Driving Impressions

GEORGE, Western Cape – It’s taken quite some time but Volkswagen has finally plugged that gaping crossover-shaped hole towards the base of its passenger vehicle line-up. Yes, the T-Cross has officially made landfall in South Africa, spoiling for a fight with the likes of Ford’s EcoSport, ...

JOHANNESBURG, Gauteng – For several years, Suzuki Auto South Africa has offered the Vitara exclusively with a naturally aspirated 1,6-litre petrol engine. Although offering reliable performance, up at the reef you really needed to rev the engine to achieve any meaningful performance. But this has ...

LORRACH, Germany – The reveal of the Audi Q3 Sportback in July 2019 wasn’t entirely unexpected since many automakers are diversifying their crossover and SUV ranges by adding coupé-styled offerings. So, why didn’t the Ingolstadt-based firm stick with the current naming convention ...

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa – Evolutionary design language is what Audi has become known (and sometimes criticised) for, a spokesperson of the Ingolstadt-based brand’s South African arm said during the local launch of the “revolutionised” A1 Sportback.  However, with the ...

PRETORIA, Gauteng – CAR published its first road test of the R35-generation Nissan GT-R (introduced globally in 2007) in October 2009, the same year Volkswagen launched its Mk6 Golf GTI and Jacob Zuma became president of the Republic. Much hyped ahead of its arrival in South Africa, the R35 received ...

GEORGE, Western Cape – It's no longer an ugly duckling, is it? Beauty is, of course, in the eye of the beholder but the previous-generation Audi Q3 (although popular) was hardly the most visually appealing vehicle in the Ingolstadt-based firm's range. The tortoise-shell shape looked awkward from ...

JOHANNESBURG – Those of us in our 30s (and older) will no doubt remember the first instalment of Jurassic Park. If your interests extend into the automotive world, you'll probably also recall the Mercedes-Benz ML vehicles used in the film. Back then, of course, the “SUV” acronym wasn't ...

STELLENBOSCH, Western Cape – Considering it’s 2019 and alternative propulsion tech is all the rage, it’s surprising how few rivals the Volvo XC90 T8 has at its price point. In fact, there’s only one: Lexus’ RX450h. Range Rover’s Sport P400e is nearly R400 000 ...

FRANSCHHOEK, Cape Town – Following the script of an edge-of-the-seat thriller, I’m the first to arrive at the desolate gravel parking area on the unpopulated side of the Western Cape’s Franschhoek Pass. The peaks of the surrounding mountains are indiscernible against the pitch-black ...