Huge Fuel Price Cut in South Africa for January 2015
The Department of Energy has announced that the prices of petrol, diesel, illuminating paraffin and Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) will decrease
with effect from the 7th January 2015. The main contributing factor for the decrease is a continued drop in the price of crude oil which has led to a decrease in the prices of petroleum products in international markets. The depreciation of the Rand against the US Dollar increased contributions to the the Basic Fuel Price (BFP) but was offset by the reduced crude oil price during the period under review.
Fuel Price Reduction in South Africa
Fuel prices will be adjusted as follows:
– Petrol will decrease by 127 cents / litre.
– Diesel will decrease by 105 cents /litre.
– Illuminating paraffin (SMNRP) will decrease by 144 cents/litre.
– Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) will decrease by 210 cents / kilogram.
Petrol (93) at the coast will cost R10.78 / litre while 95 octane petrol will cost R10.83 / litre. On the reef, motorists will pay R11.02 / litre for 93 octane while 95 octane will cost R11.24 / litre. An official pricing schedule for pricing zones will be made available on Tuesday 6 January 2015. If you wish to save fuel even further, read our tips on fuel efficient driving techniques.
Festive Death Toll Rises
Transport Minister Dipuo Peters has revealed current death toll statistics for the period 1-28 December 2014 at a media briefing in Durban.
During the above mentioned period, a total of 924 fatal crashes were reported across South Africa with 1 143 fatalities. During the same period in 2013, 974 fatal crashes with 1 168 fatalities were recorded, which represents a reduction of 50 fatal crashes and 25 fatalities.
A total of 31% of the fatal crashes occurred between 22h00 and 06h00 in the morning with 80% of these crashes occurring in residential or built up areas.
A total of 904 drinking and driving arrests have been made during the period and a total of 99 060 summonses issued for exceeding the speed limit.
Provincial Death Toll Statistics
Province
Fatal Crashes
Fatalities
Eastern Cape
129
161
Gauteng
156
174
North West
61
82
Mpumalanga
90
116
Limpopo
106
138
Western Cape
78
91
Free State
63
95
KwaZulu Natal
211
249
Northern Cape
30
37
TOTAL
924
1 143
Traffic volumes are to increase during the week as holiday goers return home and motorists are encouraged to drive responsibly during this period to help reduce the increasing death toll. Motorists are urged to:
Google has been working on creating a self-driving car for a while now and it seems all the chips are falling into place nicely. Gone are the days of dreaming about a car that’s fully autonomous, technology is now making that dream a reality. The proof is in the pudding and Google has stepped up to the plate with the recent reveal of its self-driving prototype in production form.
Google self-driving car
Google has done extensive testing on various components relating to autonomous driving and have now combined all the features into this self-driving prototype. Necessities such as functional headlights and indicators, side mirrors and a restyled terrain sensor on the roof are all part of the package.
Conventional steering and braking are also included and according to Google, “safety drivers will continue to oversee the vehicle for a while longer, using temporary manual controls as needed while we continue to test and learn.”
The Google self-driving prototype will undergo testing in the new year in Northern California.
My Motoring Year – 2014
2014 is winding down to a close and what a fantastic year its been. This year has seen a tremendous amount of vehicles launched, both locally and internationally, and there’s been some outstanding models to grace the Cars.co.za motoring news pages.
This year I will have driven 105 new models. Of those, I will have written 56 reviews and photographed 90 of them. Here are some of the highlights and disappointments. Sure, I would happily put the Ferrari 458 and Lamborghini Huracan in this list, but these are high-end supercars and not consumer products, which is what the majority can afford.
I hope you’ve had a great year. Hit me up on Twitter @DaveTheCarGuy if you’d like to chat cars. I wish you a safe and prosperous 2015.
This French MPV for me has to be one of the best cars. Not only does it combine futuristic technology like automatic parking, but there’s also a super economical diesel engine in there. The best part has to be the price. Now, if only Citroen could sort its reputation and brand image in SA…
I fell in love with little super sedan. With the same 2.0-litre turbo motor and S Tronic gearbox, performance is just ballistic. Thanks to some clever driving modes, the S3 sedan can be become frugal and docile too, making it a superb daily driver.
With 97 kW and 205 Nm from a 1.2 turbocharged engine, the facelifted Renault Megane is a decent performer. It’s light on fuel and comes with a brilliant TomTom HD infotainment system. The coupe version happens to look quite pretty too.
It’s good to see Subaru keep pace with its performance rivals. The new WRX is a good performer and features excellent handling and space. It’s priced well and was nominated as a Car of the Year finalist. It’s unfortunate that its marginally faster and more extreme STI brother is just simply not good enough to compete against its German rivals.
If there was an award for the best improvement, the Sandero would get it. The first generation Sandero was average at best, but this new model is excellent. Loaded to the hilt with technology and safety features, the Sandero makes a great case for itself as a consumer champion in the budget segment.
I find it shameful that a car company can release a car in 2014 that has absolutely no safety features whatsoever. I can appreciate said company’s efforts of trying to tackle the challenge of cheap and affordable motoring, but at the sacrifice of safety? That’s not on. It’s a pity though, as the Datsun Go isn’t the worst offering in its segment.
I will admit that I’m a fan of the Suzuki range, but I’m a little disappointed in the Splash. Why would you buy this over a 1.2 Swift which is a brilliant little car? It just doesn’t make sense.
What an odd-looking thing! It’s meant to be a crossover, but it doesn’t have any ability to go offroad. That plastic cladding and bodykit also looks dreadful. I can’t fault the build quality though…
2014 Motoring Year in Review
Well more like six months in my case since I joined the Cars.co.za team in June 2014. I may have missed some metal in the beginning of the year but I more than made up for it in the second half, clocking up somewhere around 60 cars tested. Here are just a few of my highs and lows.
Lowlights
Alfa Romeo 4C. Not because its a bad car, exactly the opposite in fact. This is probably going to be a sore point for a while because I never got to drive it and so wanted to. Ive owned Alfas, broken down in Alfas and more often than not enjoyed them so to miss out on something this special was a bummer and I have verbally abused Stuart Johnston for getting the chance to do the review in JHB.
My actual underperformer for the year is the Subaru WRX STI, the latest incarnation is almost identical to the previous and is now being blown away by most hot hatches. It’s certainly not the performance bargain it claims to be. The plain WRX on the other hand is a much better prospect now and is actually the model to own in the range.
The Datsun Go sits at the bottom of the lowlight list however, initially it sounded like a great idea as we were going to get a cheap city car that wasnt Chinese or meant to fall apart after the first test drive. Unfortunately terrible safety ratings followed the launch and then there was the bit when driving it the chassis felt like it was stuck together with Pritt glue instead of welding.
Highlights
I think its probably time to move on to the highlights then. Audis S3 Sedan ranks right up there in terms of over delivery. Audis have been slated for all looking too similar, but the S3 Sedans proportions work so well. Its a beautiful-looking car and when combined with the shove the S-derivative supplies it feels the part. It also helps that its one of the more agile all-wheel drive Audis around.
The Mercedes-Benz C-Class has to be one of the most complete cars Ive ever driven, inside its interior is smart, stylish and heavy on tech. I especially like the way Merc designed its car to be comfortable over sporty, the opposite to what its German counterparts are doing. It oozes class and has an impressive array of new engines.
My SUV award goes to the Nissan Qashqai, its the go to word in compact SUVs and more often I seem to be directing people its way. The new Qashqai improves on the previous models practicality, ease of use and perceived ground clearance. The new range of engines are also pretty good, especially the petrol 1.2 turbo.
Avoid Drinking & Driving
Drinking and driving is a criminal offence in South Africa and is a major cause of fatal accidents on our roads. With the holiday season in full swing, cases of drinking and driving are likely to increase and sadly, so will the number of deaths.
We have put together some basic drinking and driving information so that you know where to draw the line but can also avoid drinking and driving altogether, so listen up!
Drinking and Driving How much is too much?
Drinking alcohol impairs driving ability drastically and your chances of having a serious accident increases almost exponentially with every drink you consume. It goes without saying, that if youre drinking, you shouldn’t even think about driving.
The legal limit is a breath alcohol content of 0.24mg per 1,000ml, or a blood alcohol limit of 0.05g per 100ml.
In the eyes of the law, a maximum of one unit or 10ml of pure alcohol per hour is permissible. The human body, depending on your weight, takes one hour or more to process one unit of alcohol and the less you weigh the more time your body needs to recover.
– People who drink beer or spirit coolers can legally consume two-thirds of a beer or spirit cooler with 5% alcohol content per hour.
– Wine lovers can sip 75 ml of red or white wine per hour providing that the alcohol content is between 12% and 14%.
– For whisky and brandy drinkers, only 25 ml per hour is permissible.
The Reality
The reality is that if you exceed these limits and proceed to drive your car, you are guilty of drinking and driving. By doing so, you are breaking the law and you risk causing a serious accident with potentially fatal consequences to yourself and others. And thats only where your troubles begin, its just not worth it.
Using designated driver services in South Africa is the best way to avoid drinking and driving and companies like Uber make organising a lift easy using your smartphone. Be smart, be safe and dont drink and drive.
Citroen C1 Airscape (2014) Review
Citroen’s new C1 quietly slipped into our country and we got to grips with the cheapest convertible on sale in South Africa.
Yes, this is a convertible. Unlike traditional convertibles where the entire roof section disappears into the boot, the Citroen C1 Airscape relies on a sardine can-style system where the roof peels back, resulting in a giant sunroof effect. The bonus and advantages of this are numerous.
Firstly, you can close the roof while you’re driving at high speed, something ordinary convertibles simply cannot do. No more pulling over to close the roof as the rain starts coming down. Secondly, with the windows and structure of the car, you cannot have beggars in your face, something I’ve found happens when you drive a conventional convertible.
Appearance
As for the looks, have you ever seen something which just oozes French flair and charm? This is such a cute-looking little car and many onlookers passed on kind words. With integrated vertical daytime running LEDS in the bumper like its DS3 sibling, the C1 Airscape is unmistakably a Citroen. There’s a nice big shiny Citroen chevron slapped on the front for good measure. There’s also some horizontal coloured stripes on the B-pillar, which is a funky touch.
The fun continues in the interior with the same funky stripes being the dominant theme. The seat sides and headrests have this same pattern on them, and there’s huge splashes of red on the dashboard. If you’re an introvert, you’re going to find this car a little too loud, but I think its terrific especially when most cars are pretty dull and uninspiring.
Specification
Speaking of interior, this little French charmer comes with a commendable amount of standard specification. The centre console is dominated by a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system. There’s also a USB port, aux input and Bluetooth connectivity. What’s particularly cool is the mirrorscreen functionality, where you’re able to connect your smartphone to the car and use the touchscreen interface to use certain apps.
There’s also a climate control system which is just about able to cope with the African sun, a comprehensive trip computer as well as a reverse camera. Nice things like tyre pressure monitor and hill assist are also thrown in. It’s pretty safe too, with ABS with Electronic Brake Distribution and Emergency Braking Assistance, Electronic Stability Control, Hill Start Assist, and driver, front passenger, front lateral and curtain airbags.
It’s a fun and lively city car to drive. The Citroen C1 Airscape has a 1.2-litre three-cylinder engine delivering 61 kW and 116 Nm. This may not sound like much, but when you consider the C1 Airscape weighs in at around 956kg, it gives it a respectable power to weight ratio. Fuel economy is what the C1 Airscape is all about and Citroen claims a combined cycle figure of 4.3L/100km. Thanks to its fun factor and zippy attitude, we were nowhere near this figure, but 6.9L/100km is still okay.
Conclusion and Summary
This is a seriously cute car from Citroen and it’s fun to drive. It brings out the child in you with its vibrant character, the specification is generous too. It loses marks due to its price, which is quite large for such a vehicle. I’d put this cost down to a ridiculous exchange rate and import duties, which is a real pity as the world needs more cars with massive personality.
Citroen C1 Airscape Price – The range starts from R168 900, with the Airscape retailing for R194 900.
Second Opinion
The Citroen C1 Airscape is a fun car to whizz around in, it responds quickly to all imputs and doesn’t feel lethargic at higher speeds. I’m not one for convertibles so this is a better compromise if looking a bit like a magic carpet on your roof. If only it didn’t cost so much-Ashley Oldfield
We Like: Style, specification, fun to drive, cool factor
We Don’t Like: Price, air conditioner battles to chill, may be too vibrant for some
The Mitsubishi Pajero has been around for ages, and yes, this is a new model, well rather an updated model of an update. It still looks the same way it did over 10 years ago, but has anything changed under the skin to improve the tried and tested off roader? We took to the streets and a special offroad course to test it out.
Whats New
Well its mostly cosmetic changes and nothing to really shout about. Theres a set of LED daytime running lights built in now and the bumper has had a slight remodelling that improves approach and departure angles. The rear end now has a sturdier spare-wheel cover that covers the entire wheel in a more modern design. From a tech point of view new additions include a rear view camera and auto dimming headlights.
One Engine
Mitsubishi offers just one engine derivative and its a big diesel. A 3.2-litre turbodiesel with 140 kW and 440 Nm of torque. It feels like a pretty old-school diesel engine, connected to a five-speed automatic gearbox and from the outside its quite rough to listen to. Inside however, its much quieter, a testament to the build quality and soundproofing.
The engine feels strong though, in town and on the freeway its more than capable of holding its own. In the proper rough stuff the engines abundance of torque pulls it over or through even the softest beach sand and up sheer climbs. Fuel economy is a bit on the high side, we were averaging around 11L/100km over the week with the Pajero, claimed is supposedly closer to 9L/100km.
Inside
The Pajero is a big vehicle and in this long wheelbase version you get a seven-seater where the back row of seats can be removed entirely. The middle row of seats fold forwards and then tumble to give more loading room but Im more of a fan of seats that fold flat than this setup. Up front the whole instrument cluster is looking quite dated as does most of the interior.
It does what its designed to though and you get decent equipment in the form of cruise control, a USB port, electric windows all round and touch screen radio unit with a rear view camera built-in. The dot-matrix display screen above the radio interface shows the age of the Pajero but it does read out some interesting figures such as a compass, barometer and an altimeter.
Driving Dirty
The Pajero is built for off-road adventure so we took it to a 4×4 course in the Cape and set it some challenges. The course was extremely sandy and a few dunes made things exciting, there were also plenty of steep inclines to test its grappling skills. We didnt even need to use the low-range gearbox on the Pajero and just left it in high-range and played around with the individually locking centre and rear differentials.
They really help when combined with the traction control system on the Pajero as it sends power to the wheels that need it, making sure you get the grip where you need it. The Pajero cleared every obstacle we tossed its way with relative ease and comfort. The steering though is particularly slow so there is plenty of work to do spinning the wheel back and forth whilst trying to keep forward momentum and not crash into any embankments. The one thing missing that could be of use is hill-descent control, the added security it gives on steep descents is well worth it.
The Mitsubishi Pajero may have been around for ages, but as an offroad vehicle theres still not much that can compete with it. Mitsubishi still harps on about its Dakar heritage and winning streak it had at the event and the skills have translated into its road variant. Times are changing though and the Pajero has been caught and passed by the competition in terms of design, interior advancement and engine refinement. Mitsubishi SA has made up for much of this by pricing the Pajero extremely keenly, the top spec Exceed model as we have here comes in nearly R50k less than equally specced competition.
Second Opinion
My first impressions of the Mitsubishi Pajero come from the back seats as we tackled the offroad course. Despite feeling quite old-school, this is still a very comfortable and capable vehicle. There’s plenty of grunt and the 4×4 systems make light work of obstacles.-David Taylor
Pricing – The long wheelbase Mitsubishi Pajero starts at R639 900, this Exceed model costs R659 900.
We like:
. Offroad skills
. Plenty of power and torque
. Good soundproofing
We Don’t Like:
. Thirsty on fuel
. No hill descent control
. Feels dated
Jaguar and Land Rover Showcase 360 Windscreen (Video)
The British marque is currently showcasing a new windscreen projection system that is said to remove all blind spots created by the vehicles pillars.
Cameras create transparent pillars that warn of obstacles that may be otherwise concealed by the pillars. It highlights pedestrians or cyclists that may be out of view or concealed by the pillars, giving the driver that extra split second to react to a possible danger.
The camera system can also tell when the driver checks the blind spot over their shoulder and can turn the B pillar transparent in the same way the front camera system does.
The navigation system also features a new follow me ghost car navigation system. A transparent car pops up onto the windshield and the driver can follow it to the destination. The most useful system however seems to be the traffic light countdown timer, letting you know how long youre going to be stopped at the current set of lights for.
Check out the video for a quick explanation of how the new windscreen technology works.
360 Degree Windscreen Tech Video
Lexus GS F Teased as BMW M5 Rival
Lexus has teased a few images of its new F model that will be introduced early in 2015.
Lexus GS F details
We reckon it will be the GS F and compete with the German super saloons like the BMW M5, Merc E63 AMG and the Jaguar XFR-S.
While there may not be much to say about the new GS F, it does look to be quite aggressive. There are some extremely large air intakes in the front bumper and the headlights look beady eyed and mean.
Lexus claims this new F model is a track-ready tool and follows in the wake of the Lexus RC F launched this year. By the looks of those brake discs it should at least have extremely good stopping power. Likely to be carried over from the RC F are things like suspension characteristics and technical tweaks. The GS F will likely use the same 5-litre V8 as well.
We will get to see the vehicle in full at its launch at the North American International Auto Show on the 13 January 2015.
