Wheels 20 September 2018

September 20, 2018

Witness

WHEELS

ADVERTISING: AVIR THULSIRAM ON 084 278 3447

… NOW YOU’RE MOTORING

Duster keeps lower prices The revamped model boasts some very exciting tweaks, with petrol and diesel offerings ALWYN VILJOEN THE new Renault Duster will be available from October 1, fully revamped seven years and over two million happy owners after its original introduction.

The Duster has new curves to give it a more assertive and robust look, but with the same compact dimensions. It also passes the Wheels demand for a full-size spare wheel, be it the 16inchers on the entry level or the 17-inch, five-spoke alloy wheels on the flagship 4x4.

Frugal power Buyers can choose between Renault’s proven petrol or diesel engines, which are both truly frugal.

Renault got 7,6 l/100 km on a combined cycle. The diesel 1,5-litre common rail turbo diesel

makes 80 kW and 240 Nm and the 4x2 can sip as little as 4,8 l/100km over city and longdistance roads.

Even the heavier 4x4 gets 5l /100 km, which is 20 km for every litre of diesel. The 4x4 comes with a transmission selector that sends power to the front wheels in 2WD, distributes the engine torque to any of the wheels depending on grip, and locks the power to all four wheel in lock mode.

The entry level 1,6-litre petrol engine is paired only to a fivespeed manual transmission, which ratio makes the most of the engine’s 77 kW and 148 Nm. The diesel is paired to either a six-speed Efficient Dual Clutch (EDC) automatic gearbox or a six-speed manual box.

The flagship Duster, the 1,5

Making dust to explore interesting places is what the Renault Duster is all about. PHOTO: RENAULT dCI Dynamique with all-wheel drive, makes short work of rough farm roads on its 210 mm ride height, and in the veld the approach, break-over and departure angles (30, 23 and 35 degrees, respectively) allow the

The list of standard features includes 16-inch steel wheels on the petrol and black alloy wheels on the diesel, ABS with EBD, power-assisted steering, onboard computer, two front and two side airbags, electric windows front and rear, electric mirrors, remote central locking, reverse parking sensors, front fog lamps, roof rails, Cruise Control, and fingertip audio controls.

Options are leather seats, 17inch alloy wheels, reverse camera, seven-inch touchscreen with MediaNav entertainment and builtin sat-nav.

Duster to get almost anywhere.

Interior Inside is a new dashboard, more enveloping cloth seats, and all the usual storage spaces Renault is famous for.

Pricing Renault has kept the agressive pricing that made the Duster so popular, leaving in the, well, dust competitors like the slightly smaller Hyundai Creta, Ford

Ecosport and Nissan Juke, as well as the slightly bigger Toyota RAV4 and VW Tiquan.

For my money, the Duster’s only serious competitors come from the formidable Haval H6, which still sells at a discount because it has not yet proven itself, and Mahindra’s TUV300 1,5 diesel, a much underrated SUV. The Duster’s prices include a five-year or 150 000 km mechanical warranty, a three-year or 45 000 km service plan, with service intervals at 15 000 km.

Prices for the five models on offer start at R246 900 for the entry level 1,6 16v 4x2 Expression, and top out at R312 900 for the 1,5 dCi 4x4.

Renault dealers are offering a chance to win R10 000 to people who test drive the Duster. Terms and conditions apply.

T H E TO U G H O F F - R O A D E R !

C O M I N G S O O N TO R E NAU LT P M B!

T’s & C’s Apply E&OE

Bidvest McCarthy Renault Pietermaritzburg 9 Armitage Road • Tel: 033 341 7600 • www.bidvestmccarthyrenault.co.za

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MOTORING

Three new Tata trucks TATA Trucks SA launched three new medium trucks aimed a small and medium-size business, at the Futurroad Expo in Johannesburg.

Branded as Ultra trucks, three payload options are available — the Ultra 814 that weighs 4,5 tons, the Ultra 1014 that weighs 5,5 tons and the 7,5-ton Ultra 1418.

All three trucks are built at the company’s plant in Rosslyn, north of Pretoria, and are powered by a 3,0-litre, common-rail diesel engine making 103 kW at 2 600 r/min and 390 Nm between 1 400 r/min and 2 600 r/min. All models come with a six-speed manual.

Tata vice-president Rudrarup

New ideas for truckers

Maitra said the Ultra range is built to meet feedback from customers in the South African market.

The manual transmission Tata Ultra 814 is already on sale, while Tata truck dealers are now taking orders for the Ultra 1014 and the automated manual transmission versions of both models, to be delivered early in the next year.

According to the company, one of the most versatile aspects of the Ultra range is it’s available in two deck lengths — 4,3 m and 5,2 m — to suit various business needs. The new Ultra range will essentially sit just above the Prima range of trucks, which was launched in 2014. — WR.

ALWYN VILJOEN The 36th installment of Europe’s biggest truck show had a lot of innovation on display. These stood out.

Dr Ingo Ettischer, head of production at Daimler’s truck plant in Wörth, Germany, explains what goes into making an Actros cabin to a delegation from China.

PHOTO: ALWYN VILJOEN

Shifting to durability The truck industry is all about quality ALWYN VILJOEN The Ultra range of medium-weight Tata trucks are made in SA to suit the budget and needs of small businesses.

PHOTO: TATA

ENGINE EAST COAST IMPORTS QUALITY USED LOW MILEAGE ENGINES AND GEABOXES

WE OFFER DELIVERY INTO DURBAN AND PMB ON ENGINE AND GEARBOX PURCHASES

Brand New Turbos for most makes of vehicles

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 ready for installation with only 6 wires NOW WITH OUR OWN IN HOUSE WORKSHOP is to connect FOR ALL YOUR FITMENT REQUIREMENTS • All units are bench tested

WE HAVE A LARGE VARIETY OF ENGINES AND GEARBOXES TO CHOOSE FROM

• Top Quality used low mileage engines, gearboxes & Lexus parts • Heads AFFORDABLE • Turbos ENGINE • Diffs • Lexus spares • New and Second hand

HANOVER — Europe’s biggest truck show this year saw a lot of “back to the future” style innovations.

At the Ural stand, representatives from Russia’s robust truck maker poured vodka into the tank to prove their trucks can run also on ethanol, apart from the more usual diesel or compressed natural gas.

This harks back to both designers of the diesel engine, Rodolf Diesel, whose first engines ran on biodiesel made from beans, and Henry Ford, whose Model T was also designed to combust ethanol made from stalks of bio matter, including maize and hemp.

And several truck makers displayed their modern carriages’ automated platooning and emergency braking abilities — something horses did rather well long before Karl Benz started selling the first horseless carriages in 1886.

The list alongside shows more examples of the industry returning to a design philosophy that moves the focus from cost of production to delivering durability.

Making quality despite the price has always been the departure point at the Daimler group, whose vans, trucks and buses set the benchmarks in Europe, explained Sibusiso Mkhwanazi of Mercedes-Benz South Africa.

Dr Ingo Ettischer, head of production at Daimler’s truck plant in Wörth, Germany, said the Daimler group is ready to build electric vehicles of any size — from trucks to little Smart cars — to meet the zero emmission requirements of European cities.

This includes the e-Actros, a double axle rigid truck that has 240 kiloWatt/hour bat-

tery good for 200 km with a full load.

In the U.S. new companies Tesla and Nicola are currently testing full electric or hydrogen powered trucks that can do the Durban to Johannesburg run on a charge, but Ettischer said 200 km is further than most inner fleet deliveries require in Europe.

For truckers who need to go further, Siemens, the Technical University of Dresden and the Federal German Highway Research Institute (BASt) have adapted another old idea — tramlines.

Overhead powerlines feed an active pantograph on trucks, which can connect and disconnect with the overhead contact line at speeds of up to 90 km/h.

A study by the German Federal Environment Agency (UBA) shows the system, which is also tested in California and Beijing, is the most cost-effective way to deliver carbon-neutral long-haul road freight.

The system offers fleet operators on the N3 a way to save a lot on diesel, but Msanzi’s transport guru Patrick O’Leary told Wheels that South Africans first have to find a way to stop the scourge of cable theft that currently sabotages from radio towers to railways. “We should declare cable theft a treasonous offence,” suggested O’Leary.

Daimler truck plant in numbers • 1 120 000 different combinations of truck • 400 colour options, as specified by corporate brands.

• 54 different payloads • 31 transmission types, from full automatic to manual • 9 engine options • Full disclosure: Alwyn Viljoen attended the IAA as a guest of Daimler.

Urban transport the Benz way ALWYN VILJOEN

Our friendly sales team is equipped to deal with all enquiries and have a wealth of knowledge in the motoring field. We pride ourselves in delivering exceptional service and products to our clients and therefore have a stringent quality check process in place to make sure that every product complies with our requirements and is in top order.

Tel: Craigh: Dianne: Ntuthuko:

035 789 0464 035 789 0754 084 357 1082 071 677 0799 082 704 5330

Unit 1 No 13 Betastraal Street Alton, Richards Bay Fax 086 459 6725 sales@eastcoastengines.co.za

September 20, 2018

CONTINUING the theme started by Toyota’s e-Pallete and Einride’s robotic, wheeled platforms, Mercedes-Benz last week introduced the Vision Urbanetic concept.

Basically an electric platform with full autonomous driving systems to deliver a wide range of loads, the concept aims to be the basis for a transport company fleet or a public transportation system rather than for personal transport.

Mercedes said in a statement that the platform could deliver a fleet that requires fewer vehicles, yet can operate

24 hours a day, 365 days a year, as a mover of both goods and people.

No driver means cheaper running costs and less human error, and the ability to run at all hours without mandatory rest stops makes any fleet more efficient.

Electric drive trains also reduce inner-city noise and pollution. The autonomous driving systems include full networking with an IT infrastructure that can analyse factors such as local events, crowds, the Vision Urbanetic’s status and input from other networked vehicles to make a realtime determination of supply and demand, and optimise this with flexible routes and timetables. — WR.

Organic grease Under normal operating conditions, a fifth wheel coupling requires about 10 kilograms of grease per year. Lots of it falls on the road, not only contaminating the environment but endangering other road users. Now Jost Equipment has a biodegradable grease in accordance with the OECD 301 B biodegradation test, which it exceeded to receive a rating of “readily biodegradable”, which means it degrades especially quickly.

One less slick spot for a biker to slide on.

Steering trailer axles BPW showed its Active Reverse Control steering system to make reversing trailers in tight spaces easier. The system comprises a control unit, a hydraulic unit and a steering cylinder with an integrated steering angle sensor.

Working only when the truck is reversing, the control unit uses sensor technology to detect the direction and angle of steering. BPW said the system does not require approval and is easy to install or retrofit to trailers.

Dynamic traffic guide Continental will unveil the dynamic eHorizon, a system that uses detailed topographic route data and a GPS signal to monitor the delivery route for kilometres ahead and automatically adjust the vehicle’s driving style and speed to avoid grid-lock situations. The system updates every minute and uses predictive algorithms to initiate coasting, braking or downshifting when required. Continental said trucks with its static eHorizon have saved about 830 million litres of diesel, equivalent of over one billion euros, since 2012.

Hammer-proof tail lights Ermax showed its Eternal Lights, which are LED tail lamps designed to withstand hammer blows. The LED light sources are protected inside a housing made of polycarbonate thermoplastic.

With 17 times greater impact resistance and an optical quality that exceeds the brilliance of glass, the Eternal Lights readily withstand the stresses of bumpy roads and the impact associated with shunts when parking.

Nine-speed box for MCVs Allison Transmission showed its first nine-speed gearbox for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles. A deep first gear ratio and the wide spread of ratios enable significant fuel savings as the torque converter locks early in first gear.

Utility scooter Taiwanese scooter company Gaius Automotive showed its electric utility scooters aimed at municipal workers and configurable for a variety of tasks.

THE

BULLETIN

September 2018

45 YEARS IN BUSINESS

On the 7th of September 2018 Key celebrated its official 45th Birthday in the automotive industry. All the divisions received an amazing cake which accurately depicted the barn dance theme for the Celebration of Success and Top Achievers Awards Function which was held on the evening of 8th September. The Top Achievers Awards is an internal award ceremony where those who have gone the extra mile, and exceeded given targets are recognised. Key Pmburg took home 2 Top Achiever awards. Uri Soni won Top Administrator of the year and Marc Michaux, won Top Achievers Truck Manager of the year.

We celebrated our third Welcome to Key customer evening in August, and were honoured to host Mrs India South Africa 2017, Nicole Maistry. Nicole spoke of her experience test driving two of our brand new products, the Opel Crossland X and Isuzu Mu-X. She gave great praise to both vehicles as well as the service received by our Key staff. The evening was a hit with prize winners and also acknowledgement of our long term customers.

Tel: 033 345 2542

Fax: 033 394 3199

Email: pmburg@keygroup.co.za

2 Peter Kerchhoff Street, Pietermaritzburg www.keypietermaritzburg.co.za

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MOTORING

September 20, 2018

Harrismith 400 round up Ford claims victory in the hotly-contested Class T category in Harrismith 400 in the Free State COLIN MILEMAN HARRISMITH — The Free State proved a happy hunting ground for the Ford Neil Woolridge Motorsport (NWM) team for the second year in a row as Gareth Woolridge and Boyd Dreyer scored their second consecutive Harrismith 400 Class T victory this weekend.

Having earned their first career win at this event last year, it was once again a stellar performance from the young pair in the NWM-built and run Ford Ranger, catapulting them from fourth to third place in the South African Cross Country Series (Saccs).

Team-mates and current Class T championship leaders, Lance Woolridge and Ward Huxtable weren’t quite as fortunate in the second NWM Ford Ranger but still managed a solid fourth place.

With their title rivals, Johan and Werner Horn (Toyota), encountering troubles and only managing sixth, it gives the Ford crew a bit more breathing space with their lead extended from four to nine points — thus setting the scene for yet another thrilling two-horse race for championship glory at the season finale.

Qualifying With this year’s Harrismith 400 featuring an almost entirely new route, the primary objective for the Ford NWM team was to score maximum points without taking any risks that could sideline them in the fierce battle for the 2018 Class T Production Vehicle title.

As the Saccs Class T leaders, Lance and Huxtable were the fastest of the NWM Ford Rangers on Friday’s extremely windy and dusty sprint-style 39 km qualifying session. They set the third-fastest time, which gave them an ideal starting position for Saturday’s main race without having to sweep the road — and, crucially, they were two places ahead of the Horn brothers.

Making the most of their local knowledge, Harrismith residents Jacques van Tonder and Sammy Redelinghuys caused a stir by powering their NWM-built privateer Ranger to the fastest qualifying time, 40 seconds ahead of Woolridge/Huxtable and 13 seconds quicker than secondplaced Richard Leeke/Danie Stassen (BMW).

Gareth and Dreyer were fourth quickest, just seven seconds behind their team-mates, perfectly placed to pounce as the race progressed.

Race This year’s new Harrismith 400 route featured a challenging mix of fast farm tracks and gravel roads, keeping the crews on their toes throughout the two 177 km loops.

Lance and Huxtable started off well and were pushing hard, but despite the extremely dry and dusty conditions, they quite unexpectedly found themselves stuck in a mud hole located in a small forest section, just 65km into the race.

Several other crews were nearly caught out by the same hazard, which cost the Ford team around two minutes to extricate themselves — thus undoing their early charge, resulting in them holding station in fourth at the end of loop one.

Gareth and Dreyer were setting a blistering pace and fortunately had no major issues on the first loop, other than one of the right front shock absorbers breaking towards the end of the opening stint, which only hampered them on the big bumps.

They came into the pits leading Class T by more than two minutes

over Leeke/Stassen in second place, and almost three minutes ahead of Van Tonder/Redelinghuys who had dropped back to third.

With the damaged shock absorber replaced, Gareth and Dreyer had a perfect run through the second loop and claimed their second Harrismith 400 win in a row with a total race time of four hours, 35 minutes and 10 seconds — over six minutes ahead of Leeke/Stassen and a further one minute and 21 seconds clear of thirdplaced Van Tonder/Redelinghuys.

As the Ford NWM team’s third win of the 2018 season, the maximum haul of 30 points powered the young duo into third place in the championship, ahead of Gary Bertholdt and Geoff Minnnitt (Toyota) who crossed the line fifth.

For Lance and Huxtable, their second loop was also a fraught affair.

They set blistering times on the first part of the stage and were within 20 seconds of second-placed Leeke/ Stassen with 80km to go, only to lose the front brakes on their Ranger. A cautious drive to the finish saw them claim a hard-fought fourth place.

With rivals Johan and Werner Horn also experiencing a difficult weekend and finishing sixth, Lance and Huxtable are now nine points ahead of the Toyota crew going into the last race, scheduled for November 2-3 in Westonaria, Gauteng.

Thanks to three Rangers finishing in the top four places, Ford won the coveted Manufacturers Award for the second time this year, to go along with the season-opener in Dullstroom.

Neil Woolridge (Team principal): “This is a fantastic result for Gareth and Boyd, and I am happy for them that they have finally got the win that they’ve deserved this whole year.

They have been very quick through the season but have also made some mistakes and been a bit unlucky at times.

“It’s a pity that Lance and Ward weren’t able to finish a bit higher, as it would have been ideal to head into the final race with a bigger lead.

“But the important thing is that we increased our points gap, and we have the momentum going into the last round.

“It was a great performance with both cars being really quick and finishing this race without a single puncture. Other than Gareth’s shock absorber and Lance’s brake issue, we didn’t have any problems with our vehicles.

“The whole team was also delighted to win the Manufacturers Award which was the cherry on the top.”

Gareth Woolridge (T77): “We had a great weekend that was almost perfect, and it’s fantastic to score our second Class T victory in Harrismith once again, which moves us into third place in the championship.

“I was comfortable with our pace throughout the race and really enjoyed the route. The only issue we had was one of the right front shock absorbers bottoming out at times on the first loop. We stopped to check but couldn’t see anything wrong, so just took the big jumps a bit easier.

After we replaced the broCV Joint ken shock speCialists during for CV joints, ball joints, service, tie rod ends, wheel bearings. we had a clean run 341 GReYlinG stReet to the Pmb. 033 342 9174/75 finish.”

Action at Harrismith 400.

Lance Woolridge (T34): “After our perfect start to the season with two wins in a row, the last couple of races have been very frustrating.

“From the outset, I found it difficult to find the ideal balance between pushing for the win and keeping it clean. And then we got stuck in the mud hole and lost about two minutes. We definitely had the pace to fight our way back into third or even second place on loop two, but then we lost the front brakes, and it was really tough to slow the car with only the handbrake and the gearbox, and not lose too much time in the process. Overall I think we can be relatively content with finishing fourth and increasing our championship lead to nine points going into the final race.”

The final race of the 2018 Saccs season will take place on November 2-3 in Glenharvie, Westonaria, Gauteng. The event was originally planned for Sun City, but had to be relocated.

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