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CAR REVIEW
dream wheels 021 test drives the new Opel Astra and asks racing driver Deon Joubert about his favourite stretch of tar. Deon Joubert’s Dream Road, Dream Car One of only a handful of truly professional South African drivers, Deon Joubert is one of those people with blood in his petrol-stream. An excellent and exciting racer, he has successfully competed in highly modified Trans-Am sports sedans, stock cars in the USA, and Super Touring Cars in South Africa and Italy. As a sought-after stunt driver, you will definitely have seen Deon driving on the screen, as he appears in anything from Hollywood films to the latest adverts. Deon’s an absolute gentleman and happy to talk for hours about anything carrelated. His favourite road is what he calls The Glen, which you will find on the maps as Kloof Road. Red Bull used to stage a downhill run here, and it’s easy to see why. Sharp and winding twists, hairpins and fast straights, the road challenges drivers to get the best out of their machines. His dream car for the drive would be a Lamborghini Superleggera, a lightweight, slightly insane version of the Gallardo, which is already not far short of madness. He says that would be a “proper blast”. I think that’s an understatement. Get there: follow the signs to the Table Mountain Cable Way. At the traffic circle on top of Kloof Nek, instead of turning left to the cable station, turn right onto Kloof Road. That’s it! The road will connect you to the very top of Clifton.
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Ciro De Siena is the founder of OverdriveTV.co.za, a motoring website based in Cape Town. He only watches sports that involve petrol.
pictures opel south africa
The New Opel Astra The Opel Astra has always had a bit of an identity crisis. In my schooldays, when they were still called Kadetts, the little hatchback had a school-mom appeal, and was a reliable runaround. Then the Superboss changed that forever. It was a hellishly fast special edition, usually painted bright orange and usually featuring a tattooed, rude, young, spiky-haired driver who was most likely a failed nightclub bouncer. Since then, every Astra seems to be chasing that heyday. A standard model looked so boring as to almost be invisible, and the sporty ones were the desire and preserve of the characters mentioned above. Opel knew the Astra had to grow up, lose the tongue ring and stop wearing vests to work. And now we have their answer, and my goodness, it’s a fantastic one at that. The new Astra is so grown up it might as well come with a granite kitchen counter, a Labrador and a subscription to the Financial Times. The interior is swish and tactile; nothing feels cheap in here. The stereo is superb and the seats might be the most comfortable I have ever encountered in a car in this price range. The Astra is also enormous compared to its forbears; I could barely squeeze it into my garage. This means that boot space and rear leg room is generous. On top of all this, it has retained its sense of fun. It’s like going to a very formal wedding and finding out your 40-year-old uncle can still dance. On the road the Astra feels incredibly smooth, but when you’re in a hurry it feels light and responsive. The engine can feel a little asthmatic at low revs; it’s best to keep it in the turbo’s range to avoid a shortage of oomph, especially on inclines. The Astra comes out fighting in a crowded segment, facing up against tough adversaries in the form of the VW Golf 6, the Ford Focus, Renault Mégane, Alfa Romeo Giulietta, and Audi A3, to name a few. Which one is best will no doubt come down to your personal taste, but I’m happy to report that the new Astra is probably the best Astra, ever.
2011
2/21/11 4:32:37 PM