SA Roadtests
South Africa
ctjag8
This is the home of automobile road tests in South Africa. I drive South African cars, SUVs and LCVs under real-world South African conditions. Many of the vehicles driven are world cars as well, so what you read here possibly applies to the models you get where you live.
My most recent drive is on the home page. Archived reviews and opinion pieces are in the active menu down the left side. Hover your cursor over a heading or manufacturer's name and follow the drop-down.
Editor's note: SA Roadtests accepts multi-day vehicle loans from manufacturers in order to provide editorial reviews. All vehicle reviews are conducted on our turf and on our terms.
For out-of-province vehicle launch features however, travel costs are covered by the manufacturer concerned. This is common in the motor industry, as it's more economical to ship journalists to cars than to ship cars to journalists.
Judgments and opinions expressed on this site are our own. We do not accept paid editorial content or ads of any kind.
Pics by Motorpress
Posted: March 26, 2020
The numbers
Price: R184 900
Engine: Toyota 1KR-FE, 998 cc, DOHC 12-valve, three-cylinder
Power: 53 kW at 6000 rpm
Torque: 93 Nm at 4400 rpm
Emission standard: EU6
Zero to 100 km/h: 13.1 seconds
Top speed: 160 km/h
Real life fuel consumption: About 5.1 l/100 km
Tank: 35 litres
Turning circle: 9.6 metres
Ground clearance: 120 mm
Luggage: 196 – 780 litres (VDA)
Standard tyre: 165/65R14
Spare: Spacesaver
Tow rating: None
Warranty, roadside assistance and service plan: All 5 years / 100 000 km
Who’d have thought it? Peugeot’s little 108 hatchback is luring sales away from Toyota; specifically from Aygo.
The cars, from the same factory in the Czech Republic, are essentially identical but for a few body panels and individual equipment. Peugeot SA is toe-dipping at this stage, offering only an entry-level Active version. Aygo, on the other hand, has three variants. All use the same 998 cc, three-cylinder motor and five-speed manual transmission.
Brand T sold an average of 57.3 Aygos per month since the 108’s release while Peugeot has averaged 43.4. Not all 108 sales are captures, obviously. There are new winnings too.
The 108 is a city car; a micro- or kei car if you will. It’s only 3475 mm long (20 mm shorter than a smart forfour®), 1615 wide and 1480 tall.
But you know about small packages and this one is surely worth unwrapping. Goodies include six airbags; ABS brakes with EBA and EBD; ESC; hill holder and a touchscreen infotainment centre with mirror-linking for cellphones. As a bonus, the USB slot supports MP3 and MP4 files.
On the other hand it’s still an entry-level car. That means fabric upholstery, steel wheels, manual air conditioner, hinged rear windows, DIY wing mirror adjustment, roll-button central locking and no rev counter. But how many know how to use one, anyway?
Its little engine is willing but, like any small car without turbocharging, one needs to work the gearbox to get the most out of it. You’ll be glad you did; it revs easily and can get up to 110 km/h in second. Or tease the national speed limit at almost 130 in third. (This was track time and only in the interests of Science.) The point is that it cruises comfortably, and sits solidly, at 120 km/h.
As for back seat leg- and head room when carrying a quartet of six-footers with big bodies, forget it. Keep the load down to tall ones in front with a couple of shorties behind, or average people only. The boot is likewise rather small; about a metre wide, 370 mm long and 545 deep. It’s nonetheless 56 litres bigger than the one on the old Nissan 370Z roadster.
Although backseat headroom is restricted, there’s plenty in front. The car feels spacious; the view outward, apart from today’s obligatory wide “C” pillars, is good and it steers and parks easily. The gear lever is easily reached and works smoothly, as does the centrally placed parking brake. Controls are simple and easy to understand. There is ample stowage with various little spaces, fair door bins and a medium-sized normal, not French, glove box.
I liked its simplicity, solidity, comfort and style coupled with above average safety equipment. Little wonder, then, that it’s encroaching so successfully on Aygo’s patch.
Test unit from PACSA press fleet
This is a one-man show, which means that every car reviewed is given my personal evaluation and receives my own seat of the pants judgement - no second hand input here.
Every test car goes through real world driving; on city streets littered with potholes, speed bumps and rumble strips, on freeways and if its profile demands, dirt roads or goat tracks as well. As a result, my test cars do occasionally get dirty. It's all part of the reviewing process.
I do my best to include relevant information like real life fuel economy or a close mathematical calculation, boot size or luggage space, whether the space is both usable and accessible, whether life-sized people can use the back seat (where that applies), basic specs of the vehicle and performance figures if they are published. In the case of clearly identified launch reports, fuel figures are of necessity the laboratory numbers provided with the release material.
If ever I place an article that doesn't cover most things, it's probably because I have dealt with a very similar vehicle already, so you will be able to find what you want in another report under the same manufacturer's heading in the menu on the left.
Hope you like what you see, because there are no commercial interests at work here. There are no advertisers and no “editorial policy” rules. I add bylines to acknowledge sponsored launch functions and the manufacturers or dealerships that provide the test vehicles. And, as quite a few readers have found, I answer every serious enquiry from my home email address, with my phone numbers attached, so you can see I do actually exist.
Comments or questions?
Want to ask a question, comment or just tell me you completely disagree with what I say? If you want advice or have a genuine concern, I will be happy to hear from you. All I ask is that you write something in the subject line so I know which vehicle you're talking about.
This site is operated by Scarlet Pumpkin Communications in Pietermaritzburg.
Unless otherwise stated, all photographs are courtesy of www.quickpic.co.za
Copyright this business. All rights reserved.
SA Roadtests
South Africa
ctjag8