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February 16, 2017

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Call to nominate top drivers Hall of Fame for responsible truckers SAMANTHA GREATHEAD ARE your drivers worthy of Hall of Fame honour?

There’s R20 000 to be won by the commercial vehicle driver judged to be South Africa’s best.

Road safety is an integral part of trans­ port operations and, with this in mind, MasterDrive — in association with TruckX 2017 — launched a Hall of Fame

initiative to honour the country’s top commercial truck drivers.

Eugene Herbert, managing director of MasterDrive, one of South Africa’s top driving academies, says driver behaviour significantly influences risk manage­ ment. Traffic accidents cost South Afri­ ca about R300 billion annually.

“By working to elevate levels of road safety and encouraging drivers to set good examples to others, accident rates

KZN’s Bert Koning of BK Driver Training, Paulus Mkhize, top driver at Willowton Logistics, and Cornelius Koekemoer, top 2016 Fleetboard diesel mechanic at Andersons Trucking depot in Pietermaritzburg, are all good candidates for the new trucking Hall of Fame. PHOTO: ALWYN VILJOEN could be significantly reduced,” he says.

The aim of the Hall of Fame is to rec­ ognise and reward drivers who adhere to traffic regulations; who drive respon­ sibly and safely; and set good examples for their peers and other road users.

“It’s up to employers at transport companies to nominate them,” says Her­ bert. “They know who their best drivers are — the men and women who they can rely on to always drive safely, courteously and responsibly. We want to recognise

and reward those heroes.”

Drivers inducted will be awarded cer­ tificates at the TruckX 2017 Conference and Expo to be held on July 12 and 13 at Kyalami Race Track, in Johannesburg, with the driver judged the best in terms of an assessment by MasterDrive win­ ning R20 000.

Bert Koning, founder of BK driver training, told Wheels welcomed the Hall of Fame initiaitve, saying any recogni­ tion and reward for good truck driving was welcome in South Africa.

Driver trainer at Clover in KZN, Wel­ come Ndlovu, also welcomed the Hall of Fame for truck drivers, and said he would nominate several of his drivers from Clover’s pool of drivers, such as Al­ fred Ngilo, who last year represented South Africa against other UD drivers in Japan.

Rowlands Peters, head of the Daimler FleetBoard, said this telematics pro­ gramme supports fleet operators to manage their vehicles more economical­ ly. In practice, this translates into fuel savings of up to 15% and optimised vehi­ cle and trip utilisation, and provides an ideal platform for fleet operators to nominate top drivers for the Hall of Fame.

• To nominate the drivers you think are worthy of TruckX Hall of Fame status, click on www.truckx.co.za.

• Call 086 110 0618 for more.

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Year

Vehicle Description

Colour

Mileage

2016

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White

15 000 km

2016

Audi Q3 1.4T FSI

White

12 000 km

2016

Audi A3 1.4T FSI

White

4 500 km

Extras

Full Retail Price

Savings

Demo Price

Sunroof, electric bootlid, head up display, Matrix LED lights, rear entertainment

R776 770

R187 770

R589 000

Rear parking aid, LED tail lights, cruise control, interior aluminium look, auto release

R548 100

R118 600

R429 500

Leather covered multi-function sport steering wheel with shift paddles, panoramic sunroof, Flat tire indicators-line exterior package, black mouldings, 18ínch wheels, xenon lights.

R538 000

R99 000

R439 000

2016

Audi A3 1.8T FSI quattro S tronic

Silver

3 000 km

Panoramic sunroof, 17 inch alloy mags, Xenon lights, Audi music interface, Auto release

R579 880

R100 880

R479 000

2017

Audi TT Coupe S tronic

White

3 500 km

Navigation, Bang Olifson sound system, Head up display, 19’’ alloy mags

R690 000

R121 000

R569 000

2016

Audi A4 2.0T FSI

Grey

18 000 km

R608 700

R88 700

R520 000

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The 13th Floor

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2

WitnessWheels MOTORING

February 16, 2017

So you want a 4x4 bakkie?

Among more than a dozen bakkie brands on sale in SA, only four have power to sell really well R468 R468 000 000 (110kW/400Nm) Warranty: three three years or 100 000 km.

Service plan: plan: five years or 90 000 km

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The Toyota Hilux and Paris Hilton have this in common, both are famous for being famous. But the Hilux won’t blow a seal in the Richtersveld and its 2,4 diesel makes more than enough power at 400 Nm to get you there and back. Fleet owners like the high resale values of the Hilux the most, but the insurance rates… not so much. PHOTOS: QUICKPIC

ALWYN VILJOEN SOUTH Africans bought over 7 800 bakkies in December, many of them the top of the range double cab 4x4 models, and while there is no logic behind bakkies in suburbia, I totally get why.

It is all about escape.

Sure, a panel van is always bet­ ter for lugging loads and an SUV always more comfortable for the whole family, but these fine vehi­ cles are limited by their roofline.

On the back of a double cab, the sky is the limit and it does not matter how many bags the teenagers insist on taking with

Are you a family man who likes to take the children or mates to places at the end of long gravel roads with really good security at home?

• Yes..............................................................................................................No

…but they tried to steal my old Hilux once already…

With 320 Nm, the Isuzu KB is not the strongest of SA’s top three­best selling bakkies, but as anyone who ever got stuck in mud knows, this is still too much power in the wet. At Wheels we contend the only reason why the KB is SA’s third­top selling bakkie is fashion. And that is just how farmers in the know like it. For fewer sales also means dealers try harder with startling discounts on that eye­ watering high price as well as good trade­ins, the queues are always shorter when it comes to the 15 000 km services and best of all, the car part theft syndicates see no percentage in your Isuzu. PHOTO: ALWYN VILJOEN

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R662 000 (100 kW/320 Nm) Warranty: five years or 120 000 km.

Service plan: five years or 100 000 km.

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them, there is always space to lash on some more luggage.

Of those 7 800 sales, Toyota and Ford are the two most popu­ lar bakkies in South Africa right now. Toyota dealers sold 3 074 bakkies, followed by Ford at 2 665. Far down in third place were Isuzu, with 912 KB models sold, followed in fourth place by the Nissan NP300 Hardbody, with 717 units moved off the showroom floor and in sixth place, the VW Amarok, with 308 models sold.

Follow the arrows to find your ideal suburban escape or even work vehicle from SA’s four best­ selling 4x4 doublecab brands.

3

R405 000 R405 000 (118 (118 kW/385 kW/385 Nm) Nm) Warranty: Warranty: four four years years or or 120 000 km 120 000 km Service Service plan: plan: five five years years of of 100 000 km 100 000 km

2 Wheels recommends the 2.2 automatic Ranger as the Ford bakkie to buy. It does not generate gearbox issues like the 470 Nm from the 3,2­litre, sips fuel, needs servicing every 20 000 km, and car part theft syndicates are not putting out orders for it — yet.

This was the result three times in a row during an informal drag race, with the 2,2 Ranger automatic, winning three love, loaded with canopy and towbar to match the weight of Isuzu 3­litre 4x4.

PHOTO: JOHAN FINISH VAN DER MERWE

Are you a businessman who needs to transport heavy loads and staff to muddy sites in a bakkie you can work to death?

Yes................................................................................................................................................................ No The Nissan NP300 Hardbody is getting long in the tooth and the new Navara is sure to take sales from this reliable bakkie. What helped to sell over 700 units in December is its excellent six­year warranty and a range of optional service plans at fair prices on top of its recommended price tag.

Its age means the Hardbody is languishing a bit in SA, but there is good reason why both Mercedes­ Benz and Renault is using the Nissan’s NP300 Navara bakkie to underpin “their” bakkies.

These reasons form the DNA of the NP300, and only Isuzu dealers compete with Nissan dealers when it comes to trade­ins and discounts.

PHOTO: NISSAN

R389 R389 000 000 (105 kW/205 (105 kW/205 Nm) Nm) Warranty: Warranty: six six years years or or 150 000 km.

150 000 km. Service Service plan: plan: optional. optional.

4

Mazda trims and tucks the BT­50 bakkie MAZDA has given the BT­50 a facelift, aiming the Ford­ Ranger badge­engineered bakkie to “recreational buyers who enjoy both the outdoor and urban lifestyle”.

New on the outside are re­ designed side steps, rear com­ bination lamps and 17­inch aluminum wheels.

The cabin now sees the Blu­ etooth audio system, multi­ function steering wheel and cruise control from the SLX model while the SLE model has a rear­view camera, an au­ to dimming mirror and elec­ trical driver seat adjustment.

Two new derivatives are added to the line, a 2.2L 4x2 6MT SLX and a 2.2L 4x2 6AT SLE. Maximum power from the 2,2 engine is 110 kW at 3 700 rpm and 375 Nm be­ tween 1 500 and 2 500 rpm, just a little under that of the Ford Ranger. Fuel consump­ tion listed at 7,6/100 km.

The 3,2 engine makes 147kW at 3 000 rpm and

Mazda has given the BT­50 bakkie a facelift, with most of the changes in the cabin.

PHOTO: QUICKPIC 470 Nm between 1 750 and 2 500 rpm, the same as the Ranger. Fuel consumption for the manual is listed at 9,3l/100 km while the auto­ matic transmission gets a claimed 9,7l/100 km.

All the BT­50 bakkies are imported from Thailand and dealers offer seven exterior colour options. The BT­50

bakkie also gets Mazda Care, the same as all Mazda passen­ ger vehicles,. with a three­year unlimited kilometre factory warranty, a three­year service plan and three years’ roadside assistance.

A Customer Service Guar­ antee on pre­arranged repairs is also included.

Pricing for the model line­

up starts at R441 600 for the BT­50 2.2L DE SLX 6MT 4X2 and tops out at R555,700 for the BT­50L 3.2L DE SLE 6­speed auto. 4X4, which comes with all the trimmings plus load adaptive control, trailer Sway Mitigation, roll over mitigation, hill launch as­ sist and hill descent control.

— Witness Reporter.

MOTORING WitnessWheels

February 16, 2017

3

THE NEW LUXURY 4X4 STANDARD THE NEW LUXURY 4X4 STANDARD

First the bad news: Magna Styer will build only 99 of the Mercedes­Maybach G 650 Landaulet, and only for left­hand­ drive countries. The good news is that 4x4 fans now have a new benchmark in luxury off­roading in this open­top G­ Class, the first off­roader from the Mercedes­Maybach sub­brand. Up front a V12 engine powers both portal axles, an electric fabric top opens to the sun and the exclusive equipment specification in the rear, which includes massaging seats and video screens, makes the first class seats in the nose of a plane look Spartan. The open­top four­seater makes its world premiere at the Geneva Motor Show in March, where Wheels correspondent Sibonelo Meyeni will do his best not to hug it for too long.

PHOTOS: QUICKPIC

Dyna is now a bakkie Driving schools expected to make a switch after reclassification THE Toyota Dyna has been reclassified as a light commercial vehicle — what South Africans call a bakkie — instead of being in the medium commercial cat­ egory as has been the case since its intro­ duction to the SA market in 1965.

Being categorised as a light commer­ cial vehicle means the many driving schools that use Dyna in their fleets can now only qualify drivers for a Code B driver’s licence in these sturdy little trucks.

While it is expected that the thou­ sands of Dynas deployed daily to teach people how to drive will remain in use for many years, driving schools are ex­ pected to phase out the little trucks in favour of cars, as adverts on the likes of

Driving schools’ trusted Dyna truck is now officially a bakkie and on sale on everywhere, as learners are increasingly asking to be taught how to drive in small cars, which are easier to park. PHOTO: GUMTREE Gumtree already show.

For driving schools who keep using their Dynas, the good news is that as bak­ kies, these trucks no longer have to un­

dergo annual certificate of fitness test­ ing.

To qualify the Dyna as a bakkie, Toyo­ ta at Prospecton shaved 50 kg off the

chassis to give the Dyna a GVM of 3 500 kg — the maximum weight of LCVs in SA. Ernie Trautmann, vice­president of

Hino South Africa, says this change in category for the Dyna came about be­ cause its old­tech, normally aspirated three­litre diesel engine is not electroni­ cally controlled and cannot be fitted with a tamperproof speed limiter as re­ quired by new government regulations for all medium, heavy and extra­heavy commercial vehicles.

“The alternative to changing the Dy­ na’s category would have been to with­ draw it from our range, which we did not want to do as it is a popular model for a wide variety of operations,” he said.

He said the factory also took the rede­ velopment opportunity to upgrade the Dyna in several important aspects.

It now has anti­lock braking system as well as a narrow cab used for certain Hino 300­Series models. The front pan­ el is now one piece instead of three and incorporates new designs for the grille and bumper, while the headlamps are halogen with multi reflectors.

Inside the cab a restyled dashboard even has cup holders for the driver and front passenger. — WR.

Less tilt, more objectivity I REFER: Witness Wheels February 9, 2017 entitled “Comparing SA’s third­ best­selling 4x4 bakkie.”

The photo of an Isuzu bakkie on the front page at an almost roll­ over angle caught my atten­ tion.

At first I was par­ ticularly im­ pressed with the tyres

Even with the photo tilted upright, the angle is no less seat­gripping.

PHOTO: FILE

which were supporting such a weight at that angle with no sign of side distortion or separating from the rim. At second glance I realised why this was so; the pho­ tographer used more than a fair share of artistic licence when framing the photo.

On this planet of ours, grass, weeds and trees tend to grow up vertically at around 90 degrees to level ground.

Even if the ground is not level, most grass at the length de­ picted under the Isuzu’s number plate grows upright.

The weeds to the right of the bumper also show neat uniformity all pointing towards the heavens.

However, they do so at an angle of around 60 degrees in the photo!

To check this out, take a protractor and place its horizontal axis on the pho­ to’s horizontal base­line and take a meas­

It is always good to get an erudite letter to Wheels.

You are quite right, the camera angle was severely angled as the camera carrier rushed to snap a photo of the KB see­sawing over a deep axle bender without sliding down The Slope herself. To avoid all the empty corners above, we placed the photo at the angle it was snapped, catching the attention of many more readers than did this photo of Reece Williamson tilting his Hilux at the KZN 4x4 Challenge in December. While lighter than 3000kg, the lifted Hilux shows the lateral tilting abilities of modern bakkies. Alwyn Viljoen urement along the bottom of the bump­ er.

You should attain a figure in the region of 60 degrees.

Given a bit of vehicle body flexing, that figure would still be in the region of 55 degrees at least.

Now comes the interesting part. Tak­ ing the grass under the number plate and the straight wattle behind the bakkie into consideration, a 90 degree set square will show the true angle of pitch.

According to my calculations using the bumper again as a reference, this is no more than 20 degrees lateral tilt.

In reality it appears that the right wheel is lifted up due to the left back wheel dropping into a deep rut in the for­ estry track.

As a photographer myself, and a great fan of the tough 80s Isuzu range, I was inclined to look the other way on this seemingly trivial matter; however, I pre­ fer objective reporting and hope that members of the public realise that the vehicle in question was not being driven close to the nearly 60 degree lateral tilt angle depicted.

This is not to say that the vehicle was not travelling up a very steep incline; it

probably was.

What I am referring to is the sideways roll, which is exacerbated by camera an­ gle in the published photo.

Since many modern vehicles tend to be designed a bit on the top­heavy side, it would be interesting to know this vehi­ cle’s true ability at around 60 degrees lat­ eral tilt with a declared weight in excess of three tons.

Maybe the journalist could be more empowered to check camera angle in fu­ ture?

ERICH DEDEKIND Pietermaritzburg

4

WitnessWheels VETERANS MOTORING

February 16, 2017

Taxi art entries judged SA Taxi Foundation Art Award gives artists a chance to shine ENTRIES for the SA Taxi Foun­ dation Art Award closed on Feb­ ruary 13, and semi­finalists this year can expect to have their work exhibited at Lizamore & As­ sociates gallery in the SA Taxi Foundation Art Award Exhibi­ tion and will be included in a cat­ alogue produced to document the project.

This year the main award is worth an impressive R700 000 and includes a cash amount of R50 000, while the top five final­ ists will each receive an award to the value of R660 000 including a R10 000 cash prize.

The prizes include production of the artists’ designs as decals, each to be carried by 10 taxis on national routes for a period of six months, as well as an extensive publicity campaign aimed at cre­ ating national awareness of their work to kick­start their profes­ sional careers.

The SA Taxi Foundation Art Award therefore adds significant momentum for emerging artists trying to build a sustainable ca­ reer.

Won by Tshepo Mosopa in 2015 and Audrey Anderson in 2016, the award has seen the work of 12 finalists grace 120 taxis that transport hundreds of thou­ sands of South Africans to and from work daily. As a result, the work has been viewed by millions of South Africans, whether as taxi commuters or other road us­ ers, causing a buzz wherever it is spotted.

Fine Art consultant and indus­ try professional, Taryn Cohn, said the art award provides a great stepping stone for artists as they are tested in a number of ways.

In 2016, the project garnered a Business and Art South Africa (Basa) award in the First Time Sponsor category. As the only long­term marriage of art, de­ sign, and the taxi industry, it is cited as one of the most innova­ tive projects to emerge from the art sector in some time.

Newly appointed director for the SA Taxi Foundation and sen­ ior manager, transformation for SA Taxi, Lishani Letchmiah, said the SA Taxi Foundation Art

Award is unique in its combina­ tion of fine and graphic art, will continue to be the Foundation’s single biggest individual project, looking to further important goals of diversity, multicultural­ ism, and the empowerment of small business.

Teresa Lizamore, director of Lizamore & Associates Gallery that is managing the award, said the gallery has just hosted a solo exhibition of 2015 winner Tshe­ po Mosopa, while the 2016 win­ ner, Audrey Anderson, has suc­ cessfully participated in a num­ ber of industry projects, exhibitions, and competitions.

“Many of the artists go on to be accepted and supported by the contemporary fine art industry, which is a great pat on the back for the SA Taxi Foundation and shows the industry’s support for this unique art award.”

The entries will be judged by Ernestine White, the curator of Contemporary Art at Iziko’s South African National Gallery in Cape Town.

Her experience within the arts and culture sector spans a period of 15 years.

White spent a decade living in the United States and in 2001 re­ turned to South Africa to com­ plete her studies at the University of Cape Town.

White holds a Bachelors de­ gree in Fine Art, an Honours de­ gree in Curatorship, a Master Printer degree in Fine Art Lithog­ raphy as well as a Masters degree in Fine Art. — WR.

‘Many of the artists go on to be accepted and supported by the contemporary fine art industry, which is a great pat on the back for the SA Taxi Foundation …’

Self­taught artist Wandile Mashaba (27), a finalist in the 2016 Taxi art award, said his artwork represents the complexity of daily life.

PHOTO: SUPPLIED

Old Beetles fetch high prices at auctions While local sellers struggle to get R30 000 for their 1970s Beetles, this 1952 Volkswagen Type 1 Beetle sold for R827 777 at last weekend’s RM­Sotheby auction in Paris. The value of mint­condition vintage VW Beetles is climbing rapidly, with Beetles that sell for over R660 000 now the new normal. The two Beetles that starred as ‘Herbie’ even fetched over R1,3 million. The 1952 Beetle has over 77 000 km on the odo, all of them driven by one owner.

PHOTO: SUPPLIED

A new world record with each passing mile JOHANNESBURG — Irvin “Irv” Gordon (76) was recently in South Africa to film a video about the special relationships that people have with their cars.

While there, he took the op­ portunity to speak to locals about how to care for their cars and keep them running for longer.

Irv is certainly an expert in this area; the retired science teacher from New York is the current world record holder for the most miles driven by a single owner of a non­commercial ve­ hicle.

Along with his 1966 Volvo P1800S, Gordon has driven well over three million miles.

When he purchased his new Volvo in 1966 it arrived filled with Castrol motor oil. Irv has used the same oil ever since.

His Volvo, which still has the original engine and gearbox, has driven a remarkable distance that’s equivalent to 127 laps around the world, or six round­ trips to the Moon and back!

Irv Gordon (76) and his 5,1 million km 1966 Volvo P1800S. PHOTO: SUPPLIED And he’s still going strong, setting a new world record with each passing mile.

“Irv has reached some incred­ ible milestones using Castrol products,” said David Bouet, Castrol Africa managing direct­ or. “Castrol GTX aims to extend engine life and in Irv’s case, the

CONCOURSE WINNERS CONCOURSE WINNERS

product has absolutely deliv­ ered on its promise.

“Irv has been a great support­ er of our brand and we look for­ ward to continuing the journey together.”

“I have thoroughly enjoyed driving around the world in this car over the past 50 years, during

which time Castrol has been with me for every curve in the road. It’s terrific stuff,” said Gor­ don.

Gordon is a big advocate for car maintenance and using the best quality products. In his re­ cent film he speaks to likemind­ ed South Africans to find out what maintenance and car care mean to them.

“I’ve had a great time in South Africa. It has been won­ derful talking to people who love and take special care of their cars because they want to keep them for longer,” said Gordon.

Over the past 50 years Gor­ don has racked up more than a few stories from the road.

He’s used over 427 330 litres of petrol, 3 290 litres of Castrol oil and performed 907 oil changes. He has driven more than 170 000 km per year since retiring in 1996, his Volvo’s odometer currently stands at 3 175 995 miles (5 111 268 km) and he has no intention of slow­ ing down. — Supplied.

KZN’s Manana Nhlanhla and husband Dr Albert Nhlanhla pose after winning the Show and Shine category with their 1958 Mercedes­Benz 190 SL. at Concours South Africa 2016, held recently at Sun City in the North West Province. PHOTO: SUPPLIED

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