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.


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.


When Tata SA announced its upgraded 2012 Indigo Manza in Cape Town recently, we took one for a short drive.

Pics supplied

Built for dodgy roads

Published in The Witness Motoring on Wednesday September 19, 2012

Despite some public scepticism, Tata SA increased January to August sales by almost 27 percent compared with the same period last year, with car numbers increasing segment share from 1,98 percent to 2,82 percent. Growth was admittedly off a low base but most makes suffered losses, remember?

The company expects to do even better with its new Manza, a 1400cc, Fiat FIRE-engined car built on a new platform and with improved dynamics. A diesel version with a 1300 cc motor is expected later. It’s officially another Indigo, but Tata would prefer you to regard the Manza as a completely new car.

One thing they would like people to forget is the perception that parts were once scarce. Phonnie Cilliers, COO of importers, Accordion Investments, explained that it was actually a question of training that has since been addressed. Over R67 million-worth of spares are kept in stock, he said, and most needs can be met immediately. Coupled to the R110 million invested in its CKD assembly plant at Rosslyn, this serves to confirm Tata’s commitment to South Africa. There are presently 45 dealers and 60 service agents in this country and a big push is on, via a dealership development programme, to increase outlet numbers to 65 within the next year.

Built in India as part of a joint venture with Fiat and on the Linea assembly line, Manza is about 260 mm longer than the plain Indigo and its wheelbase is 70 mm longer. Suspension consists of McPherson struts with lower wishbones and coil springs in front and a twist beam rear axle with coils and hydraulic dampers. Brakes are discs in front, drums at the rear.

Standard equipment on the more luxurious Ignis model includes two airbags, powered windows and outside mirrors, ABS brakes with EBD, a radio and CD player with USB and infrared remote, sound and Bluetooth controls on the steering wheel, front and rear fog lamps, alloy wheels, remote central locking, height-adjustable driver’s chair and a service plan that can be upgraded to full maintenance.

The entry-level Ini version does without ABS, airbags, steering wheel controls, remote central locking, rear window demister, one-touch operation for the driver’s window, electric wing mirrors and the fog lamps.

The familiarisation session was conducted with Ignis cars. First impressions were of generous rear space, good fit and finish, a really big boot and a nice selection of toys. Unusual on a new model launch, we were sent deliberately to a fairly long section of rough asphalt and a short strip of dirt. Ride comfort, for what is essentially a small car, was sublime; obviously built for dodgy Indian and South African roads.

Performance from the DOHC, 16-valve Fiat engine with continuously variable cam phasing and electronically controlled intelligent port resizing was willing if not sizzling. Performance through the first four ratios was good, but top is very much an overdrive for level-road economy.

The numbers
Prices: Ini – R119 995, Ignis R134 995
Engine: 1368 cc, DOHC, 16-valve Fiat FIRE four-cylinder
Power: 66 kW at 6000 rpm
Torque: 116 Nm at 4500 rpm
Zero to 100 km/h: About 13,5 seconds
Maximum speed: About 165 km/h
Fuel consumption (claimed): 6,9 l/100 km
Tank: 44 litres
Boot: 460 litres
Warranty: 3 years/100 000 km; with roadside assistance
Service plan: 4 years/100 000 km; at 25 000 km intervals





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 they can see 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.