Wheels_17_Dec_2015

Cars

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e d ma Ghana PAGE 6

ASH CAR SALES

December 17, 2015

Witness

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WHEELS

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FOR THE BEST READ ON ALL THINGS WHEELED IN KZN, EVEN WOODEN VEHICLES ­ PAGE 2

Four ways not to die in December When GP plates clog our roads, it’s time for locals to go take nice photos somewhere else ALWYN VILJOEN WITH seven days to Christmas, our beloved Gauteng is in the process of sending not a single president in an impeached tree, but a lot of empty bottles with a partridge on the side.

These empty bottles over the festive season mean drunk driv­ ing awaits, which will make driv­ ing on our already dangerous roads like playing Russian rou­ lette with cars.

But as the stats show, four of the chambers are loaded.

Last year saw 1 376 people die on South Africa’s roads during December, according to Trans­ port Minister Dipuo Peters.

KwaZulu­Natal had the high­ est number of road deaths at 284 people from 237 crashes, most of them in the last two weeks of De­ cember.

The only way to avoid this an­ nual lemming rush on our roads is to stay off the roads, but be­ cause that is not possible, we asked South Africa’s top forensic crash analyst, Greyville­based Craig Proctor­Parker, what not to do on our roads in order to avoid becoming an ancestor.

The first piece of advice is to know with absolute certainty that there are at least two drivers on the same road who are out to get you and your family.

The only way to dodge the ter­ minal traps these drivers are set­ ting behind and in front of you is to drive slowly and defensively, taking breaks often to help your concentration in this battle of the brakes.

The danger behind the hill Proctor­Parker said that year on year, KZN remains among the top two provinces for risk of be­ ing involved in a serious acci­ dent. He said slow overtaking over solid lines and on blind rises and blind corners is a massive problem in KZN, and counselled all visiting drivers to be aware of this danger, especially where a heavily loaded vehicle is ever so slowly trying to overtake anoth­ er, slightly slower, truck.

“This leads to the extremely high number of partial head­on type accidents that we see, which is the most dangerous type of ac­

cident — our and all stats show these as the highest by far,” Proc­ tor Parker told Wheels.

It is not just the terminally stu­ pid who overtake on blind hills, but also the holiday driver who cannot understand why her or his trusted little car now sudden­ ly cannot accelerate or brake as fast as it always does with no load on the daily commute.

The result is a wide­eyed Gautenger stuck on the wrong side of a wall of steel made up of two, slow­moving trucks and a fast­approaching line of cars from the front.

Proctor­Parker said he has an­ alysed the remains of many a family where inexperience led to a driver in a heavily loaded vehi­ cles with no acceleration failing to complete an overtake in time.

The wobbly sidewalls Commenting on another issue which visiting drivers often for­ get about — under­inflated tyres due to overloading and more dense air pressure at the coast — Proctor­Parker said the stats worldwide and most particularly here in SA, show that most driv­ ers ride on under­inflated tyres.

Bike riders know there is no such thing as a tyre pumped too hard. While harder tyres do give a bumpier ride, the sidewall of a tyre pumped a little too hard will deform less in extreme situa­ tions, wear down slower and of­ fer lower rolling resistance for better fuel consumption.

Proctor­Parker said he has seen many crashes due to too­ soft tyres carrying heavy loads made up by passengers and their extensive holiday baggage, and counselled drivers to pump those tyres. He also warned that plugs in tyres often cause a de­ lamination of the tyre where the vehicle is overloaded or the tyre is under pressure.

Time those runs to safety Lemmings rush at the same time and humans are no different, which makes for an easy way to avoid the bigger waves of termi­ nally stupid holders of steering wheels — just stay off the roads when they are on them.

According to the stats of Proc­ tor­Parker, the top three most

dangerous times for accidents by far are shown to be: • before or during dusk between 4 pm and 6 pm; • during or after dawn between 6 am and 8 am; and • the morning rush between 8 am and 10 am.

These periods are not only when KZN’s many unroadwor­ thy vehicles with poor brakes, smooth tyres, old suspensions and smearing windscreen wipers will be on the prowl for a crash, but also when the drivers in fast new cars who have all the best intentions but the poorest judg­ ment will be driving.

Proctor­Parker said human er­ ror remains the biggest cause of accidents, which typically in­ cludes: • inexperience in driving a heavi­ ly loaded passenger car; • lack of maintenance of the ve­ hicle, such as driving vehicles with smooth or under­inflated tyres; and • travelling at speeds well in ex­ cess of the speed limit, which ef­ fectively reduces the time availa­ ble to react to a danger and per­ haps most problematic, causes severe control issues when a tyre failure does occur.

Slow down and win a prize Many drivers boast they can drive from Johannesburg to Durban in less than five hours.

First off, the average speed cameras will get them. Second, every truck driver doing just 80 km/h will tell you these fools will always pass them twice, be­ cause they have to stop to fill up.

And third, these fools miss the whole point of a holiday in KZN, which is to change the pace, to slow down, even to pull off and smell the roses.

What’s more, travellers who take a photo of that rose (or any other object) in the most photo­ genic setting, stand a chance to win one of several cash prizes of thousands of rands in the annual N3TC photo competition.

• Details of the R15 000 prize money that awaits top photos from KZN are on www.n3tc .co.za/photographic­competi­ tions.

• Reach Proctor­Parker on accidentspecialist.co.za

A photo by Abigail West that won this year’s scholar category in the N3TC’s annual photo competition. Families driving to KZN will do well to slow down and live the journey.

PHOTO: N3TC.CO.ZA

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WitnessWheels MOTORING

December 17, 2015

Splinter power KZN’s wooden Ford has serious competition in a wooden supercar ALWYN VILJOEN KZN’S wooden replica of a 1964 Ford F100 used to be quite unique, but now Joe Harmon has lifted the bar with his Splinter — the first high­performance, mid­ engined supercar built from wood composites.

Harmon, a design graduate of North Carolina State University, displayed the latest incarnation of the Splinter at the Essen Motor Show last week. He led a group of fellow students to build the first Splinter in 2007 as a gradu­ ate school project and his compa­ ny Harmon Design has since im­ proved non­stop on the model they first displayed in 2008.

“Wood is our only naturally re­ newable building material; it takes an extraordinarily small amount of energy to produce and is totally biodegradable.

“With a better strength­to­ weight ratio than steel and alumi­ num, it can be made into a lot more things than people tend to give it credit for.

“We wanted to push the line on what was considered wood’s limitation as a building material while fulfilling a lifelong dream of designing and building a car from scratch,” he states on his website.

In his Splinter, the body and chassis, along with large percent­ ages of the suspension compo­ nents, wheels, interior, and other details have been made from wood. The body is made from woven strips of cherry veneer with a balsa core.

“We carved a buck by hand from solid redwood blocks and made a set of female molds from it. These molds were used in con­ junction with a vacuum­assisted resin­transfer process to form the wood veneer body panels,” he said.

The wheel centres are made from rotary­cut oak veneer, cov­ ered by a walnut sunburst on the outside face and a cherry sun­ burst on the inside face.

Each wheel consists of over 275 individual pieces.

The chassis is made from a se­ ries of bent and molded lami­ nates which were secondarily riv­ eted and bonded together.

A custom mould was built for every component of the chassis, and these components were formed, fit, trimmed, and bonded together to comprise the overall structure. To achieve the com­ pound curves required by the body design, the team wove strips of veneer into a cloth.

Two looms were designed and built by the team to generate this cloth material. This innovation greatly increases wood’s utility in composite construction.

The inspiration behind the Splinter was a WW2 airplane called the De Havilland Mosqui­ to. Equipped with two Rolls­Roy­ ce V12 engines, it was the fastest piston­driven plane of its era, and was made almost entirely out of wood.

As such the Splinter has an equally powerful engine — a sev­ en­litre small­block V8. With an eight­throttle­body intake mani­ fold, a camshaft ground specifi­ cally for our application, and a custom­built crossflow exhaust system, we expect it to make close to 700 bhp.

ABOVE: The well­known wooden replica of a 1963 Ford F100 is no longer as rare a proposition as it was when it excited petrolheads in Howick. “Woody” as the bakkie is called, is now turning heads in Durban.

PHOTO: FILE

How to safely pull a trailer

The Splinter supercar is a design exercise to show how underrated wood is as a medium, but it will never pass crash tests.

PHOTOS: JOEHARMONDESIGN.COM

A team of students spent weeks weaving strips of veneer into a cloth that could be curved to make a body strong enough to handle the stresses imposed by the seven­litre small­block V8 in the rear. Seen here are both first and second models.

Shown without its cover and gullwing doors, the Splinter’s wooden frame still looks like an artisan’s masterpiece. Even the wheels are works of art in their own right, as each is combines rubber, steel and three different types of wood.

V JOE HARMON designer

‘We wanted to push the line on what was considered wood’s limitation as a building material while fulfilling a lifelong dream of designing and building a car from scratch.’

Joe Harmon and his design professor Bong­Il Jin. PHOTO: HARMON DESIGN

IT’S holiday time again and thou­ sands of excited families will be travelling across the length and breadth of South Africa to enjoy the break.

Many of those going on holiday will be taking with them a caravan, trailer or boat while they travel.

“Towing another vehicle re­ quires extra attention from the driver. Apart from ensuring the towing vehicle is safe and in a good condition, the vehicle that is being towed also needs to be roadwor­ thy and capable of making the journey.

“It’s also important that drivers follow the rules of the road and tow responsibly,” said the Auto­ mobile Association (AA).

“Many people also inadvertent­ ly overload their trailers in an ef­ fort to take as much with them on their holiday.

“Resist this temptation and take only what you need. Over­ loading a trailer beyond its size and weight capacity may cause prob­ lems with braking or even damage the engine and suspension of the towing vehicle,” the AA warned.

The AA said drivers must ensure that trailers are balanced properly with even weight distribution in the trailer.

The centre of gravity of the trail­ er is towards the front of the trailer but don’t overload this either, as this will put too much pressure on the tongue of the trailer and may cause problems.

Rather distribute the contents of the trailer evenly on both sides with a little more weight packed into the front section.

If you are in any doubt as to trailer capacity or the car’s towing limits, consult the manufacturer’s handbook or contact your dealer.

Before setting off all the com­ ponents of the towed vehicle need to be checked to ensure they are in working condition.

This includes the hitch, the coupler, and safety chain and light systems. If any of these compo­ nents are not working, they should be repaired or replaced before set­ ting off. They are there for a rea­ son and driving with defective parts may lead to serious conse­ quences.

Also give extra attention to overtaking, remembering that you have an extra load that must also pass the vehicle in front. And, don’t forget, the extra weight will require more distance and time to stop. — Supplied.

MOTORING WitnessWheels

December 17, 2015

3

For those halcyon days ALWYN VILJOEN ponders a chop in the Jeep Renegade The latest tyres will inform drivers about every aspect of the tyre’s interaction with the road, from the air pressure and tread depth to road conditions.

PHOTO: SUPPLIED

Tyres that warn cars about the road BRIDGESTONE has announced the second version of its Contact Area Information Sensing (CAIS) system is finally ready for commercial application.

Bridgestone unveiled the first version of its CAIS technology at the Frankfurt Auto Show in 2011. Four years ago, the system relied on a strain sensor to calcu­ late the load and side forces act­ ing on the sidewalls of the tyre.

CAIS 2 followed in 2012 with an acceleration sensor that added road surface monitoring to the mix, and last year CAIS 3 introduced a sensors that could also monitor the rubber left on the tyre.

All the systems use Bridge­ stone’s proprietary electromag­ netic generator, so there is no need to change batteries.

Bridgestone said CAIS 2 is now ready to be installed in cars and trucks.

The sensors in CAIS 2 moni­ tors high frequency vibrations of the tyre and transmit these wire­ lessly to a central module housed inside the car that tells all vehi­ cles in the area with Bridgestone tyres equipped with CAIS 2 what the road surface is like.

The company also plans to sell its CAIS 3 system in the near fu­ ture, which will see the world’s first tyres that can tell drivers ev­ ery aspect of the tyre’s interac­ tion with the road, from the air pressure and tread depth to road conditions.

— Wheels Reporter.

STUDENTS of car design can stop learning about Fibonacci ra­ tios and how those Bauhaus prin­ ciples gave useful shape to any­ thing from seats to dials.

For nowadays, the designers who grew up with CAD seem to have divided the market into two groups — those who understand tattoos, and those who don’t.

Cars for the un­inked are rath­ er plain, with crannies that must open and nooks that must close — the classic eighties Land Cruiser comes to mind.

Cars that please tat­wearers have curves in surprising places and playful motifs hidden in every shaven crevice.

The Hyundai Veloster used to be the ultimate car for skin­ink­ ers, what with its exuberant curves on top of curves, a cute lit­ tle Shark relief in the dashboard and that third door.

The Veloster has now been de­ throned, however, by the Jeep Renegade, which ups the ante with tiny inked profiles in the window lining and a spider relief in the fuel inlet pipe.

I must confess I was prepared to dislike the Renegade that we tested on principle, and not only because both came in virulent ca­ nary yellow or because I don’t have any tats.

Getting all the wrong ideas I had my suspicions that — deep down — the Renegade is a very superficial car.

There is the badge engineering for a start. If you don’t know it yet, behind the trademarked sev­ en bars of the Jeep grill sits a Fiat 1,4 MultiAir engine.

There is the 56­page “bro­ chure” that takes forever to download silly pictures, like a moustached bloke cycling under water, but offers only a few lines about the design of the trape­ zoidal wheel arches and not a word about technical specs.

And then there is the popular myth that the Renegade is a small crossover. Its a big vehicle that al­ most rivals the Nissan Qashqai in size, okay? That back bench com­ fortably seats three people, with a large, 351­litre boot for their lug­ gage. We checked.

There is also the weighty mat­ ter of a 1 320 kg kerb mass. Sure, the 1,4 MultiAir engine won The Best Engine award back in 2010,

The 1,4 Jeep Renegade (103 kW/230 Nm) has entered the competitive niche for crossovers on its own eye­pleasing terms, and as such, the littlest Jeep faces stiff competition from these other head turners out there.

PHOTOS: OEM SUPPLIED

The Fiat 500X retails for R320k, and shares a platform with the Renegade, which retails for R56k more.

The bulky Mini Cooper Country­ man (100 kW/230 Nm) sells for R343k and while not a classic crossover, it is still a head turner.

Among other rival head turners, the curvaceous 1,6T Nissan Juke Tekna (140 kW/240 Nm) lists for R331k.

The sleek 2,0 Mazda CX3, (115 kW/204 Nm) is the current benchmark for small crossovers and lists for R278k.

but surely its 103 kW and 230 Nm are too puny to propel the Rene­ gade’s bulk any faster than an ice floe?

But most of all there is the sky­ high price of R375 990 for the 1,4T two­wheel­drive model.

The Fiat 500X with the same drivetrain costs less than R320k, so why pay more?

Midlands’ curvy roads, where I could feed the Italian mill the revs it was starving for and boy, that this little renegade proved all my assumptions mostly wrong.

On the optional 18­inch Gran­ ite Chrys wheels (yours for only R6 900), the three test drivers agreed that the smallest Jeep delivered a planted drive that dares you to push it harder.

The grip continues long after our limited talents ended.

The top­heavy Renegade, we learnt, is surprisingly fun to drive if you keep the rev needle in the power band and trust the electronic stability through the corners.

Note, these sums did not add

up to the same total of enjoyable driving just an inch lower on the standard 17­inch wheels. Instead, the electric steering then acts like a thick jersey — accentuating the curves, but smothering the detail, like the nail I picked up in the left front wheel.

spare in the boot, so you don’t have to wait for a flat bed to come tow you to town to change the tyre, as most luxury German cars insist you should.

And when a few friends hooted and waved in passing in the shop­ ping mall, even I had to admit this car makes people smile.

I was beginning to see why Renegade owners are willing to pay so much.

Instead of being superficial, this big little Jeep may have what it takes to become a font of halcy­ on road trips for those lucky enough to afford one now, and a cult car for those in the know lat­ er. Just be sure to order the 18­ inch wheels.

It dares you to push harder At low revs in stop­start traffic, the long gear ratios and high revving power band did nothing to dispel my misgivings. The nanny slip control also required shutting off before I could get up a sandy incline.

It was only when we hit the

Why Jeep drivers pay more The nail caused a slow leak that I would normally only notice by the time I am sliding into a cor­ ner. The Renegade, however, comes with tyre pressure sensors on each rim, and the one on the left lit up the dashboard with news of the leak, and continued to show the pressures of each tyre. Best of all, there is a full­size

Ford studies how Africans use transport FORD announced it is ex­ panding its use of sensor tech­ nology to motorcycles, help­ ing researchers and program­ mers better understand how cars, bikes and other modes of transportation together can create new mobility solutions and make people’s lives better — including improving health­ care in rural West Africa.

“OpenXC started as a project to make a car send a tweet five years ago, but has since become a platform, or an ‘Internet of mobility’ that al­ lows us to use data to better understand how people move around the world,” said Ken Washington, Ford vice presi­ dent, Research and Advanced Engineering.

“Now, the same open inno­ vation mentality behind

Ford’s OpenXC will learn from bike ambulances like this one in southern Sudan.

PHOTO: IRINNEWS OpenXC has inspired our team to create a sensor kit for bicycles and motorcycles to learn how other transporta­ tion options might best serve people in urban, suburban and rural areas, including improv­ ing their health.”

Ford’s open­source hard­ ware and software kit provides

real­time access to vehicle da­ ta, such as sensors, GPS re­ ceiver and vehicle speed. Ford has been using OpenXC to support some of its Ford Smart Mobility experiments for more than a year.

The company is gathering and analysing vehicle data col­ lected by OpenXC as part of

Ford Smart Mobility, its plan to take connectivity, mobility, autonomous vehicles, the cus­ tomer experience, and data and analytics to the next level.

Fifty new sensor kits will be mounted to motorcycles early next year.

“Our goal is to understand what mobility means to people who don’t have access to their own vehicles,” said Arthur Zysk, Ford research an­ alyst who leads the project.

“Ford’s commitment to smart mobility innovation is driving real, measurable change.”

Longer­term lessons and applications from this project could be used to help ambu­ lance and emergency services providers improve efficiency across the world, including in rural areas. — WR.

Witness Wheels thanks all their clients and readers for their support and loyalty in 2015.

Our last publication for 2015 will be 17 December and we will be back on the 14 January 2016.

A Safe & Joyous Festive Season To All!!

4

WitnessWheels MOTORING

December 17, 2015

BRIAN BASSETT takes to the hills to discover why the Prado can still take on all newcomers

At home everywhere THE problem with driving an icon is that you expect a great deal from it. Since 1951, when the original Land Cruiser was launched it has become synony­ mous with endurance, durability and reliability.

Turn on your TV and you will see the Land Cruiser Prado marked with the lettering of the United Nations in North Africa and with the markings of the Red Cross in war zones around the world.

The Land Cruiser Prado has been on Arctic expeditions carry­ ing supplies to the white waste­ land at the top of the world and into the Amazon jungles bring­ ing relief to isolated expeditions.

Like all iconic vehicles every­ one seems to have a story about the Prado. Mine concerns a friend who has a Land Cruiser Prado which is now some 10 years old.

He has to go to Zambia regu­ larly on family business and has been there four times this year.

To date the Prado has done some 400 000 kilometres and he tells me he has no plans to retire the vehicle.

Styling The Prado has a dynamic and ag­ gressive front end dominated by a heavy grill and centrally placed Toyota badge, flanked by adapt­ ive headlights and fog lamps built into the bumper.

The high sides of the Prado are molded to produce flared wheel arches and colour­coded electri­ cally­operated heated side mir­ rors. The rear is largely taken up by the rear door with its attached spare wheel and rear lighting.

Despite the fact that the Prado is quietly styled and has not changed much over the years, it is nonetheless distinctive and stands out in any parking lot.

Interior The Prado has a luxurious interi­ or of the highest quality.

The vehicle I drove was fin­ ished in leather and soft plastics.

The electrically­operated seats were comfortable and suppor­ tive, with built in memory so you do not have to hunt for your fa­ vourite seating position.

The fully­adjustable, multi­ function leather and wood steer­ ing wheel takes care of the fine multi­speaker sound system as well as the audio Bluetooth func­ tion and multi terrain monitor, information display and voice recognition function and speed control.

The central stack is dominated by a screen operated by a large knob, which displays a range of functions like the radio and GPS. The high driving position is comfortable and the controls are

The 2015 Land Cruiser 200 builds upon the rock solid foundation of its predecessors and adds a host of technological advancements, which Toyota states makes this the best and most capable Land Cruiser yet.

PHOTO: QUICKPIC easily viewed and operated.

The gear lever for the auto box is finished in leather and wood, and is particularly tactile.

In five­seat format the Prado takes five adults easily and offers a huge boot space behind the sec­ ond row of seats.

Just inside the rear door is a button which raises and lowers two additional seats, which are easy to access and even for a large chap like me, make for comforta­ ble long­distance seating. Even with seven seats in place the boot is still large enough for a family’s weekend luggage, or if you are off to the bush, for your tent and mountain bikes.

Safety and security The Prado is built to undertake missions anywhere in the world in safety and comfort.

Whether it is collecting you family from school, or working for an international organisation in North Africa or Afghanistan, the Land Cruiser Prado is equipped to do the job.

The Prado is all­wheel drive and has just about every safety device you can think of.

There is the usual ABS with EBD, Vehicle Stability Control, Active Traction Control, Multi Terrain Select, PDC and rear camera, Hill Start Assist, Down­ hill Assist and eight airbags,

which surround passengers in an emergency. The diff lock can be engaged for front or rear and there is a crawl function which takes care of boulder­strewn sur­ faces. A button raises the vehicle to accommodate particularly bad terrain and two settings make even the worst terrain fairly easy to negotiate.

The Prado has a 700 mm wade depth, an inclination angle of around 45 degrees and a tilt angle of 42 degrees.

The vehicle has a reinforced passenger cabin and chassis.

Performance and handling The Prado has a three­litre VX diesel engine, putting out 120 kW of power and 400 Nm of torque.

The Common Rail Diesel en­ gine is turbo­charged and inter­ cooled and a powerful pleasure to drive.

In town the Prado will do ev­ erything required of a spacious, well mannered vehicle and cart your family about in safety.

On the national road you have to watch the speed, which is in­ clined to creep upwards.

The D­roads in the Midlands provide no challenge at all and the only real test we could think of for the vehicle was to drive it upwards towards Hilton on the hillsides above the city, which of­ ten have no roads at all.

We commenced by engaging the rear diff and driving up one of the steepest slopes in the city, which is deeply rutted and cov­ ered with smooth, slippery sand.

The Prado flattened the slope without a problem. The same can be said of the other rough forest­ ry tracks we drove, which eventu­ ally brought us to Hilton.

The best compliment for the Prado, however came from the back­seat driver with the bad back, who commented she felt no difference in the Prado’s smooth ride on tar or over the bumps.

Even though you will not buy this remarkable vehicle for its speed, 0­100 km/h takes about

12,5 seconds and top speed is around 175 km/h. Fuel consump­ tion is entirely terrain dependent but you should get around 11,5l per 100 km in normal driving.

Costs and the competition The Prado 3.0 ODT VX comes in at about R800 000 and you get a three­year/100 000 km warranty, as well as a five­ year/90 000 km service plan.

Both are upgradable.

You also get to leave this car to your children and grandchil­ dren, but you should also look at the Land Rover Discovery, Jeep Grand Cherokee, BMW X5, Ford Everest and Mercedes Benz GLE.

The roots of the Toyota Land Cruiser, the 1951 Type 25 BJ Land Cruiser modelled on the WW2 Jeep.

PHOTO: QUICKPIC

For more information on Witness Wheels advertising Contact Avir on 084 278 3447 or Avir@witness.co.za

Trails of a legend THE Land Cruiser turned 64 this year and precisely because Toyota kept the en­ gineering as basic as possi­ ble, with drivers in Africa still rating it as one of the toughest machines on four wheels.

Land Cruiser’s ancestry can be traced back to the Toyota BJ of 1951, a truck­ derived model that was ini­ tially developed for military use. Within six months of its launch the BJ was hailed as a champion, becoming the first vehicle to be driven to the sixth hill station of Japan’s Mount Fuji, 2 500 metres up. As a result of this feat, the BJ was added to the Japanese po­ lice fleet and the model’s long­term success began.

In 1954 the new Type 25 BJ was given a generic mod­ el name — Land Cruiser — which has been used ever since.

As Toyota began its programme of worldwide exports and growth during the 1950s and 60s, it found many established markets were already well­served by American and European car makers.

This prompted the com­ pany to focus instead on emerging markets in Mid­ dle and Far East, Africa and South America, where Land Cruiser’s tough perform­ ance made it a strong prop­ osition. The Land Cruiser concept was refined in the mid­1960s as Toyota re­ sponded to an American trend for more refined four­ wheel drive vehicles.

The introduction in 1966 of the first Land Cruiser Station Wagon series — forerunner of today’s Land Cruiser 200 V8, catered for this growing market, join­ ing the range alongside its more rugged stablemate.

Further development of the Land Cruiser concept came in 1985 when Toyota released the 70 series — the first Land Cruiser “Light Duty” series.

The model was discon­ tinued in 2004 in Toyota’s home market, but so strong is demand from Japanese customers for this model that Toyota last year chose to mark 30 years since the launch of the Land Cruiser 70 by building limited editions of the 70 series that only went on sale dur­ ing this year in Japan.

And learning from South Africa, the Land Cruiser 70 is sold as a double­cab pick­ up truck, a first in Japan.

Calling all 4x4 fans FOLLOWING our invite to readers to come 4x4 with us on the scenic and challening Ongeluksnek Pass border­ ing Lesotho in the Eastern Cape, read­ ers have jumped at the opportunity for a guided tour and we regret to re­ port the convoy is now full.

However, there will be more such camping trips in next year, so watch this space and book your spot.

• alwyn.viljoen@witness.co.za

Merry Christmas to all…

By Pieter from Maritzburg Christmas is finally here! The tree is decorated, the presents are wrapped, the Boney M Christmas album is stuck on repeat (whether we like it or not). Before we all disappear for the holidays, I want to take this opportunity to write to all of you who read my little musings on driving and on life.

It’s been a good year, all told. It’s certainly flown by. Sometimes it feels like we’re stuck in fifth gear, watching things pass us by in a blur, until all of a sudden we reach the end of the year and run slap-bang into Christmas, sending presents and ornaments flying every which way.

When you stop to think about it, however, you’ll find that’s not how it is at all. You’ll remember the ups and downs of 2015: the little setbacks that felt bigger than they were, and the big successes that felt smaller than they were; the new experiences you had; the new friends you made. The blur will resolve itself into a series of memories, flickering by like film through an old projector. Christmas is a time for nostalgia; embrace it.

When I was a little boy I remember writing letters to my family and friends, thanking them for the presents I’d received: “Thank you, Grandma, for the toy car. It is very nice.” This is my letter to all of you.

Thank you for your ongoing readership and support this year. Thank you for sticking with us through the hard times, and for celebrating with us in the good times. Thank you for making Barons Pietermaritzburg once again the preferred dealership in KwaZulu-Natal.

I hope that all of you have a wonderful Festive Season, full of fun, food, and frivolity, and I – and all the folks at Barons Pietermaritzburg – look forward to seeing you all next year. Until then: happy driving!

Barons VW Pietermaritzburg can be found at 9 Armitage Road. They are committed to bringing you quality cars and excellent service at the best possible prices ALL year round! To start hunting for your dream vehicle, visit www.baronsvwpmb.co.za. And to book a test drive or service call (033) 845 3100. Open Monday – Friday 8am – 5pm, and Saturdays 8am – 1pm.

We at Barons Pietermaritzburg

would like to wish everyone a

and thank you for your continued support

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6

WitnessWheels MOTORING

December 17, 2015

Ghana apostle dreams big West African entrepreneur realises father’s1971 vision to build, sell and service vehicles locally ACCRA (Ghana) — Japanese Toyotas, German Mercedes­ Benz and BMWs, GM cars and trucks from the U.S. are driven in countries around the world.

But in Ghana an inventor and church leader who started out trying to make voice­controlled television sets is telling the auto giants to move over.

Kwadwo Safo Kantanka — nicknamed the “Apostle” be­ cause he also runs a network of churches — has finally realised his dream of developing and mar­ keting cars “Made in Ghana”.

“It’s been in the pipeline since 1971,” Kwado Safo junior, one of the inventor’s sons, told AFP. “It started with the old man, so it’s been a long time coming.”

Range of vehicles Kantanka’s range of sports utility vehicles, bakkies and trucks are being noticed on Ghana social media sites, thanks in part to an advertising campaign using local movie and music stars.

The sticker prices of the vehi­ cles run from $18 000 to $35 000 — out of range for most people in Ghana. But a cheaper sedan is expected to go on sale in 2016.

The locally made vehicles are entering a tough market, going up against established brands in a country that sees about 12 000 new and 100 000 second­hand cars imported every year.

But the inventor’s son, who is chief executive of the Kantanka Group, is confident the demand is there and the firm can hold its own against the competition.

He said, without giving any specifics: “Already we have cer­ tain companies in Ghana who have come to make certain outra­ geous orders for huge numbers that we have to meet. So, we are working.”

Buy local Ghana’s President John Dramani Mahama has been pushing his compatriots to buy locally to

ny’s technology research centre west of Accra last year.

But local sourcing is a key com­ ponent of Kantanka’s vehicles, whose radiator grilles feature Ghana’s five­pointed star em­ blem. Wood from Ghanaian for­ ests is used to make dashboards while the cream­coloured leather seats in the black SUV were made in the country’s second biggest commercial city, Kumasi.

Akan — a language widely used in Ghana — is written alongside English on the elec­ tronics.

GHANA CARS: Self­styled apostle Kwadwo Kantanka is selling cars assembled in Ghana and hopes to get as big as Toyota.

PHOTOS: VIMEO SCREEN GRABS

The interior of the Katanga SUV sports indigenous woods and seats that are upholstered in Ghana to suit the local demand for a bit more bling.

While the rear­end design of the Ghana­built Katanga SUV does not push any boundaries, there is nothing much to fault either.

boost a stuttering economy hit by inflation, a depreciating cur­ rency and high public sector debt.

In 2014, he showed off a pair of Ghana­made shoes during his annual State of the Nation ad­

fish, all money “which could have gone into the pockets of Ghana­ ian entrepreneurs”, he said. “Any import items we buy as Ghana­ ians constitutes an export of jobs in this country, especially in re­ spect of the items for which we

dress and criticised the lack of ap­ preciation of locally made goods and over­reliance on imports.

Mahama noted that some $1,5 billion was spent in foreign currency on items such as rice, sugar, cooking oil, tomatoes and

have comparative advantage to produce,” Mahama said at the time.

For Kantanka some key com­ ponents such as glass, tyres and brake callipers are imported, AFP was told on a visit to the compa­

‘The next Toyota’?

Kantanka’s son was adamant about the uniqueness of the cars, which have all been approved for safety by Ghana’s Drivers Vehicle Licensing Authority.

The Made in Ghana label means that “if you have any prob­ lems with the vehicle, you wouldn’t have to import from In­ dia or China or America. All the parts are right here and we have a 24­hour service,” he said.

Six months ago, Ghana’s po­ lice service received one of the pick­up trucks, potentially pav­ ing the way for other government agencies to place orders.

Kantanka junior is upbeat about the way ahead.

“The future of Kantanka for the next 10 years is to try as much as possible to increase our lines,” he said.

To the current three lines, he said, “we intend to increase by next year January, February and add two more lines to it. We in­ tend to go into more lines like buses, mini­vans and all that.”

For Ghanaians, the cars could put their West African nation on the map. “We must believe in the Ghanaian just like Toyotas and Hyundais,” said Murtala Mo­ hammed, who lives in Accra.

“They all started from scratch.

Who knows? Kantaka could be the next Toyota.”

— Wheels24­AFP.

Push a button to tint car window STU ROBARTS AUTOMOTIVE supplier Con­ tinental has developed a new technology that can tint car windows at the push of a button.

Intelligent Glass Control uses the application of, or lack of, an electric current to specially made glass, offering privacy, comfort, safety and emissions benefits.

Variable glass tinting for ve­ hicles has been possible for some time, with Hino Motors demonstrating a take on it back in 2007, for example.

Continental says, however, that the technology has only been feasible in the roof area of a small number of high­end cars and that its test vehicle shows the technology employed for side windows, rear windows and windshields for the first time.

The functionality is achieved by inserting special films with embedded particles into the glass.

When a charge is applied, the particles “systematically align themselves in parallel” and make the window clear.

When the charge is removed, the particles rearrange them­ selves randomly, darkening the window and leaving it transpar­ ent only from the inside of the vehicle.

The head of Continental’s body and security unit, Andreas Wolf, says the technology can offer privacy, increased comfort and improved safety for vehicle occupants.

It can, of course, reduce the effects of bright sunshine or glare, but can also eliminate the impaired visibility and reduc­ tion in vehicle control of a driver adjusting the car’s sun visor.

In addition, the technology can reportedly help to reduce energy usage.

By reducing solar radiation, it is able to keep the interior of a vehicle cooler than would oth­ erwise be the case, thereby less­ ening the need for air condition­ ing.

“Our calculations have shown that the CO2 emissions are reduced by a good four grams per kilometre thanks to these measures, thus increasing the range of electric vehicles by

around 5,5%,” says Wolf.

Continental says the window tinting could be developed to change automatically in future, based on external brightness, for example.

The film used currently is said to have a slight blue shimmer, but a range of other colour op­ tions are expected.

In addition, it is suggested that features like energy recov­ ery and touchscreen functional­ ity may also be possible.

Continental has not released cost details, but describes the film as being “still rather cost­ intensive”.

It does, however, expect pri­ ces to drop quickly, due to com­ petition from other similar technologies.

The firm believes it doesn’t matter too much which tech­ nology prevails, with the value being in the software and con­ nection know­how.

A car with Continental’s In­ telligent Glass Control installed will be on display at the Con­ sumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas from January 6­9, 2016.

— Gizmag.

The lifestyle comes standard Kirsten Hickey tries out the Mini bicycle on the steps of the popular new cafeteria at Umhlanga’s Mini Rocks dealership. With ample parking, strong espresso and no tourist queues, its the place where the trendy locals in the know hang out and Ian Greig, leader of this SMG Dealer of the Year, said everyone is welcome, even if they drive a less fun­to­drive vehicle than a Mini.

PHOTO: ALWYN VILJOEN

MOTORING WitnessWheels

December 17, 2015

7

The passion and the power BRIAN BASSETT puts heart and soul into driving the new BMW 228i convertible OVER time BMW has received some criticism for apparently ig­ noring the needs of the driving enthusiasts who have made the brand what it has become today.

The mandarins of motoring journalism point to the grand, large motor vehicles made by the company and ask what of the smaller, powerful sports cars for which BMW became famous both before and after the Second World War. The company has answered this criticism with the one and now the two series. These cars answer the passion of those of us who enjoy driving, and combine brilliant handling with the raw power of twin turbo engines.

We thank Anthony Ellis, deal­ er principal at SMG Pieterma­ ritzburg for allowing us to drive the car for a few enjoyable days.

Styling The 2­series was a natural follow­ up to the 1­series and it was only a matter of time before the 2­se­ ries convertible arrived on the market.

This car is the most successful and popular premium model in its class, with over 130 000 units sold worldwide thus far.

The 2­series convertible is just over seven centimetres longer that the 1­series and also 2,6 cm wider. These measurements do not sound like much, but open up more room inside and give the vehicle a robust appearance, without losing the svelte, fluid styling.

The car is not only beautiful, with its flared side lines, but its overall low­slung elegant silhou­ ette emphasises its sensuousness and agility.

At the front the design is all BMW, with the distinctive kid­ ney grille and slit­eyed, adaptive headlights.

At the rear typical L­shaped, single­unit tail lights stress the car’s width and road hugging stance, while the dual exhausts

roll­over protection system so, if you roll the car, you don’t lose your head in the process.

The rear view camera and park assist are also useful.

Two fingers wider and a hand­span longer than its predecessor, the latest drop­top 228i is as svelte as cars can get.

PHOTO: CARSGUIDE underline the sport nature of the overall package.

Interior The 228 we drove was equipped with leather­covered, electrical­ ly­operated sports seats, the black leather outlined with red stitching, which accentuated the sporty nature of the vehicle.

The leather­covered, tactile, three­spoke, multi­function steering wheel operated the Har­ mon Kardon six­speaker radio, Aux, Bluetooth and speed con­ trol functions and the car was al­ so equipped with a centrally­ placed screen for the Satnav function, as well as for the BMW Connected Drive function, which turns the car into a rather expensive computer.

The auto air conditioner with its special convertible function is also worth a mention.

The speedometer and other gauges are all typical BMW and

folded down to provide, together with the boot, about 300 litres of storage.

As with most four­seater roadsters, the rear seats are for those of slight build.

PHOTO: BMW easy to read. The side mirrors op­ erate electrically, as do the win­ dows. The roof can be raised or lowered in 20 seconds at speeds up to 50 km/h.

The car looks good with its roof either up or down but it is

meant to be driven with the roof down.

The rear seats are for those of slight build who will only be driv­ ing in the back for a short while.

In reality they are a place to pack the week’s groceries and can be

Safety and security Somehow driving in the open is a reminder of how vulnerable you are on our roads.

In a closed car you feel co­ cooned and safe, while in a con­ vertible, never mind how enjoya­ ble the ride, the road, the trucks and the maniacs seem a lot closer.

This is why it is good to note that the 228 has a wide range of safety features.

All the usual safety features are there like six airbags, ABS, EBD anchors for child seats and seat­ belts for all.

The car also has Dynamic Sta­ bility Control, Adaptive Head­ lights and a system of air curtain­ ing, which channels the air flow at the front apron and wheels, thus enhancing stability.

There is also a fully­recessed

Performance and handling The BMW 228i has a twin power, 4­cylinder, petrol engine featur­ ing a twin scroll turbocharger with Double Vanos and high pre­ cision injection delivering 180 kW of power and 350 Nm of torque at only 1 250 rpm.

In a car the size of a shoe this makes for great fun behind the wheel. Zero to 100 km/h comes up in 6,1 seconds, while top speed is 250 km/h. The car is very re­ sponsive and has to be held back on roads where speed limits are likely to be a concern.

Like all BMWs the handling is superb. The steering is sensitive with excellent feedback. The driver’s needs are expressed on road almost as soon as they are communicated.

The car we drove was a manu­ al, expressing the considerable power of the engine on road via a six­speed gearbox.

An auto box is also available but I preferred to be in control and feel the thrust of the engine.

In town, parking is made easier by the park assist function, as well as by the rear­view camera.

The car is quite short in any case and reversing into a small space is no problem.

Costs and the competition The 228i convertible comes in at about R530 000. Remember that the options list is long and expensive.

The car comes with BMW’s five­year/100 000 km motor plan, which is extendable and in­ cludes roadside assistance. It is nonetheless one of the best plans available. If you are thinking of spending this much on a car, also look at the Mercedes C­Class Coupe, VW Scirocco and the Golf Cabriolet.

Nissan­Renault go on stronger AFTER the French government called for Renault to extricate it­ self from Nissan, the boards of directors of Renault and Nissan instead announced they will strengthen their partnership.

Carlos Ghosn, chair and CEO of the Renault­Nissan Alli­ ance said after months of dis­ cussions, a new agreement has been reached “that builds on our heritage and strong founda­ tions to achieve further sustain­

able growth and success of the two partners”. The companies, which have been strategic part­ ners since 1999, said it sold 8,5 million vehicles in nearly 200 countries last year.

The Alliance also has strategic collaborations with Germany’s Daimler, Japan’s Mitsubishi, China’s Dongfeng, India’s Ashok Leyland and Rus­ sia’s Lada.

The new agreement rests on

three pillars: • The French government retains double voting rights within Renault, capped at 20% in case of an unusually high quo­ rum at the shareholders’ general meeting; • No enfranchisement of Nissan shares in Renault; • A contract between Ren­ ault and Nissan providing for non­interference in Nissan’s governance by Renault. — WR.

Ford to develop Uber competitor

An oil­burner with Soul KIA has announced a diesel engine for its popular Soul — a 1.6 CRDi SMART DCT, which retails for R399 995. As with all KIA models offered in South Africa, the new KIA Soul 1.6 CRDi SMART DCT ships as standard with KIA’s standard five­year / 150 000km warranty and three years unlimited roadside assistance. Also included as standard is a four­year / 90 000km service plan.

PHOTO: QUICKPIC

FORD wants to develop ride hailing services that could com­ pete with existing providers such as Uber or Lyft, the compa­ ny’s head of research an­ nounced recently.

“Our vision is to be a mobility service provider, beyond build­ ing a vehicle that would be in somebody else’s fleet,” said Ken Washington, Ford’s vice presi­ dent of research. “We see this as a business we want to be in.”

Washington spoke at a media event at which Ford unveiled a

pilot programme that will allow employees working at the com­ pany’s Dearborn, Michigan, op­ erations to use smartphone apps to hail rides from one building to another in specially designed Ford Transit vans.

Ford earlier this year outlined a series of moves to expand be­ yond manufacturing cars and trucks. The automaker, like es­ tablished rivals General Motors or Daimler, is under pressure from investors to demonstrate that it can survive attacks on its

business model from ride­hail­ ing upstarts such as Uber, or electric vehicle pioneer Tesla Motors. Washington said Ford expects within four years to field a vehicle that can drive itself with the driver “fully out of the loop”.

However, he qualified that by saying the vehicle could operate on its own in the right weather conditions, as automakers still worry about sensors not work­ ing properly in snow or rain.

— Reuters.

8

WitnessWheels MOTORING RACING

December 17, 2015

Affordable Super Sprint New event for Donaldson Cross Country Championship in 2016 adds varied race distances CHARMAINE FORTUNE

The final event in the Donald­ son Cross Country Champion­ ship will be the Atlas Copco Gold 450 on the West Rand.

The RFS Endurance, Super Sprint, Nkomazi 450 and Atlas Copco Gold 450 will include rounds of the Northern Regions championship with the KZN 450 in Dundee and the Harrismith 650 Endurance including rounds of the KZN regional champion­ ship.

“The mix offered by the Do­ naldson series and the national off­road motorcycle and quad championship means there is a little bit of everything for every­ one during the course of the year,” said Rousseau.

“The three Donaldson Cham­ pionship events to run alongside the off­road motorcycles and quads ensure enthusiasts will be spoilt for choice.

“Sanora is committed to pro­ moting competitive racing that is safe, affordable and fun for the whole family and all the signs are there for a season that ticks all the right boxes.”

SANORA and the Donaldson Cross Country Motor Racing Championship have announced new plans to innovate the Do­ naldson Cross Country Champi­ onship in 2016.

A one­day Super Sprint event has been added to next year’s cal­ endar with the Donaldson Championship to be run over seven rounds.

The 200­kilometre Super Sprint event will run alongside three 450­kilometre sprint events, two 650­kilometre en­ durance outings and the mara­ thon Toyota 1000 Desert Race in Botswana.

Side­by­side championships The 2016 season will also see the Donaldson Cross Country Championship share venues with three South African Nation­ al Off­Road Motorcycle and Quad Championship races.

Sanora has acquired the rights to administer the motorcycle and quad series and three events in Vryburg, Botswana and Weston­ aria will see the two champion­ ships run side by side over sepa­ rate routes.

“The Donaldson Champion­ ship mix in 2015 of sprint events, longer endurance races and the Botswana marathon race was a major success,” said Sanora CEO Siegfried Rousseau.

“The one­day Super Sprint race takes the concept a step fur­ ther and, apart from providing for an affordable event, adds to

Chirs de Wit and Brian Clifton drove their Toyota Corolla to a fine first place in the recent Scottair Drumdarroch Rally Sprint.

PHOTO: PIERRE RETIEF/SPORTPICS.CO.ZA the championship menu of var­ ied race distances, terrain and challenges.”

The Super Sprint will include a 30­kilometre qualifying race to determine grid positions, with the main race to be run over two 100­kilometre loops with two­ minute dust gaps between the competitors to add further varie­ ty to the new race format.

There will be a compulsory 20­ minute service halt at the end of the first of the two loops.

Following a trend set over the last couple of seasons, selected Donaldson national champion­ ship events will run in conjunc­ tion with rounds of the Northern Regions and KwaZulu­Natal re­ gional championships.

Four Northern Regions events

and two KZN race will run along­ side national races.

The season opens with the RFS Endurance in Vryburg in North West province and is fol­ lowed by the Super Sprint and the flagship Toyota 1000 Desert Race in Botswana.

The Super Sprint will be held at a Gauteng venue yet to be an­ nounced.

The Toyota 1000 Desert Race is followed by two sprint events, the Nkomazi 450 in Malalane in Mpumalanga and the KZN 450 in Dundee in KZN and the Har­ rismith 650 Endurance in the Free State.

In recent seasons this has been the opening event of the Donald­ son series, but next year moves to a later slot on the calendar.

2016 CROSS COUNTRY DATES April 1­2: RFS Endurance, Vryburg May 7: Super Sprint, Gauteng June 24­26: Toyota 1000 Desert Race, Jwaneng, Botswana July 29­30: KZN 450, Dundee August 26­27: Nkomazi 450, Malalane September 30 to October 1: Har­ rismith Endurance October 28­29: Atlas Copco Gold 450, Westonaria.

Off­road bike and quad champs return to sharing events with cars CHARMAINE FORTUNE THE South African National Off­ Road Motorcycle and Quad Championship will in future be run under the auspices of Sanora.

Sanora administers the Do­ naldson Cross Country Motor Racing Championship and has now also acquired the rights to organise the South African Na­ tional Off­Road Motorcycle and Quad Championship.

This is in terms of an agree­ ment between Sanora and Mo­ torsport South Africa (MSA), the controlling body for motor­ sport in South Africa, with the motorcycle and quad series pre­ viously administered by Dirt Racing Promotions.

“We are excited about the de­ velopment that will be of benefit to both championships,” said Sanora CEO Siegfried Rousseau.

“Two separate national cham­ pionships running side by side is good commercial logic for all the stakeholders and competitors.”

“The off­road motorcycle and quad series is healthy and well run, and Sanora will apply the same sound business philosophy, management structures and pro­ fessionalism that sets the Do­ naldson Championship apart from other motor racing champi­ onships in South Africa.”

Rousseau added that by taking the cross country car, motorcycle and quad championships simul­ taneously to the same area al­ lowed for enhanced spectator ap­ peal, and strengthened the eco­ nomic impact on communities where events took place.

V SIEGFRIED ROUSSEAU Sanora CEO

Jadene and Cheyenee de Lima from Westville and Amber McGregor from Amamzintoti, seen here after competing in Round 7 of KZN’s Regional championships held on November 15 at Cato Ridge can next year share cross country facilities with the cars.

PHOTO: PIERRE RETIEF / SPORTPICS.CO.ZA The two championships will share the same venue in the first event of the year in Vryburg, in Botswana in mid­season and at Westonaria in the final event of the season.

The motorcycle and quad championship will also take in events in KwaZulu­Natal and the Western Cape.

The championship will be scored over six rounds spread

over the five events, with the Bot­ swana outing counting for two rounds.

Rousseau said it is going to be an exciting year for the car, mo­ torcycle and quad competitors with a great deal of potential for the future.

The aim of both champion­ ships is to create family oriented fun and adventure without com­ promising on strict safety meas­

ures and controls. In the interests of safety, cars and motorcycles/ quads would follow different routes on events where the two championships share common ground.

MSA chief executive officer Adrian Scholtz said it was re­ warding to see the off­road mo­ torcycle and quad championship return to its original home with the cross country vehicles.

“It is going to be an exciting year for the car, motorcycle and quad competitors with a great deal of potential for the future.”

THE 2016 OFF­ROAD MOTOR­ CYCLE AND QUAD CALENDAR April 1­2: Round 1, Vryburg May 7: Round 2, Dundee June 24­26: Rounds 3 and 4, Jwaneng, Botswana August 26­27: Round 5, Western Cape October 28­29: Round 6, Westonaria.

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