SA Road Tests

Welcome

This is the home of automobile road tests in South Africa. We drive South African cars, SUVs and LCVs under South African conditions. It also just happens that most of the vehicles we drive are world cars as well, so what you read here probably applies to the models you can get at home.
*To read one of our road tests, just select from the menu on the left.
*Please remember too, that prices quoted were those ruling on the days I wrote the reports.


Great Wall Motors has finally released its new in-house 2.0 litre diesel engine in the H5 SUV. We joined a small group in the Winelands to find out more

This is a launch report. In other words, it's simply a new model announcement. The driving experience was limited to a short drive over a prepared course chosen to make the product look good. We can therefore not tell you what it will be like to live with over an extended period, how economical it is, or how reliable it will be. A very brief first impression is all we can give you until such time as we get an actual test unit for trial. Thank you for your patience.

Pics supplied

Cleaner, more powerful and quieter

Published in The Witness Motoring on Wednesday December 21, 2011

“I wish I could tell you whether GWM had an alliance partner in developing this engine, or even whose design might have been looked at beforehand,” grinned Tony Pinfold, Hilton-born CEO of GWM South Africa, “but the official line is that this is a 100 percent in-house effort.” Others mentioned that the automatic transmission case looks “very Hyundai” and a Google search turned up the fact that Borg-Warner supplies the turbocharger.

The good news is that it’s as clean an engine as can be offered within the constraint that South African and other sub-Saharan fuel distributors cannot yet place super-clean diesel in every village and hamlet.

The 1996 cc, DOHC, 16-valve four-cylinder, Delphi high pressure common rail diesel uses a variable geometry turbocharger, an intercooler, newly-designed glow plugs and state of the art seven-hole injectors. Precision-machined, lightweight engine design and friction reduction technologies make this motor a far more modern offering than those that went before.

Exhaust-cleansing measures include a diesel oxidation catalytic converter (DOC) that removes up to 90 percent of pollutants and exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) that reduces CO2 by up to 20 percent, carbon monoxide by as much as 40-, hydrocarbons by 50- and particulate matter by up to 60 percent. A lower compression ratio with maximised combustion temperature and engine pressure also means a lower percentage of pollutants in the exhaust gasses. As a result, the new GWM 2,0 VGT motor easily meets the Euro4 emissions standard. End-of-life (ELV) recycling regulations are met fully and it’s also a lot quieter than its predecessor.

While existing petrol engined H5 SUVs, known as Hover or Haval in other markets, with five-speed manual transmissions continue, new diesel variants will include four models, namely 4x2 and 4x4 options with a choice of six-speed manual or five-speed Tiptronic ‘boxes. Other features exclusive to diesel models include rearview mirror auto dimming, individual tyre pressure monitoring and temperature reading, instant fuel consumption readout, low battery indicator and an airbag disable function. The H5 Auto Diesel (exclusively) features cruise control.

Modern must-haves featured on existing models include ABS with EBD, filtered dual zone air conditioning, ISOFix child seat mountings, electric windows and mirrors, remote central locking with autolock, six-speaker RDS radio and CD unit with auxiliary and USB plugs and Bluetooth, fog lights at both ends, two airbags, automatic wipers, reversing camera, six-way electrically adjustable driver’s seat, lumbar adjustment on both front chairs, alloy wheels, leather upholstery and tinted windows.

The H5 is a conventional body-on-chassis design still favoured by those seeking longevity, although it might not be as superbly comfortable as some monocoque competitors. Suspension is by means of a double wishbone independent setup in front with a coil-spring and multilink system at the back. Brakes are discs at both ends and primary drive is to the rear wheels.

Out on the road, performance was slightly quicker than with the old petrol engine, but not exciting. There were some unofficial whisperings of engine remapping that would hopefully take place prior to official release, however. We wait in anticipation. Ride comfort over sections of rough asphalt was firm, but pliable. Luggage- and people space looks plentiful.

The numbers
Guide prices: R249 990 – 4x2 manual
              R269 990 – 4x4 manual
              R264 990 – 4x2 automatic
              R284 990 – 4x4 automatic
Engine: 1996 cc, four-cylinder, turbodiesel
Power: 110 kW at 4000 rpm
Torque: 310 Nm between 1800 and 2800 rpm
Performance: Figures not given
Average fuel consumption (claimed): 7,0 l/100 km
Tank: 74 litres
Ground clearance: 198 mm
Approach and departure angles: 22 degrees and 27,5 degrees
Warranty: 3 years/100 000 km with 2 years’ roadside assistance
Service plan: Optional



What We Do

This is a one-man show, which means that road test cars entrusted to me are driven only by me. Some reviewers hand test cars over to their partners to use as day-to-day transport and barely experience them for themselves.

What this means to you is that every car reviewed is given my own personal evaluation and receives my own seat of the pants judgement - no second hand input here.
Every car goes through real world testing; on city streets littered with potholes, speed bumps and rumble strips, on freeways and if its profile demands, dirt roads as well.

My articles appear every Wednesday in the motoring pages of The Witness, South Africa's oldest continuously running newspaper, and occasionally on Saturdays in Weekend Witness as well. I drive eight to ten vehicles most months of the year (press cars are withdrawn over the festive season - wonder why?) so not everything gets published in the paper. Those that are, get a tagline but the rest is virgin, unpublished and unedited by the political-correctness police. Hope you like what you see, because there are no commercial interests at work here. As quite a few readers have found, I answer every serious enquiry from my home email address, with my phone numbers attached, so I do actually exist.

I am based in Pietermaritzburg, KZN, South Africa. This is the central hub of the KZN Midlands farming community; the place farmers go to buy their supplies and equipment, truck their goods to market, send their kids to school and go to kick back and relax.
So occasionally a cow, a goat or a horse may add a little local colour by finding its way into the story or one of the pictures. It's all part of the ambience!

Comments?
Want to ask a question, comment or just tell me you thoroughly disagree with what I say? That's your privilege, because if everybody agreed on everything, the world would be a boring place. All I ask is that you remain calm, so please blow off a little steam before venting too vigorously. Email me from here