9 COOLEST
cars
BY JASON WOOSEY, WILLEM VD PUTTE AND PRITESH RUTHUN
Independent’s motoring team picks nine of the best (and coolest) cars you can buy in Mzansi...
Toyota GR Yaris
Porsche Taycan Turbo S A FEW years back I could never have imagined that I’d ever get excited by an electric car, but the Porsche Taycan Turbo S managed to change my mind in just 2.8 seconds. Instant thrust is a term that comes to mind here. Pulling 1.2g from a standing start, the Turbo S actually accelerates faster over the first few metres than the force of gravity, which means you’re picking up speed more rapidly than a skydiver in free fall. Porsche claims it’ll surge from 0-100km/h in 2.8 seconds, and I’m not arguing with that. Acceleration from standstill, using Launch Control, is simply exhilarating. The car’s two permanently excited synchronous electric motors, one mounted on each axle, collectively produce 460kW - although 560kW is briefly available on overboost. Of course, it’s the torque figure of 1050Nm that excites us the most here. The engineers have also done all the things you’d expect to make this car corner like a Porsche should. You still feel connected to the road and the low centre of gravity enabled by positioning the batteries in the chassis ensures that it hugs tarmac the way you’d expect from a sports car built in Stuttgart. The Taycan also excels as a comfortable, mile-gobbling grand tourer and the ride comfort is quite cushy, thanks to the standard three-chamber air suspension system, which can also raise the car to tackle large speed bumps. As for the driving range, Porsche claims it’ll get around 400km between charges in regular driving and 340km on the open road. The Porsche Taycan Turbo S is expensive, though, retailing at a shade under R4 million.
Set to hit Mzansi around midyear, the Toyota GR Yaris is no ordinary ‘hot hatch’. This little firecracker was essentially created as a homologation model for Toyota’s next-generation WRC car, which means you’re literally getting a rally car for the road, complete all-wheel drive and the world’s most powerful production threecylinder engine. The vehicle’s purpose-built 1.6-litre, three-cylinder powerplant produces 200kW at 6500rpm and 370Nm from 3000 revs. And despite the fitment of all-wheel drive, the car weighs a mere 1280kg, thanks to the extensive use of lightweight materials such as aluminium for the bonnet, doors and tailgate and a new type of carbon fibre polymer for the roof. With a power-to-weight ratio of 156kW per tonne, the Yaris GR is said to be capable of a 5.2-second 0-100km/h sprint, while the top speed is electronically limited to 230km/h. But only purists need apply here as the only gearbox option is a six-speed manual with rev matching on the up and down shifts. You also get to decide exactly how much torque goes to the rear wheels, that being up to 70 percent when Sport Mode is dialled in. Switch over to Track Mode and you have a 50:50 split for the ultimate in balance, while normal mode sees 60 percent going to the front. The chassis has been given a complete overhaul too, with the standard Yaris’s boring torsion beam being replaced by a multilink set-up. This is certainly no ordinary hatchback, and nothing like a GTI either. We love that about the GR Yaris. Just don’t expect it to come cheap.
Mercedes-AMG C63 S Coupe The next-generation Mercedes-AMG C63 will have allwheel drive and just four cylinders. The good news is that thanks to a hybrid system and some battery boost, it will actually be more potent than today’s car. But we’ll sure miss that rumbly V8 engine, which for us is an important part of the entertainment factor. Which means that the current C63 S is possibly your last chance to buy a compact AMG with a V8 engine and rearwheel drive. Its 4-litre twin-turbo V8 is paired with a ninespeed MCT multi-clutch gearbox and the engine produces a wholesome 375kW and 700Nm, which is still at the sharp end of its class even towards the end of its production cycle. In fact until the recently launched BMW M4 came along and matched it, it was the perkiest. Expect to blast from 0-100km/h in just 3.9 seconds. But with all that power going to the back wheels, this car can bite you in the corners if you don’t know what you’re doing. Sure, it handles better than some of its tail-happy predecessors, but you will still need to stay on the right side of caution in this one. A really cool feature in the C63 S is the dynamic engine mounts, which aim to address the ‘conflict of interest’ between comfort and handling by reducing vibration from the engine and transmission unit. It certainly does the trick because despite how brutal the engine is, you never feel shaken and stirred in the cockpit. At R1 922 000, the C63 S Coupe represents the end of an indulgent era, and an exciting one at that.
