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 any of our car reviews, simply select from the menu on the left. Touch on a manufacturer's name and choose from the drop-down list. Some lists are longer than others; it simply depends on which manufacturers promote their products harder.

* Please remember too, that prices quoted are those ruling on the days we wrote the reports.

This is a launch report. In other words, it's simply a new model announcement. The driving
experiences were limited to short drives over prepared courses chosen to make the products look good. We can therefore not tell you what they will be like to live with over an extended period, how economical they are, or how reliable they will be. A very brief first impression is all we can give you until such time as we get actual test units for trial. Thank you for your patience.


First drive: We take a look at Volvo’s 60-series vehicles for 2013

Pics supplied

Power without ego

Published in Witness Wheels on Thursday September 5, 2013

Volvo chooses not to wallow in hype. Its cars have always been safe, well designed, comfortable and innovative. New ones are also technologically connected and look out for other road users. And readers able to jettison prejudice will acknowledge that they are sporty and agile when the chips are down. Clean, classic design, forward-thinking safety and unpretentious luxury are the Scandinavian way. The loudest statement is understatement.

The company announced three new 60-series model ranges in Hout Bay recently. “S” sedans, “V” wagons and “XC” SUVs with choices of six engines, four equipment levels and three gearboxes fulfil 54 possibilities. Add an assortment of option packs and anyone should be able to tailor a perfect fit. Volvo calls it “Designed around you.”

At first glance, nothing appears to have changed, but look closely and you will find that practically everything is different. The grille, now with chromed bars, and its lower air intake are wider; almost smiley, headlights have changed, bonnet creases are different, brake air intakes are wider but thinner and the wheels are new. Around at the blunt end, the most noticeable differences are squared-off tail pipes and a more aggressive diffuser.
 
Another outside detail is that when you opt for bigger alloys; 19” to replace 18” on sedans and wagons, or 20-inch in place of 19s with XCs, the sidewall profile remains the same to retain comfort levels. This requires re-gearing, so they can only be specified when ordering the car. In line with this, South African versions sacrifice a little boot space to have spacesaver spares rather than uncomfortable runflat tyres.

Interior changes include new ambient lighting; upgraded music systems with optional five-channel amplifiers, 12 speakers and enhanced connectivity; interior trim featuring real wood inlays; new headliner; textile covered B-pillars and silky metal frames around the air vents and light controls. Finally, rear seats with kids’ booster cushions and three-way split backs are yet more versatile.

There have been some technology changes too.  An upgrade to pedestrian detection entails “seeing” and, if necessary, panic braking to avoid cyclists who swing out without warning; more sophisticated Bluetooth to permit music streaming; optional Sensus internet connection via a dongle; voice control of the optional satnav; personalised keys that reset driver’s seat and mirrors to each user’s preferences; low speed cornering lights; automatic dimming on the outside mirrors and greater range, up to 70 metres, for the blind spot warning system.

Stuff borrowed from others includes driver alert that warns you to stop for a break if you start driving drowsily, active high-beam to provide full light without dazzling approaching traffic (or those you are following), cross traffic alert for reversing out between parked vehicles, queue assist to maintain a set distance from the vehicle in front while nudging forward in traffic jams and road sign information that reads boards and displays them. This can be coupled to the speed warning function to nag you into compliance when you overshoot limits.

Volvo has declared its mission to ensure that, by 2020, no-one should ever be seriously hurt in any accident with a Volvo. It will probably succeed. A few years ago, we wrote a tongue-in-cheek article about how “my car had an accident,” describing advances in safety features that would eventually lead to vehicles’ driving themselves. That day is almost here, but will we be able to deputise our Volvos to attend boring meetings for us? Just asking…

Despite all the reassuring but unexciting safety kit, new Volvos are engaging and fun to drive. We have known this all along but piloting them, in and around the “Republic” on the day, simply reminded us. They are also very spacious and user-friendly, although you may want to leave some of the geek stuff to ten-year-old operating assistants.

The numbers
S: from R329 600 to R526 700
V: from R340 500 to R537 900
XC: from R464 800 to R622 600
Engines: T3 – 1596cc, turbocharged four-cylinder; 110 kW and 240 Nm,
T4 as per T3; but 132 kW and up to 270 Nm on overboost
T5 – 1999cc, turbocharged four-cylinder; 177 kW and 320 Nm
T6 – 2953cc, turbocharged six-cylinder; 224 kW and 440 Nm
D4 – 1984cc, four-cylinder turbodiesel; 120 kW and 400 Nm
D5 – 2400cc, five-cylinder turbodiesel; 158 kW and 440 Nm
Gearboxes: six-speed manual, six-speed Powershift or six-speed Geartronic, depending on model.
Luggage space: 302 litres S; 430 litres V; 650 to 1450 litres XC
Warranty and maintenance: 5 year/100 000 km Volvo Plan

To see our review of the XC60 D4 diesel, click here



What We Do

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.