NamWheels Edition 23 by GalimotoMedia

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NAMIBIAN MOTORING FOCUS

EDITION 23 | APRIL-MAY 2021

A GALIMOTO MEDIA PRODUCT

Mercedes-AMG CLS53 4Matic+

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INDEX

APRIL-MAY 2021

NamWheels ...is a motoring portal for petrolheads, by petrolheads, in our beautiful Land of the Brave, Namibia. We aim to bring you a fairly regular boost of all things automotive which should be exciting for viewers, beneficial to advertisers and something all Namibian car lovers can be proud of.

Publisher: Galimoto Media cc Distribution: The Interwebs Editor: Hanjo Stier Sub: A lady simply named “M” Design: 825 Media Contributors: Franco Theron, Nico Boshoff, Dr. Hans Heese, Karl-Heinz Eisenberg Some boring copyright stuff and, like, a Advertise: 081 348 3348 few regional issues may apply. Unless info@namwheels.com otherwise stated, tests are conducted in www.namwheels.com South Africa at or near sea level and all prices or specifications were presumed correct at the time of being published. We take great care during publishing, yet cannot be held liable for the results @ / GalimotoMedia of incorrect data.

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News - Local, ZA & Worldwide New on our YouTube channel NamWheels top5 List Review: Mercedes-AMG CLS53 Safety: Why service your car? Comment: STOP the SUV tsunami NamWheels Car of the Year 2020 Sprint Review: Toyota Hilux RS

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APRIL-MAY 2021

NEWS

LOCAL & ZA MAHINDRA OPENS TRAINING CENTRE Last month, Mahindra South Africa officially opened the doors of its new Training Centre in Gauteng. The new centre is located in Centurion and it more than doubles the available space of its predecessor. It will be used for all internal and dealer training and will also welcome dealers and staff from other countries in the larger Southern African Development Community.

ONGWEDIVA LADY WINS HAMPER NamWheels recently chose 10 finalist for their 2020 Car of the Year competition and left the final vote up to the public - with the eventual winner being the Audi A7 Sportback Quattro. A random winner was then drawn from the participants who liked, commented or shared the competition via Facebook. Our winner of the branded Hyundai hamper was Meme WaNambili Na Immz from Ongwediva. Congratulations!

WORLDWIDE MITSUBISHI OPENS IN GABORONE

LEXUS AIMING FOR ELECTRIFICATION

ALFA ROMEO’S NEW HEADQUARTERS

Botswana’s new Mitsubishi Motors Gaborone dealership is owned and managed by the BB Motors group. The facility offers new vehicle sales and a comprehensive workshop. The Bhamjee family, owners of BB Motors, have been in the motor industry for the last 42 years. The new dealership address is Plot 17955, Luthuli Road, Gaborone, Botswana, and it will be open for business on weekdays from 07:30 to 17:30 and on Saturdays from 08:00 to 12:30.

Lexus is accelerating the development of vehicles that meet diversifying needs and lifestyles of customers by confirming the introduction of 20 new vehicles by 2025 including two models later this year. This is part of the Japanese luxury lifestyle brand's 'Lexus Electrified' vision. Electric variants of all Lexus models will be offered by mid-decade, and the sales ratio of electrified vehicles is forecast to exceed that of petrol-only or diesel-only models.

Alfa Romeo has chosen the Centro Stile as the site for its new headquarters, an iconic inspirational place where the fullest expression of Italian design is intertwined with an advanced concept of operating spaces. Such an environment was identified as the Centro Stile on Via Plava, a redeveloped part of the Mirafiori plant on the premises of the historic Officine 83 workshops. This iconic location is bound to tradition: over 110 years, beauty and dynamism have been the hallmarks of every Alfa Romeo creation.

HYUNDAI LAUNCHES NEW i20 The all-new Hyundai i20 has arrived in South Africa with an appealing design inspired by Hyundai’s new “Sensuous Sportiness” design identity, a new engine in the range and a cabin that is roomier and sports a sculptured and appealing look. We attended the new i20's launch in Somerset West and will publish a launch report in an upcoming edition of NamWheels!

T8 IS A BEST SELLER The eye-catching T8 leads JAC Motors' charge in the rapidly growing leisureorientated pick-up segment. "The new T8 bakkies arrived in S.A. before lockdown last year. We distributed the stock to our dealers but could not officially launch our new flagship to the market. The initial demand was excellent despite the impact of Covid-19 on car sales, and now, only one year later, the T8 is our bestseller," says Karl-Heinz Gö bel, Chief Executive Officer of JAC Motors South Africa.

TRENTYRE ATTAINS B-BBEE LEVEL 1 The TrenTyre Directors are delighted to announce that the transformation strategy paid off. The all-female board of directors want to announce that TrenTyre is a B-BBEE Level 1 Contributor as confirmed by directors Fikile Thabethe , Nonkosi Dyantyi and Ria Bronkhorst.

ISUZU SA SUPPORTS YES PROGRAMME Isuzu Motors South Africa recently welcomed the next group of Youth Employment Service (YES) candidates. The YES programme, which was launched by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in 2018 with the aim to create paid work experience, has offered many young individuals the opportunity to increase their employability. Isuzu placed 42 candidates in various departments across the company and its subsidiaries.

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TIPS & LISTS

APRIL-MAY 2021

the NamWheels

top5

Welcome to one of NamWheels' regular features - our list of top 5 carrelated items. Please note that this is not a list of our favourite colours (our editor seriously dislikes the top one), but rather of those paint hues chosen by the car-buying public. We gathered this information from various sources in southern Africa and our powers of observation around Namibia. Feel free to send us comments or feedback: info@namwheels.com

CAR COLOURS WHITE including pearl effects

Namibia certainly has its own motoring culture but most vehicles still arrive through South Africa, which means that our southern neighbours often pre-choose new car colours for us. That is also true for white, which is considered a “safe” colour.

That means white cars are very visible in all weather conditions; plus they add a level of anonymity to your choice. White is also an “easy” colour because these vehicles are fairly fuss-free to clean or re-spray.

SILVER And light grey metallics

Although silver is a prominent shade in the office car park at Galimoto Media and NamWheels, we consider this the slightly more shiny and stylish alternative to white. Think of any vehicle, of any brand, in silver. They just look sophisticated.

On top of that, some luxury and sports car makers call this colour “Resale Silver” because it pleases both the white-haters and metallic-lovers at the same time. Did you know? Silver is one of the most difficult colours to (partially) respray.

GREY / BLACK Flat or dark metallic hues

Southern Africa’s third most popular car colour is (usually) first in the new car brochures of most European manufacturers: greys and blacks. From entry-level sedans to special-order limosines, all of them offer a wide selection of greys.

We’re fond of grey cars because they can hide dirt like no other; although they also blend into a long ribbon of tarmac. Black is even worse but can look stunning on the right car... for the 10 minutes after you washed it.

BLUE Like the sky, sea or Eiffel65

This is probably one of our most favourite colours at NamWheels because - unlike green or brown blue always makes a car look elegant and classy. Did you know that blue also has a slight shrinking effect? It makes a car’s lines seem more compact.

The downsides of blue are fairly similar to grey, as it is also less visible than brighter hues. Which is why we’re always fond of a fairly bright but rich metallic colour like the vehicle in this photo. Not the easiest to keep clean, either.

RED And maroon or metallics

Are the owners of red cars sexually frustrated? Did they purposefully choose the colour of love or were they going for the shade of blood and war? The opinions are wildly different but some of us (editor: Me, me, pick me!) adore red cars.

Red is a racing colour, it’s also a prime / primal hue which is easy to spot at the Dunes Mall parking lot. The only remark we have is that not all vehicles look good in red, especially modern ones that lack contrasts (like chrome) to break the flat colour.

WRONG COLOURS? Some people think that certain colours (green) are apparently unlucky, but we’ll leave that up to you. Dark colours are not easily seen on the long, open road so they can pose a safety risk. And yes, vibrant or crazy hues can be bad for the resale value as our pre-owned car market is (fairly) reserved. Such a pity!

DISCLAIMER

We mean well by helping you with purchasing your next car but this information is given without guarantees nor can we be held responsible for any unfortunate incidents arising from its use.

CIRCLE

W TO USE O H

RAFF T I A

• If you are in doubt, proceed slowly and with caution. • Yield to traffic from the right OR first at their line may proceed. • Look for signs / markings! • Always yield to traffic which is already in the circle. • Indicate your intentions when entering, turning or exiting the circle. • Stick to your lane until you need to exit (as per the graphic)

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REVIEW

APRIL-MAY 2021

CLICK HERE FOR THE ACCELERATION VIDEO

Mercedes-AMG CLS53 We at NamWheels are fairly sure that most car buyers make up their minds before they even waltz into a showroom.

What they need is a gentle shove in the general direction of an OTP and we're happy to help with a few points as to why you should buy a new CLS53 AMG. 1. The looks

lovely middle ground in their lineup. It is extremely responsive, wonderfully powerful, and sounds great too! Also, thanks to mild electri ication, the ‘53 can even be ef icient… but we forgot to test that. 4. …and its performance What we did test was the zero to 100km/h time at high (Windhoek) altitudes.

communication options, vehicle info displays, digital gauge cluster, ventilation settings, as well as various convenience and driver aids. Being a new Mercedes, you also get MBUX, a voice command system which comes with a very chatty tannie in the dashboard. 8. Size and space

The CLS is vaguely related to the medium-sized E-Class sedan, and this certainly shows in its overall dimensions or passenger and cargo room. Yes, the roof is a bit lower and the cabin feels more cocooned but this is a great size by modern standards. Not too long or labby, but also generously proportioned.

This is a rather touchy subject at NamWheels because our young Windhoek correspondent can't stop raving about this black beauty while his Cape-bound editor thinks it's too brash. We're safely assuming that anyone reading this text agrees with the irst opinion and would also make animal noises whenever they're near to this CLS.

The best of two runs took just 5.07 seconds, which isn't too shabby considering the manufacturer's claim of 4.5 seconds. 400m whizzed by in just 13.39 seconds while stopping from 100km/h took a simply superb 2.79 seconds and 38.17 metres. Those are excellent braking values!

Oh, and by the way, all four doors / side windows are frameless.

2. Its pedigree

5. Handling

9. Safety

AMG didn't just enter the arena ive minutes ago, their roots go back to the late 60's. The time between that pioneering era and the eventual merger with Mercedes / DaimlerBenz (starting ca. 1993) was illed with amazing power, style and handling upgrades to any Mercedes you could bring them.

Ahh yes, have we mentioned the grip levels yet? In a nutshell, the CLS53 has a highly intelligent and adaptive all-wheel drive system which not only aids traction oﬀ the line but also allows you to corner at speeds that make most passengers say their prayers. That's also thanks to sticky 19-inch tyres itted here.

Sure, nowadays they’re a perfectlypositioned cog in a very well-oiled corporate money machine but their experience still shows. And while some folks may lament the loss of old-school engine tuning (who doesn't?) there's no denying that this CLS53 is a proper performance car. How do maximums of 320kW and 520Nm sound?

6. Ride comfort

Naturally, this fresh Mercedes-AMG product comes with the latest and greatest safety equipment to make any journey as safe as possible. Active driver aids include lane departure warning and collision alert while some of its passive equipment is multiple airbags, adaptive braking systems and pre/post-crash intervention.

3. That engine… AMG has iddled with everything from four to twelve cylinders, and this Mercedes-derived 2,996cc straight-six turbo-petrol forms a

Right, this is a matter of personal taste because all testers thought that the vehicle has a fairly pliant ride; especially for a modern performance car. However, if you're used to old yank tanks or luxobarges, the ride of this black beast will be rather irm. Happily, there are also multiple drive modes to choose from. 7. The toys Other things which can be iddled with endlessly are the media /

10. That feeling Yes, this last point is harder to quantify. It's that feeling you get when you see your favourite food, a stunning sunset, or maybe an attractive person of the opposite sex? We're here to tell you that the Mercedes-AMG CLS53 is a very talented and jolly exciting vehicle which should easily make your automotive dreams come true. Just don't ask about the price…

SAFETY

APRIL-MAY 2021

WHY SERVICE YOUR CAR?

D’you want the short answer? Because it’ll break, and that sucks. Cars have dozens of moving parts and oily bits which will only last a certain while. And if you forget to service, oil or replace them, the whole darn car will just stop working. So - here’s what you should do. Find out which parts of your car need to be serviced at what point in time. Most modern vehicles will have a factory or dealer recommendation for their service schedule but for older cars (and those out of motorplan) you could also try to find an independent workshop or do the service work yourself... if you know what you’re doing. Here’s a very generic list of what should be done: • Replace engine oil • Replace engine oil filter • Check / replace brake parts * • Check / replace suspension parts * • Replace spark plugs * • Check / replace battery * • Replace fuel filter • Check / replace gearbox oil • Replace coolant * • Check / replace exhaust * • Check / replace timing belt * • Check / replace tyres * • Replace blinker fluid *

1 year / 10,000km 1 year / 10,000km 1 year / 10,000km 1 year / 10,000km 2 years / 20,000km 2 years / 20,000km 3 years / 30,000km 3 years / 30,000km 3 years / 30,000km 3 years / 50,000km 4 years / 100,000km 10 years / if stukkend 20 years / if depleted

* only if worn or defective, may differ for Diesels or EV’s PLEASE NOTE: these are general / wide suggestions and may not be applicable to your vehicle! For the best service schedule, please check your vehicle’s on-board computer, service timer, owner’s manual or recommended / affiliated workshop.

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Your GLB with a N$ 30 000 Price Advantage. Thoroughly thought out.

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COMMENT

APRIL-MAY 2021

STOP

the SUV

I have nightmares. Going back to high school in my underwear or suddenly falling off a cliff pale in significance to the one about a gigantic wall of cars rolling up my street. Three, four, five cars high and tumbling one over the other, the mass of [insert Yankee slang here] compact crossover SUV’s [end slang] grows bigger and bigger as it nears my house…

It’s all your fault. And mine. Oh, and our parents’. Asked why mine bought a modern softroader SUV, they replied by stating that they occasionally go off-road (down a dirt road for Easter lunch) while the extra ride height feels safer (it isn’t) and makes it easier to enter or exit the vehicle. OK, that last one I can’t argue with. But the reason for my recurring ‘mare about wildly proliferating pavement 4×4’s is akin to being in a vibrant street market and foolishly pointing at some food. “Ooh, I like that!” will instantly be rewarded by two dozen overeager sellers mutilating each other to promote their goods. You don’t believe me? Watch this:

Alfa-Romeo Stelvio Audi Q2 Audi Q3 Audi Q5 Audi Q7 Audi Q8 BAIC X25 BMW X1 BMW X3 BMW X4 BMW X5 BMW X6 BMW X7 Citroen C3 Aircross Citroen C5 Aircross Fiat 500X Ford Ecosport Ford Everest Ford Kuga Haval H1 Haval H2 Haval H6 Haval H6 C Haval H9 Honda CR-V Honda HR-V Honda WR-V Hyundai Creta Hyundai Kona Hyundai Santa Fe Hyundai Tucson Hyundai Venue Isuzu mu-X Jaguar E-Pace Jaguar F-Pace Jaguar I-Pace Jeep Cherokee Jeep Compass Jeep Grand Cherokee

Jeep Renegade Jeep Wrangler JMC Landwind 5 Kia Seltos Kia Sportage Kia Sonet Land-Rover Defender Land-Rover Discovery Land-Rover Discovery Sport Range Rover Range Rover Evoque Range Rover Sport Range Rover Velar Lexus LX Lexus NX Lexus RX Lexus UX Mahindra KUV100 Mahindra Scorpio Mahindra Thar Mahindra TUV300 Mahindra XUV300 Mahindra XUV500 Mazda CX-3 Mazda CX-30 Mazda CX-5 Mercedes-Benz GLA Mercedes-Benz GLB Mercedes-Benz GLC Mercedes-Benz GLE Mercedes-Benz GLS M-Benz G (Gelä ndewagen) Mini Countryman Mitsubishi ASX Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross Mitsubishi Outlander Mitsubishi Pajero Mitsubishi Pajero Sport Nissan Magnite

tsunami Nissan Qashqai Nissan X-Trail Opel Crossland X Opel Grandland X Opel Mokka X Peugeot 2008 Peugeot 3008 Peugeot 5008 Porsche Cayenne Porsche Macan Renault Captur Renault Duster Renault Koleos Renault Kwid Renault Sandero Stepway Renault Kiger Subaru Forester Subaru Outback Subaru XV Suzuki Ignis Suzuki Jimny Suzuki S’presso Suzuki Vitara Toyota C-HR Toyota FJ Cruiser Toyota Fortuner Toyota Land Cruiser 76 Toyota Land Cruiser 79 Toyota Land Cruiser 200 Toyota Land Cruiser Prado Toyota RAV4 Volkswagen T-Cross Volkswagen T-Roc Volkswagen Tiguan / Allspace Volkswagen Touareg Volvo XC40 Volvo XC60 Volvo XC90

HAVE YOUR SAY TELL US YOUR OPINION BY VISITING US ON FACEBOOK: @ / NamWheels

So, what did you think of that list? That’s JUST the models available for sale in South Africa and excludes any bakkies or 4×4 commercial vehicles! Once I actually completed this list I realised in utter horror that the next occurrence of my nightmare may contain more SUV’s than ever before… And if you think I’m being silly – or should not have included cheap little city stuff like the Kwid or Ignis – you just wait a year or two and see what else is coming!

The SUV is not just here to stay, it’s taking our names, kicking everyone’s arse, going to steal your pousebrood money and will chase away everything that isn’t tall, trendy and terribly overpriced. Ironically, our only salvation appears to be Greenpeace types as they’ve long identified big SUV’s as the poster-child for excessive and selfish pollution. However, as already evidenced by Tesla or the Jaguar I-pace, the soft-roader is securing its future by adapting to a self-driving, electric, hideously expensive ego boost. Battery lease included.

CAR OF THE YEAR

APRIL-MAY 2021

And the winner is... NamWheels recently announced the winner of its 2020 Car of the Year competition: the Audi A7 Sportback!

With multiple awards like this under our belts (previous winners include the Mitsubishi Pajero Sport, VW Polo and Toyota Hilux) we decided to mix things up a bit by handing the final voting process over to the public. Our three main journalists consumed much coffee until they arrived at a list of 10 press vehicles which impressed them during 2020. (see graph on the right) This list was then publically shared via our NamWheels Facebook page where everyone was encouraged to like, comment and share the post. After a few days - and thousands of responses from the public - the car with the most votes was the Audi A7 and the announcement was made on Independence Day 2021. We also picked a random name from the post’s participants and a very cheerful fire fighter from Ongwediva won a Hyundai hamper containing a pen, USB flash disk, two baseball caps and an aftershave.

NAMWHEELS JOURNALISTS

• Audi A7 Sportback 55 TFSi • Ford Figo Freestyle • Hyundai Atos 1.1 Motion • Jaguar i-Pace EV400 S • Mercedes-AMG C63 S • Mitsubishi Pajero Sport 4WD Exceed • Peugeot 108 Active • Suzuki Vitara Turbo • Volkswagen Caddy 1.0 TSi Trendline • Volvo XC90 D5 R-Design

LIST OF FINALISTS [ ALPHABETICAL ]

...the Audi A7 Sportback 55 TFSi

[ 61 ] PRESS VEHICLES TESTED IN 2020

PUBLIC VOTES VIA FACEBOOK PAGE

WINNER ANNOUNCED ON 21 MARCH 2021

SPRINT REVIEW

APRIL-MAY 2021

Toyota Hilux 2.8 GD-6 D/C

4x4 Legend RS Automatic I’ve typed it before and I’ll type it again: the Toyota Hilux doesn’t actually need reviewing. Surely its fans are already convinced of its “awsumness” and need no further encouragement? You should know: The obvious reason why Toyota's press leet gave us this pitch-black “RS” (roller shutter) Legend double-cab is the new engine. The 2.8 GD6 name has been around for a while but it was fast losing ground to established (and some upstart) rivals in terms of power and torque igures. All is well again because Hilux can now brag with 204 horsepower. More details: Hand-on-heart, I personally didn't feel a huge spike in vooma when compared to any previous 2.8 iterations but I will concede that the motor is fairly responsive and oﬀers a wonderfully wide torque band for this 6-speed automatic gearbox to work with. Except at very high speeds, there's always enough grunt on tap. What else? Toyota claims average fuel consumption of 8L/100km and we'll have to take their word for it. Our mixed driving routines include a lot of town driving so we often saw 10 on the Hilux' colourful trip computer. Ride and handling are the usual compromise between hardy rear leaf springs and spongy front springs/shocks; with a hint of re inement.

0-100km/h performance is better than before, on par for modern bakkies, yet still not class-leading. Our single emergency brake test from 100km/h took 3.1 seconds and 44.56m. Again, those are ballpark igures, but we have to point out that the previous Hilux undercut them by a huge margin. Diﬀerent tyres, we suspect. Why you shouldn't: I can't criticise the Hilux for any of its bakkie failings – like the split personality suspension, garish exterior design, unnecessary badging or irm rear bench – because it applies to all its rivals, too. Personally, I found that the infotainment system looks a bit dated (or simple) but its operation is commendable. Why you should: It's the country's favourite vehicle which is made by the country's favourite brand with the best dealer network and alleged reliability. The extra power and Legend-speci ic cosmetics may have moved the Hilux back into the pick-up race but it also aﬀected its asking price. This one costs almost N$870,000.

FULL SPEC SHEET Engine: Transmission:

2.8L i-4 Turbo-diesel 6-speed Automatic

Drive Train:

RWD/4WD

Max. Power:

150kW

Max. Torque:

500Nm

Avg consumption: 0-100km/h: Top Speed: List Price:

8.0L/100km (claimed) 10.82 seconds (no claim) 175km/h (claimed) R868,100

ACCELERATION VIDEO

Click on the above thumbnail or video icon to watch this Hilux accelerate...

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LUISTER NOU MOOI...

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