Unveilings by Porsche

Porsche has pulled the wraps off its all-new Boxster. Now in its third generation, the model has enjoyed its most significant design development too, with shorter front and rear overhangs, bigger wheels and more sculpted side styling injecting some drama into the looks. It’s still recognisably Porsche’s baby roadster, just a leaner, fitter version.

Unsurprisingly, the rest of the headlines fall to increased efficiency and better performance. It’s considerably lighter, for starters (though Porsche is yet to announce how much has been shaved from the current, 1.3-ton car), and there’s a pair of new flat-six engines, both equipped with direct injection and stop/start technology.

The entry-level Boxster gets a 2.7-litre unit, smaller than the 2.9 it replaces but boasting a quicker 5.7sec 0-100km sprint.

Chev Sonic - Compact Car of The Year

Meet the Automoblog compact car of the year winner and Chevrolet’s new hit, not to mention the first ever test of a robot in disguise (anyone who has sat through either of Michael Bay’s Transformers movies will understand. Anyone who hasn’t probably thinks I’m due for my pills about now).

The even better news is that Chevrolet has pitched the price at around R 156 000 which brings the words ‘bang’ and ‘buck’ to mind (and not with reference to a road traffic accident with a deer).

We managed to steal the Sonic for a few weeks, during which we put this sexy little 1.4 compact through its mechanical paces on a long haul Cape Town to Beaufort West stint. The Sonic certainly stands out as it negotiates the meandering roads and the uninviting barren and desolate stretch known better as the N1. Mostly it looks very much like a bigger Chevy spark, just more  aggressively angular. Even when looking at it from dead head-on or sit behind one in a traffic jam and it somehow looks very niche, almost in a class of its own

I was slightly fearful that when I opened the door of the Sonic. Scared that I might be faced with a parts-bin interior with lots of hard black plastic and an overriding feeling that the designer went home after he sketched the steering wheel. Not so. The digital dial set into rectangular binnacles are a refreshing and clean addition, but the plastics on the radio and climate controls are a pleasant silver and there’s no sense that they’ve been lifted straight from the dash of a pick-up. In fact the auxiliary controls for the radio are perfectly set for easy access, not lost in the broad spokes of the steering wheel.

The first few kilometres are certainly promising as we slowly negotiate the roads leaving home.. The pedals are well-spaced, and each has a pleasingly instant response – the throttle particularly so. The gearbox is typically smooth and precise, also there’s a slickness to the action and the way it engages each gear that’s satisfying. The steering is also direct enough to thread the small bonnet reassuringly and accurately in whichever direction you need it to go.

Power is certainly there, but the 1.4 needs to be wound up with more revs than you might imagine to extract it, and because the gearing is incredibly long you find you’re grappling with the box more than you’d expect.

But the Sonic isn’t at all about hammering along. There’s a good deal of wallow as you pick up the pace, relatively small bumps creating big, vague, vertical movements in corners. There is a sense of the car shrinking around you, the front-end accuracy never disappears after you turn in, and you’re never left hanging on to a little car travelling quite quickly in a worryingly approximate direction.

Financially, in terms of value for money the Chevrolet Sonic is a serious contender. The Sonic is stylish, sexy and surprisingly quick off the mark. Even more surprising is the interior. Trimmed with an aesthetic appeal. The absolute kicker for me though, is without a doubt the fuel consumption or lack therof. The Sonic literally gave me the impression that it ran on an oil rag.

Of course with all these impressive characteristics, you’d expect the illusion to be gone when you look at the exterior. It isn’t. No. I’m sorry but this Chevrolet Sonic is a great car with a lot of heart and offers a fuel economy to performance ratio I have yet to experience.  Automoblog is proud to name the Chevrolet Sonic Compact Car of The Year 2012.

Chevrolet Captiva V6 -

America has always baffled me and It’s the little things that baffle me most of all. The way the middle classe don’t wear socks, the way they address one another in such loud voices across the hotel swimming pool, the inability they all have to locate themselves, or anyone else, on a map of the world, the love affair with country music, the mullets, the television ad breaks, the way they don’t offer you a cup of coffee or a drink when you go to their houses. I always feel like a civilized human amongst a sea of uncouth individuals.

The strangest thing about America, though, and possibly one of the very the best is that half the cars sold there every year are not cars at all. They’re SUVs.

Now, a pick-up truck, is made by nailing a couple of slabs of pig iron onto a chassis that would be recognizable to the makers of any 19th-century covered wagon. Then you simply add leather seats to make it feel like a premium product, but an SUV is a lot more complex. The theory is a blend of urban city clicker and off road explorer with all the creature comforts one could ask for . So Bluetooth, power electric seats, climate control, sat nav & sun roof. The list continues.

When you have a pick-up, you are not an IT engineer from Vodacom. You are a frontiersman who likes his beer cold, his springbok raw and his music hill billy. An SUV on the other hand is a different story and the new Chevrolet Captiva is in a class of it’s own.
Without further ado, I arranged with Chevrolet to borrow one of its new Captiva models. It arrived sporting 19 inch alloys, skirting trim, chrome roll over bars and leather interior. And it lasted three days before I had to top it up, so fuel economy – not so much. Something to note: This is a V6 and if treated as such the R440 000 range topper is easier to digest.
Where do we start? The ride is more comfortable than the Nissan Quashqai 2 . The performance is spectacular and the space in the back is far from a joke. And it’s all very well pointing at the undeniably large boot. That’s the beauty of the Chev Captiva, it doesn’t look out of place in any situation, whether you are wearing jeans and a T Shirt or a suit and tie – it’s got charisma, stance and energy. And no matter what kind of music you enjoy – hippie hop, Gregorian chants or the karaoke version of umshini wam – the performance sound system will play it flawlessly.
There’s one problem. In it’s last budget, South Africa decided that too many people were using tax-deductible vans and pick-ups as family cars at the weekend. And as a result, those that do will be clobbered.
As a tax-avoidance scheme, then, the SUV days are OVER, which means it must be judged as a vehicle. And I have to say it’s one of the best I’ve ever driven.

Jetta 6

The Jetta has always been a hit in the US, where all six generations have borne the name. This latest one is made in Mexico, but gains Golf-type multiple-link rear suspension, higher-tech engines and fractionally higher perceived quality for Europe.

Not a Volkswagen Golf with a boot any more. Oh no. Get rid of that thought. Well, under its unique skin it broadly is, except that this time the wheelbase grows by 70mm to the great benefit of visual proportions and rear seat space. It's still smaller than a Passat, and apart from a Ford Focus saloon there really aren't many rivals for this size of notchback any more. There's always the Peugeot 408 (a booted 308), but only if you live in China.

All engines have direct injection and a turbocharger. I had the 2.0 TDI with 108kw on tap and a tall-geared five-speed gearbox and BlueMotion economy stuff (109g/km CO2, thank you taxman). We don't get the 1.2 TSI, which is a shame because it's a gutsy little unit. That eco stuff includes stop-start and an alternator which normally charges only when the Jetta is slowing down.

VW says the Jetta is pitched upmarket of the Golf, but you'd never guess. Its dashboard is as dull a design as a dashboard can reasonably be, and the door trims are formed of hard plastic right up to the windowline like a Polo's. A Golf gets padding here, and in a car with any sort of quality pretensions it's essential. The Jetta was conceived as an affordable, high-sales car for the US and these origins are all too clear. At least we are spared the US-spec hard dashboard moulding; ours is padded.

And Depending on what you're comparing it with. Pricing will be similar to that of same-engined Golfs, so you're trading perceived quality for rear space and a boot. A new Ford Focus saloon will feel more sophisticated, – similar size and underpinnings but a long-tailed hatchback – feels more special. Really.

Only that we can't quite grasp what this car is for. It looks quite smart, and will no doubt go down well in Spain and Turkey and other markets which favour saloons. But to us, it's a bit of a social misfit, an American-German car that's clearly cheap to produce. For Volkswagen to try to sell it as a convincing part of the European range will be interesting to say the least.

VW Scirroco R - Discerning car enthusiast .. start your engine ...

If you buy an Aston Martin, you will not be spat at, you will not be given the bird, and you will have a very pretty car. Something you will have many hours to contemplate because, as a general rule, Aston Martins have a habit of not starting if you leave them alone for more than a couple of minutes.

This is the problem. All Mercs, BMWs and Jaguars are seen as too downmarket, too common, too everyman. And all supercars are seen as being too daft, too difficult and too daunting.



Audi? Well maybe, but each time I drive one of their cars I can never quite get it out of my head that I'm in a Volkswagen. It’s like having a Bang & Olufsen stereo. You know that behind the Danish exterior beats a Philips heart. And that sort of spoils the moment.

And since we are talking about VW, allow me to mention the all new Scirroco R. I know you must be thinking how I can possibly mention the German car manufacturer in the same breath as the aforementioned stables but lets not forget that it is VW that have their fingers in Lamborghini, Bughatti & Audi and with those resources at hand, you can always expect something of epic proportions to come along once in a while & this my friends is another winner from the Germanic stable.

So I phoned VW and asked if I could borrow one of their new R415 000 Scirroco R models which comes with fat 19 inch low-profile tyres that look insane, all the while thinking: “Yes, this is it. This is the holy grail. It’s the car the discerning car enthusiast can buy.” And it is!

It is ferociously good looking. From every angle. From the side, especially on its new alloys, it’s an absolute gem. So you’re sitting there in your Scirroco R, swathed in leather as rich as you are, and what makes this so hard to bear for the other drivers is that aggressive and dominant growl of its 2.0 litre turbo charged engine, the two-door sleekness of the design, all of the detailing and the application of it’s 188kw which will take you easily to 300 km/h. I liked the brakes, too, and the handling. It is, truly, a lovely car to drive quickly and something that will keep you staring long after you’ve parked it in the underground car park at your office, especially in the viper green color I had.

With four decent seats, there’s space to carry family or friends (although not perhaps as much rear leg room as you’d expect), while VW’s influence on the dynamics makes it an entertaining steer when you’re driving solo. If that ticks your boxes, the New VW Scirroco R is a compelling proposition.

NEW Renault GT - Line .. La Linia full stop!

The only other car I’ve ever wanted this badly before I drove it was the Audi A7. And that’s even in addition to having tested the RS Megane version that came out earlier this year.

Those with longer memories will recall the ‘hatch’. In response to rising insurance and petrol costs in the early ’90s, a raft of sub-hot hatches came along offering sporty styling and superior performance.

In an economic climate not dissimilar to the early ’90s, it’s of little surprise that the warm hatch is back – say hello to the Renault GT Line. The fact that Renault sport has had a hand in its development – we’re huge fans of the RS Mégane – means there’s reason to be optimistic about this car, too. It even looks good, individual and stylish, riding on its 17in, alloy wrapped wheels.

Inside, Renault sport-spec seats are fitted with specific GT cloth and there are aluminium pedals, a Renault sport wheel and polished carbon trim. Climate, cruise, TomTom satnav, and a hands-free keycard are standard.

It seems odd that a funky-looking three-door hatch with 96kw should be considered just another hatch, but thanks to the phenomenon of upsizing that’s what we’ve got here. With 0-100km/h taking 7.8sec and a top speed nudging 220km/h it’s on the hotter side of warm, and as such the GT makes a fine cruising and overtaking companion.


It steers with precision and it grips and contains body roll in a perfectly acceptable manner. No unruliness comes from torque-steer, which is usually present under hard acceleration in the first three gears. The GT doesn’t try too hard to impress, which makes you wonder if this is one of those cars that reveals its talents slowly during the ownership experience rather than on a short test drive at a dealer.


A quick mention, the dashboard. It’s completely mad and at a glance you can’t work out what anything does or what the dials are saying — you could very easily run out of fuel, for instance. But compared with the dreary, plasticky, home-brand, low-rent rubbish you find in most hatchbacks these days, it comes as a welcome and joyous change.

To understand what I’m on about, you should visit Renaults website and spend some time playing looking around at the different options.

Ah, yes, cost. It’s tricky, of course, because of those options. Prices start at R 236 000 and that’s fair enough because this is the best of the small cars by a very, very long way.

POLO GTI - Viva La Rush!!

Apart from the aesthetic debate, I wonder, really, if it was a good idea to bring back a car as nasty as the Beetle. That it sold in such vast numbers — 21m were made — is not testament to its design brilliance so much as to the average customer’s stupidity. The engine was in the wrong place, the rear suspension was a recipe for disaster, air is not as good a cooling agent as water and the shape is all wrong. Pretty much what you’d expect, really, from a car designed in part by Hitler.

Ushering in a new feeling image for VW, meet the new Polo GTI. It’s almost exactly the same size as a Golf GTI, reflecting today's downsizing trend, the engine is smaller than in those early GTIs, its pistons displacing a mere 1.4 litres. But with the help of a supercharger and a turbocharger, there's 132kw on tap. R273 000 will see you cruising the streets in the 2010 car of the year.

The TSI Twincharger engine, which, combing the benefits of super- and turbo-charging, offers exceptional punch from low down right through to 7000rpm. The engine note sets the scene, its snorty, gruff induction noise pitching you straight into your own private trackday fantasy.

As with the engine, the chassis is friskier than the Golf's and less the civilised tourer. It steers firmly and positively with a good bite from the front tyres, the nose tucks in keenly but the ESP light is easily triggered as you power out of corners.

There's a touch of torque steer, too, the good sort that adds to the feistiness. The tail edges out just enough not to feel inert if you throttle-off, but – as usual in a VW Group car – the warning light flashes annoyingly if the ESP is switched on. Over bumps the ride is firm, but it's very well damped with no after-bounce or choppiness.

Here is the best attempt yet at a convincing GTI-badged Polo, a car with its own personality freed from the shadow of the Golf. It looks right for the role, too, with its deep valances, honeycomb grille, red stripes and twin tailpipes, plus a mini-GTI interior treatment.


The polo GTI has a relaxed character, sharp styling and an appealing price tag. If this ticks your boxes, the POLO GTI is a compelling proposition worth serious consideration.

NEW JETTA

The new Jetta is 90 mm longer than it's predeccesor. This allows the rear legroom to extend by 67 mm.  But the changes to the Jetta extend beyond the stretched wheelbase.  With an elegant new look both inside and out, the Jetta’s panels are not shared with any other Volkswagen.

CHEV Bowtie - History behind the mystery

Globally recognized today, the Chevrolet bowtie logo was introduced by company co-founder William C. Durant in late 1913. But how it came to be synonymous with the brand is open to wide interpretation.


“It originated in Durant's imagination when, as a world traveller in 1908, he saw the pattern marching off into infinity as a design on wallpaper in a French hotel. He tore off a piece of the wallpaper and kept it to show friends, with the thought that it would make a good nameplate for a car.”

JHB Motor Show 2011

Beauty is not just skin deep and this is definitely true when it comes to the glamorous world of motoring. While many will head to the Johannesburg International Motor Show from October 6-16 to see the latest designs, there will be plenty to entice those who have an eye for technology.


It is not simply about engine technology, although there will be plenty of insight into the drivetrains of the future, there will also be the latest in carbon fibre design in vehicles that can almost be described as automotive sculptures, such as the mighty new McLaren MP4-12C. Visitors will be able to marvel at the creations that some of the world’s greatest designers have penned, whether it be the latest supercar or a superbly efficient family runabout.


Regardless of whether you are a techno fan or a technophobe, Johannesburg International Motor Show at the Expo Centre, Nasrec, will be the place to be if you want to know not just about the cars you could drive today, but also the cars and the lifestyle you could be enjoying tomorrow