Driving Impressions

RICHARD'S BAY, KwaZulu-Natal – It’s hard to believe, but the Toyota RAV4 has just celebrated its 25th birthday. That’s quite a feat in an automotive market that’s notoriously fickle, so will the new version be able to carry the weighty baton of such a strong legacy in the compact ...

CAPE TOWN, Western Cape – Four cylinders or six? I’d wager the overwhelming majority of you would opt for the latter, before wondering why such a question would even be posed in the first place. Well, rest assured, I’d tend to agree. Six beats four, pretty much any day of the week. ...

CAPE TOWN, Western Cape – Compared with the levels of incredulity that followed Porsche’s initial decision to dip its toes into the luxury SUV market, the Cayenne’s premium midsize Macan sibling in 2014 enjoyed a decidedly warmer reception. This came along with a greater understanding ...

TALLAHASSEE, Florida – We get behind the wheel of what’s now the crowning model in BMW’s X line-up. But will the BMW X7 prove as versatile as it is vast? X marks a large spot BMW’s latest addition to its extensive X range seeks to stake a claim in a premium SUV market, ...

JOHANNESBURG – The second-generation Ertiga is introduced into a "different world" than its predecessor, Suzuki says. Fair enough, considering the automotive landscape has changed somewhat since the first iteration of the seven-seater was launched back in 2010.  Locally, for example, the ...

JOHANNESBURG, Gauteng – It’s no secret we rate the Renault Duster highly. In fact, at our recent Top 12 Best Buys competition, we awarded the new Duster first place in the small SUV/Crossover segment. Now Renault South Africa has finally again added a 4x4 version to its local range. We head ...

MALLORCA – Isn't it curious Volkswagen’s taken this long to enter the small SUV/crossover segment? Ford’s been playing this game for years with the EcoSport; Renault does a roaring global trade in Capturs; and every second suburban street corner sports a Mazda CX-3. The European market ...

CAPE TOWN – Its safe to say the G20-generation BMW 3 Series is one of the most highly anticipated new cars to arrive in South Africa so far in 2019. Still, the venerable 3 Series is these days facing a threat from within its own Bavarian stable, as the buying public continues its migration away ...

CAPE TOWN – Contrary to popular belief, volumes in the C-segment hatchback market are skewed towards mid- and high-spec models instead of entry-level, cheaper derivatives. So says Toyota, at least, which explains its decision to rationalise its local hatch line-up by introducing just three models ...