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THE WITNESS
SEPTEMBER 5, 2019
WHEELS
www.witness.co.za
NEW MODELS THE latest model of the “starter pack” Audi — the A1 — now boasts trim from the A3 and dealers are offering premix packages to make choosing from the myriad of options a bit easier. Audi said these packages were defined by “a combination of customer preferences as well as strategic options which aim to highlight Audi’s uniqueness or technology enhancements”. Seven models are on sale, all with Audi’s five-year or 100 000 km warranty, starting at at R359 900 for the A1 30 TFSI S-tronic and topping out at R488 000 for A1 40 TFSI S-line S-tronic. SUZUKI set another record in August, handing keys to the 75 000th customer in South Africa with 1 057 sales across SA. The all-new Swift leads the charge, with Suzuki and its dealers having sold 663 new Swifts in August. Seven Swift models are sold in SA, starting at R162 900 for the entry level 1,2 GA, up to R335 900 for the very lively 1,4T Sport Auto. All models have a three-year or 100 000 km warranty and a two-year or 30 000 km service plan. The 1,2 models ride an impressive 145 mm high, making it ideal for those rural roads, while the 1,4 models have a road clearance of 120 mm to better hug the corners when motorists explore the 1.4 litre BOOSTERJET engine’s 103 kW and 230 Nm between 2 500-3 500 r/ min. CZECH car builder Skoda showed its Klement concept bike at this week’s Eurobike show, saying the 25-kg concept is a blend of all the best ride features offered by a moped, scooter and e-bike. The concept has no pedals. Instead, the rider tilts the two foot pads like a Segway to speed up or slow down. Tilted forward, the bike accelerates, tilted backwards, it slows down, with regen braking pushing a bit of power back into the batteries. The Klement rides on medium-fat Schwalbe Super Moto-X tires, powered by a 4-kW hub motor with a top speed of 45 km/h. Two removable lithium-ion batteries give the Klement 1,25 kWh for a range of up to 62 km. No price is available yet, but if Skoda builds this — as looks likely from the interest this modern velocipede elicited — it will cost more than what we pay for a small used car.
NEW ZF PLANT DELIVERS FIRST AXLES ONLY nine months after ZF Lemförder SA opened a new plant in East London in May, the production line has started delivering the first front and rear axles to the Mercedes-Benz plant up the road. Dr Peter Holdmann, head of ZF’s car chassis technology division, said following the ‘local for local’ principle, ZF will continue to expand its global market presence. The new plant in East London currently employs 200 people and can make up to 150 000 axle sets a year. CEO of Mercedes-Benz South Africa and executive director for manufacturing, Andreas Engling said the new project will allow the Mercedes-Benz plant to increase volume outputs, optimise the assembly line and achieve commercial synergies. As with all other Daimler plants, axle assemblies are to be externally supplied by 2020. Through a rigorous commercial process, ZF was nominated as the axle assembly supplier in March 2018. — WR.
WE HAVE A LARGE VARIETY OF ENGINES AND GEARBOXES TO CHOOSE FROM
MANY PERFORMANCE ENGINES AVAILABLE
QUALITY USED LOW MILEAGE ENGINES, GEARBOXES & PARTS
Lexus Spares 1UZ-FE - Full Gasket set - Water Pumps - Cam Belts - Flywheel - Plug Lead set - Coils - Fan Belts - Starters - Dizzy Caps - Airflow Meters - Engine Mountings - Gearbox Mountings - Cam Belt Pulleys - Alternators
Other Engine Spares - Cylinder Heards for most makes of LDV’s - Replacement Turbos for most makes of LDV’s - Bell Housing Big/ Small - Gearboxes - Diffs
ENGINES, GEARBOXES, HEADS, TURBOS, DIFFS, LEXUS SPARES We have in-house Workshop for Engine Exchange and Fitments
WE OFFER DELIVERIES INTO DURBAN AND SURROUNDING AREAS ON ALL ENGINE AND GEARBOX PURCHASES.
Desmond Govenden, owner of DY Performance and one of KZN’s top drag racers, says the best thing about the Huyndai Tucson 2,0d Sport is its handling on those big low-profile tyres. The Toyota Rav4 meanwhile, is designed to explore the byways and find things, like these sculptures inspired by Yugan Govender, owner of Global Scrap Metal in Pietermaritzburg.
Racer against tourer ALWYN VILJOEN goes offroad and on-road to compare SUVs with very different design aims IN South Africa, the most popular vehicle shape after the double cab bakkie is the sport utility vehicle, or SUV. My mother calls them “big station wagons” and like the stations wagons of yore, SUVs are made for family life with lots of space. Unlike those lumbering wagons, modern SUVs also add a dash of speed — some more than others. Courtesy of Hyundai and Toyota, I had one of each type last week, in the shape of the Tucson 2.0D Elite Sport and the 2,0 RAV4 AWD GX-R. Back in 2016, when the new Tucson arrived, it was the most sold sport ute in SA, with seven in every 10 SUVs coming from this Korean factory — most of them the Tucson 2.0-litre Elite with an automatic transmission. Fast forward to 2019 and Hyundai has given the Tucson a bespoke body kit and model-specific alloy wheels. Under the hood, they also boosted the power quite a bit in the Elite, to the point where this auto manages to chirp the wheels in first second and third gears, with little tugs of torque steer when the engine pile on its 460 Newtons. This is the kind of power you want to pull big trailers, and the Tucson is licensed to pull a braked trailer weighing 1 900 tonnes. Not that we recommend doing this, as pulling such a heavy trailer is the job of a heavier vehicle, not a light sport ute. This power comes in at a low 1 750 rpm and continues unabated to 2750 rpm, with a torque-converter shifting smoothly between eight ratios to deliver acceleration that tempted me to take it to one of the many illegal drag races held late at night in several parts of Msunduzi. I did not give in to this temptation. Instead, I met up with Desmond Govenden, tuning guru and a former drag racing and drifting champion, to get a second opinion on this Korean. He was impressed with the way the high-riding SUV handled around the bends on its big, 19-inch wheels clad with wide, low-profile tyres (245/45). Sure, it’s not quite as firm as a big Beemer, Range Rover, Jaguar or Merc, but then the Tucson does not cost well over a million rands, as do the top SUVs
On its low-profile tyres, the Tucson 2,0d Elite Sport (left) is very at home on an old race track, while the new Toyota Rav4 will safely traverse any slippery surface. PHOTOS: DESMOND GOVENDEN/ALWYN VILJOEN
Tucson 2.0d Elite Sport Price: R664 900 Fuel: 50 ppm diesel Power/Torque: 150 kW/460 Nm from 1 750 to 2 750 rpm Transmission: 8 speed torque converter automatic Wheels: 245/45 R19 Ground clearance: 172 mm Kerb weight: 1593 kg Length: 4,48 m Towing capacity: 750 kg unbraked / 1 200 kg braked trailer of these brands. Ventilated disk brakes front and rear initially did a good stopping job, but after a few runs, it was clear that these disks are engineered for civilian use, not repeated hard braking into corners. Which was when we did a drag, and when I discovered it was a good thing I did not pit the Tucson against the lads’ hot hatches at the illegal drags. From a standing start, the Tucson’s big turbo takes a second or so to spool up, despite having variable vanes that limit this turbo lag to the point where one does not notice it when driving sensibly in diesel-saving Eco mode. In Sport mode, this lag would have had me eating humble pie against all the
Rav4 2,0 AWD GX-R Price: R516 100 Fuel: Petrol Power/Torque: 127 kW/203 Nm from 4 400-4 800 rpm Transmission: CVT with 10 settings. Wheels: 255/60 R18 Ground clearance: 195 mm Kerb weight: 1 680 kg Length: 4,615 m Towing capacity: 750 kg unbraked / 1 000 kg braked trailer
laities in their tuned hatches. But once the blower forces air into the diesel, you will run out of road long before you run out of acceleration in the Tucson. Where the road run out is where the RAV4 comes in. SEPARATING MEN FROM WOMEN This is where the men are separated from the women, who have been the main buyers of the RAV4 since the first, much more rounded model launched when we had our first democratic elections back in 1994. (You can still find those old RAV4 curves in the Chery QQ, which is surprisingly good on dirt.) To get a women’s perspective on lat-
est RAV4, I asked Shay Kalik to give her views. While Kalik liked the new edgy exterior, she loved the interior with its orange trim and soft-touch cladding. “It’s a lot more like a Volvo than the Toyotas I know in here,” was her first comment. The interiors in both SUVs are sumptuous, but the panoramic sun roof and keyless entry in the Tucson put the Hyundai ahead on the useful luxuries count. Toyota and Hyundai are on par when it comes to easily connecting Bluetooth devices, and the first thing you want to do in the RAV4 with continuously variable transmission is to connect your music to drown out the continu-
Pedestrians injured in hit-and-run can claim from RAF CAN pedestrians who were injured by an unknown driver claim from the Road Accident Fund? Kirstie Haslam, partner at DSC Attorneys said yes, anyone injured in a hit and run can seek compensation from the RAF by filing a “hit and run” claim. In a “hit and run” road accident, which Haslam said are more common than one thinks, the driver at fault leaves the scene of the accident without stopping or providing their details. CLAIMING FROM THE RAF She said that pedestrians injured in road accidents can claim from the RAF for: • past and future medical expenses, • past and future loss of income due to injury, • general damages for pain and suffering or disfigurement. Haslam said that since August 2008, general damages are paid out only in the event of serious injury. In the event of a pedestrian being killed in a road accident, the family may claim for loss of support and funeral costs. CRITERIA FOR SERIOUS INJURY Haslam explains that the Road Accident Fund considers an injury “serious” if it
qualifies as such with reference to the guidelines provided in the American Medical Association’s Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment, Sixth Edition. These guidelines provide a vast set of criteria for determining an injured person’s so-called “Whole Person Impairment” (WPI). “The WPI is expressed as a percentage. The minister of Transport set the threshold percentage at 30%, meaning that the accident victim must be assessed as being 30% Whole Person Impaired in order to qualify for an award of general damages,” she said. “Such an assessment can only be made by an appropriate medical specialist (who has the requisite qualification from the AMA), after the victim has reached maximum medical recovery meaning that the injuries have stabilised and have not notably improved or deteriorated for a period of several months prior to the assessment.” She said that examples of injuries that may meet the 30% threshold are amputations, permanent brain damage and paraplegia. “If an injury isn’t rated as 30% Whole Person Impairment in terms of the AMA guidelines, the medical practi-
tioner may apply a “narrative test” to determine whether the claimant may still be entitled to compensation for general damages,” she adds. In this case, Haslam said that an injury can be classified as serious only if it has resulted in: • long-term impairment or the loss of a body function, • permanent, severe disfigurement, • a serious long-term mental or behavioural disturbance or disorder, • the loss of an unborn child. “Common road accident injuries that have by regulation been classified as not being serious (unless there are complications) include whiplash, sprains, torn ligaments, the loss of fingers or toes and superficial wounds,” she explains. EXAMPLES OF RAF PAYOUTS FOR PEDESTRIANS In 2014, a 21-year-old man was hit by a car, while he was walking alongside the road in Mpumalanga. Haslam said that the accident resulted in major leg injuries including an above-knee amputation and the man was awarded R1 519 880. Another case saw a mother make claims against the RAF after her child
was hit by a car. “The three-year-old sustained brain injuries and a leg fracture for which she was hospitalised for a month,” said Haslam. “Her mother was awarded R2 039 259 from the RAF for medical expenses, general damages and loss of income.” In a RAF pedestrian claim that proceeded to the high court, a young girl was awarded R5 995 031 after being hit by a taxi. Haslam explains that the girl was walking to school along the pavement when the taxi hit her, causing serious injuries. RAF CLAIM TIME LIMIT RAF claims for pedestrians are subject to the same time limits as other RAF claims. Even if you have a valid personal injury claim and plenty of evidence to support it, Haslam said that the claim will come to nothing if the time limit for pursuing it is exceeded. “Also known as prescription periods, these time limits vary depending on the type of claim you have, so it’s wise to get advice from a suitably qualified attorney,” she said. — WR.
ously varying drone. CVT-boxes keep an engine humming in the optimum power band for the most effective work rate and the new RAV4 has 10 settings — like a 10 -speed box — but that drone does require getting used to. Call me old school, but I much prefer the eight-speed Sport Direct Shift transmission which Toyota fits exclusively to 2.5-litre RAV4. Toyota said in a statement the new RAV4’s all wheel drive system automatically adjusts different vehicle systems — steering assist, brake and throttle control, shift pattern and drive torque distribution — according to the drive mode selected. ‘Mud & Sand’ and ‘Rock & Dirt’ modes are available. But it is not a patch on the four-wheel drive abilities of the first to third generation RAV4s, and we had to back down from The Slope with our tail between our legs. Officially we did not force the RAV4 up there because the axle benders on our steep, test hill demand the higher road clearance of the old RAV4 or the new Jimny. It came as a bit of a letdown for me to learn the new RAV4 is now a softroader and no longer an off-roader, but this did not bother the 586 people who bought a new RAV4 last month. And as Kalik says, normal people consider dirt roads to be pushing the limits, so for normal people, the RAV4 works fine. All RAV4 models carry a three-year or 100 000 km warranty and a 90 000 km service plan with six-services built in. This is rather shorter than Hyundai’s seven-year or 200 000 km warranty, which breaks up into a fiveyear or 150 000 km warranty on the vehicle and two years or 50 000 km on the powertrain. Hyundai also has a fiveyear or 90 000 km service plan. The Tucson and RAV4 compete for the hearts and budgets of motorists against the Volkswagen Tiquan, which was SA’s second-best selling SUV last month with 574 units sold; and the best seller, Ford’s much smaller EcoSport, which last month sold 658 units. Buyers can also kick the tyres of the newcomer Haval, which Chinese premium brand is still offering a lot of SUV in three sizes at relatively low prices. • alwyn.viljoen@gmail.com
PORSCHE GOES FULL ELECTRIC DUBAI — Porsche presented its first fully-electric sports car to the public today with a world premiere held simultaneously in North America, China and Europe. Board member Michael Steiner said, “We promised a true Porsche for the age of electromobility — a fascinating sports car that not only excites in terms of its technology and driving dynamics, but also sparks a passion in people all over the world, just like its legendary predecessors have done. Now we are delivering on this promise.” The first models in the new series are the Taycan Turbo S and Taycan Turbo. They are among the most powerful production models that the sports car manufacturer currently has in its product range. Less powerful variants of these all-wheel drive vehicles will follow this year. The first derivative to be added will be the Taycan Cross Turismo at the end of next year. By 2022, Porsche will have invested more than €....6 billion in electromobility. — WR.
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CV Joint specialists DIANNE 071 677 0799 CHARLINE 076 690 9829 WHATS APPS WELCOME
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TIGER Wheel & Tyre has introduced Xpress Credit for motorists who need a new tyre before pay day. “We’ve all been there, where the distance between our immediate financial needs and pay day is just so great that something has to give. Well, we’re determined that it won’t be our customers’ safety that gives,” said group mar-
keting executive Farishta Singh. “Xpress Credit is a helping hand to bridge the distance between pay days, so you never have to compromise on safety again.” Customers who qualify for Xpress Credit can buy new tyres, wheels and batteries. The card offers 55 days interest free, along with 24- and 36-month
repayment plans. As a special introductory offer, Tiger Wheel & Tyre will give new Xpress Credit buyers R500 off their first in-store purchase of R1 500 or more. And, on your second Xpress Credit purchase, when buying four or more tyres, receive free wheel balancing and nitrogen tyre inflation valued at R300.
Customers who are 18 years or older can apply online. All that’s needed is a valid South African ID or driver’s licence, proof of income demonstrating earnings of R1 000 or more per month, and of course Ts & Cs apply. • Visit your nearest store or go to www.twt.to to see if you qualify.