4x4 Off-road testing & on-road first drives

Rad Rig: Pon Steyn’s Monster 6×6

For some customers, the perfect 4×4 is not enough. Pon Steyn Motors has the answer for these clients: a genuine six-wheel drive. These 6×6 Land Rover creations start out like other projects − with a donor vehicle that is stripped, stretched, and re-engineered. In this example, a 110-inch Defender chassis was stretched by 1050mm by welding in a second rear-chassis section from another donor 110, and reinforcing the result with an additional cross member. New drop-down links and upper link ball joints were added, along with the upgraded coils and shocks. To get power to the rear-most axle, a specially

Business Profile: Pon Steyn Motors

From ashes to ashes, dust to dust. You’ll rise again, in this I trust. This timeless doggerel from Kev Elmer somehow accurately describes a clanking Land Rover workshop we visited recently. As the poem implies, what Pon Steyn Motors does is take tired old Landies from the breaker’s yard, and bring them back to life better than new. Pon and Piet Steyn first set up their family business (then known as ‘Steyn Motors’) way back in 1983. In 1994, the two brothers went their separate ways; and Pon purchased the new shop at the base of Sir Lowry’s Pass outside

First Drive: Ford Ranger Raptor

What a blast! If you are a fan of spirited off-road driving, there is much to like about Ford’s just-released Ranger Raptor. The Raptor has been elevated to a performance class of its own by the Aussie engineers who did the development work, and it’s the closest we are likely to get to the iconic Stateside F150 Raptor. I can’t think of any other locally-available production four-wheel-drive vehicle that offers this kind of poise and balance at the price. For a load-carrying bakkie, rated slightly lower than a standard Ranger, to carry 607kg and tow 2500kg, its ride quality and

Road Test: Renault Koleos 2.5 4×4 Dynamique CVT

Usually when you hear a 4×4 oke talking about a Renault, he’s laughing-off the little Duster, completely oblivious to just how well it performs on hectic trails. This year, however, Renault has added another 4WD model to the fray, in the form of the second-generation Koleos. As you can probably tell, it shares a platform with the Nissan X-Trail, although, in our opinion, it’s a far better-looking package from every angle, and is indeed a huge improvement on the slightly awkward first-generation Koleos. This specific platform is called Common Module Family (CMF) – D, and it optimises manufacturing by having

Rad Rig: Fuso 4×4 Motorhome

When Gustav and Annelise Marais came across this all-aluminium game viewer body built by Alu-Cab, they knew that they had found the perfect truck-body for their family camper vehicle! The Marais had dreamt of owning a motorhome for years, but the cost of these vehicles is high. They also wanted a 4×4-capable motorhome that could easily go places where standard motorhomes with low ground-clearance and 2WD drivetrains cannot. The other issue was that most truck-chassis based motorhomes are usually only homologated for two: driver + one. So, unless you purchase a double-cab truck with a big price tag (and consequently

Ground Zero Canopies

Ground Zero Canopies manufactures a line of four quality aluminium canopies: the Ground Zero Entry Level, Entry Level Plus, Mid Range and Pro Series. The Pro Series is top-of-the-range stuff and comes with a positive pressure vent on the front of the canopy and one full-length (gullwing) door on either side of the canopy. It has built-in roof rails and standard accessory mounts inside the canopy. The Pro Series is fitted with single-key locks and the lock seals are die-cut to ensure they last a long time and seal perfectly to keep out dust and water. Dust and waterproofing seals

RSI SmartCanopy

Rock Solid Industries has just completed development of its latest innovation: the RSI SmartCanopy EVO. This all-new stainless steel canopy option is designed to last a lifetime. With modern design features and built tough to handle whatever conditions are thrown its way, you’ll be assured that your canopy choice is a clever purchase. One of the key things about the SmartCanopy range is the complete knock-down design. Each canopy is flat-packed and shipped with individual parts – roof, front flange, rear door and side panels. This offers reduced shipping costs and easily replaceable parts, if damaged. RSI canopies are set

Joburg Canopy Centre

There is only one canopy that is safe, secure and strong. With an ever increasing range of models, styles and options, selecting the right canopy can be just as challenging as choosing the vehicle itself. Only Sammitr (SMM) Steel canopies provide maximum strength, durability, security and the benefit of being environmentally friendly. With over 50 years of experience in the automotive industry, SMM, a Tier 1 supplier of body panels to various OEMs, is the only producer of pressed steel canopies in the world, which are manufactured using the same material and production techniques employed by the automotive industry. SMM

Wild Accessories

The Wild Premium Aluminium Canopy offered by Wild Accessories is built to offer premium stability and great looks. It has positive pressure ventilation inside the canopy as well as an air vent designed to clean the rear window. It has built-in roof rails that accommodate slide bolts to mount roof racks or a rooftop tent. Design features include a multi-bend front and rear bolster and an aerodynamic shape that follows the contours of the vehicle. There is a rear air scoop and a high-visibility brake light for added safety on the road. Also standard is a sliding front window for

Rhinoman Canopies

The Rhinoman canopy range comes in three distinct models which are the RhinoCab, RhinoLite and RhinoSuperlite. All three variants are aimed at the leisure market in the various price brackets. The Superlite is the entry-level canopy and has a square design and unpainted doors. The RhinoLite canopy is more rounded and has a profile in line with the vehicle roof. The RhinoCab unit is 40mm higher than the roof, and is contoured to the shape of the vehicle. All units come standard with mounting rails on the roof for the attachment of a roofrack or other carrying equipment. All units

Browsing: Vehicles