Drive November 2009

Drive team Editor: Russell Bennett Deputy Editor: Steve Allison Editorial Contributors: Russell Bennett, Steve Allison, Kyle Stone, Bruce Bennett, Christo Valentyn, Phuti Mpyane, Bob Allison

Art Contributors: Heide-Marie Botes AVC

Management: Russell Bennett, Steve Allison

Advertising Sales: info@drivemagazine.co.za All data contained in this magazine is for information only and every effort is made to ensure its accuracy. However reviews, comment and instruction are the views of the authors and may contain inadvertent errors, for which Drive apologises but takes no responsibility for any actions of any person resulting from the use of information contained herein.

Any prospective contributor or correspondant submitting unsolicited material with a view to its publication automatically grant Drive license to publish such material in whole or in part in any edition of this magazine. Any material submitted is at the risk of the sender and Drive cannot be held liable or accountable for its loss or damage.

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utting this month’s magazine together was a real blast.

And with the revitalised Rex that’s more than just af owery simile. That car is frenetic, and with no Evo representing Mitsubishi in SA stands it alone at the pinnacle of the rally-rep pile. I rate the new Rex higher than the STI, but I’m probably alone in that statement. Nevertheless.

In the process of recording the various turnoffs and scenarios exactly , we made use of a Dictaphone in the car, and when it came to writing the article I discovered an unexpected bonus. The severe bassiness of the Scooby’s exhaust comes through powerfully in the recordings, at times DRIVE M AGAZINE NOVEM BER 2009

E ds W el c o m e

threatening to drown the speaker out entirely . The noise of a current, 195kW WRX saloon is quite inspirational for the creative process... we thought of sharing these little audio clips on the site, just the real gems, although unfortunately our (mine, mostly) droning voices do get in the way . What do you think? Drop me a line on editor@drivemagazine.co.za.

We hope you find this inaugural SWC Guide article interesting, entertaining, and possibly of some value in just about 250 days time. We’ll be hitting each stadium along with specially-focussed sideline features in every issue from now on, with a huge variety of vehicles and locations in the spotlight.And this one was just the beginning...

Get on with reading the full magazine though, we’ve got some seriously pulse-pounding stuff in this month. Oh and just to whet your mouths a bit more, next month Drive will really be revving-up the octane level a notch, watch www.drivemagazine.co.za through the month for the details.

Russell DR I VE M A G A Z IN E N O V E MB E R 2009

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6 News Some snippets from Tokyo, although surprisingly our roving man wasn’t actually there this time, along with a whole whack of supercar news.

18 Drive 2010 Feature The f rst in what we think will be a truly exciting feature series. Suggestions, directions, and tips for travellers to the greatest spectacle the world has ever seen, being hosted right here at home next year, if they hap pen to be petrolheads as well as purveyors of The Beautiful Game, so they can check out our Beautiful Land in-between f xtures. For this f rst one we blast a Subaru WRX and Honda Fireblade out from the new stadium Soccer City all the way to the scenic Hartebeespoort and back in a day’s round trip.

44 Drive Feature Building a Legacy: Two MY10 Subarus have just been launched, the Legacy and Outback models.

54 Drive Feature Gathering the legends. Drive salutes SA motorsport at its f nest, embodied in the irrepressible shape of Hannes Grobler, by getting him together with the country’s sportiest current Nissans at the Gerotek Dry Handling Circuit.

62 Drive Feature Rebel without a Pause. Christo Valentyn takes a Cooper JCW out to Clarens to join the celebration!

70 Drive Feature Ref nement ref ned. Nissan’s new Murano steps even more

clearly into the market niche it helped to create in the f rst place.

76 Drive Feature The Riders Association of Triumph 84 Drive columns Russell Bennett rambles on about passion some more, and small cars, not normally directly related...

88 Drive review All the low-down on the new Need For Speed SHIFT from Electronic Arts. Send us an email to entries@drivemagazine.co.za to win yourself a copy today.

96 Drive Tests VW Golf 6 1.4 TSI Highline 104 Drive Tests

VW Scirocco 2.0 TSI DSG

114 Drive Tests Suzuki GSX-R 750 122 Drive Tests Mercedes-Benz E350 CDI Coupe 132 Drive Tests Nissan 370Z Coupe Synchro Rev manual 152 Drive Tests Aprilia Dorsoduro 750 160 Drive Tunes Christo Valentyn reviews some of the latest albums, and thanks to the generous record labels give you another chance to win something for nada!

164 Drive Funnies Sharing some old-time driving tales with ATC extraordinaire Bob Allison.

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News

orsche will be launching the seventh generation 2010 911 Turbo on the 21st of November in Germany and sales should start globally following this, not sure when it’ll make it to South Africa though. To everyone’s surprise the new Turbo looks exactly the same as the previousTurbo, and the one before that too.....

don’t speak German. Porsche have also

There has however been a change in

All these technical specif cations are ac-

the all important engine compartment where the Turbo now has a 3.8 litre motor pushing 368kW at 6000 rpm, which

rather amusingly admitted in a roundabout way that the old method of shifting with the PDK is rubbish. turbo buyers can now get proper F1style paddle shifters as an option instead of the previous button system. The shift buttons are still there, but that’s probably been done just to save face.

tually irrelevant as we all know the real reason for a new Turbo, that is that Nissan gave Porsche a bloody nose with

hits the magical 500 horses mark on the

their GT-R around the Nurburgring. The

engine in the 35 year history of the Tur-

huge ten seconds shaved off their previ-

dot and peak torque is 650Nm. Now Por- new Turbo has thus posted a lap time sche claims this is the f rst entirely new round the Ring of 7m39s, which is a bo, but this is basically the engine from the Carrera S. So it’ s an all new engine they’ve been using for years, well done

ous lap time in the old Turbo. That’s still a way off the Nissan offering of 7m26.7s, but Porsche naturally rattled of f a list of

guys.

excuses. Amongst their valid reasons for

To be fair this motor does come with di-

track conditions, temperature dif ference

the beating they have received included

rect fuel injection and of course this being (this is a Turbo so it does matter), and difthe Turbo it also has Porsche’s exclusive ferent drivers to name a few. turbocharger with variable turbine geometry. What is also interesting to note is that this is the f rst time that this particular engine will be mated to Porsche’s seven-speed PDK Doppelkupplungs-

Let us also not forget that to get a sub 7m30s performance out of a GT-R does require voiding the warranty which isn’t the case for the PorscheTurbo, but that’s

getriebe as an option, which is their dou- a story for a different time. ble clutch gearbox for those of you that DR I VE M A G A Z IN E N O V E MB E R 2009

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arley-Davidson recently announced their third quarter f nancial results as well as the accompanying long term business strategy . In short the results aren’t very good and the resulting business strategy is to cut out Buell. MV Agusta is also up for sale as part of this new Harley-Davidson business strategy but Agusta has been on the market for some time now anyway.

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The Harley numbers are down on all fronts for the third quarter when compared to the third quarter results from 2008, retail sales were down 21.3% and net income is down a huge 84.1%. As a petrol head magazine we’re not really that interested in these figures but what we are interested in is the consequences of these clearly troubling financial results. The consequences are DRIVE M AGAZINE NOVEM BER 2009

News charts and Harley has thus decided to focus on Harley itself.

The details of the Buell action are that production of Buell’s will cease but current stock will continue to be sold until depleted. That stock includes not only the motorcycles themselves but also accessories and apparel. Motorcycle warranties will also continue as normal but it is still expected that the majority of Buell employees will be out of the job by December 18.

of course the loss of yet another brand and subsequently less competition.

The new Harley-Davidson strategy is

Whilst the same sort of treatment has been dished out to Agusta the news is slightly more positive when compared to Buell. Whilst no mention of selling Buell was made by Harley-Davidson the press statement made by Harley said that efforts to sell the Italian based Agusta would commence immediately .

The racing heritage and premium status of Agusta does after all make a more attractive option for any potential buyer than the obscure Buell unit.

ey. One has to assume then that Buell

All in all the hammer blow for these two companies stem from the fact that Harley-Davidson has less money to spend these days and they would rather spend said money on their core business as opposed to throwing cash at some Ital-

and Agusta aren’t lighting up the sales

ians and a bunch of weird bikes.

similar to the plans of many a struggling company, that is to focus on your core business and get rid of the rest, unless the ‘rest’ is making lots of mon-

DR I VE M A G A Z IN E N O V E MB E R 2009

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he ridiculously sleek special edition Lotus Exige Scura will, by the time you read this have been unveiled - on the 21st of October at the Tokyo International Motor show. The name is apparently derived from the Scura’ s matt black and carbon f bre styling theme as well the generally stealthy feel of this beast, which only makes sense when you learn that ‘scura‘ translates into ‘dark‘ in Italian.

The cars styling is certainly striking and dramatic but the most dramatic aspect

of the Scura for me is the planned production run of just 35 cars globally, making the Scura an exceedingly exclusive vehicle.

Of course all that means little if the car can’t back the racy looks with performance to match, and as this is a special edition of an already impressive performance machine, the Exige S, that shouldn’t be a problem. What Lotus have done to the Scura to improve performance is actually rather simple, they boosted power output to 257 hp at 8000rpm and 236nm of torque at 6000rpm making the Scura the most powerful engine in the Exige range. Once that was done they went about putting 10

DRIVE M AGAZINE NOVEM BER 2009

News what seems like every component on a

these settings will just mean that driv-

diet making the Scura 10kg lighter than

ers will make the car worse because

the Exige S at just 925kg, and the re-

they don’t know what they’re doing, but

sult is an impressive 0-100km/h sprint

there is no ham in trying I suppose.

time of 4,1 seconds. The top speed will be around 245km/h, which is certainly

Lotus’ V ehicle Engineering Director

quick but it is a little disappointing to me Roger Becker felt the need to jump on considering most German cars are so

the green bandwagon with his state-

fast they are limited to 250km/h, if Lo-

ment: “There are very few cars in the

tus’ competition can reach 250km/h so

world that turn in the performance of the

easily then they should make the effort.

Exige Scura without the penalty of very

I guess the Scura only has a small 1.8 litre supercharged engine from the Exige Cup 260 so an underwhelming top speed is forgivable.

This being a Lotus the performance aspect of the car is not limited to just being a quick straight line sprinter

,

it has to go round corners fast as well. Whilst it is a given that the

high fuel consumption and emissions.”

handling will be exceptional there is

Here at Drive we think anyone who lets

some nice equipment f tted as stand-

fuel economy and emissions factor into

ard to sweeten the deal such variable

their Lotus Scura purchasing decision

slip traction control which enables the

should be shot, immediately, right there

driver to tune the car surface conditions in the dealership of enquiry. and even their own driving style. There are also Ohlins 2-way adjustable damp- If you haven’t been shot in the dealerers f tted for the same purpose. Even

ship, orders for the Scura will be accept-

ride height can be lowered from 130mm ed from the 21st of October . And yes to 120mm by the driver . I fear that all DR I VE M A G A Z IN E N O V E MB E R 2009

you can order one from South Africa.

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here is a new version of the RSV4 on its way, the RSV4 R and production has already begun. This R variant is not to be confused with the RSV4 Factory as the R is the slightly tamer version which will allow a greater scope of riders to enjoy this bike.

After studying the two specification sheets of the Factory and the R side

by side for a while Drive can report that the dif

ference between the two

bikes is important but not huge. That is not a criticism as the R is sure to be cheaper, which is a welcome feature when considering the rather large cost of the Factory, without sacrificing that much performance.

The engine remains the same in the R, it still pumps out 132.4kW from its four cylinders. The first dif ference to be noted is the dif ferent suspension, both back and front. Whilst the Factory has an Ohlins package at both ends the R has swopped this out for a Showa fork at the front and a Sachs piggyback monoshock in the rear suspension.

Beyond that we also noted that the Factory has

Aprilia forged aluminium

rims whilst there is no specific designation yet as to who will produce the R’s aluminium alloys. That is something to keep an eye on because the Fac12

DRIVE M AGAZINE NOVEM BER 2009

News tory weighs in at a dry weight of 179kg

The RSV4 R is certainly a bike to watch

as opposed to the slightly heavier

as it will only sacrifice a little bit of that

R of 184kg. W

mad superbike performance whilst be-

e’re not sure exactly

where the extra five kilograms has

ing cheaper and easier to handle than

come from so it might be the rims.

a full blooded RSV4 Factory.

DR I VE M A G A Z IN E N O V E MB E R 2009

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DRIVE M AGAZINE NOVEM BER 2009

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he T okyo Motor Show, which is open to the public from the 23rd of October has been largely ignored by western manufacturers. The 2007 Tokyo show saw an impressive 26 non-Japanese exhibitions, this year however that number has plummeted to only three. The three exhibitors are Lotus, Caterham, and Germany’s Alpina Burkard Bovensiepen.

The reason for the startling disinterest in the Tokyo event is actually quite simple, the Japanese auto market is in disarray, Japanese car sales are heading rapidly for a three decade low. The result for the motor show at least is that for the first time in 45 years there are no major car manufacturers from outside of Japan represented at the show , this at a show that has in the past been considered one of the world’s five biggest car shows.

Whilst many would have expected the Tokyo Motor Show

News industry as a whole, let alone what it has done to Japan, what is somewhat surprising is that just across the sea the Shanghai Motor Show was booming in April.

Many major manufacturers attended the Shanghai event but chose to snub the Tokyo show, a damning inditement for the Japanese auto industry indeed. Whereas the Japanese industry may be shrinking the Chinese market is growing to the point where is has become the worlds second largest car market. In this regard China surpassed Japan in 2006 to take the second spot and is even set to overtake the USA as the worlds largest car market soon. This new found prominence for China is evidenced by the fact that Porsche SE, Daimler AG and Volkswagen AG all sent high ranking executives to the Shanghai show but failed to send anyone to Tokyo.

to be a flop considering how the recession has ravaged the DR I VE M A G A Z IN E N O V E MB E R 2009

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t may have taken eight years to get to this point but those crazy guys from Vermot AG in Germany have f nally gotten their V eritas RSIII ready for the general public to buy, I say crazy because each car will be hand made at the Nurburgring. You just know that any car hand-made on site at the Nurburgring is going to be dangerous, but I do mean dangerous in a good way.

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The business end of the RSIII has the monstrous engine from BMW’ s M5, which is 5.0L V10 producing 373kW/507HP .

I just hope you don’t have to push a button to get all ten cylinders and their power working. Anyway, if you do get all the cylinders running the 373kW will come at 7750 rpm whilst the prodigious peak torque production is 520 Nm at 6100 rpm. All that in a car that tips the DRIVE M AGAZINE NOVEM BER 2009

News

scales at only 1080kg’ s when empty, I

supercar money for those supercar fig-

say it again, this car sounds danger-

ures, prices are said to start around

ous in a good way . The top speed of

300,000 pounds when it goes on sale

the RSIII is 347km/h and a 0-100km/h

in January. As far as styling goes the

sprint time of just 3.2 seconds which

RSIII will no doubt become one of those

puts this German car squarely in su-

love/hate cars, you’ll either appreciate

percar territory.

the obscure looks or thinks they’re just that-obscure.

Don’t for a second think however that you’re going to pay anything less than DR I VE M A G A Z IN E N O V E MB E R 2009

17

Russ

ell Be nnett,

Steve

Alliso

n, and Kyle S tone

D r ive Fe a t ure

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t’s a pretty straightforward premise really. Next year , 2010, the year of the biggest sporting event to have ever hit SA shores the FIF A W orld Cup, is going to see hundreds of thousands of international visitors pouring into our awesome country. And inevitably, a few of those are going to be like us, more 20W50 than actual blood running through their veins, and are going to have some quiet time between matches, where they’re likely to want to discover some killer drivers’ roads and locations and generally have a great time burning our comparatively cheap fuel into our developing climate. And we say Great!

SA has plenty to of fer you so come one come all!

But rather than just leaving you to the

encounter, but what’ s available at the rental-agency or your own local connection is likely to prove as memorable on these routes. W e’ll even be suggesting possible alternatives here in the course of these features.

Each route will be a round-trip af

fair,

starting and ending at the stadium, as we f gure these will be your most convenient and easily-reachable places of reference in our sprawling networks.

Choose your weapons Steve, as usual for a bloody nutty biker, has gone mad and brought along a fully Repsol-liveried Honda Fireblade CBR1000R. It’s pure superbike, power-

wolves, so to speak, we thought Drive Magazine could step in and help you with some ideas. And local readers, please feel free to explore our suggestions over the course of thas series yourselves, they’re going to be well worth the trip. So over the next 8 issues we’ll visit each of the 10 stadiums hosting 2010 matches in turn and head out driving and riding from there, to some of the nicest driving roads we’ve been able tof nd in the area.

Naturally we’re lucky enough to be able to source press cars and bikes we feel might be best (or in some cases, worst) suited to the conditions we’re likely to 20

DRIVE M AGAZINE NOVEM BER 2009

D r i v e F ea tur e to-weight ratio through the roof, 0-100

great effect – but on the lumpen asphalt

around 3 s, top speed circa 300... he’ s

I’m expecting to encounter , it was just

taking no prisoners.

punishing, it’s very stiffness not working at all.

Only trouble he has, is that I’ve chosen more strategically. Smart or not we’ll dis- So I’m in a WRX saloon again.The latest cover, all I know is that the last time I was one. The one that’ s consigned the softout this way I took one of the SA-spe-

hearted hatch to oblivion. It’ s got more

cial Prodrive versions of the last Subaru

power, 195 throbbing kW from it’ s 2.5-

“Steve, as usual for a bloody nutty biker, has gone mad and brought along a fully Repsol-liveried Honda Fireblade CBR1000.”

WRX saloon, and it was awful. I knew the litre f at-four thanks to the STI’ s turbo, car was pretty good – it’d belted around

but more importantly has suspension the

a smooth racetrack earlier in the day to

company claims is almost as compliant

DR I VE M A G A Z IN E N O V E MB E R 2009

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D r ive Fe a t ure as the family-friendly hatch, but as nimble

Where to start

as the previous-generation saloon which, Soccer City. The Stadium. There are two let’s face it, is something of a benchmark. venues in Joahnnesburg where matchSymmetrical AWD for total traction, a es are being played, Soccer City fairly discrete wing on the boot for high-

is the more impressive of the two.

Although surrounded by mine d u m p s and ind u s t r y, the stadium itself will be aglow during the tournament and extensively signposted so rather

speed stability, and an optional

hard to miss. Head out from Soccer City

“It was 15 degrees C when we set off this morning. Which believe us, is pretty unusually brisk for a summer morning in SA.” sports exhaust in place for the full bassy

towards the N1, again well-signposted,

effect to that distinctive warble.

and turn right onto the N1 North towards Pretoria.

This is going to be fun. One-wheel drive isn’t going to outclass this.

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It was 15 degrees C when we set of DRIVE M AGAZINE NOVEM BER 2009

f

D r i v e F ea tur e

unusually brisk for a summer morning in SA. Still, the Scooby is going to need all the dense air it can get feeding its large turbo if it’ll stave off the competitor Steve has brought along.

The highway is a tragedy of construction at the moment – they’re being extensively upgraded in preparathis morning.

Which believe us, is pretty DR I VE M A G A Z IN E N O V E MB E R 2009

tion for the traffic they’ll have to carry next year . Should be nice, smooth, wide, and manageable by that time though. Stick to the posted limits around 23

D r ive Fe a t ure here, bridges almost always conceal traf fic cops

course can’t match this type of raw pace. It’ s damn

or theiving bastards as we like to call them!

Turning onto the N1 that mad ‘Blade Steve is riding is wide open, he later reports 158km/h in first gear, before so much as joining the highway. The throbby Subaru takes off in pursuit but of

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DRIVE M AGAZINE NOVEM BER 2009

D r i v e F ea tur e quick in its own right though, but settles Jo’Burg here so continue to keep within easily into a trap-wary amble when we

the law – your chance will come soon

merge with the traffic. Even the engine

enough! You’ll pass by a number of

noise dies away on light throttle

large malls, shopping centres, even a

applications, although a quick flex

defunct old drive-in, as you go along.

of the right foot calls it up whenev-

Aren’t you glad you’re not heading into

er you want to scare dawdlers from

one of them?

your path.

14th Avenue

We do pause at this juncture to fill tanks and share some initial thoughts. Which

This is the turn-of f you’re looking for

is where Steve tells us about that mad

from the N1, around 12kms from where

1st-gear speed, and adds; “It’s just too

you joined it. You’ll take a left at the

evil to go to the

redline in first

road the turnoff leads into, then a right

gear. Unbeliev-

immediately at

able thrust. But on the highway it can feel a little uncomfortable, only really starting to feel at home again beyond 200km/h.

But it makes an astonishing noise.” I foresee some problems ahead for him. Not to the first set of robots

mention that he can’t match our pile of

(that’s traffic lights to you international

snacks, drinks, and general munchies

guests) onto Hendrik Potgieter Road

packed safely behind Kyle’s seat.

(R564). You’re still in the suburbs of DR I VE M A G A Z IN E N O V E MB E R 2009

25

D r ive Fe a t ure You’ll be on the R564 for about 15 kms. Along the way, German tourists who’re homesick might spot the Berlin restaurant on their left, just past Mogale City on the right.

It’s too early in the day for a full meal though, besides we have a lunch stop planned already. Eventually you’ll get to a 4-way stop, which will show you right on the R28 will take you to Pretoria. Take that

This is a lovely , and quiet little stretch to start getting your eye in. Just clear the school zone first, then you can get

“This is a lovely, and quiet little stretch to start getting your eye in. Just clear the school zone first,...” road, and after just a couple of kilometres turn of f left towards Kloofzicht Lodge.

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cracking, with some cool crests and sweeps, mostly third-gear in the Scoob, to play on for the next five kilometres.

DRIVE M AGAZINE NOVEM BER 2009

D r i v e F ea tur e draai Road, quite famous amongst JHB road-testers, and also known as the “satellite tracking road”, for

Kloofzicht When you hit the traf- reasons which fic circle at Kloofz-

will shortly be obvious to you. When

icht Lodge, consider

this T-junctions with Hugo Road it’s an-

going straight over

other right, then just barely a kilometre

for a quick tour of this beautiful site.

later you’ll hit another T-junction, and

If you enjoy fly-fishing or even shoot-

it’s another right onto the R563.

ing skeet, this Lodge is nestled right at the entrance down a narrow, echoey valley. It can be quite a sight. You might be too wired to stop driv-

“This is the top of the Kromdraai Road, quite famous amongst JHB road-testers...”

ing now after that little sprint though, in

There are a couple of long sweepers

which case you hang a left, and then a

that come up straight after this turn-off,

left again at the next traf fic circle you

and today they’re quite liberally smat-

come to. This is the top of the Krom-

tered with dust. I’m in front of Steve’ s

DR I VE M A G A Z IN E N O V E MB E R 2009

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D r ive Fe a t ure

Blade here and press home the inher-

kilometres here, until you spot the sign

ent traction advantage, keeping the

directing you left towards Maropeng.

Scoob flat right through fourth gear despite the dust. It’ s imperious, and

Maropeng

despite all that torque just resolutely

We pause at Maropeng to let Steve have

holds its line and powers up to very il-

some of his Coke quickly before order-

legal speeds. In my mirror I can see

ing him to snap some photographs.This

the Blade tapping-of f cautiously , and

has been a world heritage sight since

it’s at least a kay before he catches up

1999, and well worth a visit if you feel you

with our flying Rex again despite the

have time. The Sterkfontein Caves are

massive speed advantage. Another dif-

a part of this ancient place and explor-

ference between the two machines.An-

ing them is a thrill in it’s own right. The

yway, you can keep it nailed for several 28

DRIVE M AGAZINE NOVEM BER 2009

D r i v e F ea tur e town of Magaliesburg is our next stop. A quick note, the area we are in is the Magaliesberg (berg meaning mountain), and the little town nestled in the heart of this range is Magaliesburg (burg meaning town), in case there’ s any confusion there. So it’ s right out of the Maropeng gate and flat-out once again. Beware the wicked curves you hit after about six ks though, main visitor’s centre is filled with interesting displays and informa-

they look like you could take them almost flat but you can’t. Slow to at least 150 – 160 for them, and just a

“Beware the wicked curves you hit after about six ks though, they look like you could take them almost flat but you can’t.” tion about why this area we’ve brought you to is called the Cradle of Humankind, including the famous fossils Mrs Ples and Little Foot.

In addition to the wealth of information, Maropeng is beautifully crafted and the architecture itself is worth a quick tour.

Find out all the information here.

We, meanwhile, are off. Shot in the bag and adequately refreshed, the small DR I VE M A G A Z IN E N O V E MB E R 2009

few hundred metres further is another 4-way stop. This is Rustenburg road, you want to go right towards Magaliesburg.

Magaliesburg The road you find yourself on flows nicely but is a bit marred by lumps and bumps. This new Rex is proving absolutely ideal, it’s just the perfect blend of supple, razor-sharp and muscular. The new turbo has certainly added lag as 29

D r ive Fe a t ure

well as it has power , and a more dis-

town. There are more touristy places

tinct turbocharged noise, but the huge

worth browsing if you are so inclined,

power spike when it is blowing its gale

and we’re sure these are all very nice.

is positively thrilling every time. I’m

But we’ve got more fun in mind.

amazed the bike is keeping pace, although it does back of f over some of

The surrounding scenery you’re seeing

the rougher stuff we hit. Still, when we

now is, pretty much, what the world-

roll into Magaliesburg proper , it’ s right

renowned Highveld Bushveld is all

there behind us.

about, draped over the foothills of this gorgeous mountain range. This is what

This is one sleepy little mountain town.

many of you have wanted to see, and

We pause to ponder it a moment, and

from here on in, you can just drink in

decide to crack on. It’ s, well, a small

the spectacle.

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DRIVE M AGAZINE NOVEM BER 2009

D r i v e F ea tur e On our way out of town, we come across to a right-hand curve so we’re launcha nasty little old railroad crossing where ing either into the middle of the road, or there’s a big lip to the road, and we de-

a large stone wall! Still, it’ s mighty im-

cide to try get the Scoob airborne, as

pressive how the Rex can hit 140 in the

it’s so often seen on the WRC.

few hundred metres of runup we’re us-

Turns

out to be a bit trickier

ing, even if it is a fairly steep downhill.

We do not suggest trying this yourself!

than we thought, the shot we do eventually get not exactly the few feet of clear air you’ve

Goblin’s Cove

seen on TV screens, but it’s at a rather

A quick time-check at our stop revealed

“This new Rex is proving absolutely ideal, it’s just the perfect blend of supple, razor-sharp and muscular.” frightening 140km/h, particularly con-

it’s now 11:45 AM. We left the stadium

sidering that it’ s right at the entrance

at 10. W e’ve been driving at jailtime

DR I VE M A G A Z IN E N O V E MB E R 2009

31

D r ive Fe a t ure

speed for most of the way though, and

side of the mountain range, and you

yet I’ve only used 1/6th of the tank

soon come to an innocuous turn-of f to

in the Rex so far . Still, our own tanks

the right which immediately crosses a

need some fuel soon, luckily the lovely

bridge over the Magalies river running

themed restaurant Goblin’s Cove is our

alongside the main drag.

next stop.

through a left-hand sweeper running

As we dive

below some of the verdant strip of forYou leave Magaliesburg on a winding

est which grows up beside this sort of

stretch of great road draped across the

water-source I see the ‘Blade dropping

32

DRIVE M AGAZINE NOVEM BER 2009

D r i v e F ea tur e back again. Turns out

by the time we turn for the restaurant.

there are some imperfections in the road

Kyle and I are noticing some strange

which, once more, the

place names as we blast along this qui-

Rex hasn’t even felt,

et little road. Sleepy River is followed

but it’ s causing the

directly by Devil’ s Cove... how can it

bike to shake its head

be Sleepy when it’ s adjacent to such

a bit too much. He’

a hellish place? Sleepy Hollow more

riding our wing again

s

like, perhaps. Then we get to Goblin’ s Cove...

“Sleepy River is followed directly by Devil’s Cove... how can it be Sleepy when it’s adjacent to such a hellish place?”

DR I VE M A G A Z IN E N O V E MB E R 2009

33

D r ive Fe a t ure

Interlude Goblin’s Cove is run by a pair of petrol-

We can all truly recommend their spe-

heads like us, and it turns out we’ve

ciality, a divine fillet steak drenched in

brought along the perfect combo to

a rich chocolate-chilli sauce. It’ s truly

make instant friends. Our host is a

worth the trip, and the fantasy setting,

hardcore biker who regales us with

with goblins, fairies, and pixies peek-

tales of the highly-tuned beast which

ing artfully arranged in every nook and

caused him to be banned off the things

cranny, a real trip. If you become lost

If you become lost in one of the tales this magical realm spins, you can even book into one of the three rooms, built into a grand old railroad carriage, for the night and enjoy a no-doubt superb breakfast as well before heading off. by his wife and family , while our host-

in one of the tales this magical realm

ess is just mad about all things Subaru. spins, you can even book into one of It’s very interesting actually, you always the three rooms, built into a grand old picture Scoobies as very male, macho

railroad carriage, for the night and en-

things, but I know so many of the fairer

joy a no-doubt superb breakfast as well

sex who dream of owning one, includ-

before heading off.

ing my mother who’s approaching sixty!

They drool over both for a while before

For more information, rates, bookings

taking us through their intriguing venue

and the like, visit them here.

and offering us some chow.

34

DRIVE M AGAZINE NOVEM BER 2009

D r i v e F ea tur e

DR I VE M A G A Z IN E N O V E MB E R 2009

35

D r ive Fe a t ure

Skeerpoort

I could disable it using the Cruise Con-

Coming out of the restaurant there’ s a

trol trick, but don’t, as the surface is

left back onto the main road, which in

wildly bumpy.

just a few kilometres

T-junctions with

the R563 again which you’ll remember

As you approach the little village of

from earlier. It’s left onto the R563, and

Skeerpoort itself though, there are a

then right at the next

few long, fast, fourth-gear sweepers,

T-junction, onto

the R560 towards Skeerpoort. There’s

and the Rex is wrongfooted for the very

a brilliant stretch of road, about 8kms

first time. I enter at about 160, confi-

long, and although not quite as straight

dent that the car should make it eas-

as it looks on the Google Earth image

ily at this speed, but then the surface

the Rex runs into its limiter for the sec-

changes. It reveals that there’ s abso-

ond time on this trip. That’s 220 km/h.

lutely no feel through the rims of this

36

DRIVE M AGAZINE NOVEM BER 2009

D r i v e F ea tur e car, the first time I know about the front

mountains... Really, try not to get stuck

tyres moving to understeer is when my

behind a truck here, these are some of

trajectory suddenly shifts, visibly, about

the nicest roads of the day.

a metre onto the pavement. Quickly coming off the throttle brings grip back

Hartebeespoort

to the fronts and only slightly unsettles

You’ll rip past a couple of art galleries

the rear at this speed so it’ s OK, but

and the remains of an old blockhouse at

any faster and we could’ve had some

the summit, and then be twisting down

trouble.

towards the junction with the R104.

“As you approach the little village of Skeerpoort itself though, there are a few long, fast, fourth-gear sweepers, and the Rex is wrongfooted for the very first time.”

We know the lovely twists will be tempting, but don’t keep your foot in through Skeerpoort, smalltown cops love catching wary travellers on their way through. Out the other side you’ll start noticing the road becoming more like a mountain

There’s an

pass, as it goes over the Magaliesberg

here, more tourist trap than anything

DR I VE M A G A Z IN E N O V E MB E R 2009

African Cultural Market

37

D r ive Fe a t ure genuinely cultural, but fun if you’re

thick canopy of evergreen foliage.

shopping for bric-a-brac none the less.

If you didn’t book at Goblin’ s, the town has several nice fastfood places or sit-down restaurants on offer, and is also loaded with art galleries and

If you can resist, swing right on the R104 to Hartebeespoort, and pass over the diminutive but no less magnificent dam wall. There’s a tunnel blasted through the mountain here, and although short it’ s a great opportunity which can’t be missed.

The Scoob just about deaf-

trinkets

ens us, and it sounds as if the mountain might come

shops. It’ s an artists paradise down

on

here, just look around and you’ll see

our heads when we burst out the oth-

why, but quite busy so be sure to exer-

er side onto a tight twisty road which

cise caution. It’ s your last real chance

tracks the bank of the dam beneath a

to stop before heading back to the start-

38

DRIVE M AGAZINE NOVEM BER 2009

D r i v e F ea tur e ing point though, so judging by the time go over the Krugersdorp highway yet

“...it sounds as if the mountain might come down on our heads when we burst out the other side onto a tight twisty road which tracks the bank of the dam beneath a thick canopy of evergreen foliage. available to you you might want to avail again, which you could get onto if you yourself of the pleasant facilities. Keep

wanted to return to the Maropeng area

going straight on the main road to get

and from there wend back to Soccer

out of it, and just keep on going. You’ll

City, but we suggest you keep straight

DR I VE M A G A Z IN E N O V E MB E R 2009

39

D r ive Fe a t ure for some more brilliant driver ’s roads over the mountains yet again.

These are severely bumpy though, so anything tuned for track work isn’t really going to like it. I ran anAston Martin V8 Vantage up and down this stretch when it first came out, and it was absolutely glorious. The Rex isn’t bad either but of course can’t match this British supercar for sheer charisma.

You’re almost sure to be absolutely bushed by the time you get to the R511. Turn right towards Fourways, and your trip is all but done. From here, it’s straight on back into JHB, so remember to check your speed again as the “Law” knows what fast cars coming back on this road have been out doing and is keen to get donations from them as they forget themselves coming back into the Big Smoke. Go past Fourways Mall, past Monte Casino (or stop in and try your luck, maybe have some dinner if you’re hungry again), and get back onto the N1, this time heading South towards Bloemfontein. This road will eventually turn off back to Soccer City, and from there, your home away from home.

The Wrap Of course, in addition to the few stopoffs we’ve recommended there are literally hundreds of options out on the roads we travelled, here’s a link to the Google Earth waypoints if you’d like to browse through them yourself and choose from ones more suited to your tastes.

As for our car/bike contest, well Steve was adamant he could’ve run away from me had we really been racing. I fear we may have been the only ones coming home if he had though... there are some difficult, and bumpy bits out there that could easily catch an ultra-hard racebike out regardless of the skill of the rider.

40

DRIVE M AGAZINE NOVEM BER 2009

D r ive Fe a t ure

trip, this however hasn’t had a negative When we set of in the morning I was a

impact on the handling.

f On the quiet Magaliesberg roads the

little apprehensive, Russell had after

WRX was a lot of fun even though I was

all been throwing around statements

only a passenger for the day . Not only

like “tricky car to drive”, “no traction

was it very quick but always seemed to

control” and quite frankly when you

be completely planted on the road.

have the WRX’

s kind of perform-

ance for only R350K there must be

It must be said that build quality in

something missing right?

the WRX doesn’t exactly inspire confidence, no one would accuse the

The truth however is that the new WRX WRX of having German build quality . is brilliant, even on some of the rough

All you get in fact for your money is

roads we traversed during the course

that spectacular engine and an

of the day . The ride is very comforta-

chassis, which isn’t much but then again

ble and completely suitable for a road

who really cares. It is that much fun.

42

AWD

DRIVE M AGAZINE NOVEM BER 2009

D r i v e F ea tur e

This was never meant to be a race

stayed together until Hartebeespoort

but inevitably , there was a good bit

after which I left them to fight the traf-

of rivalry, bike versus car. The Honda

fic. I was back in the of fice a full 40

Fireblade is probably one of the most

minutes ahead of them. I bounced out

competent Superbikes ever made

once they arrived with comments like,

which is why I chose it. It works as

“so did you get lost?” but then I had to

well in Suburbia as it does out in the

sit down, my arse was sore. A touring

open. Yes the Scooby was quicker

bike may have been a better proposi-

over the bumps but a gentle twist of

tion but the fun and sheer speed of

the throttle had the ‘Blade right back

the Honda made it worth the minor

filling their mirrors. They mocked after

discomfort.

filling the car with refreshments that they could consume on route. What they didn’t tell you though is that we

DR I VE M A G A Z IN E N O V E MB E R 2009

43

W

hen we borrowed that awesome new WRX saloon from Subaru, we were invited to peer rather meaninglessly into a crate containing the 2010 Legacy which was stacked outside the Scooby HQ in Linbro Park, and even more pointless crate with the new Outback on top

of that. The same obscure teasers have been running at the dealers as well, in an attempt to generate some hype around the new offerings.

I think, though, that of more value to the success of these new models, will be the extensive ride and drive sessions being carried out at malls and deal-

erships at the moment.

These MY10

ing 2.0-litres and the other 2.5. Next

Scoobys have evolved so substantially

year will see the GT Sport join the line-

from their previous versions, you really

up sporting the potent 2.5 turbo from

do need to get in and feel the dif

the WRX, as well as the largest engine

fer-

ences.

Specs and pricing

ever fitted to the Outback, a substantial 3.6-litre V6. All of them, of course, sport the company’ s famous Symmetrical

There’s a lot to get through. There are

AWD, fed via either a newly-developed

two engine options available for now ,

6-speed manual ‘box, or even more

both naturally-aspirated, one displac-

high-tech Lineartronic CVT system.

D r ive Fe a t ure

For those who don’t read the regular

boxier Outback shape, you can get the

blog updates, that means a very com-

2.5 with a manual ‘box for R345 000, or

petitive price of fering too. The entry-

with the CVT for R358 000.

level 2.0-litre manual is just R299 000, and paired with the CVT this goes up

Extensive improvements

to R311 000. The 2.5 is only available

The Legacy is now in its fifth genera-

as a CVT, and costs R345 000. In the

tion, and yet still the brand often gets

46

DRIVE M AGAZINE NOVEM BER 2009

D r i v e F ea tur e recognised only for the boy-racer image of the Impreza. Will this be the one to change this stereotype at last? It’ s certainly technically good enough to do so.

This vehicle has been designed as meticulously as only Japanese engineers seem to know how. Resulting in all sorts of claimed “class leaderships”. We can tell you that the new engine mounting cradle is claimed to both improve NVH and dynamic responsiveness, that the doors now open a good few degrees wider than your average car door for easier fitting of a child-seat or loadingup of groceries, and that the new sixspeed manual is a beauty . So close to the truly class-leading shift fitted to the directly-benchmarked rival, Honda’

s

Accord, there’s basically nothing in it.

This is fortunate, as you do need to use it a lot to keep the 2-litre mill spinning freely. Not that the motor is particularly limp for the capacity , it produces the figures it should, just all nat-asp 2-litres feel a little sluggish at the Highveld and with heavy, comfortable bodies weighing them down. And, well, you do just sort of expect OTT , rippling muscle in a Subaru I suppose. Still, the engine revs sweetly and is keen enough in the DR I VE M A G A Z IN E N O V E MB E R 2009

47

D r ive Fe a t ure right gear, even gradually accelerating

times-bouncy highways as the tradeoff,

in top which is practically an overdrive

but it is just exceptional at absorbing

gear. This DOHC unit does get a little

anything the road surface throws at it

tetchy when you throttle of f from high

with barely a report through the cabin.

revs, kicking-back through the

It’s also hugely impressive inside. The

AWD

drivetrain twice before smoothing out

leather is comfy and inviting, the new

again, every time.

soft-touch plastics on the dash a defi-

Smooth operator

nite step up, and the general architecture more pleasing and cohesive than

In terms of ride, though, the new Leg-

past Subaru’s. There’s a decent spec-

acy really excels. It isn’t really compa-

list too, but most of all what you’ll no-

rable to an Accord in fact so smooth

tice is the space! Manufacturers really

is it, more like competition for a Lex-

seem to be trying extra-hard on this

us really. Whatever has been wrought

front, especially the practical Japanese

under the skin has worked, that’ s for

ones, at the moment.This Legacy is the

sure. This base-line Legacy has dif fer-

second car in which all the way down

ent suspension to the 2.5, and you do

and all the way back actually feels a

sacrifice some precision on our some-

little too “big” a driver ’s seat setup for

48

DRIVE M AGAZINE NOVEM BER 2009

D r i v e F ea tur e a near 7-footer like myself. Even more astonishingly, I was similarly uninhibited even when I climbed into the back!

for a bite, we are all impressed.

Is bigger better?

Parked-up at our stopover is the Sport

A more experienced colleague shar-

GT turbocharged version due early next

ing the car with me observed towards

year, and it’s a tantalising reminder that

the end of our afternoon that the rear

the one thing lacking from our Legacy

had plenty of elbow-swinging space to

was real power. So we swapped for the

make an excellent passion seat. Down-

bigger, 2.5-litre motor on the way back,

right luxurious in fact.

this time in the range-topping Outback CVT.

There were some very rough patches of road on the route, clearly deliberate-

The cabin is very much the Legacy’

ly put together by our hosts, and the

twin, but the stif fer Bilsteins fitted to

Legacy continued to smother it all with

this car feed much more of the texture

aplomb, while managing to handle tidi-

of the road through to the comfortable

ly enough on these back roads as well.

seat. It’s actually quite nice to be able

By the time we get to Parys and pause

to feel the road a bit more, and the sac-

DR I VE M A G A Z IN E N O V E MB E R 2009

s

49

D r ive Fe a t ure rifice in comfort level isn’t exactly se-

to sacrifice performance on these twin

vere, the Outback remaining pretty se-

altars seems daft to us. Besides, check

rene overall.

out the claimed consumption figures between the Outback with the identical

There’s definitely some more meat to

2.5-litre motors but dif ferent gearbox

the 2.5’s bones, but it’s still not exactly

options, and you’ll see the exact same

prop-forward material. It has more of a

combined-cycle 9.1 l/100km reported.

voice too. And the Lineartronic gearbox gives you immediate access to its max-

A tough battle

imum power output whenever you need Once that beefy V6 is available in the it, and maintains a ratio best suited for

nose of this machine, it’s going to make

optimum fuel efficiency when you don’t.

quite a formidable compact SUV . For

It can make for some loud, thrashy

the moment it of fers more luxury than

progress when you put your foot down,

you’re likely to expect from the six-

and it’s quite unnerving overall. Luckily

starred logo, at prices which are keenly

there is a manual mode, operated by lovely cool, metal paddles behind the wheel. The only things in the cabin that look metal and actually are, in fact!

We do have a major problem with the CVT though, which sees us strongly suggesting that even minor enthusiasts save their money and get the smallest, manual option. Performance.

The Lineartronic models lag behind the manual by a long way according to Subaru’ s own performance claims, even the larger 2.5-litre Sport Premium model can’t keep up with a manual 2.0litre thanks to its transmission, and can only manage to equal the top whack of its smaller bro’. W e understand CVT s are for convenience and economy , but 50

DRIVE M AGAZINE NOVEM BER 2009

D r i v e F ea tur e competitive. While the 2010 Legacy

warble, well the GT Sporty Legacy will

may lack some of the interior gadgetry

be available in just a couple of months.

of a Lexus IS, it does add AWD and an

But for now, if you want to feel impres-

even more serene ride – no mean feat.

sively pampered, get your rear end into

And it does have many of the more

one of these naturally-aspirated mod-

useful tech bits, electric sunroof, elec-

els. The blown version is unlikely to be

tric seats, windows, and mirrors, dual-

quite this cosseting anyway– if it was

zone climate control, connectivity for

you’re likely to spear off into the veld at

your iPod, even a digital parking brake

your first spirited corner!

which auto-releases – except if the driver’s door is still open or their seat-

It may have taken on quite a challenge

belt not yet on.

by competing directly with cars like the Honda Accord and Lexus IS 250,

If you simply can’t have a Subaru with-

but the Legacy does have an impres-

out the distinctive, turbocharged boxer

sive armoury from which to choose its

DR I VE M A G A Z IN E N O V E MB E R 2009

51

D r ive Fe a t ure weapons. Can it match these estab-

hope Subaru SA at least hit its modest

lished players for mindshare and per-

targets with the new models, the cars

ceived reliability though is the ques-

themselves are good enough to be real

tion, which only sales results over the

contenders.

months ahead will really answer. It definitely feels up to the task though, and I Russell

Drive Vitals: Engine:

Four-cylinder

Induction: Capacity:

2010 Subaru Legacy 2.0-litre petrol

Naturally-aspirated 1998

cc

Power :

110 kW @ 6000 rpm

Torque :

196 Nm @ 3000 rpm

Driven wheels:

Symmetrical AWD

Claimed 0-100 km/h:

9.5 s 6-speed manual, 11.1 s Lineartronic

Claimed top speed:

210 km/h 6-speed manual, 203km/h

Lineartronic Price: R31 52

R299 000 (6-speed manual Legacy) 1 000 (Lineartronic CVT Legacy) DRIVE M AGAZINE NOVEM BER 2009

D r i v e F ea tur e

Drive Vitals:

2010 Subaru Legacy and Outback 2.5-litre

Engine:

Four-cylinder petrol

Induction:

Naturally-aspirated

Capacity:

2498 cc

Power:

123 kW @ 5600 rpm

Torque:

229 Nm @ 4000 rpm

Driven wheels: Claimed 0-100 km/h:

Symmetrical AWD 10.3 s Legacy Lineartronic, 9.6 s Outback manual, 10.4 s Outback Lineartronic

Claimed top speed:

210 km/h Legacy Lineartronic, 201km/h Outback manual, 198km/h Outback Lineartronic

Price:

R345 000 (Legacy Lineartronic) R345 000 (Outback 6-speed manual) R358 000 (Outback Lineartronic)

DR I VE M A G A Z IN E N O V E MB E R 2009

53

We pay tribute to Hannes Grobler with Nissan’s 370Z and GTR

F

Christo Valentyn

ew cars have elicited as much excitement and anticipation amongst motoring fanatics – and indeed motoring journalists – as Godzilla, Nissan’ s latest GT -R. I for one have read everything possible about it and returned to the Nissan stand at JIMS last year several times to admire its magni f cent Manga-like lines. The GT-R is quite simply sublime.

creative ways to get my hands on one, some fairly realistic, some requiring the bending of morals and others the illegal sale of certain non-essential but in-demand organs.

Today, however , all this daydreaming culminated into an hour-long state of childlike euphoria as I sat at the Gerotek testing facility’ s dynamic handling course with not one, but two GTRs

Having made peace with the fact that

staring at me, a sole 370Z rounding up

I will never be able to af ford one in my

the cream of Nissan’ s sports car crop

current occupation as a journalist, I’ve

in South Africa.

spent considerable time thinking up

D r ive Fe a t ure

Living Legend

history. The almost R3m worth of ma-

Unbelievably though, neither the two

chinery is merely the backdrop…

GTRs nor the 370Z were the reason behind the Drive team gathering at this

Hannes Grobler, now 54, was forced to

JDM Utopia. Short in stature and big of

abandon a promising career in rugby

heart, Hannes Grobler is a living leg-

as a result of a knee injury . Naturally,

end in South African motorsport, and

motorsport was the next best thing.

today we’re paying homage to the big-

“Rugby and off-road bikes were my big-

gest legend in Nissan SA’s motor sport

gest passions but I injured my knees

56

DRIVE M AGAZINE NOVEM BER 2009

D r i v e F ea tur e cages and other modifications, Hannes entered his first amateur competition, often using his grocery money to afford the sport and its requirements.

The

rest, as they say, is history.

To date Hannes has won a total of ten national motor sport championships.

These include two amateur rally drivers championships (1979 and 1980), two rally drivers championships (1986 and 1991), two rally production car drivers championships (1998 and 1999) and four national of f road drivers championships (1986, 2003, 2004 and 2006) – all in Nissans, and eight as an official Nissan Works driver. He was awarded his Springbok national colours for motor sport in 1987 and his Protea national colours in 1999.

Nissan Forever His association with Nissan was a logical one. “The first car I raced was a practicing both sports,” says Hannes.

Datsun and one tends to stick with the

“The medical technology wasn’t as ad-

cars you know ,” says Hannes. “With

vanced as it is today, and I never even

Nissan’s support I was in control of the

went in for an operation to try and fix

development of the cars I competed in”.

the injuries. Racing cars was a logical

These included several legendary rally

next step for me.”

cars like the Skyline, and many off-road vehicles like Nissan’s one-ton bakkie.

After buying a Datsun SSS and regularly working through the night to fit roll DR I VE M A G A Z IN E N O V E MB E R 2009

Today, Hannes still drives Nissans, 57

D r ive Fe a t ure even as his personal vehicles. “Having raced the cars for so long, I’ve come to know Nissans as strong, reliable vehicles,” he says. “Nissan builds some of the best bakkies in the country, and while there everyday cars are a bit bland, they remain quality purchases”.

Changing Faces Yet looking back on a career spanning more than 30 years, it’ s undeniable that motor sport in South

Africa

has changed, some for the better. “The sport has undoubtedly become more professional over the years,” notes Hannes, “but the approach today is dif ferent”. Hannes feels that there are many good drivers out there, but many of them simply can’t afford it and

there were names associated to the sport,” he says. “The drivers were associated with the brands they were competing in – Sarel [van der Merwe] in his

subsequently never get the opportunity.

Often, those who do compete have the financial capabilities, but do not bother getting their hands dirty.

The public profile of motor sport has also changed significantly , says Hannes. “Back when I started rallying, the fans came out to meet their heroes – 58

DRIVE M AGAZINE NOVEM BER 2009

D r i v e F ea tur e impression that the manufacturers do not like it when the driver gets more glory than the car when they should in fact use this opportunity to build their image on the brand association”.

Career highlights Highlights from Hannes’ career are plentiful. Serge Damseaux, one of Hannes’ peers and racing legend in his own right, recalls many rallies where things were very close between him and Hannes. “As a person and a competitor,” says Serge, “Hannes is probably the nicest guy in the industry”. This is a sentiment echoed by just about everyone we asked about Hannes.

Fords, Serge [Damseaux] in

Toyotas,

myself in Nissans. Today the emphasis lies on the car, and not the heroes, the

Glyn Hall, manager of Nissan Motor sport since 1993, calls Hannes a fam-

idols, behind the sport. I often get the

ily man with a lot of faith in his trust of

DR I VE M A G A Z IN E N O V E MB E R 2009

59

D r ive Fe a t ure people. “Hannes gives his best and ex-

competed in it, but bouncing through the

pects the same from everybody else,”

desert in a 14-ton truck at high speeds

says Glyn. “He’s the first to try and help will always be a highlight to me”. in any way, shape or form, from changing a gearbox to turning the meat on the But while rallies, of f-road racing and braai for the lads when they’re working

off-road biking remains one of Hannes’

late”.

biggest passions in life, an eye-catching design and sports car performance

Not widely known is the fact that Han-

doesn’t leave him cold, as Glyn Hall re-

nes participated in the Dakar Rally in

calls. “Hannes is most famous for his

2003 and 2004 in a Team Nissan sup-

dirt road expertise,” he tells, “but back

port truck, rescuing his team-mates and in 1994, Hannes was driving the Sentra other competitors on more than one oc- super touring car at Killarney in Cape casion and winning the Spirit of Dakar

Town.

award for his efforts. “Dakar was an experience that cannot be described with

“We had been testing for a day and a

words,” says Hannes. “I’d have liked to

half, but when qualifying came, Hannes

60

DRIVE M AGAZINE NOVEM BER 2009

D r i v e F ea tur e

ended up on pole position. When he

GTRs on the photos, owned by close

returned to the pits, he said he nearly

friends.

pulled the steering wheel of f when he saw his time on the dash read out,” re-

As the two GTRs leave Gerotek’ s dy-

calls Glyn. “I will always remember the

namic handling course, Hannes trails

look of accomplishment on his face”.

them in a humble Navara. In a coun-

The Cars

try where motor sport has a low mainstream profile regardless of its cult-like

Hannes has owned two 350Z’s and de-

following, Hannes Grobler is quite sim-

scribes them as magnificent cars. “The

ply a legend. Friendly and unnervingly

370Z takes that one step further ,” he

down to earth, he leaves a legacy few

muses, “with an even more eye-catch-

others can lay claim to on the local mo-

ing design and brilliant performance

tor sport landscape. For that, we salute

and handling at a very reasonable

you.

price.” And the GTR? “I still think Nissan should’ve retained the Skyline-name,” he says, “but it’s a remarkable piece of

Drive would like to thank Sias Karsten

machinery”. And Hannes would know –

and Kobus Botes for the use of their

he was responsible for breaking in both GTRs in our photoshoot.

DR I VE M A G A Z IN E N O V E MB E R 2009

61

I

n 1964, history was made in Monte Carlo when Rauno Aaltonen won the world famous rally in a MINI, a car widely considered a nurse’s car. And then he did it again in 1967. It’ s the stuf f memories are made of, and just one of the things I

fondly witnessed this weekend as almost a thousand MINI-owners and –fans from all over South Africa descended on the quaint Free State town of Clarens to celebrate MINI’s 50th birthday.

Originally designed for the British Mo-

tor Corporation by Sir

Alec Issigonis,

and Morris Mini Minor , until MINI be-

the MINI’ s space-saving front-wheel

came a marque in its own right in 1969.

drive layout influenced a generation of

The Mini was again marketed under

car makers wishing to maximise pas-

the Austin name in the 1980s before

senger- and luggage space. Initially

BMW took full ownership of the brand

MINIs were marketed under the Austin

in 2001.

and Morris names, as the Austin Seven

D r ive Fe a t ure Voted the second most influential car of that could be enjoyed by rally drivers the 20th century (behind the Ford Mod- and the general public alike. el T), its influence in the industry and The Mini Cooper and Cooper amongst owners is quite simply leg-

endary. Launched in 1959, it’ s wasn’t an instant hit and only

S were sportier versions that were successful as rally cars, winning the Monte Carlo Rally four times from 1964 through to 1967.

My ride for the weekend was BMW’s latest incarnation of the MINI John Cooper W orks, tuned to utter perfection by John Cooper Works, the latest incarnation of the Cooper Car Company operated by John Cooper ’s son, Mike. John Cooper Works takes the stand-

gained significant

ard MINI Cooper S and

popularity in the ‘70s. However , John Cooper had already realised the potential of Alec Issigonis’s creation by 1961 and played a significant role in creating the brand’s cult-like following.

The Cooper Car Company was the world’s largest specialist racing car manufacturer by as early as 1946, and by adding John Cooper

’s ex-

tensive racing experience to the basic MINI, the MINI Cooper was an instant hit, a fast and exciting car 64

DRIVE M AGAZINE NOVEM BER 2009

D r i v e F ea tur e squeezes

mountains stand proud in shades of

an ad-

purple and blue. All around are sand-

ditional

stone cliffs with their multi-coloured lay-

27kW of

ers, the horizontal strata being a unique

power

geological feature of the area known as

and 20

the Clarens formation.

Nm of torque out of the engine through several subtle but significant tweaks. It gets a

A

strengthened 6-speed gearbox, larger disc brakes, a subtly aggressive body kit and larger , lighter alloy wheels.

Driving into Clarens, its Chilli Red colour stood in striking contrast to the town’ s vibrantly emerging greenery. The town is part of the scenic Highlands Route and is surrounded by mountainous splendour. The Rooiberge encompasses the village, whilst further on towards the southeast, the mighty Maluti DR I VE M A G A Z IN E N O V E MB E R 2009

65

D r ive Fe a t ure company wanting to establish a village

of the village built around a central

here in the mountains purchased the

square. A treasure trove for artists and

farms ‘Leliehoek’ and ‘Naauwpoort’ in

food lovers alike, there are numerous

1910 and 191 1 respectively , divided

galleries, restaurants and bistros along

them into even and each for the sum

its quaint tree-lined streets of

of fifty pounds. In 1912 a commission

unique and original arts and crafts.

fering

was appointed to finalise negotiations, and a decision was made to name the village ‘Clarens’ in honour of President Paul Kruger’s influence in the area.

During the Basotho war of 1865 and 1866, five ‘burghers’ from the

Trans-

vaal were murdered in the Eastern Free State, leading to the official declaration of war by the Transvaal against the Basotho leader Moshoeshoe. Paul Kruger (together with a commando of ‘burghers’) ultimately defeated the Basotho at the Battle of Naauwpoortnek and was remembered all his days, especially when it came to naming this new village. Paul Kruger spent his last days as a voluntary exile in the attractive village of Clarens in Switzerland and as such, Clarens was considered a very

Natural beauty aside though, the roads

apt name for this glorious mountainous

leading to and from Clarens are sim-

village.

ply sublime to drive, excluding the bit of the N3 highway to Durban that most

It’s often called the jewel of the Free

of us traveled before turning towards

State and largely remains a hidden

Bethlehem. Whether you’re staying on

treasure on the way to Lesotho. Sand-

the tarmac or venturing onto one of the

stone buildings abound, with the bulk

numerous gravel roads in the area to

66

DRIVE M AGAZINE NOVEM BER 2009

D r i v e F ea tur e explore the numerous adventure activi-

with plenty of loose rock and gravel on

ties on of fer in the area, you’re bound

the surface, at places rock hard like a

to have an entertaining and engaging

mud track that has baked in the sun for

trip.

months.

I’m in the passenger seat next to Rauno,

It’s on one of the gravel roads outside

safely buckled up in this bog-standard MINI JCW , going 140km/h in fourth gear on our approach to what looks like a treacherously blind corner. We take it without applying any brake power, and Rauno immediately gears down and throws the steering wheel in the opposite direction, the JCW gliding sideways into the next corner before he simply accelerates us out of it and into the next twist.

Operating a rally school in Finland and af fectionately known as ‘The Rally Professor ’, Rauno’ s elderly looks are deceiving. He’ s talkative as we slide over the gravel again, explaining that it’ s one of things he tries to teach all his students. “Normally when a car starts sliding, peo-

Clarens that I meet up with Rauno Aal-

ple’s brains switch of f and they over-

tonen, looking positively geriatric be-

correct to get the car going in a straight

hind the wheel of a MINI John Cooper

line again while there’ s no need to do

Works normally used for driver training. it,” he says. “Often it’ s natural, like in He’s smiling, exuding an air of confi-

the JCW, and often I just do it for the

dence that is surprisingly infectious.

fun,” he grins.

The gravel road before us stretchesover about 10 kilometres, narrow and DR I VE M A G A Z IN E N O V E MB E R 2009

To commemorate MINI’s 50th birthday, 67

D r ive Fe a t ure three new special edition models were

pedigree of the brand. It’ s painted in

unveiled at Clarens, the MINI Mayfair ,

Connaught Green (think British Racing

MINI Camden and MINI John Cooper

Green) and comes standard with Pep-

Works W orld Championship 50. Nei-

per White roof and bonnet stripes. The

ther the Mayfair nor Camden are brand

John Cooper W orks aerodynamics kit

new models as such, but rather of fers

and JCW Cross Spoke CHALLENGE

special edition trim levels with unique

light alloy wheels in Jet Black complete

colours and options, with both treat-

the picture. Only 500 will be built glo-

ments available on hatch, convertible

bally, with only nine destined for South

and Clubman. Both trims will only be

Africa.

available for one year.

While MINI provided generous activiThe MINI John Cooper W orks W orld

ties and entertainment to keep MINIacs

Championship 50 is based on the exist- busy in Clarens, a ferociously brief thuning JCW but features numerous exterior derstorm was all I needed to start up and interior details reflecting the racing

68

my red JCW and head off to the Golden

DRIVE M AGAZINE NOVEM BER 2009

D r i v e F ea tur e

Gate Highlands National Park, an en-

sumption. During the race through the

joyable 20kms from the village. Whilst

mountains, the trip computer calculated

the official speed limits within the park

average consumption at an agreeable

vary between 30km/h and 60km/h, the

11.5l/100km. On the open road back to

weather cleared the roads of weekend

the Big Smoke, it dropped to a delight-

traffic and allowed me to play a bit, al-

ful 9.8l/100km.

beit in short bursts where the road was clear in both directions.

The MINI John Cooper W

orks epito-

mises what the MINI brand is all about.

MINI are renowned for their dynamic

Fun, playful, engaging and enthralling,

handling abilities, and the John Cooper

it’s the rebel in a world of small hatches

Works doesn’t disappoint. The ride is

and no surprise it’s built up such a mas-

fairly firm and it has a sneaky torque

sive global following. It’ s undoubtedly

steer tendency, but it’s one of the most

the jewel of the British motor industry ,

exhilarating, engaging and – most im-

much like Clarens shines brighter than

portantly – rewarding driving experi-

many other towns in the Eastern Free

ences I’ve had in a long time. It begs

State. What a weekend. What a birth-

you to tap into all its available power at

day.

every possible opportunity, and rewards you with better than imagined fuel conDR I VE M A G A Z IN E N O V E MB E R 2009

Christo Valentyn 69

T

he new Nissan Murano looks more like a face lift than an all new vehicle but that’ s not necessarily a bad thing. The Murano has been a very successful crossover vehicle in the “looks like a 4 x 4 drives like a car” category.

D r ive Fe a t ure

Engine and Gearbox What you do get is more power

of half a million but ,

the standard spec

191 kW’ s from the 3.5 V6 litre engine

includes most of

with 336 Nm of torque. You get a new

the items on oth-

CVT transmission which Nissan call X-

er manufacturers

Tronic with a simulated 6 speed man-

options lists. Au-

ual mode. The real trump card though

diophiles will ap-

is the level of standard equipment and

preciate the Bose

at a price that leaves their competitors

premium sound

scratching their heads. I’m not sure

system while the

how Nissan managed to get this one

cell phone gen-

past their accountants. Any luxury item

eration will appre-

that you can imagine is included in the

ciate the standard

standard spec, all except sat nav.

Bluetooth, both can be operated

Equipment The Murano may be only R12000 short

72

using voice commands. There

is

DRIVE M AGAZINE NOVEM BER 2009

D r i v e F ea tur e

a reversing camera to guide you into tricky parking bays although there is no audio warning should you get too close to a solid object.

The electric tailgate may seem like a gimmick but vertically challenged individuals will certainly appreciate not having to stretch when closing the boot lid. Even the fold down rear seats can be restored to the upright position at the touch of a button. Add to that Xenon headlights, cruise control and electrically adjustable seats and you start to understand that this really is a luxury vehicle.

DR I VE M A G A Z IN E N O V E MB E R 2009

73

D r ive Fe a t ure you could wish for. The

high

roofline is an advantage for those that need to load children and the high floorline eases access for the rest of the passengers, and driver of course.

On the road the Murano realI applaud Nissan; I believe a luxury

ly demonstrates its ability . W e drove

vehicle should be loaded with gadg-

around the scenic Eastern Cape on a

ets, gizmos and safety equipment. You

combination of tar and dirt roads. The

shouldn’t have to pay extra.

route included stretches of motorway

Ride and Handling

and twisty mountain passes. The Murano handled the twisty bits at speed

The styling is subjective and what some find attractive others find hideous. The interior is well laid out and has a quality feel.

The leather is soft and the seats are as comfortable as 74

DRIVE M AGAZINE NOVEM BER 2009

D r i v e F ea tur e with the composure of a more sports orientated saloon. The ride is excellent with no rattles or intrusive road noise.

can’t match a true manual gearbox.

Conclusion After our day of driving we arrived back

On the dirt the Murano is equally as

in George feeling refreshed without the

competent. My co-driver had decided

traditional aches and pains associated

to treat the twisty dirt road section as a

with a full day of travelling.

special stage of a rally.At insane speed, the Murano gripped and shrugged of f

The styling of the Murano is interesting

the bumps with ease.

and may not appeal to everyone but it is a car for all seasons. It is an ideal car

The gearbox works well, far better than I for long distance cruising without sacrihad expected from a CVT. On mountain

ficing fun through the mountain passes.

passes though flicking over to manual

Should your route take you down a dirt

mode was the best option for spirited

road it won’t shake your fillings out.

driving. The gear change is quick and smooth but although it comes close

Steve

Drive Vitals:

Nissan Murano

Engine:

V6 Petrol

Capacity:

3498

Power :

191 kW

Torque:

336Nm

Kerb weight:

2380 kg

Driven wheels:

4x4

Wheel/tyre dimensions:

235/65R18

Price:

R488 000

DR I VE M A G A Z IN E N O V E MB E R 2009

75

D r ive Fe a t ure

76

DRIVE M AGAZINE NOVEM BER 2009

D r i v e F ea tur e

DR I VE M A G A Z IN E N O V E MB E R 2009

77

D r ive Fe a t ure

M

otorcycle clubs have been around pretty much since motorcycles were invented. Some clubs strictly enforce rules and codes of conduct, which can make them inaccessible for the average rider . The Riders Association of Triumph or RA T is different. Triumph owners, in the main tend to be more mature, thinking riders that don’t like to be over regulated.

two wheels. He decided that with a surname like Davidson, a Harley would be the way to go. Having ridden one though he soon changed his mind and bought a Triumph Sprint back in 1995.

Triumph in the U.K. started RA T in 1996 to build brand loyalty and offer riders the opportunity to enjoy their bikes with like-minded people. Mike Davidson who now owns Traditional Triumph in Edenvale started the South African branch in 1998.

History Mike Davidson was having a mid life crisis and decided to get back out on 78

Shortly after that KMSA was appointed the distributor of Triumph in this country.

Mike contacted KMSA and asked If he DRIVE M AGAZINE NOVEM BER 2009

D r i v e F ea tur e could buy his newTriumph directly from

Hotel in Mpumalanga. The first run was

them. Chris Speight offered not only to

a great success with 20 Triumph own-

supply the bike but also gave him a rea- ers making the trip.The rest as they say sonable discount. Mike asked why he

is history. Mike started his dealership in

was being given preferential treatment

2000 and Traditional Triumph has re-

and was told, “You seem like a person

mained the best performing dealership

that would be good for the brand”.

ever since. Arnold Olivier took over as Triumph brand manager and the run-

Mike as it turns out was good for the brand and was asked in 1998 to start

ning of The Rat Club.

the South African branch of RA T. He

What’s it all about?

asked for a list of all the Triumph own-

The Riders association of

ers and was expecting to get reams of

about the enjoyment of motorcycling

paper and was quite surprised to get

and socialising with other enthusiasts.

30 names.

There are no formal meetings or com-

Triumph is

mittees and as far as rules go, respect He made Triumph RAT business cards

your fellow rider is about the only one.

and set about visiting motorcycle rallies Each dealership organises at least one and events. He left his card on anyTriumph he stumbled across, bearing in mind that prior to KMSA taking over as importer some owners had imported their own bikes.

Once Mike had enough interest, he organised a trial run to the Malaga DR I VE M A G A Z IN E N O V E MB E R 2009

79

D r ive Fe a t ure

event a year, which is open to RA T mem-

Membership is as simple as it

bers all over the country. Dealers often

could possibly be.

organise smaller more private events

application forms to be filled in.

specifically for their own customers and

There are no

you have to do is own a

All

Triumph.

it has been known for RAT members to

Once you are in the fold as it

arrange their own events. All it’s about

were, you will be notified of the

“Membership is as simple as it could possibly be.” is a group of Triumph enthusiasts get-

runs and if one of them interests

ting together to enjoy riding their bikes.

you, you book and go along. Some

Most events are weekends away but

owners never bother and that’

there are other activities like rides out

Some riders go on a couple of runs a

for lunch and the ever-popular Triumph

year whilst others go on every run on

track day.

the calendar.

80

s fine.

DRIVE M AGAZINE NOVEM BER 2009

D r i v e F ea tur e I was tasked by our editor to go and get Those that wanted to ride with the main a better insight by joining in on a couple group met at

Traditional Triumph on

of events. The annual Fouriesburg run

Friday morning. There is of course no

is probably the biggest on the calendar

obligation to ride with the group and

so that was my first choice. I am a bit of several people with work commitments a track day junkie so the Triumph track

made their own way later . Another group

day was the obvious second choice.

had already left earlier in the morning.

That’s the great thing about a RAT run,

Fouriesburg is a small town in the Free

it’s never too formal.

State about 40 Km from Clarence. The Fouriesburg run is so popular that it

I chose a Sprint ST for the Fouriesburg

literally takes over the entire town;

trip deciding that it would be the most

the hotel and all of the B&B’

comfortable option for the distance.The

s are

filled with Triumph riders.

DR I VE M A G A Z IN E N O V E MB E R 2009

ride was relaxed with breaks for lunch,

81

D r ive Fe a t ure

fuel stops and breaks for those with a

for lunch. Fouriesburg was a bit

nicotine addiction.

different this year; yes there was the organised run and a few individuals that

We arrived at the hotel with enough

chose their own route but Triumph had

time to freshen up, have a drink and

brought a selection of demo bikes. W e

a chat before dinner. After dinner Mike

were given the opportunity to ride the

Davidson announced that they had cov- bikes on a 40Km out and back route ertly brought the countries first Triumph

including the newly unveiled Thunder-

Thunderbird down for it’s official unveil-

bird. That seemed like the best option

ing. Rather than unveil the bike to the

to me so I set about trying to ride as

press, they had decided to show it to

many different models as possible.

RAT members, the people that will actually become owners, before anyone

Saturday evening was a replica of Friday

else.

with one distinct dif ference; those that had over indulged on Friday evening

After dinner most of us retired to the

or ridden too many miles during the

pub and partook of one or two glasses

day were unable to take the pace so

of amber nectar. There was live music

numbers were reduced. Sunday was

again provided by one of the RA T run

a leisurely breakfast and then the ride

riders. What was surprising was the ca- home. What an excellent weekend, I’ve maraderie with everyone appearing to

already asked them to put my name

know everyone else and socialising as

down for next year.

one big group.

The standard form for Saturday on a

Having barely recovered from the Fou-

RAT run is an organised ride around

riesburg run I made my way to the

the local area probably stopping

Zwartkops raceway near Pretoria for

82

DRIVE M AGAZINE NOVEM BER 2009

D r i v e F ea tur e the Triumph Track day. My ride for the

After about 4 sessions, those that

day was a 675 Daytona, which I thought weren’t on Duracells started packing was the most track focused tool in the

up which gave me the opportunity to try

Triumph range. Track sessions were

the Street Triple R. I couldn’t believe

divided into 3 groups, beginners, inter-

just how good the bike was in this tight

mediate and advanced.

circuit and actually ended up going faster on it than the Daytona.

After the obligatory safety briefing we were let loose on the shortish circuit.

The Riders Assosiation of Triumph is a

What was interesting was the variety of

fantastic concept. Sure it helpsTriumph

bikes taking part. There were riders on

sell bikes but it really does of fer riders

virtually every Triumph model, including

the opportunity to do what they enjoy

Rockets. Again Triumph had brought a

most – ride their bikes. The RAT club

selection of bikes for us to try.

on it’s own is a good enough reason to own a Triumph.

DR I VE M A G A Z IN E N O V E MB E R 2009

83

D r ive Column

P

recipices only look vertical from above and below.

Unless it is, in fact, a cliff.

So this month we’ve been lucky enough, as usual, to get our bums into the seats of some really entertaining cars and bikes, many of them featuring smaller, more eff cient engines.

And in stark contrast, next month we’ve got several gutsy, beefy, and downright bulky machines coming through. Which might even force us to change our minds on what we’re about to say . But the outright truth of the matter, for the moment, is this.

Small engines actually can be just as much fun as huge thumping ones, and the strong surge in forced-induction techniques certainly doesn’t hurt us here at the Highveld either Little force-fed terriers can and do run side-by-side with big-cube, precisely-engineered sportscar products. And they can even be made to feel fast, fun, and in their own sense feroscious in the right packaging. It just seems as though not everyone in the business today actually seems to know how to do that package.

.

It’s not just on four wheels either , Steve has been similarly surprised this month by a pair of 750s – not quite his usual 1-litre minimum sports bike preference (like the ‘Blade he ran against my Rex), but by his own admission nevertheless huge fun. The Aprilia supermotard in particular worked for him, its lairy , hooligan antics the exact antithesis of the smooth, classy ride he has on his Triumph Sprint, but 84

DRIVE M AGAZINE NOVEM BER 2009

D r i v e C ol um n he kept getting back to the of f ce with huge exactly the ecological answer are smiles from runs on the Dorsoduro. they, not with all that lead and plastic on-board. But they seem to be But the scarcity of small and increasingly a part of the bigger driver-focussed vehicles makes Alfa’s picture painted by today’s manufacturers achievement with the MiT o even more despite their shortcomings. Not very impressive frankly, as that’s exactly what appealing at all. def ned this little car for us. BMW clearly know the tricks with their MINI as well, whileFull electrics have similar dynamic players like Renault are building a strong issues and even more severe history in this regard with Clio RS freedom of mobility limitations.

And crackers. But it doesn’t happen all the diesels, well they still sound like tractors time, in fact it’s the exception rather than and basically can’t be any fun, all the the rule, and that’s why the trend towards torque wedged in to too narrow a power band. Besides, use this twist liberally and downsizing is very concerning for us they still go through a tank of fuel pretty petrolheads. alarmingly quickly.

Let’s just take a quick look at the But smaller petrol motors with big f rst generation of these ecologically power being squeezed from them more-sensible cars. Oh boy . So there thanks to inventive use of forced-inare real crackers like the smart, yeh, which barring the roadster of fers duction, now that’ s a future we can live with. They remain lightweight and absolutely zero driver enjoyment despite the surprisingly lusty little nimble, use an already-estabturbocharged “three”.

The appaling lished infrastructure for fuelling this gearbox playing a supporting role in motive force, and can even still make the outright disappointment of this act. all the right noises to power our Then we have the triplets, C1, T1, 107. enthusiastic enjoyment. Fuel economy?

Big(ger) shopping trolleys, pure and No problem, just keep out of the turbo simple. zone and they sip like teetotallers.

Meanwhile, the dreaded hybrids continue their charge, providing thumping torque and therefore strong acceleration, but the added weight of the system massively inhibiting the outright dynamics. Besides, they aren’t DR I VE M A G A Z IN E N O V E MB E R 2009

And, as Alfa has proved not only with this MiTo but regularly throughout its history , just because the engine is small doesn’t mean the car can’t drip passion.

Russell Bennett 85

D r ive Column

M

otorists that travel in and around Gauteng can’t have failed to notice that virtually every freeway has road works taking place. At f rst we have to applaud the fact that the roads are actually being upgraded and maintained unlike many countries inAfrica.

Of course these upgrades are only being implemented so that the authorities can charge us exorbitant amounts of money to use them...

Putting aside the fact that most people won’t be able to af ford to get to work, are happening is nothing short of criminal. Surely it would have made a lot more sense to start with a stretch of road and only when that was complete, All

we have now is congestion on virtually every freeway in Gauteng.

protect the workforce but they have been laid out in a way that leaves no margin for error . All you need to do is look at the multi colours of paint where vehicles have crashed into them to see what I mean.

The fact is that most of the time there is no one working behind them. Back to my point of completing one stretch at a time.

Even worse than that is the way that lanes simply end or change direction without any warning whatare at best poor and usually simply non-existent.

Where lanes end without warning, drivers crash and often straight into the concrete blocks.

The situa-

tion is even worse at night since there are no lights to assist drivers except the occasional blinding spotlight pointing directly into

The other issue is the safe86

need for concrete blocks to

soever. The road markings

the way the road works

start on the next one.

ty aspect. I understand the

the eyes of the oncoming

DRIVE M AGAZINE NOVEM BER 2009

D r i v e C ol um n traffic. Throw some rain into the mix

for our appalling road death statistics,

and the situation becomes disastrous.

and which they are wholly responsible

Costly to insurance companies across

for putting there, they will rather hide

the company, the consumer , and road

behind bushes on those stretches of

fatality statistics.

road that are still reasonably safe with a speed trap camera. They spend their

The road works are where the biggest

days harassing motorists that are driv-

danger lies of course but it’s not limited

ing slightly over the limit but in a per-

to those areas. Road markings on al-

fectly safe manner. Cash comes first!

most of the countries roads have faded to the point of being invisible. The road

Now we are being told that the govern-

surfaces are deteriorating in several

ment plans to scrap the 10 km/h “grace”

areas with large and larger pot-holes

and fine people who are only 1Km/h

appearing all the time. South

over the limit. Let us remind ourselves

African

motorists have become used to the

that this buf fer was put in place spe-

challenge of driving on local roads so

cifically for safety reasons. Motorists

the authorities have decided to make

need to look at the road ahead to stay

things even more interesting.

safe - if they instead have to spend all

They

have now decided, in several urban

their time looking at the speedometer

areas to switch the street lights of f as

for fear of drifting slightly over the limit,

well! I guess that given the choice be-

they will die!

tween extravagant parties and paying for electricity they’ll go for the parties

So what the government is telling us ef-

every time.

fectively is that they don’t care about road safety . Such is their greed for

The result of poor road conditions –

cash that they are prepared to kill peo-

and I haven’t even mentioned unroad-

ple. Road safety my arse. Sort out the

worthy vehicles and poor driver edu-

real problems before helping yourself

cation – is that people are being killed

to other people’s money!

every day, and not just by those desperate sots toting AKs. So our authori-

Steve

ties have decided that rather than address the issues that are responsible DR I VE M A G A Z IN E N O V E MB E R 2009

87

W

hen the VW Scirocco impressed me so utterly in its time here, I went out and bought one, even though I didn’t need one. And once we’d planned to take the Nissan 370Z drifting, I bought one of them too. Sadly , having just booked the R8 V10 in for next month, I could only f nd it’s smaller 4.2 V8-engined sibling. Oh well, I bought one of those too, anyway.

Of course, no, my pockets aren’t that deep. And therein perhaps lies the beauty of a well-executed racing game.

The freedom to buy and enjoy virtual recreations of a huge range of top-flight machinery in mere days, rather than a lifetime of financial acumen, and then to head out onto tracks unknown and cane them mercilessly , get completely out of shape at ludicrous speeds and bring them back, if you’re good.

D r ive Re view Crash them at certain-death velocities with neither physical nor crunching financial pain even.

Yes, I’m playing the latest Need for Speed, SHIFT, and it is properly immersive this game.

Then there are the pure-fantasy races, events that could only happen in a game, or do you think you can find 16 Reventon owners willing to put their BillionDollar hypercar onto the race track, all at once? I think there were only 20 of these cars built!

And then should some miracle occur and all these very wealthy individuals take complete leave of their senses and loan you the cars, how many splinters of carbon fibre do you think will be littering the track by the time you’re done?

None! Exactly! Because there wouldn’t be racing – there’d be a parade.

But just how realistic is it really? Just how much of a simulator is this latest title from EA? NFS has had a patchy history after all, a simulator at the very 90

birth of the franchise, then an arcade tune-‘em-upper and in some mobile cases barely an Outrun clone, so widely-scattered did the name become.

As a bit of a car nut and a gamer , I’ve played every NFS that ever hit the PC, DRIVE M AGAZINE NOVEM BER 2009

Dr i v e R ev i e w which is where the franchise is really grounded of course, as well as a couple that didn’t.

And, basically, every single potential competitor from the similarlyhistorical Test Drive through to newer wannabe Race Driver and pretty much everything inbetween. I played the best of the lot Porsche Unleashed for over three years, my now wife, brother in law and I playing it as a hot-seat multiplayer on one PC for just hours at a time.

But for the last 4 years, although I’ve played each one through to the final storyline sequence of chuf fing wastegates and enormous, nitro-charged green flames vanishing into the dark horizon, none of the NFS’s have come close to the best simulator on the market, the similarly-named Live for Speed (LFS, versus EA’s NFS).

Fun distractions yes, but not enough real racing meat to be honest.

But Slightly Mad Studios used to be a crew called SimBin who built some of the hardest-core simulators on the block just a few years ago. And they’re DR I VE M A G A Z IN E N O V E MB E R 2009

91

D r ive Re view the developers behind SHIFT. So it’s a

squirming beneath you as you throw

completely different type of game.

it too-hard at the corners of various

First, the good stuff.

racetracks which SHIFT presents you with. You can drive it right on the edge,

Almost predictably , as a simulator

,

throwing corrective-lock at a 91 1 GT2

SHIFT is superb. I’ve heard GRID play- before the slide gets big and just holders complain that it’

s just a rehash

ing it through the bend with a fraction of

of this game, but they’re just jealous

opposite lock and just about full throt-

brand-loyalists. SHIFT is just so much

tle. And that’s when NFS SHIFT comes

more meticulously detailed at the phys-

alive.

ics level. However it’s very hard to feel these nuances when you’re playing with The spectacular soundtrack helps. a keyboard or Xbox-type controller. You

Each engine is recreated in detail, and

need the more natural driving environ-

applying performance mods to it suit-

ment of a steering wheel and at least

ably alters the audio so you can audi-

two pedals to get properly involved.

bly appreciate the amount of air your uprated turbochargers are sucking in,

Now you can literally feel the car 92

and know from the gearbox whine and DRIVE M AGAZINE NOVEM BER 2009

Dr i v e R ev i e w chunter exactly which level of transmis- way before it’ s time graphically anysion you have fitted to which car. With a way, and getting much more detailed decent set of headphones (if you have

isn’t exactly necessary . Anyway, both

kids and mostly only get to play while

cars and tracks in SHIFT

they’re sleeping) you’ll play deep into

fully modelled and rendered, although

the night just for the sake of getting

you do need a gaming beast of a rig to

enough cash together to experience

run it at maxed details.

the next car you choose to fill up your

And the cars aren’t just lovely to behold,

garage with. There are three that are

but recreated in inch-perfect details,

genuinely intoxicating, the

the interior as well. Being a proper sim-

AMG V12

are beauti-

of the Zonda F , the BMW V12 of the

ulator the cockpit view is the standard,

McLaren F1, and the screaming V10 in

and best, to actually race from so you

the Carrera GT. Spine-tingling.

get to see a lot of the trimmings, and from the vehicles I do know very well

Graphically, the team has also done

they’re faultlessly represented to every

a stand-out job. I’ll give you that here

last switch and dial.

it doesn’t really jump out at you com-

have HUDs (Corvette Z06 for instance),

pared to GRID, but then this game was

have them in the game, and they work

DR I VE M A G A Z IN E N O V E MB E R 2009

Those cars that

93

D r ive Re view

as well as the real thing. Take your car

stock pressures with the stock dif f and

all the way to the very expensive Works

huge, grippy Bridgestones stretched

stage, and it’s all hardcore Stack instru-

tight across 19” rims. It’ s also easier to

ment pods and austere, straight-edged

hold the engine against the limiter when

steel framing. With a suitably focussed

there are no repercussions should it go

character to match.

pop!

Back to the actual physical driving of

And that’s just about the only reason, in

the thing, the drift battles stand out as

common with all proper sims, that truly

great fun. Very challenging at f rst, yes,

separates virtual from reality. Of course,

but once you become accustomed to

there are the actual physical sensations

managing your entry-speed more pre-

of Gs and the like, which incidentally is

cisely considering you don’t really have

why the one driver aid you cannot dis-

brakes (not enough traction) to do so

able and still be successful with is the

just angle and thrust, you start to con-

ABS – you can’t feel when your brakes

nect the lines and rack up the points.

are locked which the Works cars in par-

If it seems unnaturally hard trust me,

ticular punish mercilessly!

it isn’t. Drifting the 370Z in real life is

there’s the fear involved in pushing a re-

harder than in the simulator , primarily

ally fast car over its mountainous limits.

because the game adds tire pressure

The actual dynamic of driving the thing

and a locked LSD automatically as you

though, is pretty much dead-on.

And then

enter a drift battle, the real car we ran at So, is there any bad?

94

DRIVE M AGAZINE NOVEM BER 2009

Dr i v e R ev i e w Well actually , yes, there is. Just about

Things like your veryf rst two races, there

none of it actually has to do with the driv- being no “Quit” menu option, a problem ing engine itself which is deeply addictive when you haven’t even had the opportuthough. It’ s in the in-between sections

nity to calibrate your wheel properly yet.

that there’s some frustration.

Although I understand why it’

s been

Load-times for instance, are quite bad.

done, the focus in SHIFT

being living

Look, my own Quad-Core machine with

a “true” race-driver ’s lifestyle, the lack

DDR3 RAM and the goodies was actual-

of a storyline with neon-underlit baddie

ly pretty good, much faster than Steve’ s

cars and scantily-clad love interests is a

PS3 copy for instance, but our young

bit of a shame, but we can’t have it all

contributor Kyle complained that simply

I suppose. An even more poignant loss,

tweaking his steering wheel was a labori- for me, are the gorgeous, f owing streetous task thanks to having to wait an age

and country-roads which Porsche Un-

for the map to load, then drop back to the leashed painted so well, SHIFT plays out tweaking settings, and then wait again

exclusively on dedicated race facilities,

for the reload.

although very sadly , no Kyalami, or any SA circuit for that matter, despite the lead

Then there are the bugs. Little, annoy-

developer being a local boy.

ing things like being given an Audi LMS racecar at Driver level 20 or so, and then

If you’re a fan of cars, if you’re a fan of

it never actually being placed into your

racing, or if you’re a committed NFS fan-

garage nor, seemingly, in the game at all! boy, SHIFT is simply a must-have title for your PC. It’ll keep you absorbed for hours on end, f ne-tuning your lines on the Silverstone GP circuit or stringing longer and longer drifts between apex clips. The only thing standing in the way of its being crowned the racing game of the year right now, potentially, is Forza 3 on the Xbox.

Russell DR I VE M A G A Z IN E N O V E MB E R 2009

95

A

dolf Hitler wanted a car for the people, which is where the name V olkswagen comes from. The car he commissioned was the legendary Beetle, which was replaced in the mid seventies by the Golf. The Golf is now in it’ s sixth incarnation and this is de f nitely the best Golf we have ever seen - but at the price, it certainly is no longer a car for the people!

D r ive Te st

Revolution!

fers the best of everything with the

twin charged 1.4l engine. By adding a

charger combination also ensures that

turbo charger and a supercharger , VW

there is no turbo lag so it makes for

have managed to extract 1 18Kw from

a very pleasant drive. Where it really

this little 1400, which is more power

comes into its own of course is on the

than a lot of manufacturers can coax

Highveld where naturally aspirated en-

out of their two litre mills.

gines are left gasping for air . It is no

Our test example was powered by the all power of a 2.0l using the fuel of a 1.4 new and some would say, revolutionary – well almost. The turbo and super-

GTi but it does have loads of The twin charged engine really of98

Torque

so you actually get the benefits usually DRIVE M AGAZINE NOVEM BER 2009

Dr i v e T e s t associated with a diesel, without

and pushed the price up. The South Af-

sounding like you’re driving a tractor.

rican government, always on the lookout for schemes that relieve us of our cash,

You see there is an ongoing cat and

quickly followed suit. So VW tried to come

mouse game between manufacturers

up with an engine that is as economical

and government. When petrol prices

as a diesel but that still burns good old-

went through the roof, mostly due

fashioned petrol, and they have.

to high fuel tax,

Class-leading dynamics

manufacturers be-

Some of you petrolheads might be

gan re f ning their

yawning at the thought of driving a

diesel of

small capacity Golf but you would be

ferings

and all was well.

wrong. Regardless of which variant

The British gov-

you choose, the Golf 6 sports one of

ernment realised

the best chassis in its class. Ride qual-

that with less litres

ity is excellent and handling is sharp

being burned, they

and precise while interior noise is kept

weren’t getting as

to a minimum.

As we have come to

much back in tax so they concocted a lie that diesel was more harmful to the environment DR I VE M A G A Z IN E N O V E MB E R 2009

99

Dr i v e T e s t expect from a VW product, build quality is without fault. But, and it is a big but,

Punchy peach The engine is a real gem of

fering

the manual gearbox is notchy, requires

excellent performance without compro-

a lot of ef fort to select a gear and with

mising usability . What VW have done

a long throw of the lever . VW used to

to get the power out of the small en-

make excellent gearboxes, I don’t know gine is to bolt on a huge turbo charger. why that has changed unless they are The problem with a turbo is the fact hoping that we journalist are going to

that it only becomes ef fective once it’ s

recommend the DSG and that’s exactly

spinning quite fast which leads to a

what I am going to do.

feeling of very little power and then a sudden surge.

This phenomenon is

Driving around Gauteng as many of

known as turbo lag, and the bigger

you already know involves negotiat-

the turbo, the bigger the lag. So add-

ing poor quality worn out road surfaces

ing a supercharger solves the problem

“The engine is a real gem offering excellent performance without compromising usability.” as well as an unacceptable number of

by boosting power at the lower end of

potholes. No matter, the new golf soaks the rev range until the turbo becomes up the bumps without shaking your efficient. fillings out and more importantly

,

without veering off your chosen course.

What is interesting for a car in this

Should you find yourself on some more

class is that the engine and exhaust

interesting roads with nice corners,

combination actually generate a

the Golf of fers good feedback through

very pleasant noise, pleasing to the

the steering wheel, so you can have

enthusiastic driver . If you want a Golf

nearly as much fun as a GTi driver. This

with one of these 18Kw 1 engines though,

model was never designed as a sports

you can only chose the Highline spec,

car but it does make the drive to work

which for some reason dif fers from the

more interesting.

Highline spec on the Diesel Golf. Our

DR I VE M A G A Z IN E N O V E MB E R 2009

101

D r ive Te st

test car did have cruise control but

Unfortunately not many people will be

was without auto dimming mirror , rain

able to experience the sat nav system

sensing wipers and auto headlights.

since it will add R28000.00 to the price

Comic options

of the car if selected from the options list. That’s around R10 grand more than

Drivers with a sense of humour will

most premium manufacturers charge

appreciate the instructions delivered

and R23 grand more than the aver-

from the optional sat nav. It quite often

age aftermarket system. Perhaps you

instructs you to, “Turn right now” some

are paying a premium for the comedic

400 metres before you actually get to

value of the instructions?

the junction. Then once you get onto a fairly long stretch of road, it says, “Stay

The car is economical for the

on this road for a long time”. I’m not

day-to-day driver but once you put your

sure if it’s suggesting that you park for

lead boots on, the economy drops of f.

half an hour or just drive really slowly .

It’s just a compromise; you just can’t

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DRIVE M AGAZINE NOVEM BER 2009

Dr i v e T e s t expect a clever engine like this to be

Styling is a personal thing but I still think

good in all situations. If it were, VW

it’s the best looker in its class. (The MiT o

would stop making 2 litre engines and

arrived a few weeks later, and I suspect

they haven’t. So all you boy racers,

Steve the Alf sti might be changing his

stick with the GTi.

mind on this one as we speak – Ed)

Styling

Conclusion

Although the styling changes are

The 1.4 TSi Golf is a great choice if you

subtle, the new Golf 6 is a stylish

want an economical practical hatch-

hatchback but then Golfs always have

back without sacri f cing the driving ex-

been. The changes could really be seen perience or build quality . You will have as a facelift rather than a re-design. Not to dig deep in your pocket to own one that there is anything wrong with that, if

though.

it ain’t broke don’t f x it. Overall, the car just looks fresher and more up to date.

Steve

Drive Vitals:

VW Golf 6 1.4 TSI Highline

Engine:

Four-cylinder petrol

Induction:

Twin-charged

Capacity:

1398 cc

Power:

118 kW @ 5800 rpm

Torque:

240 Nm @ 1500rpm

Kerb weight:

1271 kg

Driven wheels:

Front

Claimed 0-100km/h:

8s

Claimed top speed:

220 km/h

Price:

R272 900 without options

DR I VE M A G A Z IN E N O V E MB E R 2009

103

I

’ve read a lot about the VW Scirocco of course, it’ s been around for a while after all. Last month Phuti compared it favourably against the new Golf 6 GTI, a car which is technically quicker with its brandnew suspension, clever electronic dif f and gruntier turbo motor . Bruce adored the drive at the launch a few months back, even going so far as to suggest it is the chariot after the mystical fairy

godmother had done her thing, compared to the pumpkin, relating to a stock Golf GTI...

But all this good press notwithstanding, I’m going to go out on a limb here. I’ve only had the car for a couple of days now, and I’m compelled to begin this review with the conclusion, and it’s one which many are likely to contest...

D r ive Te st That conclusion is this: the VW

Look R330K is a fair deal of cash to

Scirocco 2.0 TSI is the best car in the

spend on your car admittedly , but you

world.

will not get this combination of pure thrill factor for that kind of money any-

All right, quit the clamouring and listen

where without dipping into the helter-

for a moment.

skelter second-hand market. Seriously. And yes you can quickly spec a

I’m not saying it’ s the greatest car in

R400K-plus Scirocco when you

the world right now

start including supposedly must-have

, that’ s a whole

different connotation after all, nor

accessories from the options list, but

the fastest (we can hardly deny the

these things are superfluous to the

existence of extreme family member

driving experience really.

Veyron) nor even the prettiest (that Merc SLS coming up next year might

In fact the base Scirocco comes

grab that particular accolade), as of

without some niceties you might

course the Scirocco really can’t com-

expect in a sporty car of this price.

There

pete at this sort of stratospheric level.

aren’t any satellite controls for the audio

And yet...

system for instance. Both Satnav and a panoramic sunroof are rather

I’m saying that it’ s the best car in the

costly options. In fact the interior is

world, and more specifically it’

comparatively plain, although you do

s the

“It’s just a breathtaking shape.

Compact, lithe, with a sporty low roofline and wide track,...” best car in the world for an average

get full leather , dual-zone climate and

Joe with even a hint of petrol in their

electric everything (well, bar the seat

veins - someone with an average-sized

adjustment naturally).

wallet, regular daily commitments, maybe even a small family , but who

On the outside, this range-topping

also wants something which triggers

version turns gorgeous 18” Interlagos

absolute driving excitement.

rims, which are just mesmerising in

106

DRIVE M AGAZINE NOVEM BER 2009

Dr i v e T e s t their turbine-blade beauty . And even more ridiculously jaw-dropping, is the metalwork. All of it. It’s just a breathtaking shape. Compact, lithe, with a sporty low roofline and wide track, perfectly accentuated by the generous hips and blistered arches which those rims so purposefully engorge.

DR I VE M A G A Z IN E N O V E MB E R 2009

107

D r ive Te st

So lovely is this shape that despite

the gazes of other road users. Hot

the plain-Jane VW badge on the

young female execs dashing to gym,

bonnet, walking up to or away from the

hip professionals trolling the trendiest

car yields strong emotional reactions.

malls, and fat middle-aged farmers in

It is every inch the mini-exotic, and you

bakkies all turn and stare, drinking in

“A car which has always had bags of performance but, to me, just not enough character.” get a special sort of warm and fuzzy

the liquid shape as it flows by them.

feeling just knowing that you’re going

Its presence is simply immense, way

to be the one stepping up to and into

beyond its dinky proportions.

it, and blasting away into the distance without a care in the world.

Yet under the skin it’ s a Mark 5 GTI. A car which has always had bags of

You may think I’m exaggerating this, but performance but, to me, just not enough spend a day in the car and just watch 108

character. “It’ s still just a Golf” has DRIVE M AGAZINE NOVEM BER 2009

Dr i v e T e s t

always been my ultimate excuse for emotional dismissal of this vehicle, not performance or dynamics both of which are more than adequate. Other road users have to be petrolheads too to notice the red piping or telephone-dial alloys that mark this model out as anything remotely special - the Scirocco they see coming from several dozen car lengths away and usually leap out the way of in deference to its head-turning beauty as well as serious sportscar presence.

In fact it’s better than that. The retuned spring rate makes for a firm, nuggety ride but also in conjunction with a lower overall weight and centre of gravity a deeply involving and enhanced hanDR I VE M A G A Z IN E N O V E MB E R 2009

109

Dr i v e T e s t dling experience. It may not be as out-

well, and I loved the thickened top sec-

right capable as the new GTI but you’ll

tion for really getting a beefy grip on,

have a better time really driving it, the

while the scalloped opposing sides are

Scirocco corners flat and hard and is

perfectly comfortable when in cruis-

also exceptionally adjustable through a

ing mode. Sure stuf f like the WRX has

bend with brutal throttle play . Yes it’ s

more power and is close on 2 seconds

FWD, hardly an attribute I would nor-

quicker to 100km/h but there’ s enough

mally praise in anything but a droll fam- poke in here to humble most things, ily runabout, but it doesn’t actually in-

and through the bends it’ll run with the

hibit your enjoyment of this one of the

absolute best short of perhaps the su-

most sorted, balanced, yet downright

per-trick Megane Sport R26 F1 Team.

playful chassis’ in the business.

As for reliability, well, it’s tough to comAs for the drivetrain, well the engine

ment on that one for me as this precise

makes a decent enough noise, familiar

package in another form (same engine,

to drivers of GTI 5s. Which is to say it’s

same DSG ‘box) popped on me a few

a refined but growly four-cylinder with

years back very unexpectedly , so my

“As for the drivetrain, well the engine makes a decent enough noise, familiar to drivers of GTI 5s.” a hint of turbo whistle and some sug-

reference is coloured by that memory .

gestive popping when the electronics

Scirocco ran like clockwork though, de-

cut the throttle on upshifts in this DSG-

spite some seriously hard driving. Well I

equipped version. It’s also impressively

did experience one very peculiar glitch.

elastic in its delivery, the turbo spooling

I’d blitzed up to 200km/h to dispatch

quickly and progressively for low revs

of an altogether too-cheeky hotted-up

and then charging with real vigour for

Toyota on the highway, and having left

the 147kW power peak and ultimately

this erstwhile challenger quite solidly in

the tachos red line.

the dust kicked up by

the Scirocco’ s

shapely rump, I came of f the throttle The steering is just packed with feel as DR I VE M A G A Z IN E N O V E MB E R 2009

and suddenly the revs flared gently and 111

D r ive Te st

the wheels were just rolling along, as

speed corner that could have had some

if I’d dipped the clutch and was cruis-

pretty hairy consequences.

ing without drive hooked-up to the wheels! It righted itself a second later

It’ll even return an average of 8.5

and I didn’t experience the peculiarity

l/100km on sedate highway cruises!

again, but if I was committed to a high-

What other true-blue sportscar do you

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DRIVE M AGAZINE NOVEM BER 2009

Dr i v e T e s t know of that can claim that?

packaging, knee-weakening looks, excellent and flexible performance.

Space? Well despite serious misgivings on my part, we actually got four , hefty,

It actually makes R330K look like amaz-

adult men in the thing for short town

ing value, especially with a Golf 6 GTI

trips. With me driving. I know of regu-

costing the same money plus a couple

lar 5-door hatches which are worse. In-

of grand. Of course, I’d recommend

credible!

saving yourself R14K and getting the three-pedal six-speed manual, unless

As a package then I just can’t come

you’re literally in traf fic every single

up with something which is a more

time you drive anywhere...

complete proposition for a committed petrolhead. The Scirocco is everything you need. Inspirational handling, great

Russell

Drive Vitals:

VW Scirocco 2.0 TSI DSG

Engine:

Four-cylinder petrol

Induction:

Turbo

Capacity:

1984cc

Power:

147 kW @ 5100 – 6000rpm

Torque:

280Nm @ 1700 – 5000rpm

Kerb weight:

1318 kg

Driven wheels:

Front

Price:

R336 500

Claimed 0-100km/h:

7.1s

Claimed Top speed:

233 km/h

DR I VE M A G A Z IN E N O V E MB E R 2009

113

T

here are those that question the relevance of litre class sports bikes given today’ s oppressive speed limits and the volume of traf f c on our roads. There are also those that like myself are a little bit portly and f nd 600’s

underpowered. Suzuki has managed to produce a motorcycle that offers the best of both worlds with the GSX-R 750. The only unanswered question is, why don’t all manufacturers follow their lead and produce 750 sports machines?

D r ive Te st It is an inescapable fact that sport bike design is influenced by W

orld

Styling I have never considered the GSX-R

Superbike racing. The premier class

range particularly good looking but I

used to be open to 750cc 4 cylinder

clearly stand alone. Our test example in

machines and 1000cc twins.

black and burnt orange attracted more

As a

result, 4 cylinder manufacturers, typical- attention than any other bike I have ridly Japanese produced 750 sports bikes den including Italian exotica. No less until the rules changed in 2003 allowing than three people opened their car win1000cc 4 cylinder bikes. Manufacturers dow to tell me how much they liked the developed litre class bikes and the 750 bike on a single trip through Sandton. fell by the wayside. All except Suzuki,

The bike attracted similar attention and

they just carried on producing their 750

positive comments everywhere I went

as well as the 1000 and cornered the

on it.

market.

116

DRIVE M AGAZINE NOVEM BER 2009

Dr i v e T e s t

Performance Despite my unique opinion on the styling, I’m going to stick my neck out here and say that the GSX-R 750 is probably the best Japanese bike on the market. Performance is as close to a 1000 as makes no dif ference without having your arms ripped out of their sockets every time you accelerate away. Sure in a head to head drag race a bigger capacity machine would probably nose ahead but how often do you get involved in drag races? On a speed run the speedo peaked at 277Km/h but one of our freelance testers was convinced that being lighter and able to tuck in more, that he would see 300.

You get 150 horse power which is around 25 more than the 600 using the same frame and weighing in only a few kilos lighter. So the 750 offers an excellent power to weight ratio which transDR I VE M A G A Z IN E N O V E MB E R 2009

117

D r ive Te st lates into tarmac melting performance.

The Suzuki does have another ace up its sleeve though developing usable power right across the rev range unlike so many 4-cylinder machines. Having decent low and mid range power makes the 750 an easy bike to ride in traf

fic

as well as tearing up the tarmac on the open road. The 750 is frugal too sipping just 5.1 litres for every hundred Kms of our test and that was a combination of commuting, high speed breakfast runs and freeway cruising.

Equipment In common with the rest of the GSX-R range, the 750 is equipped with a 3 way mode switch and again I question what it is really for . Sure new riders could start out in C mode until they have built up some experience then switch to B mode and eventually

A mode.

That

does make the feature a bit of a one trick pony and does assume that all buyers will be novice riders. Not only that, the same could realistically be achieved with more controlled use of the throttle hand. Other than that there’ s not much electronic gadgetry to write home about, an analogue rev counter and digital speedometer . There is no trip computer or fuel gauge but you do get that all important gear indicator.

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DRIVE M AGAZINE NOVEM BER 2009

Dr i v e T e s t The suspension is set up reasonably

brand. They will of course be wasting

soft out of the box so you will need to

their money in pursuit of image.

The

spend a few minutes with a screwdriver factory fitted unit works well and try as or your friendly techie until you get di-

I might, I was unable to invoke a tank

alled in to your own riding style. You do

slapper.

get high and low speed compression damping and that makes it possible to

The exhaust has quite a good if muf-

really fine-tune your individual set-up.

fled sound, which of course is the legal

We could get all technical here but in

requirement thanks to pressure from

my experience, high and low speed

the ozone friendlies. If you have to live

compression means that I find I tend to

with it you can but splash out on an af-

use a single set up for both road and

termarket unit that allows the engine to

track.

breath and unleash the real sound of the 750.

There is a factory fitted steering damper , which I’m sure several owners will junk

The brakes are definitely up to the job

in favour of a more glamorous name

and will scrub of f speed at a rate that

DR I VE M A G A Z IN E N O V E MB E R 2009

119

Dr i v e T e s t will have your eyes trying to leave their

a reasonable reach to the bars, which

sockets. I found the feel a little bit vague helps if you are a six-footer . It is a sports on first tug of the lever although some

bike so you will find the seat hard when

people prefer a less definite initial bite.

you undertake marathon tours but it’ s

Either way, fitting braided hoses recti-

very comfortable as a day-to-day ride.

fies the problem. I should criticise Suzuki for not fitting them at the factory

Conclusion.

but if they did the price would go up

At R1 18 000 the GSX-R 750 is only

and the 750 wouldn’t be the bargain

R9000 more than a 600 so unless you

that it is now.

need the smaller capacity bike for insurance purposes or to appease the

Ambience

wife, the 750 is the one to go for . You

The 750 is a comfortable bike to ride

can get a new 08 model with the same

with a reasonably low seat height and

spec for a mere R109 000 making it a

sensibly positioned pegs. You feel as

real bargain.

though you are sitting in a GSX-R rather than being perched on top of it.There is

Steve

Drive Vitals:

Suzuki GSX-R 750

Engine:

Inline 4 cylinder

Capacity:

750cc

Power:

111.8 Kw

Torque:

86 Nm

Kerb weight:

198 kg (167kg dry)

Wheel/tyre dimensions Front:

120/70ZR17

Rear:

180/55ZR17

Price:

R118 000

DR I VE M A G A Z IN E N O V E MB E R 2009

121

I

am an outspoken fan of big cars, which is odd since I, as a single guy , have absolutely no need for abundant space. I’ve learnt to appreciate the current status quo dictated to us

by the ‘green’ police with its mantras of fuel eff ciency and low carbon emissions, but there remains a part deep inside me that lights up whenever a big car arrives at my door.

D r ive Te st While I firmly believe that there’s no re-

to other aspects of the driving experi-

placement for displacement and quite

ence as well. It needs good dynamics to

often find the growl of a proper V8 aural- complement the engine under all drivly more stimulating, there’ s something

ing circumstances, whether you’re on

about a good V6 that makes me smile

a Sunday-afternoon cruise or speeding

a confident smile of contentment. Six

over a mountain pass. Even if it’s luxu-

cylinder engines, especially when fitted

riously kitted, there needs to be some-

to a big car , so often strike a beautiful

thing intangible to it that brings out a

balance between outright performance

raw, almost primal passion, regardless

and everyday luxury that bigger , and

of whether it looks the part or not.

smaller, engines often struggle with.

Bringing out the intangibles However, that balance needs to extend

124

As such, the Mercedes-Benz E350 Coupe excited me from the minute it arrived. The spiritual replacement to the very successful CLK (of which Merc

DRIVE M AGAZINE NOVEM BER 2009

Dr i v e T e s t

sold 250 000 units in seven years), it has an aggressive air to it the CLK never had, and an underlying masculinity that fits well with the elegance of its coupe lines, something the CLK also never got entirely right. Where the CLK never scared anyone unless there was an AMG badge on it, the E-coupe boldly declares that there’ s more to it than meets the eye.

Looking the part On the outside, the new rhomboidshaped – not square – headlamp treatment works wonders especially combined with the new LED light clusters that double as daytime running lights DR I VE M A G A Z IN E N O V E MB E R 2009

125

D r ive Te st and fog lights down low in the front

the belts forward when the doors are

bumper. The chrome slatted grille and

closed, and believe me, they’re quite

large three-pointed star adds further

handy.

menace to the front view, adding a purposeful face to the macho stance.

There are high-tech features galore, these including the optional Distronic

The bulging wheel arches at the rear

Plus at R18 100, a system that bun-

that sweep into the taillights further en-

dles radar-based adaptive cruise con-

hance the E’s gorgeous coupe lines, tapering into the much-debated new taillights, LED clusters I quite like. It’ s not that dif ferent from the E-class sedan, but certainly fits in well in this application. The absence of a B-pillar puts the focus on the smaller glasshouse, and together with the sweeping bonnet and low roof brings the sporty coupe look in line with the ageing (but still beautiful) CLS.

Interior architecture The cabin has an aesthetic edge I’ve not seen in a Mercedes-Benz in a while, at least not in those withoutAMG-badges.

The interior is all-new, the dash configured to accept a high-mounted 7-inch display, as the COMAND controller interface system is standard. It does dif fer from the sedan though in that the gear selector is on the console rather than the steering column. As is convention with Mercedes-Benz’s B-pillarless coupes, there are robotic arms that move 126

DRIVE M AGAZINE NOVEM BER 2009

Dr i v e T e s t trol with Brake Assist Plus that, without

Attention Assist measures more than

touching the brake pedal at all, will ap-

70 dif ferent parameters, the most

ply 40% braking power if it determines

important being sudden steering

a collision is imminent. In a similar situ- corrections, to determine if a driver is ation when the driver does apply the

drowsy and sounds a chime if it makes

brakes to any degree, the system will

that determination. The E350 Coupe

apply the extra force necessary to bring has electronically controlled damping the vehicle to a complete stop.

DR I VE M A G A Z IN E N O V E MB E R 2009

as standard, and our Avantgarde test

127

D r ive Te st model was fitted with an optional AMG Sport package (R28 000) that includes 18-inch AMG wheels, cross-drilled brakes, steering-wheel paddle-shift capability and brilliant high-bolstered sport seats.

These seats feature four simple dials on the inboard sides, controlling inflatable bladders in the seat bolster, lower side bolsters and two lumbar areas this, of course, on top of the standard ten-way electronic adjustment. Even the scalloped back seats are beautifully sculpted and supportive, although I wouldn’t suggest of fering a ride to long-legged rear passengers.

A Har-

man Kardon Logic 7 surround sound system is standard kit.

The Power Under that long bonnet lies MercedesBenz’s familiar 3.5-litre V6 engine. This is admittedly one of my favourite six cylinder engines, and develops a decent 200kW of power and 350Nm of torque in the E350 Coupe.Acceleration to 100km/h is quoted at 6.4 seconds, which puts this E-coupe on an acceptable middle ground in terms of performance. It does feel slightly slower though, probably due to its sheer size.

128

The E350 Coupe is one of those balanced six-cylinders I mentioned earlier, doing its job ef ficiently and without too much fanfare. The 7G-TRONIC adap-

DRIVE M AGAZINE NOVEM BER 2009

Dr i v e T e s t power was always there, making it a magnificent everyday means of transport. When I did push it, the available power was there and often quite surprising, the gearbox adapting accordingly to hold gears for longer during the acceleration process.

The Feel Shifting the gears manually occasionally adds more engagement to the driving experience, and certainly on more demanding (read: fun) roads.

U n f o r t u n a t e l y, most V6 coupe tive automatic transmission is super smooth in an urban setup (where I spent 60% of the time I drove it) and,

drivers aren’t big racers, which equates to handling best described as aboveaverage and not brilliant. In fact, the

even though it was rarely needed, the

E350 Coupe handles twists and turns

DR I VE M A G A Z IN E N O V E MB E R 2009

129

with such ease that you rarely get that

D r ive Te st both-hands-on-the-steering-wheel feel-

makes a compelling argument for two

ing that’s part of the sports car driving

more doors. The Diesel S, for exam-

experience.

ple, trumps the E350 Coupe on power and torque at a mere R2 000 more…

And the Competition

But then again, Mercedes-Benz owners

With none of the options ticked, the E350 are a unique breed of loyal buyers, and Coupe will set you back an acceptable

those wanting a large coupe wouldn’t

R670 000, inclusive of the Mobilodrive

look further than the E350 Coupe. Even

120 maintenance plan. Competitors are

I could easily live with an E350 Coupe

few and far between, with only

provided that my current penchant for

Audi’s

marginally smaller A5 3.2 FSI Quattro

cruising remains.

Tiptronic coming close. It’s got a slightly smaller engine, slightly less power and

And that’ s the crux of the matter: the

torque, a higher top speed and a signif -

E350’s sublime looks are deceiving.

cantly smaller price tag. At R513 000,

While it looks the business, it’ s a cruis-

it’s a steal. Start ticking on Audi’s noto-

er at heart, a car so well executed that

rious options list and you’ll still pay less

its substance overpowers the senses.

for it than a bog standard E350 Coupe.

Accomplished in every sense, it just doesn’t elicit anything primal or pas-

Think outside the box and Jaguar XF 3.0 V6 – or even the Diesel S –

130

’s

sionate beyond the realm of cruising. I’ll take an XF, thanks.

DRIVE M AGAZINE NOVEM BER 2009

Dr i v e T e s t

Drive Vitals:

Mercedes E350 Coupe

Engine:

V6 petrol

Induction:

Nat-asp

Capacity:

3498cc

Power:

200 kW @ 6000 rpm

Torque:

350 Nm @ 2400 – 5000 rpm

Kerb weight:

1648kg

Driven wheels:

Rear

Claimed 0-100km/h:

6.4 s

Claimed Top Speed:

250 km/h

Price:

R670 000 with Mobilodrive 120

DR I VE M A G A Z IN E N O V E MB E R 2009

131

N

issan’s oft-romanticised Fairlady Z is “the best-selling sports car” of all time for three reasons.

1:

They’ve been about a bit. Since the late 60s in fact, and now in their sixth generation with the 370Z. In fact the Z is listed as

the best-selling sportscar of all time.

2:

They were affordable, especially considering the performance on offer.

Part of why they sold so damn well.

3:

They were built to be driven – reliable, powerful, emotional all in one

package.

Dr i v e T e s t

The new DK?

products from the 80s and 90s, things

When the 350Z resurrected the brand

like Skyline GT-Rs (R32/R33) from the

7 years ago now , it became a natural

same manufacturer as the Z, Mazda’ s

hero car for one group of enthusiasts

screaming RX-7 rotary (FD, FC), Nis-

in particular. In short, it became a drift

san 200SXs (S13, S14), and the leg-

contender, an alternative motorsport

endary Toyota pairing of Hachi Roku

experiencing growing popularity world-

(AE86) and Supra.

wide, and a serious one at that. Not only did the lithe coupe body with classical

Of course local flavour does creep in.

long-nose pert-rear balance look fan-

US and Australian-market drifters have

tastic, the grunty V6 up front and dedi-

successfully injected brutal V8s into the

cated R WD layout makes for an ideal

mix, one US drifter even runs a 91

drifting balance. It was born to do this.

and our series in some way echoed the

You see, not many new cars around

Euro route since these are the vehicles

at the time really were. The only other

most readily available here, which sees

properly suitable “out-the-box” drifter

the Germans (Beemers mainly

was European, BMWs E46 M3 which

325is, all generations of M3, M5s, and

in layout, size, power, was pretty much

the like) mixing it with the classically

exactly what Nissan had aimed at com-

Japanese drift specials.

1,

, E30

peting with. But the Japanese supercoupe cost just over half the price of

The 350Z cemented Nissan’

a new M3. Otherwise the Drift scene

nance of drifting, as a manufacturer, in

was and still is dominated by Japanese

the early noughties.

DR I VE M A G A Z IN E N O V E MB E R 2009

s domi-

135

D r ive Te st

Looking sharp

thing less than a full-blown sports car .

We, however , have a new 370Z road

When you’re at its level, both front and

car here to test. The replacement for

rear haunches just seem insanely dis-

the 350. And amazingly enough, it’s got

tended, even more so than those of

the same exact recipe that’ s been go-

the quasi-racer 993-generation GT2,

ing on for decades now , with an even

and those were riveted on to complete

bigger V6 in the nose. Now 3.7-litres

the ef fect! The car is absolutely bulg-

and good for 245Kw. But there’s also a

ing from its skin at all four corners, and

lot more.

carrying the ideal aggressive, purposeful and poised coupe shape in the mid-

The styling is now absolutely sensa-

dle.

tional. It’ s never from any angle any-

From the front you’ve got a pointy

136

DRIVE M AGAZINE NOVEM BER 2009

,

Dr i v e T e s t

“It is positively stunning in its overt aggression, pure and simple.”

shovel-like snout in fact reminiscent

neering details unless you’re literally

of the Supra but distinctively of the

measuring it against a 350, it does give

Nissan family (especially parked-up

a much meaner, harder overall look.

between two R35 GT -Rs...). From the rear it’s all beefy shoulders, a neat but

The gorgeous 19” Rays alloys with

purposeful spoiler integrated into the

Bridgestone rubber filling the arches

rear deck, and a pair of big-bore pipes

don’t hurt either, aesthetically at least.

promising vocal grunt. The roofline is lower than ever , the wheelbase more

Score one to the new car. It is positive-

than 10cm shorter than before, and the

ly stunning in its overt aggression, pure

track somewhat wider , and although

and simple.

you don’t notice these sorts of engiDR I VE M A G A Z IN E N O V E MB E R 2009

137

D r ive Te st

Feeling sharp Inside, the newer model is a vast improvement over the older car as well.

There’s a much more upmarket spec list especially on SA

cars, including

a premium Bose audio system, rich leather cladding all over , comfortable electrically-adjustable seats, and satellite controls for the sound on the Zemblemed wheel.

Materials actually do feel a cut above the old model, which in fairness was disastrously flaky , and there’ s even a bit more room for bigger blokes despite the tighter exterior dimensions – always a neat trick. There are three “sports-oriented” dials embedded into the top of the fascia, oil temp, voltmeter , and oil pressure. There’s an on-board computer built-into the instrument pod which is itself adjustable, but if you’re looking for something really W oW these sorts of details shouldn’t really matter too much.

You sit low and seemingly right in front of the rear wheels, not as you’d expect to sit in a roadster but perfect for a sports car . Spanning the space between you and the boot is a beefy stabiliser, incidentally basically the only thing which looks metallic, and actually is!

138

DRIVE M AGAZINE NOVEM BER 2009

Dr i v e T e s t The view ahead is punctuated sharply by the crease on the right-hand side of the bonnet (mirrored on the left, so your passenger has the same view). It’s snug but not uncomfortably tight in here.

In fact it’s a great place to sit. The huge VDC Of f button is just ahead of your right knee, the even bigger Engine Start/Stop at your other knee.There’s a slot to slide the key into under the VDC button, but Keyless Go means you just need it in your pocket really , just poke that glowing roundel...

At which point the engine erupts quite aggressively into life, with a modest flourish of revs which through those twin big-bore pipes sounds meaty straight away. You can even feel the heart of the beast now beating, as it sets the entire, clearly very stiff structure a-tingle.

DR I VE M A G A Z IN E N O V E MB E R 2009

139

D r ive Te st

On the Road

helps it do this, of course, while the

In short, on the road it’ s very good but

suspension and stif f chassis make for

fatally flawed. It’s an easily fixable flaw

a very nervous, darty medium-speed

we hope, and moreover a subjective

ride, the wheels crashing over imper-

one. It’ s agile, feels light on its feet

fections and sending the whole machine

while gripping like a racecar on those

into shudders of empathy . The trick

sizeable Bridgestone contact patchs.

Synchro Rev Matching manual works

It isn’t anywhere near as lairy as the

on a shift which is undeniably butch

drifter rep might suggest either

and very notchy, it feels as substantial

, the

traction so immense that at road speeds as you’d hope a ‘box in this application it’s unlikely you’ll be troubling the VDC

ought to be.

much.

That said, the engine isn’t as torquey There’s a slippy-dif f at the back which

140

as you might expect.Thanks to the light

DRIVE M AGAZINE NOVEM BER 2009

Dr i v e T e s t

overall weight it responds well enough to throttle, but at Highveld altitudes, at low revs is just doesn’t quite have the balls you want, although it does start to make up for this from 5000rpm through to the 7500rpm redline.

grumpy tractor most of the time doesn’t really do it. With luck an aftermarket exhaust should rectify the issue here, perhaps Nissan even have a Nismo system as an option. Every buyer will take it if it brings back the melody of the older 3.5-litre V6.

Makes up for it in sheer urgency , Not,

, the 370Z, and here’s probably the Zs biggest prob- It’s certainly not slow however lem, for any form of listening pleasure. although one US magazine reportedly Or silken tactile joy, for that matter. The engine dominates this car , it’ s got the power but it just has no voice, despite being loud and generally rough enough to shake the whole chassis about all

clocked one at 4.9s to 100km/h.... that

wouldn’t happen here at 1700m above sea-level, no sirree. And surprisingly it excels at destroying highways, settling into easy 180 – 220 km/h cruising mode.

the time.

In fact, the car as a whole seems at

A sportscar really needs some form

the stif f suspension and communica-

of intoxicating soundtrack, whether a tight-lipped racerish howl or off-beat V8

its most comfortable at 160km/h-plus, tive chassis suddenly making perfect sense.

pulse. Sounding like a well-tuned but DR I VE M A G A Z IN E N O V E MB E R 2009

141

“It’s agile, feels light on its feet while gripping like a racecar on those sizeable Bridgestone contact patchs.”

D r ive Te st

On the Track

gear right-hander, so the big discs get

The first time I really bonded with the Z, a small workout as you haul down from was on our photoshoot with two of its

the top of fourth into third.

The rev-

sumo-wrestling big brothers, a simmer- matched downshifts are really helpful ing pair of R35 GTRs conducted at the

around here, totally removing the onus

Gerotek Dynamic Handling Circuit. It’ s

of stabilising the rear with heel-and-

a pretty tight and quite daunting ribbon

toeing, especially entering the next

of good tarmac without runoffs most of

bend a hairpin right which sneaks up on

the way round nor Armco to keep you

you while you’ve still got lateral load on

on the track, but is a great mix of fast-

from the previous bend. You can flick

er sweepers with tighter second-gear

the tail wide through the hairpin but it’s

radii. Plenty of camber and elevation

got to be deliberate, which on such a

changes right around it as well.

narrow track in a car which isn’t ours would be pretty irresponsible. But even

The start-finish straight becomes a pair driven just just over its limits it is a brilof gentle curves, right and then back

liant driver’s tool. Quick, fun, honest.

to the left, which you can blast through with barely a lift so tenascious is trac-

Also, when you’re that focussed on

tion and neutral the balance of the

lines and apexes and being smooth,

low-slung Nissan. Then there’s a short

as you are on a track especially one

straight before the moderate, third-

which just drops away into a bushveld

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DRIVE M AGAZINE NOVEM BER 2009

Dr i v e T e s t mountainside now and then, your mind

In fact I’m having so much fun that even

pays no heed to the noise of the mo-

after all the photography is done, I hang

tor because it goes into full “brain-out”

around until the last possible minute in

mode. So it doesn’t get in the way of

the Z just driving for the sheer fun of it.

enjoying the car underneath at all out

It’s a real pleasure out here, driven like

here.

this. It feels right at home.

DR I VE M A G A Z IN E N O V E MB E R 2009

145

D r ive Te st

The Oval

washing front.

Yes we had to. Sorry about the state of the rear rubber Nissan SA we really

Once you do get it going though it’s re-

are, but it’ s the replacement of a drift

ally very good. Far more balanced and

legend. I think I’ve said that before, but

controllable than anticipated, I thought

it is. It had to be done.

the shorter wheelbase would make for an altogether snappier drift dynamic.

So it was off to The Rock Raceway next, But you can get huge angle on and still

on the East Rand, to avail ourselves

pull it back smoothly and controllably ,

of their well-worn drift facilities.

and this with a regular LSD still running

After

some limited success, I’m finding that

at the rear and standard street pres-

the big 19s just aren’t giving up traction sures. the way we’d like, and in second there doesn’t seem to be enough torque to

We’re also lucky enough to have the

really get the slide going with just pow-

track owner, and sensational drifter in

er. Meanwhile speed has built to a point the top ranks of the local drifting scene where the fronts are scrubbing of f so on hand to give the 370 a proper eval.

I’m having to saw at the wheel to unset- This man has drifted just about everytle the rear without losing the slide to a thing out there, runs his own Soarer 146

DRIVE M AGAZINE NOVEM BER 2009

Dr i v e T e s t competition car and builds and main-

tyre pressure up to 3 bar, and then you

tains many others. He gets the Z very

wouldn’t even need any more power

sideways, for a very long time...

than it has now . It’ s surprisingly benign for such a hardcore car , even on

“That is very good,” he concludes.

the standard suspension setup.

“Those 19s are a problem, and I’d junk

they’ve definitely got the look absolute-

them for 18s, even 17s if they’d work

ly right this time around. A very nice car

on this car . Lock up the dif f, take the

all round.”

DR I VE M A G A Z IN E N O V E MB E R 2009

And,

147

“It’s dynamically excellent, makes you feel special to be driving in it, and looks gorgeous from all angles.”

D r ive Te st

What’s more, it’s soaked up these trying ally. It’ s dynamically excellent, makes ordeals we’ve thrown at it with aplomb.

you feel special to be driving in it, and

These drift guys are brutal on the en-

looks gorgeous from all angles.

gine, a lot of the time simply burying it in its limiter for seconds on end.

The

Just, honestly , that engine note! For

‘box is still tight enough to be baulky

God’s sake, give it back this crucial el-

on upshifts and the engine still imme-

ement of its sportscar soul and it would

diately responsive. It hasn’t once let us

make for surreal value to an enthusiast

down, or put much of a foot wrong re-

at its R500K list.

150

DRIVE M AGAZINE NOVEM BER 2009

Dr i v e T e s t

In the end

In the end I’d grown really fond of it,

In its nine days with us the 370Z has

fond enough to be deeply upset to see

blown hot and cold.

it go, which I think has to be the truest

The first impres-

sion is dominated by that nasty , very

measure of a successful sportscar – the

intrusive engine thrum and utterly un-

overall emotional appeal. Get past the

interesting note leaving a taste of sad-

Nissan badge on the nose and you’ll

ness in your enthusiast heart, but live

find the 370Z can run with the biggest

with it a bit and the killer aesthetics

players in the game and offers the driv-

and deeply engaging handling abilities

er entertainment and involvement little

at least dull this constant aural disap-

else in this price range can match.

pointment.

Russell

Drive Vitals:

Nissan 370Z Coupe M/T

Engine:

V6 petrol

Induction:

Nat-asp

Capacity:

3696 cc

Power:

245kW @ 7000rpm

Torque:

363Nm @ 5200rpm

Kerb weight:

1461kg

Driven wheels:

Rear

Price:

R505 500

DR I VE M A G A Z IN E N O V E MB E R 2009

151

W

hen Aprilia launched the Dorsoduro they did it with their tongues f rmly in their cheeks. Here is a bike with a real sense of humour and probably the most fun bike I have ridden in recent months. Sure it may be light on outright practicality but what do you want out of motorcycling? An uninteresting steady ride or a bike that makes you smile every time you sit on it.

The Dorsoduro is a supermoto, which is a bit like a dirt bike with road tyres. It has the stance of an off roader , being tall and gangly but by some strange engineering trick, handles like a composed road bike.

Dirt bikes used to be a popular choice for road riders that spent most of their riding time in urban areas. If you are as old as I am you’ll remember bikes like the XT 500 and the PE 250.You sit high up so you can see a long way ahead and they are comfortable too.They have excellent leverage on the bar making them nippy in and out of

D r ive Te st tight spaces and they get away from the line briskly.

All that you need as an urban street rider but those old bikes were fitted with knobbly tyres so going round corners was interesting to say the least, not to mention the noisy ride.

Given that so many of these bikes were used mainly on the road, manufacturers decided to fit road tyres and so the supermoto or motard was born. The older bikes were of course 2-strokes which gave them blistering performance of f the line and somehow Aprilia

have

managed to emulate the 2-stroke feel using a 750cc 4-stroke engine. The acceleration away from the line is breathtaking!

Just after picking the bike up, I stop at

Dorsoduro nearly rips my arms out of

a set of lights and a litre Gixxer pulls up their sockets and I get to the other side next to me. I look at him and he looks

of the junction ahead of the Gixxer

at me. I blip the throttle and so does

Sure he passed me with ease shortly

he. As the lights change, I lean forward

after that but it was satisfying to get the

moto X style as I open the taps.

initial jump on him.

154

The

DRIVE M AGAZINE NOVEM BER 2009

.

Dr i v e T e s t The Dorsoduro is a tall bike, which

best reasons for riding a bike in traf-

wasn’t a problem for me, but vertically

fic. The bars are quite high and that’ s

challenged riders will find themselves

a good thing because they pass over

on tiptoes when the bike is at a stand-

the top of most cars mirrors. The trou-

The Dorsoduro is so much fun that you will find yourself riding like a hooligan most of the time. still. The bars are quite wide which gives ble is that there are so many tall 4 x4’s the rider good leverage so changing di-

and people carriers on our roads and

rection is achieved with the minimum

the bars are exactly at the height of

of effort.

their mirrors. Fortunately the bike is equipped with hand guards so if you do

The wide bars are a little bit of a prob-

collect a mirror as you pass, you don’t

lem in traf fic if you are a lane splitter

trap your fingers under the levers or

and lets be honest that is one of the

come to a sudden stop. The driver of

DR I VE M A G A Z IN E N O V E MB E R 2009

155

D r ive Te st the 4 x 4 gets angry but that problem

ing light comes on after only 125 Km.

would be solved if they moved over in

Not an ideal long distance machine but

the first place.

then this bike is all about fun not practicality.

The Dorsoduro is so much fun that you will find yourself riding like a hooligan

There are three engine-mapping

most of the time. The exhaust note is impressive particularly considering our test bike was fitted with standard pipes. The combination of the noise and acceleration encourages you to keep the throttle wide open all the time and it is just the most fun you can have on 2

modes, which are selectable even on

wheels. The downside of all this fun is

the move. Aprilia even suggest what

the fuel consumption. W e managed to

each mode should be used for so you

achieve an average of 6.6 l/100 when

get a touring mode, a sport mode and

riding hard although the bikes on board

a rain mode. Changing modes doesn’t

computer optimistically reported 5.2

restrict the power output from the en-

l/100. The tank only holds 1 1 litres to

gine; it changes the response of the fly-

start with and the orange fuel low warn- by-wire throttle.

156

DRIVE M AGAZINE NOVEM BER 2009

Dr i v e T e s t Sport mode sharpens the throttle response to the point where the bike is difficult to ride at low speed.

The re-

sponse becomes jerky particularly in lower gears and wheelies are very difficult to control. Sport mode works well on a track or perhaps on a mountain pass but you don’t really want to leave it on all the time. It didn’t rain much while we had the bike so we only flicked it over to rain mode for a short time to see what difference it made and it was hardly noticeable.

Touring mode is the standard setting and it really does seem to suit the bike best.

Were it not for the fact that you can change modes on the move, I would say that the switch would be irrelevant. Switch to sport mode when you get to some corners and then back to touring mode as you ride back into suburbia, assuming you haven’t run out of fuel by then. Leave the rain mode alone unless you are on a diesel covered rain-soaked road.

The handling of the Dorsoduro is subDR I VE M A G A Z IN E N O V E MB E R 2009

157

Dr i v e T e s t lime and far better than the bikes stance ease. I’m not suggesting it will take on would lead you to believe.

Throw the

the sort of terrain that a dedicated of f

“The handling of the Dorsoduro is sublime and far better than the bikes stance would lead you to believe.” bike into a familiar corner, look down at

roader could conquer but it certainly

the speedometer and you will be sur-

handles dirt roads without any sweat at

prised. You are going at least as fast

all.

as you would on a sports bike through the same turn and the stability of the

Hoon is an Australian term for someone

Aprilia will amaze you. Even on a

that behaves in an anti social behav-

straight stretch of road I was surprised

iour. The Aprila Dorsoduro is brilliant at

at just how stable the bike was.

hooning. It may be light on practicality but boy is it fun.

Even with it’ s excellent road manners, the Dorsoduro will take to the dirt with

Steve

Drive Vitals:

Aprilia Dorsoduro

Engine:

V-Twin 4-stroke

Induction:

Nat-asp

Capacity

749.9cc

Power

67.3 kW @ 8750 rpm

Torque

82 Nm @ 4500 rpm

Kerb weight

186 kg

Price

R118 000

DR I VE M A G A Z IN E N O V E MB E R 2009

159

D r ive Tu nes

ONE LOVE

DAVID GUETTA Marketed and distributed by EMI Music

There’s not a bigger name in dance

one of his better-known collaborators,

music at the moment than David Guet-

shines on the thumping Getting’ Over,

ta, his duet with Kelly Rowland, When

while will.i.am and

Love Takes Over , possibly the most

some hip-hop funk to On

recognisable dance song of the year

.

Apl de

Ap bring

The Dance-

f oor (there’s even a killer remix of the

The second single, Sexy Bitch,

Black Eyed Peas’ I Gotta Feeling). It’ s

featuring

impossible not to smile when David

Akon of all peo-

ple, is set to secure even more

Guetta is playing and One Love is a

album sales.

permanent f xture in every car I drive.

A number of popular

vocalists appear on One Love (will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas, Estelle, Kid

BEST SONGS:

Getting’ Over; Sexy

Cudi, Ne-Yo), but never manage to steal Bitch; On the Dancefloor the spotlight from monsieur Guetta, instead complementing his music to such

GET IT IF YOU LIKE: Substantial beats

an extent that they simply become the

with soulful vocals.

voice in the background. Chris Willis,

LEAVE THIS TOWN DAUGHTRY

Marketed and distributed by Sony Music

160

DRIVE M AGAZINE NOVEM BER 2009

D r i v e T une s He may not have won

American Idol

gle, No Surprise, remains a favourite,

a few years back, but Chris Daughtry

showing that songs about failed rela-

has proved that idols come in various

tionships needn’t be soppy tearjerkers,

shapes, sizes and genres. Leave This

with You Don’t Belong, What I MeantTo

Town is a stellar follow-up to his self-

Say, Ghost of Me and Tennessee Line

titled debut album from 2006, showing

all standing out. It’ s undoubtedly solid

immense growth in style and execu-

rock music, but with a touch of soul.

tion. He’s pulled in some big names to help, and guys like Chad Kroeger (from BEST SONGS: No Surprise; Life After Nickelback) and Ben Moody (formerly

You; You Don’t Belong; What I Meant

Evanescence) brings a polished feel

To Say

to Daughtry’ s undeniable talent. Love lost and found is a central theme, but it

GET IT IF YOU LIKE: Rock music with

never gets too teary-eyed. The first sin-

soul and without the soppiness

21st Century Breakdown GREEN DAY

Marketed and distributed by Warner Music Gallo Africa

It’s been one of the most anticipated

sarily provocative, but thought-provok-

albums of the year , and Green Day

ing. Where American Idiot delivered

doesn’t disappoint with 21st Century

in short bursts of punk brilliance, 21st

Breakdown. Continuing with the politi-

Century Breakdown appears even more

cal commentary the band successfully

ambitious, thankfully delivering on the

started on American Idiot, the band re-

promise with relevant and magnificent

mains critical of the American adminis-

lyrics and fantastic instrumentation.

tration, dishing out social and political commentary in a way that’s not necesDR I VE M A G A Z IN E N O V E MB E R 2009

BEST SONGS: 21 Guns; Know Your 161

D r ive Tu nes Enemy; Viva La Gloria; Before The

GET IT IF

YOU LIKE: Cutting edge

Lobotomy

social commentary and superb drums

BATTLEFIELD

JORDIN SPARKS Marketed and distributed by Sony Music SA

The winner of American Idol 6, Jordin

love songs like No Parade and Don’t Let

Sparks returns with an album that not

It Go To Your Head, Battle f eld is easy-

only improves on her self-titled 2007 de-

on-the-year from start to

but, but heralds a much-improved new

perfect companion for most driving situ-

sound for one of pop music’s hottest new

ations. Tattoo and One Step at a Time,

talents. The title track, Battle f eld, has

both from her debut, are bonus tracks.

f nish and a

already secured top positions on most international charts, and the follow-up,

BEST SONGS: Battlefield; S.O.S. (Let

S.O.S. (Let The Music Play) is bound to

The Music Play);

achieve similar success. From catchy dance melodies (Emergency (91 Watch you Go) to more introspective

1),

GET IT IF YOU LIKE: Top-notch pop music

Christo Valentyn

A member of the Southern African Freelancers’ Association A member of the South African Guild of Motoring Journalists 162

DRIVE M AGAZINE NOVEM BER 2009

D r i v e T une s

THE E.N.D.

(ENERGY NEVER DIES)

BLACK EYED PEAS Marketed and distributed by Universal Music SA

It’s a very apt title for the latest of fer-

as commercially acceptable as Monkey

ing from the ‘Peas, the band taking

Business, but it shows growth in exe-

the clever rhymes and hip-hop attitude

cution and unashamed musical experi-

that made them famous and, this time

mentation, which is essential to staying

round, mixing it up with some cutting

fresh in the music game.

edge electronica as on Rockin’ To The Beat, Imma Be and Rocky Your Body.

BEST SONGS: Boom Boom Pow; I

It’s a strange sound at first but easy to

Gotta Feeling; Rock Your Body; Imma

get into, the killer basslines, thumping

Be

beats and infectious rhythms familiar from their earlier work. It’

s definitely

not as groundbreaking as Elephunk or

DR I VE M A G A Z IN E N O V E MB E R 2009

GET IT IF YOU LIKE: Electronic pop and hip-hop beats

163

D r ive Fu nnies

B

ig wheels. That is the criterion of a car ’s quality. In the opinion of the Rolls Royce agent, anyway. He has never known a top-notch vehicle with small wheels. Well, he may be right.

On the other hand there are certain disadvantages to big wheels. The cost of tyres for one.

164

Having taken a wife, it became necessary to make a careful appraisal of the financial situation. Many calculations on nearly as many bits of paper revealed the stark facts. Running the car would absorb 45% of income. Rent 20%; groceries, meat, etc. 35%; clothing 5%, incidentals 5%. Result - 110%.

DRIVE M AGAZINE NOVEM BER 2009

D r i v e F u nni e s Something would have to go. After much heart searching it was decided to lay up the car

. A

motor cycle would be more economical. Economical it may have been. Distressing it certainly was.

The winter was long and hard. Norfolk winters always are.

And snow-

bound roads are no place for a 125 cc motorbike. In fact, I didn’t have much success at keeping it on the road. I lost count of the times I became immersed in snowdrifts with the bike rid-

left for tyres. Yes, it had big wheels. I

ing me. Fortunately , even at max chat

think you will agree that it’ s a bit point-

(65 km/h), no permanent damage was

less buying one new tyre. When all the

done. Except to the ego.

others are giving passable imitations of GP slicks.

By the end of the winter I never wanted to see another bike. Further calcula-

Never mind, the car was on the road

tion ensued. Now, let’s see. Set fire to

again. As long as extreme prudence

the bike and claim on insurance.

was exercised, everything would be

Add

up 5 months saving of running costs.

0.K. A roof, windows, a heater - abso-

Cut down a bit on the beer . It could be

lute luxury. I was even looking forward

done.

to visiting my dentist on the morrow . A fifteen kilometre drive in each direction

Having taken care of road tax and

would adequately compensate for a

insurance though, there wasn’t much

spot of discomfort in the infernal chair.

DR I VE M A G A Z IN E N O V E MB E R 2009

165

D r ive Fu nnies of a double bend in the road.

In the l8th century it was a good idea. On the morning of my dental appointment rather less so.

The wall cast a shadow across the road at that point. Right on the apex of the bend.

One of the points stressed by advanced driving instructors is: in the wet, never cross a line dividing two different road surfaces with the front

That

wheels turned. I stood no chance at

night it snowed. Most inconsider-

all. On the apex of the bend the surface

ate. Spring had sprung a week ago,

changed from slush to packed snow.

according to the calendar . Still, by the time I set of f the snow was beginning

Don’t panic. Feet off. Steer into the skid.

to melt. Of course driving on slush requires considerable care. With smooth tyres a certain amount of skill is an

Full lock. Looking to my right I could see the boot alongside me.

Travelling

sideways down the road we were now

added advantage. Some knowledge of skid control is a help too. Con f dent in my exceptional expertise the winding

pointed at the wall. If it comes out of the skid now it’ s going to be rather noisy , I thought.

road held no terrors.

Sometime during the l8th century a magnif cent f int wall had been built by one of the landed gentry

. Surround-

ing his estate it protected his privacy from travellers along the road

f anking

the great park. At one end of the wall was a beautiful ornamental gateway

.

Strategically placed to take advantage 166

DRIVE M AGAZINE NOVEM BER 2009

D r i v e F u nni e s With a bit of luck,

quality car . Anything less robust and I

inducing another

would have had a lap full of engine.

skid should take me straight through

Now too late for the dentist, it was

the gateway . Full

homeward bound.

opposite lock. There

time we arrived the snow had melted to

was a long pause

a memory.

Annoyingly by the

in the proceedings while big wheels

In the event, repairs cost about three

decided what to do.

times the price of new tyres. It’

s

Having made up her mind she came out

debatable whether new tyres would have

of the skid with alarming suddenness.

prevented the debacle. I rather suspect

Two seconds too late.

they would. Attacking a two-hundredyear-old wall in a ton and a half of motor

Have you ever had one of those

car is not to be recommended. The wall

moments? When everything goes into

almost always wins.

slow motion? I could have eaten lunch between that instant and the next. The next, of course, was the one in which we bounced off the wall. Head on. Two metres to the right of the gateway.

It took some time to prise the bumper bar and wing of f the front wheel. diator shell, a splendid edi

The ra-

So you see, big wheels are something of

f ce, now

a mixed blessing. The only bright feature

resembled a surrealist sculpture of

was the dentist’s appointment book. He

Quasimodo. At least damage was

couldn’t f t me in again for three months.

conf ned mainly to the cosmetics. On

By the time his bill came, I could almost

the whole the car stood up remarkably

afford to pay it.

well to its mural combat. Obviously a

Bob Allison

DR I VE M A G A Z IN E N O V E MB E R 2009

167