November 22, 2018
Witness
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GO now has Vrrr-pah Datsun adds more standard creature comforts to make its budget car more appealing SHAY KALIK
stop, the Go has relatively large 22 mm ventilated brake discs up front, which make for shorter stopping distances.
DATSUN has given the GO and GO+ facelifts that add a lot of Vrrr-pah to the previous models’ merely nice looks. Nissan SA marketing director Kabelo Rabotho said the sporty new look is for the next generation of aspiring self-starters. “Our new Datsun GO and GO+ represent a new experience for consumers. With fresh looks, modern features and advanced technologies, the new Datsun vehicles are made for progressive, ambitious customers with a sense of style,” he said. In other words, this is the car I can recommend for my sister for three reasons — proven reliability, price and safety. Reliability The 1,2 engine, which is unchanged in the facelift, has been proven by security companies all over South Africa. One such company, which drives the Go with a much-cracked windscreen between Durban and Winterton, told Wheels theirs had an intermittent starter problem. But in the way of small companies, a push start is where the maintenance begins and ends. You know a car that survives the 24/7 abuse of security guards is tough, which is why I can recommend it as reliable for my sister. Affordability With young kids, one always needs extra seats, and the Go+ has seven seats. And selling for less than R155 k for the Mid spec, there is no other family wagon that comes close in price. Standard specification includes col-
Ford has added a Sporty ST-Line and a frugal 1,5 TDCi to the Kuga line-up, sold in Ambiente and Trend cladding. Prices 1.5 EcoBoost Ambiente FWD 6MT R384 900 1.5 EcoBoost Ambiente FWD 6AT R398 500 1.5 TDCi Ambiente FWD 6MT R426 200 1.5 EcoBoost Trend FWD 6AT R445 900 1.5 TDCi Trend FWD 6MT R456 200 2.0 EcoBoost ST-Line AWD 6AT R548 500 2.0 TDCi ST-Line AWD 6AT R566 900
Safety A lot of ink has been spilled on the Datsun Go’s safety, or lack of it, with Wheels holding that air bags are dangerous explosive devices that should have no place in vehicle safety. Crumple zones, seat belts, high-tensile steel roll cages and side-impact beams are what send the forces of a crash around the occupants, and these the Datsun offers. It has now also bowed to the uniformed demand and offers not one, but two bombs to explode in the faces of petite drivers who have to sit close to the steering wheel. The four-seater Datsun GO and seven-seater GO+ now have a hint of the Nissan GT-R in the sportier look, and Nissan is throwing in free insurance for new buyers. PHOTO: QUICKPIC oured electric side mirrors, reverseparking sensors, intermittent wipers, central locking, an immobiliser, ABS, driver and passenger air bags. Android Auto and Apple Car Play connectivity are standard during the launch period. It, of course, has Bluetooth and a USB port, electric windows front and rear, electric power steering, electrically adjustable mirrors and redesigned seats that provide more of a hug for those seated upfront. In the Lux, the 7” touchscreen infotainment screen and air-conditioning vents give the GO a sophisticated look and feel. Another key feature in this segment is the Follow-me-home headlights that stay illuminated after you exit the car to provide much-needed light as you walk to your door. The timing can be
set at intervals of 30 seconds to give you as much time as you might need. The reverse-parking sensors in both models feature an audible beeping warning that activates when reverse gear is engaged. This feature does give new drivers a lot of confidence when reversing. It’s frugal on fuel too. The little 1,2 petrol engine only makes 50 kW at 5 000 rpm and 104 Nm at 4 000 rpm, with a five-speed manual transmission. These are not numbers that will win a drag race, but when the racers have to fill up again, the frugal engine will enable you to drive by, because with a light foot you can get over 20 km from each litre of petrol. Finally, new 14-inch wheels also help to get over instead of smashing into pot-
holes, although many a Go owner likes to add spacers and wider tyres to give the Datsun a racy look. The marketing department at Nissan is well aware that Datsun GO drivers like to customise thus, and they now sell several new Datsun-approved accessories, from 15” alloys to roof spoilers and more. Suspension is normally where car makers save money, but the Go is taking up where the Tazz left off, with dampers that are very good in this price range. The turning circle of just 4,6 metres is tight enough to make a U-turn in the street while the power steering is light at low speeds and meaty enough at highway speeds on the other side of legal, despite our combined bulk and the air conditioner running at full blast. To
Competition The Datsun competes with the Honda Brio 1,2-litre, which sells from R164 k, the Suzuki Celerio 1-litre which sells from R140 k, and bearing in mind the many security companies looking for a roomy small car to abuse, I’d add the robust five-seater Changan 1,3 van in this price range. Like them, the Datsun GO and GO+ models come with a standard three-year/100 000 km warranty and an optional service plan. But Datsun is sweetening the deal with one-year insurance with the purchase of a GO or GO+.
Volkswagen has added a one-litre engine to the Caddy range. This threecylinder normally aspirated engine makes an impressive 75 kW and 175 Nm between 1 500 rpm and 3 500 rpm that go through a five-speed manual gear box to the front wheels. The little mill uses 5,6 litres of fuel per 100 km, or over 20 km per litre. In Pietermaritzburg, Barons is retailing the new Caddy 1.0 TSI Trendline from R306 300, which includes a three-year or 60 000 km service plan, a three-year or 120 000 km warranty and a 12-year anti-corrosion warranty. Service Intervals are 15 000 km.
Pricing Datsun GO Mid Spec: R144 500 Datsun GO Lux Spec: R165 500 Datsun GO+ 7-seater Mid: R154 200 Datsun GO+ 7-seater Lux: R175 900 Datsun GO+ Panel Van: R155 200.
Promising water-based hydrogen from Israeli-Australian start-up ALWYN VILJOEN IN the quest to provide the world’s drivers with alternatives to expensive fossil fuels, hydrogen seems the answer. From an engineering perspective, hydrogen holds a lot more energy per kilogram than electric batteries, the gas matches current refuelling expectations in terms of speed and range, and of course the tailpipe emits only water. This is why Toyota and Hyundai are making hydrogen fuel-cell cars and Nikola have launched hydrogen trucks. From a manufacturer’s perspective, however, producing hydrogen in industrial quantities is a polluting nightmare that requires a lot of electricity to superheat brown coal or natural gas, all to
deliver an end product that has less energy than the gas one started with, plus emitting rather a lot of toxic carbon monoxide, which needs more heat to change to climate-changing C02. And as the smallest molecule, hydrogen is also very difficult to transport and store, requiring super cooling, high pressures, or conversion to ammonia, as Australia is now doing with a membrane designed by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO). Once the ammonia is delivered, the membrane separates ultra-high purity hydrogen while blocking all other gases All of which is a lot of trouble to make electricity in a car, which is why electric car maker Elon Musk famously said us-
ing electricity to make hydrogen to make electricity is a very dumb idea. But Musk may now change his view, thanks to an Israeli-Australian start-up Electriq Global, formerly known as Terragenic, which last month announced a new version of portable hydrogen at the EcoMotion 2018 Smart Mobility Summit in Tel-Aviv. Electriq Global CEO Guy Michrowski has since told Electec in the Netherlands their hydrogen is 60% water, and the process has three key elements — the liquid fuel (Electriq Fuel), which reacts with a catalyst (Electriq Switch) to release hydrogen on demand; and the exhausted fuel, which is captured and taken back to an Electriq Recycling plant, to be replenished with
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hydrogen for re-use. Michrowski said Electriq Global’s global roll-out requires very little specialised infrastructure, unlike super-cooled or compressed hydrogen systems. “The new technology changes the rules of the game in many fields, including transportation and energy storage. Electriq’s waterbased liquid fuel is stable at room temperature and pressure. “Our system releases hydrogen on demand from the Electriq Fuel, when the liquid comes into contact with a catalyst, the reaction releases hydrogen that is harnessed to create electricity and power the vehicle. “Our fuel is safe, economical, and recyclable. We take the old depleted fuel and put more hydrogen back in, which
makes new fuel that can be used again and again. As the technology is adopted, fuel companies will become partners in our open source, zero-emission fuel. The goal is to have Electriq Fuel available at your local petrol station,” he said. He said when compared to green energy competitors like lithium-ion batteries or compressed hydrogen technologies, Electriq achieves twice the range at half the cost. A comparison of electric buses showed the buses powered by batteries provided a range of 250 km and required up to 300 minutes to recharge, whereas buses powered by Electriq Fuel achieved a range of 1 100 km and could be refueled in five minutes. • alwyn.viljoen@witness.co.za
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Mercedes-AMG took the already strong genes of the G-Class’s predecessors and made them even stronger in the new G-Wagon AMG 63, with the twinturbocharged, four-litre V8 now making 430 kW at 6 000 rpm and 850 Nm between 2 500 and 3 500 rpm. This tyre-shredding power goes to all wheels via AMG’s nine-speed Speedshift automatic gearbox, with rear-biased torque distribution of 40:60. This is enough to throw the big van, which has a kerb weight of 2 485 kg, from standstill to 100 km/h in only 4,5 seconds. Two models are available, with pricing starting at R2 591 000, and going up to R3 million for ‘Edition 1’. At this price, ultimate luxury and connectivity are standard, while the G-Wagons legendary off-road characteristics, agility and vehicle dynamics are unequalled. .
New debit order system OVER 1 700 dealers went live with WesBank’s new DebiCheck system last week. DebiCheck is a specific type of debit order where consumers accept, electronically and on a once-off basis at the start of their contracts, the details of the debit order with a bank before it is processed. Wesbank said in a statement the system solves the ever-increasing issue of debit orders being processed to bank accounts without permission or consent from consumers, and will limit the number of consumers who dispute debit orders where a valid mandate is in place. These issues have become a concern for banks and companies in the financial sector over the past few years, and as a result, the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) has recommended that the Payments Association of South Africa (PASA), which includes the South African banks, implement DebiCheck as a suitable solution. “With the improvement and advancement of technology across various industries we have seen an increase in fraudulent activities, particularly in the finance sector,” said Ghana Msibi, WesBank’s executive head for sales and marketing. “The implementation and rollout of DebiCheck will serve a great deal in fostering trust relationships between the bank and consumers. As WesBank, we are proud to be the first within the vehicle and asset finance space to pilot the DebiCheck system to our consumers ahead of the set schedule time.”
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DebiCheck will serve a great deal in fostering trust relationships between the bank and consumer.
For DebiCheck debit orders to be correctly processed, a consumer will receive a request from his or her bank to electronically confirm the debit order information. The bank will then be required to verify the information before the debit order is processed to the consumer’s account. If the information is correct and matches the required fields, the debit order will be processed. If the information provided does not correspond, the debit order will be rejected. If a consumer does not agree to be DebiChecked during the sale, the sale cannot be processed by the financial institution. Consumers need not do anything for existing debit orders, but from November 17, 2019, every new debit order must go through the DebiCheck process. This means that new customers will need to check and confirm the new information in the manner requested by the bank. They will also need to make sure they recognise, and are comfortable with, the creditor, the collection/debit order date and the amount to be debited before accepting. For the consumer’s protection, the financial institution needs to ensure that all new debit orders are authorised by the consumer, prior to the debit order payment. For more information on DebiCheck, consumers are encouraged to visit the WesBank website — DebiCheck page — www.wesbank.co.za. The national rollout of the DebiCheck system for all other banking institutions, is scheduled for 2019. — WR.