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Off The Charts
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You don’t get many sport-utility vehicles for under R200 000. The cheapest Toyota Rav4 costs almost R300 000, the Nissan X-Trail R268 300, a Honda FR-V R261 900 – you get the picture.
You can buy a Chery Tiggo TXE, with an auto gearbox nogal, for R199 900. It also comes with an electric sliding sunroof, cruise control, electric windows all round, electric mirrors and anti-lock braking.
There’s also a TXE model with a five-speed manual gearbox for only R189 900 and, after just a short acquaintance with the top-of-the-range auto Tiggo, I suggest you’d be well advised to save ten thousands bucks by going for the manual.
The auto gearbox does not make a great initial impression. Its marriage with the under-endowed 2-litre engine is not a happy one. There’s too much noise while the Tiggo is accelerating through the gears, although it’s much better once it has achieved cruising speed.
And that’s the thing with this Chinese-made vehicle, brought to South Africa by the respected McCarthy Group. I found myself continually looking for good points. At first I had to look quite hard.
To start with, yes, there’s the price. But you do get what you pay for. The armrest/storage bin between the front seats feels flimsy, as do the side-wall storage compartments in the luggage area. There is an “onboard computer”, but all it tells you, about from the time and how far you have travelled since you pressed the zero button, is the instantaneous fuel consumption. Most people would far rather know the average consumption.
And yes, there are the looks – not bad at all, pretty sharp in fact. The Chinese will deny it but it seems there has been an attempt to copy the appearance of the Rav4, down to the big handsome headlights and the metal cover over the rear-door-mounted spare wheel. Admittedly other SUVs have the same appearance and could also be accused of following in the tracks of the Rav4.
Inside, you get leather-like seats all round and a bright, airy feeling, thanks to an abundance of big windows and the electric sliding sunroof. The Tiggo has an auto-lock system for the doors once you get up to a certain speed and the key, which has remote lock-unlock ability, folds away into itself – both these features, once again, are normally found on far more expensive cars.
You get warning buzzers when you leave the key in the ignition, when you have left the headlights on, and (for a limited time) when you have not fastened your seatbelt. There is no up/down auto feature on the electric windows. There are twin airbags for the front occupants.
The lights indicating whether you are in park, neutral, reverse of drive are on the wrong side of the auto-gearbox shifter lever but you do get this information on the main instrumental panel too. The instruments are easy-to-read black figures on white background, and at night the dials become red, the figures blue, so that it all looks rather VW-like. The impression is an attractive one, and the brightness of the instrument lighting can be adjusted.
The Tiggo cruises comfortably at 120km/h at 3000rpm but is no road rocket. There are a few internal rattles – perhaps this could be put down to the harsh treatment meted out to press vehicles?
Apart from the cruise-control buttons on the steering wheel, there are remote controls for the audio system too.
Head and leg room is excellent for front and rear occupants, although we did get a complaint about the rear seat being uncomfortable. Admittedly, this person was sitting in the central position, which does not even have a headrest, so maybe the Tiggo would be best used as a four-seater.
Luggage space is excellent, even with the rear seats in use, and ease of loading is good. Some people don’t like the sideways-opening rear door, complaining that it is a problem is someone parks close behind you. I liked it because I have a problem in my garage with upwards-opening rear doors touching against the garage door.
The alloy wheels are attractive, as is the roof rack. The overall appearance is more than pleasing. Chery should do well with this vehicle, which is also offered in a 1.6 TX version for R159 900 and a 2.0 TX for R174 900, apart from the more luxurious TXEs already mentioned. The 1.6 engine puts out 80kW and 147Nm, with the 2-litre gives 95kW and 180Nm. Fuel tanks across the range hold 57 litres – fuel consumption is on the heavy side, you will do well to get 100km on 10 litres. The fuel warning light came on before I had done 400km but I think you will get quite a long way on what is left in the tank.
The clever Chinese obviously are working on providing as many features as possible in their vehicles, and the goodies-rich, price-low Tiggo is a case in point. One bit of advice – it might be better to concentrate on small quality issues, such as doors that sound good when you close them.
Chinese vehicles might not be quite there yet in terms of quality, but the Chery Tiggo is proof that they are on the way. I had become surprisingly fond of it by the time I had to give it back.
Yis, it’s been cold lately hey! So let’s get to the bottom of the story about the Golf 6 2.0 TDI. It’s a luxurious, well-made, fuel-economical, high-quality diesel hatch from VW.
It costs R298 900 standard. There is an option of a leather-seat package for R10 290. And … this includes heated front seats!
Ah, what a pleasure to be warmed from the core up, for the warmth to get to the bottom of the story in no time, defying the icy weather outside. Now you can have a hot butt even if you don’t have a sexy derriere.
The Golf has many add-on options but the leather-seat package complete with bum-and-back warmer for both front occupants must top the list. Ah … so be sure to add them to the specs and pay up, at R310 00-odd this car is worth it.
Some people said: “What? R310 000-plus for a Golf?” (Hot seats included)
But they are missing the point. This is no longer the original VW mass-produced hatch, predecessor to today’s Citi Golf. This is a high-quality vehicle, packed with features, put together like a Porsche (well, you get the idea), with sufficient power, outstanding fuel consumption and the sort of reputation that will give you a good chance of a worthwhile trade-in deal in years to come.
It’s hard to put a finger on the best part of the Golf 6 2.0 TDI. That’s because it’s so good as a package. The combination of quietness and comfort inside the cabin, along with the excellent fuel economy, adequate power and general feel of quality, leave you with an overall sensation of luxury.
You feel tempted to undertake a really long drive because, well, just because the car feels as good as it does.
About those fuel consumption figures: VW claim an overall 4.9litres/100km. I actually saw 4.5 l/100km at one stage, admittedly while driving really carefully. But realistically, figures of well below 6 l/100km are achievable. The tank holds 55 litres so you could easily travel more than 900km between filling up. And with diesel costing a lot less than petrol at the time of writing that’s something worth considering.
Other stats: there’s a five-year, 90 000km service plan that can be extended substantially at a price (or turned into a maintenance plan); the motor puts out 103kW at 4200rpm and an impressive 320Nm from only 1750rpm; the claimed 0-100km/h time is 9.3 seconds and top speed (again, we did not confirm this) is 209km/h.
You can spend a fortune on the options list. Satellite navigation will set you back R28 920, an electric sunroof R6 630, Xenon headlights with wipe-wash feature R9 080 … yes, the list goes on. Thee are, of course, many standard luxuries, as one would expect in a car of this class and price range.
The six-speed gearbox contributes to the feeling of quiet calm as, in top gear, the Golf is doing only 2000rpm at 120km/h, and also helps the car achieve its excellent fuel consumption.
No, this Golf is not an exciting car. VW have stuck to their policy of gradual change, of not fixing what ain’t broken. You can spot changes but you can also see the family resemblances and you are unlikely to be startled by the new bits.
But even at close on R300 000, or just over R310 000 with those heated leather seats, this is a car that will warm more than the cockles of your heart.
Alfa Romeo calls its new MiTo hatchback “the most sporty compact car in the world”. That’s quite a claim. But there’s no denying that the MiTo is a real little beauty, one of the most exciting vehicles from the Italian manufacturer for many years.
South African alfisti will be thrilled by the surprising performance, build quality, sensual design and excellent handling.
But perhaps the best piece of news is the price: R228 500. Alfa is confident that it will compete convincingly in its price range, and even against cars costing R40 000 more.
Oh, that name … it comes from Milano and Torino, the Italian cities where the car is respectively designed and manufactured. Mito is also the Italian word for “myth”.
In the difficult economic climate many manufacturers have been going for modest launch events but Alfa did not want to hide the light of the MiTo under a bushel. Motoring writers were treated to a ride and drive of close to 300km, including three laps on the Gerotek handling track near Pretoria. At the end of it all the general verdict was one of approval, ranging from outspoken enthusiasm to a more muted but still positive response from even the most cynical.
Much is made of the fact that the MiTo is the first Alfa to go into production since the fabulous 8C Competizione, which itself harks all the way back to the first 8C, in 1931. Alfa points out a number of design cues that are common between the Competizione and the MiTo, the most striking of which, for me, was the ring of circular LED lights around the round taillights. But the Competizione is a limited-edition supercar and the MiTo a mass-production B-segment hatch.
Yes, the little two-door, four-seat car has great looks. But the performance is even better. The MiTo has a clever goodie called DNA, which means the driver can choose between Dynamic, Normal and All-weather settings. These make a difference to various things including suspension settings and traction control.
But most importantly they make the engine more responsive and boost the torque from an already outstanding 206Nm from the 1.4-litre turbocharged engine all the way up to 230Nm. This boosts the car’s punch appreciably and in fighting terms, it boxes far above its weight.
Many MiTo drivers will be tempted to put it in Dynamic drive and leave it there. While the ride is sports-car firm, it is not much softer in Normal mode. (The All-weather mode, in SA terms, would probably be employed mostly in wet-weather, and would be occasionally useful on icy roads.)
At Highveld altitude a small-capacity turbo like the MiTo makes sense. The turbo lag is minimal. Power is 114kW at 5 500rpm and Alfa claim a 0-100km/h time of 8 seconds and a top speed of 215km/h. They also reckon the MiTo will do 100km on 6.5 litres.
My driving partner and I managed 9 litres/100km in an afternoon that mixed enthusiasm and enjoyment with awareness of speed limits, on largely open country roads and highways.
The six-speed gearbox is a pleasure to use and in top gear the MiTo will do 120km/h at 3 000rpm. It accelerates hard even from those revs.
The cabin is comfortable and mostly high-quality, with the beautiful Alfa logo, on the centre of the steering wheel, setting the tone. There are twin cowlings above the central air vents, echoing those above main instrument panel. The rev counter is red-lined at 6 500rpm and the temperature and fuel gauges are labelled “Aqua” and “Benzina” in typical Alfa style.
The standard features include air-con (dual climate control is an option); a radio with CD and MP3 (Bose hi-fi is an option); electric one-touch windows; electric power steering, audio control on the leather covered, thick rimmed steering wheel; height and lumbar adjustments on the driver’s seat; trip computer showing a wide range of info, including turbo boost; driver, passenger, front side, window and curtain airbags, as well as an airbag for the driver’s knee. The standard list goes on and on and the options list is just as long.
So while the R228 500 price is attractive it could be substantially boosted by an options-hungry buyer. The thing is that while these extras are certainly nice-to-haves the standard MiTo is already a very attractive package.
One might say that the tank is small, at 45 litres; that the sun-visor mirrors are a little plasticky; that the boot lacks spaciousness and that the spare is not full-size. But that would be something like saying the Mona Lisa’s smile is not broad enough.
And yes, one could say the MiTo is a little masterpiece. It is absolutely enthralling to drive, with plenty of punch even from low revs and a satisfying exhaust note. It is eye-catching and arouses emotion in onlooker and driver alike.
Alfa is obviously trying to address previous problems about quality perceptions by offering a six-year/90 000km service plan, and service intervals of a quite astonishing 30 000km or two years.
There is a choice of nine colours and while everyone knows Alfas should be red, I liked the MiTo best in yellow … it brings out her curves.
More powerful. Arguably better-looking. A return to sharp-as-possible handling. More expensive. And undoubtedly, a novel approach from a motor company in changing direction in response to customer demands.
What we’re talking about here is Subaru’s decision to once again offer, in South Africa, a sedan version of its beloved Impreza WRX. For some time now the WRX, a cult car in a league of its own during the 1990s and early part of this century, has been available here only in hatchback form. Somehow, this just did not catch on. Subaru has gone soft, was the despairing wail from most sections of the media.
Now the Japanese company has backtracked with a vengeance. Not only have they brought back the WRX sedan, they have made it much more powerful. At 195kW and 343Nm, it offers an increase of 26kW and 23Nm over the hatchback predecessor. It has the same turbocharged 2.5-litre horizontally opposed engine but the engineers have worked their magic well. Also, the turbocharger is bigger and maximum turbo boost has been increased
Subaru claim a startling 0-100km/h time of 5.31 seconds – a big improvement over the 6.03 seconds of the 2008 version. Acceleration at high speeds has also improved dramatically.
An indication of the return to hard-core driving exhilaration is the fact that there is no longer a button to switch the traction control off. The reason is simple – this WRX no longer has traction control.
The Impreza, like all Subarus, boasts the company’s famous symmetrical all-wheel-drive system and the implication is that safety-net features like traction control are simply not needed, because the all-wheel-drive inherently provides great roadholding and cornering ability.
Also, there is a hint that people buying the Impreza WRX will presumably have more driving skills than ordinary people buying ordinary cars.
At R349 000 the WRX is not cheap. It comes standard with a sunroof and many other features. A sat-nav system is an optional extra and this I could do without. Part of the WRX’s appeal is the perversely Spartan appearance of the cabin, even though it does have such goodies as cruise control and sound system buttons on the steering wheel. Of course you get power steering and climate control and electric windows. In the boot there is a full-size spare wheel.
But one extra I would be prepared to pay more for is the sports exhaust system. It is simply superb and displays the WRX’s throaty “boxer” rumble to best advantage.
The launch event was based in Sandton and journalists got nothing more than a few minutes behind the wheel in Friday traffic. This was just enough to whet the appetite for more and we look forward to bringing you a more complete report after driving the car for as long as possible …
The WRX still has a five-speed gearbox but in the aforementioned traffic it was impossible to get anywhere near top gear. Subaru say, however, that improvements have been made to the gearbox.
The re-introduction of the WRX sedan also sees a re-alignment of the Impreza range. The 2.0R hatchback is replaced by a sedan (in five-speed manual and auto gearbox form, at R249 000 and R259 000 respectively) and the R545 000 STi remains the range topper – it is also the only hatchback Impreza to survive the changes.
Various suspension changes have been made to maximise handling. Subaru says fuel consumption has dropped from 10.7 litres per 100km to 10.4l/100km. Tyres are 225/45 on 17-inch alloy wheels. The famous Subaru swirl on the instrumental panel remains.
