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.

Launch report: Honda SA relaunched a famous nameplate recently. We went along for the ride.

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

Ballade: The legend returns

Published in Weekend Witness Motoring on Saturday March 12, 2011

Readers blessed with multiple experience modules will remember the original Honda Ballade. It was a cute-ugly little 1300, built at the Mercedes plant in East London and distributed through the MB dealer network. Piggybacking on the cachet of the German brand did the Japanese product absolutely no harm at all, so by October 2000 when Honda decided to go it alone, the marque was well established. By the time local production ceased and the name was retired, Ballade had grown bigger, prettier and more powerful. The little Jazz hatchback duly replaced it as Honda's entry-level car, with Civic and Accord as bigger, more luxurious alternatives.

Wheels turn; markets change and Honda SA decided it was time to reintroduce an entry-level sedan. Best choice was the company's Thai-built City model built on the small car platform shared by Jazz, CR-Z and a couple of others. Obviously, the 'City' moniker was not an option for South Africa, so it was decided to resurrect the name that started it all - Ballade.

Power is supplied by the 1 497 cc, 88 kW, 145 Nm four-cylinder used in the Jazz while body styling is unmistakably current-Honda. Four variants include "Comfort" and "Elegance" trim packages, each with five-speed manual or automatic transmissions.

Equipment levels are competitive, with Comfort models boasting electrically adjustable mirrors, electric windows front and rear, a multi-function steering wheel with tilt adjustment, cruise control, trip computer, manual air-conditioning with dust and pollen filter, and height adjustment for the driver’s seat.  A front-loading CD/RDS radio sound system boasts four speakers, MP3/WMA compatibility and an auxiliary audio/USB connection for personal music devices.

Active safety features prominently with standard Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA), ABS brakes with Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBD) and Emergency Brake Assist (EBA).  Passive safety equipment extends to dual front and side airbags, ISOFix child seat anchors at the rear, a seatbelt pretensioning system for the front seats and height-adjustable seatbelt anchors. Vehicle security is taken care of by means of a factory-fitted alarm system linked to a rolling-code ECU engine immobiliser, central locking and remote keyless entry. A full-size spare wheel is also provided.

Elegance versions add reach adjustment and leather trim for the steering wheel, Bluetooth hands-free cellphone functionality and side curtain airbags. There is also a front armrest, cupholders in the rear armrest and innovative rear-seat undertrays providing practical storage areas for rear occupants. Externally the Elegance is distinguished by sporty multi-spoke 16-inch alloy rims shod with 185/55 R16 tyres, front fog lights, chrome door handles, a chromed sports exhaust pipe and a smart micro antenna. All models are ANCAP 5-star safety-rated as this is an Asian market product, not sold in Europe.

Controls are simple and well laid out, with not too many electronic fittings to potentially give headaches later. The 1500 cc VVT motor pulls willingly, with plenty of lugging power in top gear. Performance is very good for a small family car, with the benchmark 100 coming up in a claimed 9,8 seconds and sprinting on to a maximum of 185 km/h. Average fuel consumption for manual versions is a claimed 6,3 l/100 km with CO₂ emissions of 148 gm/km. Of special interest to family buyers and travelling salespeople is the boot; all 506 litres of it - enough to make many a big car cringe with embarrassment.

While this new Ballade could scarcely be labelled "cute-ugly", it is a return to roots in the sense of being practical, decently kitted, well built and attractively priced. It deserves to make music.

The numbers

Prices: Comfort manual - R184 900, Comfort automatic - R196 900, Elegance manual - R193 900 and Elegance automatic - R205 900

Engine: 1 497 cc SOHC i-VTEC 16-valve four

Power: 88 kW at 6 600 rpm

Torque: 145 Nm at 4 800 rpm

Zero to 100 km/h (claimed, manual): 9,8 seconds

Maximum speed (claimed, manual): 185 km/h

Average fuel consumption (claimed, manual): 6,3 l/100 km

Warranty: 3 years/100 000 km

Service plan: 4 years/60 000 km

Intervals: 15 000 km

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.

I am based in Pietermaritzburg, KZN, South Africa. This is the central hub of the KZN Midlands farming community; the place farmers go to 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?

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