SA Roadtests
South Africa
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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. Hover your cursor over the manufacturer's name, then choose from the drop-down menu.
*Please remember too, that prices quoted were those ruling on the days I wrote the reports.
Published in The Witness Motoring on Wednesday June 12,2013
Those middle aged blokes who present that TV car show for 11-year old boys speak occasionally of Diesel Golf Man. He apparently bends their ears all the time to eagerly discuss his pride and joy. We have never met the man, but having recently driven a Golf Mark Vll, 2.0 TDI for the first time, we believe we might recognise him and be prepared.
The last Golf hatchback we drove was a Series 6, so let’s see what’s changed. The new one is 56 mm longer on a wheelbase stretched by 59 mm and the front wheels have been moved 43 mm forward to reduce the overhang. Tracks are 8 mm wider up front and 6 mm broader at the blunt end, so it’s more planted. The top of the roof is also 38 mm lower than on the last one, so all-in-all, it looks more aggressive. Backseat headspace is still very acceptable though; we gave it 8/10. The added length not only makes rear legroom pretty good for a small car, but it adds 30 litres of luggage volume, bringing it up to 380 litres.
Foot pedals have been respaced so feet fit better, the gear lever was raised 20 mm so it reaches your hand more comfortably, the seats were moved back 20 mm to make things easier for taller drivers and steering wheel adjustment has been improved. Even the loading lip in the almost flat luggage compartment is now 17 mm lower. The car is quieter and, despite extra safety kit being added, it’s 100 kg lighter to help improve fuel economy.
Apart from a choice of two petrol engines, there is an 81-kW version of this 2.0-litre diesel motor, but it’s fitted with a five-speed manual gearbox and trimmed to Comfortline specification so you can get a diesel for R53 000 less than this car’s price.
Safety kit includes seven airbags, ISOFix, disc brakes front and rear with ABS, EBD with brake assist, anti-spin regulator, electronic differential lock, ESP and hill holder. There’s also a new device called Multicollision Brake System that remembers, on your behalf, to hit the anchors a second time to prevent or lessen follow-on impacts. Because you won’t think of it at the time, will you?
Apart from the usual powered mirrors and windows, rain sensing wipers, daytime running lights, fog lamps front and rear, central locking with autolock and an onboard computer, there’s cruise control with speed limiter to help you avoid Officer Aggro. And being one of the pair of Highline models in the range, this one is fitted with not only the superior multilink rear end shared with all but the basic 1200, but it has sports suspension as well.
The result is a car that goes and handles well, has more than enough power and torque and is quiet, solid and reassuring. But we were disappointed. It feels tame; there’s no sparkle, no excitement, none of that crackling Golf verve that defines the breed. We even felt turbo lag at low revs although in fairness, engaging sport mode did mask it. We have no argument with diesels generally because most of them are rewarding to drive, but this one has become Diesel Golf Man’s car. It’s made for people who choose practicality, safety and environmental responsibility above all else. You may buy it for all the socially correct reasons, but your inner 11-year old will never forgive you.
Test car from VWSA press fleet
The numbers
Price: R340 700
Engine: 1968 cc, DOHC, 16-valve, direct injection, turbocharged diesel
Power: 110 kW between 3500 and 4000 rpm
Torque: 320 Nm between 1750 and 3000 rpm
Zero to 100 km/h: 8,6 seconds
Top speed: 212 km/h
Real life fuel consumption: About 6,2 l/100 km
Tank: 50 litres
Luggage: 380 – 1270 litres
Warranty: 3 years/120 000 km
Service plan: 5 years/90 000 km: at 15 000 km intervals
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.
My reviews and launch reports appear on Thursdays in the Wheels supplement to The Witness, South Africa's oldest continuously running newspaper, and occasionally on Saturdays in Weekend Witness as well. I drive eight to ten vehicles each month, most months of the year (except over the festive season) 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.
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SA Roadtests
South Africa
ctjag8