October 7, 2021
THE WITNESS
A sumptuous ride
Aarto on track to start in July next year
Peugeot’s 3008 takes the battle to the Teutonic triumverate with luxury at lower prices ALWYN VILJOEN
Well-known Pietermaritzburg veteran car and bike restorer, Danie de Kok, is one of the 30 semifinalists selected for the Honda Quest boot camp in the Cederberg Mountains. De Kok’s wife Heidi said Honda is looking for brand ambassadors to win the Honda Africa Twin CRF1100 after the quest, and with a total of 28 Honda motorbikes ranging in size from the 50cc DAX (pictured) to his NC700, few riders can lay claim to be more passionate about the brand. “We are supposed to sell the bikes in our iStyle motorbike shop, but honestly, we run a bike museum that adds a unique theme to our Rockabilly Ranch B&B and wedding venue,’ said Heidi. De Kok next aims to be among the 14 finalists that will ride on the quest through the Richtersveld, Namaqua, Hantam, Tankwa and Cederberg regions from November 1 to 10. PHOTO: ALWYN VILJOEN
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To get a five-star safety rating in the European crash tests, there are only so many ways engineers can shape the window frames and side bars and crumple zones. Hence only a few people can distinguish between the slew of midsized sport utility vehicles using only their silhouettes. To stand out in this same-shaped crowd, manufacturers must rely on the electronics and decorations inside their vehicles and here Peugeot has certainly set the bar high in the new 3008. Witness Wheels had one on test for a week, courtesy of Peugeot South Africa — and we took it on on a run to the excellent Windmills kitchen in the Midlands Meander. En route we found only the German cars can rival this French SUV for luxury on the inside. But in pragmatic French style, Peugeot sells the 3008 from R519 000, with a five-year or 100 000 km warranty and service plan, which makes it a much more affordable option than the Teutonic triumvirate’s premium priced SUV offerings. Peugeot is selling three models of the 3008 in SA, all powered by a 1,6-litre turbocharged 4-cylinder petrol motor, which makes 121 kW and 240 Nm. There’s just one gearbox on offer, a six-speed automatic transmission. Peugeot claims a 0-100 km/h of just 8,9 seconds and it’s said to consume just 7 l/100 km on the combined cycle. This is on par with the smaller Audi Q2 35TFSI, which has a 1,4-litre
The plush interior of the Peugeot 3008 turns a road trip into the destination, especially with optional massaging seat pack.. that makes 110 kW and 250 Nm and lists for R500 more than the 3008. Inside, the updated Peugeot 3008 a new central touch-screen which exists. 10-inches in size and customers can choose between red Nappa leather over the standard black Nappa leather. At first, the sheer number of buttons inside the cabin can seem intimidating, but the row of chrome piano keys provide quick and intuitive access to the various comfort functions. The cruise control is not so
intuitive, but once you bent around the flattened oval of the steering wheel to study the buttons on the speed control, activating it is easy. The digital head-up display panel is the ultimate must-have luxury. It can be easily customised, meaning you don’t take your eyes off the road. Peugeot also took a leaf out of Audi's book ,with a digital screen that can be set to show old fashioned speed and rev counter needles, or a bird’s eye view of the GPS map, or
set to minimum display to only show the speed for long drives at night. The 12,3-inch digital dashboard has been tweaked to provide better readability and contrasts, handy when reversing using the high clarity reversing camera. Going forward in confined spaces is another matter, as the 3008 is a big vehicle with a high nose, over which it is hard to see. This is where the proximity sensors come into their own to warn one of impending scrapes.
The Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (Aarto) national roll-out programme is progressing as planned and it looks like SA drivers will finally experience the Points Demerit System and Driver Rehabilitation Programmes from July 1 next year. The Department of Transport Oversight Committee is managing the implementation of Aarto with all key stakeholders, together with lead entity the RTIA under the guidance of the RTIA board. Phase one, which ended in September, has seen the RTIA increase its national footprint through the implementation of seven Aarto service outlets and online services such as the Aarto website and deployment of the Aarto mobile application. Phase two, from October to December, will see the proclamation of the Aarto Act 46 of 1998, as amended in 67 Local and Metropolitan Municipal Areas, coming online with the Aarto process. Phase two also calls for the appointment of an independent appeals tribunal and introduction of electronic documents by December 1, to coincide with the National Road Safety festive season programme launch. In its announcement of the phased roll-out next July, the agency admitted the challenges facing the implementation of the Aarto Act. But observers agree it now seems the roll-out is on track for Aarto to be announced next year on July 1 — WR.
When we drove the previous edition 3008 GT line, the massaging driver’s seat soon became the most popular feature, which we are happy to say carries over to the new models. For the facelifted 2021 model, Peugeot has tweaked the design, introduced the latest-gen driving assistants, and added the sumptuous cladding to the interior. The flagship GT model gets full LED headlamps, which turn as the vehicle changes direction at speeds of up to 90 km/h. A fog mode built into the headlamps turn them on when mist is detected. The rear of the vehicle features LED tail lamps and sequential indicators. On the long road, the Focal hi-fi system made the most of classic compositions by the best melodic heavy metal band yet from Australia, Bel’akor. The three models of the Peugeot 3008 ride on 7-, 18- or 19-inch rims with the top end GT having 19-inch aluminium alloys. All models have a full size spare in the back and a standard wheel pressure monitoring system adds comfort of mind over the many, many potholes created by criminally overloaded trucks on SA roads. The Peugeot 3008 has been a popular model globally with impressive sales performance, particularly in the European market. Despite having bagged a few #CarsAwards in South Africa, it has not sold as well locally, mostly because of the small dealer footprint. The latest 3008 models, however, offer a lot more than the competing Germans and is well worth a wheelkicking at the local dealer.
Neil Woolridge Motorsport’s Fords keep the Toyotas honest Suzuki hopes that the GSX-S1000 GT, which was revealed this week, will arrive at local dealers on or before April next year. At Fury Suzuki in Pietermaritzburg, word is that the latest version of Suzuki’s grand tourers delivers superbike-level performance while minimising vibration to make riding far more comfortable and less tiring. A 999 cm3 four-stroke DOHC liquid-cooled inline-four engine has developed a smooth torque curve to make this bike equally adept at street riding as it is at highspeed long-distance touring, even when carrying gear and a passenger on the back. South African pricing will be released early in 2022.
The Ford Castrol Cross Country Team’s challenge for the 2021 South African Cross Country Series title received a significant win and third place overall, plus first, second and third in Class T in both races and the Team Awards at the 4x4 Mega World 400 double bill last weekend Lance Woolridge and Elvéne Vonk (334) took a hard-fought victory in their new EcoBoost V6-powered Ford Ranger — designed and built by Neil Woolridge Motorsport (NWM) — in the second race of the 4x4 Mega World 400. The Neil Woolridge Motorsportsupported Ford Ranger privateers proved the leaders of the field in Class T, giving the team a clean sweep of podiums in both races. The Ford NWM Development Team had a good outing too, as Bapi Rubuluza and Fanifani Meyiwa (T49) brought their Ford Ranger V8
Ford NWM Development Team Bapi Rubuluza and Fanifani Meyiwa (right) brought their T49 Ford Ranger V8 home in fifth place PHOTO: QUICKPIC
home in fifth place. NWM team principal Neil Woolridge was very satisfied with the results from the action-packed 4x4 Mega World 400 race weekend.
“It has been a hectic weekend having two full races in two days, but I’m very happy that we got the win and third place overall, plus first, second and third in Class T in both races
and the Team Awards. Gareth had a great run on Friday and finished third, while Lance was unlucky getting beached on the sand on Friday. “Saturday the situation was re-
versed, as Lance had a great run and pushed very hard without any problems. He kept the Toyotas honest the entire day and taking the win is a fantastic result for him and the team,” Neil said. “Gareth was unlucky with the fan not working properly and the temperatures ran a bit high on the first loop. On the second lap, he was fighting back hard, but unfortunately I had to ask him to play the team game as we had a chance of winning, and eventually it all worked out perfectly with Lance taking the victory. “To come away with the win is very special, as our opposition is really strong, and they aren’t the world cross country champions for nothing. So to beat them twice in four events is a fantastic result.” The next race is the Vryburg 400, round 6 of the SA Cross Country Series, from October 29 and 30. — WR.
Toyota Gazoo Racing SA’s Guy Botterill and navigator Simon Vacy-Lyle are all set for a showdown in the Mpumalanga town of Secunda this weekend. PHOTO: QUICKPIC
WHEELED EVENTS Tomorrow and Saturday: SA Rally championship rounds 5 and 6 at the Lake Umuzi Rally. October 30: The Natal Recreational Club stages the Edgars Rally Test Day near Dalton. November 13: Remembering Friends at the Vintage Sports Car Club, Oribi Road. More information from Rex Boreham at 082 835 1293 November 15 to 21: IATF 2021 Automotive Show at Durban convention centre.
New board members at Road Safety Partnership Kia South Africa has added the limited-edition Sportage GT Line to the Sportage range. A 1,6-litre T-GDi turbocharged petrol engine makes 130 kW at 5 500 r/min and 265 Nm from 1 500 to 4 500 rpm, with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission sending power to all four wheels as needed. Thanks to the wide spread of maximum torque, overtaking slower-moving vehicles is a doddle, even when the SUV’s generous luggage space of 466 litres (1 455 litres of utility room) is filled to the brim. The limited-edition new Kia Sportage 1.6 T-GDi AWD GT-Line lists for R649 995, which includes Kia’s industry-leading unlimited kilometre/five-year warranty (inclusive of Roadside Assistance), as well as a prepaid five-year/90 000 km service plan. The new Sportage GT-Line officially goes on sale across Kia South Africa’s national dealer network next week, with pre-orders having already been open.
The Road Safety Partnership South Africa (RSP-SA) held its annual meeting at the end of September. Many issues were discussed and new road safety advocates were appointed to the executive board. The RSP-SA is marking a year since its name change that now distinguishes it from the international organisation while still reflecting its connection to the Global Road Safety Partnership (GRSP). The board comprises of the following. Chairperson: Eugene Herbert, CEO of MasterDrive. Vice-chairperson: Palesa Moalusi, chief financial officer at RTIA.
Treasurer: Liam Clarke, project manager at Bakwena Platinum Corridor Concession. Director: Bhekizwe Dlodlo, crisis and continuity and road safety manager at BP SA. Director: Itumeleng Makgobathe, communication and public affairs manager at Michelin SA. Director: Sandile Ntseoane, general manager at SAVRALA. Director: David Frost, owner of David Frost Road Safety. Director: Ntobeko Mogadime, retail development manager at Shell (new member). Director: Basil Jonsson, operations director at South African Road Federation.
Director: Johan Jonckie, manager of Arrive Alive website. The RSP-SA is looking forward to the upcoming road safety initiatives in which it will be involved. “The organisation is committed to creating a country free of crashes, and the death and injury associated with them. In order to achieve this the RSP-SA must work with various sectors to further educate, empower and contribute towards community safety on and around roads. These initiatives will help achieve this objective. We look forward to working with you to achieve increased road safety for all South Africans,” said the RSP-SA. — WR.
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Such is the demand for cute, all electric cars in the UK that over 14 000 people have registered their interest in the tiny, all electric AMI mini, which Citroën UK announced this week. Over 1 000 people put down the £250 (R5 137) reservation fee on the AMI website when it was launched last weekend — for a mini that will only arrive in May next year and then still with France’s left-hand steer. In perfect PR spin, Citroën UK said this has “the benefit of allowing for a kerbside exit from the vehicle for the driver when parking at the roadside in a city centre”. The AMI has a 5,5 kWh battery and a 70-km range, with a top speed of 45 km/h.
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