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

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SA4x4 review the latest in 4×4. From off-road testing to on-road first drives.

THE NEW 2.0-LITRE FORD RANGER

Quit the milk bottle jokes, the new Ranger is now also available with 2.0-litre single- and bi-turbo engines, mated to a 10-speed automatic transmission. And whatever your views on cubic capacity, it makes for a super-capable vehicle. The exterior has been given some tweaks, including new HID headlamps. The interior is now a bit darker, and the suspension has been revised for a plusher ride with less body roll. The 2.2-litre and 3.2-litre turbodiesel engines are retained in a line-up that includes 33 derivatives, but the big news is the latest tech. The single turbo engine puts out 132kW and…

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Road Test: Subaru Forester 2.0 CVT

When I was a child, my absolute favourite car was Petter Solberg’s blue and gold Subaru Impreza that narrowly snatched the WRC away from Sébastien Loeb in the early 2000s. I had a remote-controlled replica that had all the decals and all the details. I was in love with a supreme piece of engineering, although I didn’t know it at the time. Fast-forward to 2019, and the Subaru AWD legacy lives on in the Forester, the compact SUV that looks more like a station wagon than anything else. These cars are best known for their reliability and longevity: Foresters often…

Business Profile: ONCA Off-Road

We recently paid a visit to the custom off-road fabricator and outfitter, ONCA Off-Road, at their headquarters in Kempton Park, and got down to the nitty-gritty of how the company had started and where it would be heading in the near future. We chatted to Lee Nel, one half of the team of brothers who lead the way at this powerhouse of local research and development. Where it all started Lee says that he, his brother Len and their parents created ONCA Off-Road 16 years ago, drawing on the experience they’d gained from the family’s steel fabrication company. The two…

Off-road Test: Isuzu mu-X

With runaway sales of the Fortuner since its introduction way back in 2004, bakkie-based SUV’s have consistently remained top sellers in South Africa. Every other major bakkie brand makes one, but it’s not since Isuzu ceased production of the much-loved Frontier in the same year in which Toyota released its Fortuner, that Isuzu has had an offering in this booming segment. Since General Motors sealed its departure from SA in 2018, taking with it the Trailblazer SUV, the local Isuzu product line-up has been expanded with the mu-X − which has been on sale in other markets since 2013 and…

Classic 4×4: Snyman 4×4’s J40 Land Cruiser

Every month, all sorts of Land Cruisers come through the Snyman 4×4 workshop in Brackenfell, Cape Town. If it is Cruiser-related, these guys will pull out all the stops, whether it’s just an oil change for your 105 Series, a few modifications, or a complete restoration down to the last nut and bolt. Everything from paint to engine rebuilding is done in-house and the quality of workmanship shows on every classic Cruiser that is finally signed off by Joubert and Yolanda Snyman. It all began with a passion for Cruisers back in the 1980s, and has grown to be a…

Motorhome Review: Custom Campers Iveco Eurocargo 4×4

When the owner of this “Big Daddy” of overlanders took his dream ride for its first shake-down trip to a resort near Brits for a weekend of quiet camping, he was in for a big surprise. The sheer scale and obvious luxury of his larger than life ride attracted a crowd of 150 to 200 fellow campers, who all wanted to climb in and take a look around, before they told their friends about this epic home on wheels. The camper itself is built on an Iveco Eurocargo 4×4 truck chassis, and the camper section alone is 10 metres long.…

Llewellyn Edwards’ Bone Crusher Patrol V8

How did Llewellyn Edwards turn a mild-mannered Patrol Wagon into a certifiably insane supercharged beast? Let’s just say that the engine from a P1 racing powerboat is involved… THE SCREAMING BARBARIAN Whether or not you’re partial to big power and over-the-top builds, there is something to be said about the deep rumble of a tuned V8 and a barbaric, screaming supercharger. Stick the two into just about anything and you’ll end up with a beast – on land or water. In the case of this build by electrical engineer Llewellyn Edwards, the Patrol’s heart was sourced from a P1 racing…

Suzuki Jimny GLX 1.5 auto

Off-road test: Suzuki Jimny GLX 1.5 Auto

Stronger, better, more capable. Is the Jimny all of this? A torture test at Honingklip sorts opinion from reality… A cult, as defined by Google dictionary, is “a system of religious veneration and devotion directed towards a particular figure or object”. Few vehicles muster such appreciation amongst their fans, but the Jimny is one of them. Fortunately for the faithful, their deity hasn’t gone all soft like others have… (ahem, Discovery). Instead, it has been improved in every way, and been made tougher and more capable both on and off the road, while still maintaining its quirky character. That’s the…

First Drive

First Drive: Mercedes-Benz X350d

Okay, so you’re probably wondering why we’re featuring the X-Class yet again, and that’s fair, given that it’s dominated motor magazine pages of late. Part of the reason is the massive hype generated by ‘the first of a new kind’ – a truly premium bakkie from a truly premium manufacturer. But to be honest, we just have to tell you what it’s like to drive the V6! The big boss of the X-Class line-up is here, and it’s powered by a proper Mercedes-Benz drivetrain, consisting of a 3.0L, 190kW, turbocharged V6 paired with a smooth-as-all-heck 7G-TRONIC PLUS automatic transmission. From…

First Drive

First Drive: Hyundai Santa Fe (2019)

Hyundai has always had a very hard time shaking off the shackles of its humble, budget beginnings, but the time has come to recognise the undeniable quality that the Korean manufacture is producing year in, year out. The new Santa Fe is a prime example, combining a sublime interior with a silky driving experience to create something that seems far more German than Asian. The price point reflects that, as well, moving the Santa Fe into uncertain waters between the value-for-money Fortuner and more premium options like the VW Touareg. For the consumer looking for a spacious, comfortable and well-built…

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