August 16, 2018
Not all Mazda vehicles had four wheels,
Witness
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Read about the Mazda ‘bikies’ and more on page 4. PHOTO: DAVE FALL
MOTORING ACROSS KZN SINCE 1904
BIKE RACES
Look again, that colour is not black, but Isuzu’s mu-X painted in Orchid Brown, which shines with a hint of purple depending on how the light catches it. The mu-X gives buyers who want their bakkies enclosed a solid alternative to the Everest and Fortuner. PHOTO: ALWYN VILJOEN
mu-X has moxie ALWYN VILJOEN ponders timelessness v timeous in the mu-X THE question I had before driving the mu-X was whether Isuzu has waited too long to bring us their mu-X sport utility vehicle. The mu-X was first launched in Thailand in 2013; already had its mid-life facelift in 2017 and on paper, the numbers suggest the mu-X’s underpinnings are aimed at timeless durability rather than setting faster times between the traffic lights like all Ranger drivers seem intent on doing. This is all in keeping with Isuzu’s reputation for slow but steady, which has certainly not damaged the mu-X sales in Australia, where this SUV has been known to outsell the Toyota Fortuner and Ford Everest. South African buyers, however, are a breed apart and we have already spurned Isuzu’s first SUV, the Frontier, when it was launched here in 1998. We are now also spoiled for choice not just with a slew of these enclosed bakkies, but normal double-cabs that deliver car-like handling and a luxury car comforts in spades. Here, the Nissan Navara, Mercedes-Benz X-Class and VW Amarok set the benchmarks, but all the others try their best to be race cars instead of the top-heavy utes they are. To not topple over in the first fast swerve, the Fortuner’s suspension is tuned rock hard, while the Everest uses a Watts link lifted straight out of oval racing cars. Compared to them, the mu-X is a hippo that wallows
when the others pirouette. Part of this is because the mu-X weighs 2 650 kg, but the Everest weighs 307 kg more and still manages to hug the corners. A steady workhorse Under the hood, Isuzu’s proven 3.0-litre four-cylinder intercooled turbo diesel engine does not help matters in the car-like handling stakes either. It makes the least power (130 kW and 380 Nm) of the three and clatters like a Massey Ferguson while at it. But as Wheels have shown by going up a wet Ongeluksnek with the same engine, it’s all how those Newtons are put down. This engine is a steady workhorse, sending power to the rear via six-speed auto that is tuned to keep the revs near 2 000 rpm, more or less in the middle of the nicely level torque curve between 1 800-2 800 rpm. With all four wheels engaged, this drivetrain will maintain speed over hill and dale even while towing a heavy car on the back. The dad who needs to load a lot will be hap-
py to know the cabin takes 612 kg, excluding all the cupholders — there’s one for each of the seven seats. Drivers with a towing licence can also hook a threeton, braked trailer or caravan. A standard sump guard and diff lock on the 4x2 allow one to be braver on farm roads with high middelmannetjies, sand or mud. On long roads, the mu-X’s 65-litre diesel tank should give over 890 km range. This is far enough for most bladders, but the competitors have 80-litre tanks in the Ford and Toyota, allowing them to travel all the way back to KZN, where fuel is cheaper. So, did Isuzu enter South Africa’s much-contested SUV fray with too old a model? After a week with the mu-X, I say no. Sure, the drivetrain and suspension are not aimed at drivers who feel any need for speed, but the engine is proven and the ride pliant. One needs not be timeous if one is timeless, right? Besides, inside the mu-X, it’s bang-on 2018, with all digital gizmos modern parents
and their kids demand, including eight speakers and a rearfacing camera that aids reversing and parking on a large, full colour display. The 5-Volt USB charging ports front and rear are also a welcome modern addition to any vehicle whose passengers have to charge smartphones and such. The mu-X also passed its crash tests with the maximum of five stars and at night, its lights are, well, light years removed from the dim Halogens we got used to on the first KBs. At the rear, ultra-bright LED tail lights remain visible even in the thick fogs that one finds on the escarpment. The mu-X also comes with a five-year or 120 000 km bumper-to-bumper warranty and a five-year or 90 000 km service plan, with service intervals once a year or every 15 000 km. Buyers can choose from four colours — all covered by a five-year, unlimited kilometre anti-corrosion warranty.
AFTER Neil Etheridge (pictured) discovered why they are called “fox!” holes while marking the route for the seventh annual Man & Machine at Bulwer, the two-day navigational enduro again drew the maximum of mid-level 400 riders last weekend. Organiser Darryl Melrose was happy to report very few injuries and bike failures compared to previous years. “It is obvious that people are putting in the training, because there were some gnarly sections. But we will always keep it normal enduro style instead of
bike breakers. Well done to all who qualified for a trophy. “For those that didn’t, see you next year — better prepared,” Melrose posted on Facebook. Next KZN biking events: • August 19: KZN regional crosscountry racing at Bishopstowe near Pietermaritzburg. More on www.kznracing.co.za for more. • August 20: Entries for the Motul Roof of Africa open at 10 am on www.racecontrol.co.za. • November 9-10: Ramasgate, “Africa’s Hardest One Day Enduro” at Chertsey farm. More on www.wforacing.co.za.
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FOR THE LEXUS V8 ENTHUSIASTS WE OFFER • Pre-Wired Lexus V8 1UZ VVTI complete with automatic gearbox • Pre-Wired Lexus V8 3UZ VVTI complete with automatic gearbox • Brand new and second hand original spares and service parts • Our pre-wired original OEM mnagement is ready for installation with only 6 wires to connect • All units are bench tested
• Top Quality used low mileage engines and gearboxes for most makes and models of cars and light delivery vehicles • Heads • Turbos • Diffs • Lexus spares • New and Second hand • We stock local stock as well
Prices mu-X 3.0 4X2 AT6 R568 000 mu-X 3.0 4×4 AT6 R629 100 The start of a legend — the Isuzu Frontier, first launched in 1998, was SA’s first enclosed bakkie that also managed to look good. We now call them SUVs and the 2018 mu-X aims to succeed where its predecessor failed to win hearts. PHOTO: ALWYN VILJOEN
Our friend dly sales s team m is s equip pped to de eal with h all en nqu uiries and ha ave a weallth of know wledg ge in the moto orin ng field d. We pride e ou ursellves in n deliveriing exception nal serv rviice and d products to o our clie ents and thereforre have a stringent qua ality check process s in plac ce to make sure that every produc ct complies s with our requirem ments an nd is in to op order. Tel:
035 789 0464 Unit 1 No 13 Dianne 071 677 0799 035 789 0754 Betastraal Street Ntuthuko 082 704 5330 Craigh: 084 357 1082 Alton, Richards Bay Fax 086 459 6725 sales@eastcoastengines.co.za
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August 16, 2018
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August 16, 2018
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Family wagon H1 Bus fits a giggle of nieces and a scrum of cousins ALWYN VILJOEN THE best-selling people mover in South Africa is not, as many would guess, the Toyota Quantum or the VW Kombi, but Huyndai’s H1 Bus. At the launch, year-to-date sales showed even when the facelifted H1 Bus was on its way, the Korean van still enjoyed a quarter of the market (25,0%), followed by the VW Kombi (23,7%) then the Quantum (12,1%). The H1 Bus also competes with the Ford Torneo Custom and the Mercedes-Benz Vito, but starting at R499 999 for the 2,4 manual and R629 900 for the 2,5 diesel automatic, none of them can touch the Korean’s value offer. Those who think other brands build better cars should note hat the 2018 JD Power survey in the U.S., which ranks cars according to the least complaints, gave the three spots to Huyndai — fol-
Huyndai’s new H1 Bus (right) hopes to also be SA’s best-selling people mover, just like the previous generation (left). PHOTO: HYUNDAI lowed by Porsche. Huyndai also leads Ford, Toyota, Citroën and Skoda in the world rally champs. Clearly, the Koreans are going places and in the H1 Bus, so can the entire family. We proved this by loading a giggle of nieces and a scrum of cousins in all the seats to explore Msunduzi. The teens had their phones
paired via Bluetooth before I even had the van in gear and report the sound and space at the back is “awesome”. Having rowed the gear lever of the 2,4 petrol (126 kW and 224 Nm at 4200 rpm), we prefer the 2,5 diesel. It has the same power at 125 kW, but makes 441 Nm from 2 250 rpm. This power goes to the 16-inch rear wheels
through a five-speed auto, where a rigid axle, five-link suspension ensures a smoother ride than in my similar sized Stavic. Since its launch in 2009, over 14 400 people have bought an H1 bus. New buyers should consider the park distance control at R4 852. It does work a treat. • alwyn.viljoen@witness.co.za
5 Continents Drive Project arrives in Africa SEPTEMBER sees the start of Toyota engineers and designers touring across Africa in the 5 Continents Drive Project that exposes the participants to real driving
conditions in different markets. The aim is for them to better understand customer needs in each region. The project has since the start in 2014 seen 480 employees
spend a collective 350 days driving Toyotas over 89 000 km across Australia, the Americas (both North and South) and Europe. The Africa leg involves
some 80 employees from Toyota, Suzuki and Hino, whose focus will be on Toyota’s 4WD vehicles — the Hilux, Land Cruiser and Fortuner. — WR.
MOTORING WitnessWheels COLLECTORS
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Old car heaven
The retro-styled Liqui Moly Inex Legend cars always provide gripping action. PHOTO: COLIN WINDELL
SMOKING HOT HISTORIC TOUR
DAVE FALL kicks tyres in Germany I WAS recently fortunate to enjoy the utlimate father-son trip, exploring what are arguably Germany’s four best car museums in two days — BMW’s museum in Munich, Mazda’s in nearby Augsburg and then the Mercedes-Benz and Porsche museums in Stuttgart. Bavarian Motor Works (BMW) shows its car and motorcycle products, along with the occasional foray by this German manufacturer which dabbled in aero engines out of necessity; and even built powerboats on occasion. It might surprise Wheels readers that the first vehicle to be produced by BMW was in fact a motorcycle. Currently there are 11 different models manufactured right here in Munich — including racebikes, enduro, touring, urban mobility, sport and roadster models. And every example can be seen in this living museum. Impressive as the car exhibits are at the BMW Welt Museum and Group Plant, (to give the museum its proper title), I had travelled all this way for the bikes, having owned many bikes in more than half a century of riding — the last four being BMW. A heart-warming surprise for me was how well the public supported these motoring museums. All the venues encountered were really well supported by enthusiasts young and old alike. I wondered if this was due to just something to do on a weekend, but I suspect it has more to do with pride in Germany’s automobile heritage (whether two wheels or four). The standard of the exhibits — whether they were simply crankcases, complete power plants, technical drawings or just beautifully streamlined bodywork both on or off their respective chassis — could all be viewed close up for pictures or scrutiny. Incidentally, I must say the transport experienced in Germany that weekend (plane/train/taxi or tram) was simply a revelation after having to on occasion risk life and limb riding Cape Town’s rundown trains or the use of life-threatening Hi-Ace taxis — all with little hope of improvement.
August 16, 2018
These two Mazda ‘bikies’ helped build Japan. PHOTO: MAZDA Language difficulties buying tickets were kept to a minimum via an automatic ticket machine that proved easy to use even for this Luddite. Public transport is not cheap in Germany, but my son and I were very impressed with a transport system that really does work to everyone’s benefit. ‘Frey Mazda’ Museum Augsburg was the next stopover point, a 40-minute train ride out of Munich Central. The train ride proved very smooth — due to having rubber-coated wheels, I believe. The Frey family run the Mazda agency in Germany and their private museum (the largest private Mazda museum outside of Hiroshima in Japan) shows pretty much “one of everything” that Mazda ever exported to Europe since the late 1950s. The vehicles are displayed in a converted tram station, which works well for visitors and enthusiasts alike. The exhibits range from Mazda’s motorcycle-powered Type GB threewheeler “bikies” (to coin a phrase) to the cute-as-a-button Mazda R360 Coupe with its twin-cylinder 356cc motor. Built to fit in with the tiny measurements allowed to Japan’s tiny ‘Kei’ cars, the 360 proved a really successful model for Mazda. Naturally, rotary-powered vehicles form the backbone of the Frey museum. Owning a Mazda MX5 makes me somewhat biased, but the rarely seen 2007 MX5-based race car must be the best car in the Frey Mazda Museum.
COLIN WINDELL IT was a great day out for KZN racers at the fourth round of the national Historic Tour run at Dezzi Raceway, Oslo Beach at the weekend with several drivers topping their respective classes against the best other provinces had to offer. More than 200 cars were entered to race on the day with Rob Prece overall winner of Class D in the Pre80 Saloon category in the stunning Power King VW Golf Mk1 — the last surviving car from the Manufacturers Challenge era. Still prepared and driven by owner Kingsley Wood, he stepped back to let Prece drive and sat in only for the 45 min-
ute Endurance Race where, unfortunately, the car had to retire after the Golf caught fire in the pits when a faulty float chamber caused fuel to overflow onto the hot engine. The heat and the extinguisher powder played havoc with the electrics, forcing the retirement. Pietermaritzburg’s Meredith Willis continued his winning ways, taking honours in Class E of the Pre80 Saloons in his Ford Escort with his brother, Quentin, doing the deed in his older model Escort in Class F. The large crowd who braved the chilly breeze were treated to some spectacular racing with plenty of thrills and spills
— all fortunately without injury to any of the competitors. The Historic Tour shared the day with the MotorMart VW Challenge that began back in 1989 and sent 36 VW Polo cars to the grid for two rounds of absolutely frenetic racing. Rory Atkinson claimed honours in Class A from Lyle Ramsay and Wayne Masters. Another visitor to the Tour was the Leet Lotus Challenge where a titanic battle raged across the two heats in ‘B’ category between eventual winner Jeffrey Kruger (Birkin Toyota) and Thomas Falkiner (Taylon Toyota) with Allan Spies (Birkin Toyota) always hovering in case either of the leaders made a mistake.
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• Dave Fall is a former motoring editor at The Witness.
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Staff at Key Pietermaritzburg crowded around this 1987 Chevrolet Caprice. They assure all Chevrolet owners that parts are not a problem for any model and that Key’s enthusiastic mechanics can get parts even for a classic like this 80s import, despite Chevrolet having closed shop in several small markets, including South Africa. PHOTO: ALWYN VILJOEN
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The overall winner of the Endurance race was Botswana’s Ricard Schuhardt in a Porsche 911. The retro-styled Liqui Moly Inex Legend cars, all powered by motorcycle engines, had their second visit to Dezzi Raceway this year and, as usual, provided plenty of gripping action with Devin Robertson (Big Boss Yamaha) claiming two race wins on the threeheat day with Justin Robertson (Big Boss Yamaha) taking the chequered flag in the third and final heat. • The next race day, featuring 15 races, is on September 15. More on KZN Road Racing Club’s site: www.kznrrc.co.za.