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. Most, but not all, 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.
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 preselected course. 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.
Posted: 25 July 2016
The numbers
Prices: 1.5 (81kW) Turbo dCi six-speed Manual R 394,900
1.2 (96kW) Turbo petrol EDC seven-speed Auto R 399,900
1.5 (81kW) Turbo dCi EDC six-speed Auto R 414,900
Performance: 1.2 EDC
Zero to 100 km/h: 11.0 seconds
Maximum speed: 189 km/h
Average fuel economy (claimed): 5.5 l/100 km
Performance: 1.5d manual
Zero to 100 km/h: 12.2 seconds
Maximum speed: 180 km/h
Average fuel economy (claimed): 4.6 l/100 km
Performance: 1.5d EDC
Zero to 100 km/h: 12.0 seconds
Maximum speed: 179 km/h
Average fuel economy (claimed): 4.7 l/100 km
Tank: 65 litres
Luggage: 370 – 1478 litres
Warranty: 5 years / 150 000 km
Service plan: 5 years / 90 000 km at 15 000 km intervals
It began with three; a pair of 1200 cc turbopetrol cars in different trim levels and a 1600 cc diesel 4x4. All have six-speed manual gearboxes. Now there are six; add a 1200 with seven-speed automatic and two 1500 cc diesels – one manual and one with six-speed Getrag twin-clutch. Renault calls them EDC – for Efficient Dual Clutch. All appear in top level Dynamique trim and are front-wheel drive only.
This box has been around for a while in selected Captur and Clio models. Renault says it’s reliable, robust, quiet and fuel-efficient – offering savings of as much as 17 percent, with up to 30 grams per kilometre less carbon dioxide. The six-speeder uses dry clutches while the petrol car’s seven-gear shifter is a wet clutch design. Both offer manual override.
The 1500 cc dCi engine is Renault’s biggest volume seller worldwide. Apart from being in some local Dusters and Capturs, it appears in European Mégane, Scénic, Grand Scénic, Laguna and Latitude models as well. Its low inertia, variable geometry turbocharger and common-rail, 1 600-bar multiple injection (up to five per cycle) with piezoelectric injectors, delivers maximum outputs of 81kW and 250Nm (EDC auto) or 260Nm (manual) of torque.
Safety is always a Renault priority, so the newcomers boast ABS brakes with EBD and EBA, traction control with anti-skid regulation, six airbags, ISOFix mountings on the outer rear seats, hill hold, automatic locking when in motion, tyre pressure monitoring and cruise control with speed limiter.
Because they are all Dynamique, neat touches include folding and warming for the outside mirrors, LED headlamps, 17” alloy wheels (19-inch optional), tinted side windows and rear screen, cornering fog lamps, parking distance control at both ends, smart entry and start, automatic dual-zone air conditioning and integrated navigation. Entertainment is provided by Renault Multimedia with 7" touchscreen, four speakers, Bluetooth® hands-free, two USB ports, auxiliary input, and voice command (for phone, navigation, etc.) via a Push-To-Talk button on the steering wheel. Full length sunroof and automated parking are optional extras.
For more detail, see our launch report on the original range here:
Interiors are luxurious and well-finished (more Clio than Sandero), the ride is comfortable, the rear seatbacks tumble flat, the spare is full-size, boot space is good for a relatively small car and the automatic ‘box does what it has to do, without fuss.
Information gathered at a manufacturer-sponsored press launch
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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 as well.
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 I ever place an article that doesn't cover most things, it's probably because I have dealt with that vehicle at least once 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. 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.
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SA Roadtests
South Africa
ctjag8