stratospherically priced things simply evade explanation. Think of the gold-plated sanitary ware in OPEC tycoons’ bathrooms, or the equivalent of the GDP of a small country paid by football clubs for the services ...