Renault Sandero Stepway (2014) Video

The Renault Sandero Stepway is the rougher, tougher cousin of the Sandero – well, at least in the looks department. Mechanically, the cars are identical. They run the same 900cc (yes, 0.9litre) 66 kW turbo, three-cylinder motor.

They offer the same interior features and dashboard, but the Stepway gets very cool-looking ruggedised seats. They even have the same wheels and tyres, but the Stepway rides 4o mm higher; very handy for gravel roads. However the aesthetics not only make the car look tougher, they might just save you money too.

The black plastics around the wheel arches are meant to be cheaper to replace, and more scratch resistant, so the odd parking lot ding doesn’t become an insurance nightmare.

Renault Sandero Stepway specification

What I like about the Renault Sandero Stepway is the Frenchies have not skimped on features – both in terms of safety and tech. The car comes standard with Bluetooth connectivity for telephone and audio playback, there’s a USB port and Aux jack, and there are clever controls situated behind the steering wheel which allow you to interact with the audio system without taking your hands off the wheel.

Safety features

The car comes standard with four airbags and has 5 stars slapped on the back by EuroNCAP – a strict regulatory body of vehicle crash safety. ABS, EBD and Anti Skid Control are all standard, as well as ISOFIX child seat restraints. There are very few cars at this price point that boast that level of spec.

Engine and economy

The drive is a bit dull, but that engine never lets you down, with 66 kW and 135 Nm on tap, the car never feels slow. Unless you drive it in ECO mode, in which case it’s like driving through porridge. But it does bring consumption down, even if I never saw the claimed figure of 5.4 litres/100km, my average of 7.5litres/100km is admirable, given my driving style (in a hurry – if that’s a style).

Conclusion and summary

At R141 900 for the standard Sandero, the Stepway is about R18 000 more at R159 900, and offers a unique body kit, roof racks, new seats and park distance control, which I always find useful. I can’t honestly say the extra options are actually worth R18 000 more, but the overall package feels and looks a lot more premium. So twist your dealer’s arm into selling you the Stepway for a price that looks more like the Sandero’s.

Renault Sandero Stepway Price in South Africa

  • R159 900 for the Renault Sandero Stepway.

Renault Sandero Stepway (2014) Quick Specs

Engine  0.9-litre three cylinder turbocharged petrol
Power  66 kW
Torque  135 Nm
Transmission  Five-speed manual
Wheels  16-inch alloys
0-100km/h  11.1 seconds (claimed)
Fuel economy  5.4 l/100km (claimed)

We like:
. Styling
. Economy
. Safety features

We dislike:
. Is it really worth R18 grand more?

Also consider:
Volkswagen Cross Polo
Volkswagen Polo Vivo Maxx

Volkswagen Amarok Power Concept Leaked

Details and images of Volkswagen’s latest Amarok Power Concept have emerged on the web ahead of the vehicle’s debut at the annual Worthersee show in Austria.

Sporty aggressive features

Painted in deep grey metallic paint with high-gloss and matte surfaces, the Volkswagen Amarok Power concept looks similar to the R-Style Amarok that debut last year. However, it boasts an aggressive body kit with a GTI-inspired front bumper and massive 22-inch alloy wheels, as well as bi-xenon headlight with chrome inserts, black and orange body stripes, a dual exhaust system and a roll over bar.

As for the interior, the sporty styling continues with bucket seats covered in orange and black leather, and carbon fibre trim on the dashboard. There’s also a flat-bottomed three-spoke sport steering wheel trimmed in Alcantara and a stylish centre console.

Power is said to come from a TDI V6 engine delivering 200 kW of and 600 Nm of torque. Connected to an eight-speed automatic transmission, the concept will be able to accelerate from 0 – 100 km/h in 7.9 seconds.

Check out our video of Jack Parow in his VW Amarok bakkie here.

 

2014 Honda Ballade SA Pricing Announced

Honda has just announced pricing for the 2014 Ballade which was just recently introduced in India.

Spacious interior

At 4 400 mm, the midsize sedan is 45 mm longer than the previous model, while the wheelbase has grown by 50 mm to 2 600 mm. The new sedan’s height of 1 475 mm is also 5 mm taller, while vehicle width remains the same.

Honda says the rear legroom of the new Ballade is comparable with upper-D segment sedans. The boot capacity has increased to 536 litres, and also offers a wider aperture to ease access, including a lower loading sill.

Two trim levels

In addition to the extra space, the Honda Ballade is available with two trim levels. The base model has an all-new audio system with integrated USB and Bluetooth, and standard features such as air-conditioning, electric windows, electric folding mirrors, and remote central locking.

The Elegance version gets a multi-function steering wheel, cruise control and a seven-inch touchscreen display with icon-based user interface for the audio system, which also has eight speakers in this version.

The touchscreen offers gesture-based control (including tap to select, swipe to scroll, slide to move and pinch to zoom) for more intuitive ease of use, and has an HDMI port that allows images, video and audio data to be accessed from compatible smartphones and devices.

Safety features include six airbags, vehicle stability assist (traction control and electronic stability control), hill start assist, and a reversing camera.

Engine specification

The engine in the new Ballade is still a 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol unit with better efficiency and lower emissions. It delivers 88 kW and 145 Nm of torque. Also new is a constantly variable transmission (CVT) with seven virtual gears which allow it to make the most of the engine’s urge.

The manual-equipped models accelerate from 0-100 km/h in 9.6 seconds, which is 0.2 quicker than the outgoing model. Top speed is 185 km/h. The new CVT gearbox-equipped Ballade completes the 0-100 km/h task in 11.1 seconds, trimming almost a second from the previous automatic gearbox-equipped model’s sprint time. Top speed increases to 190 km/h.

The manual version achieves a claimed combined cycle consumption figure of 5.9-litres/100 km, while the CVT model comes in at 5.8-litres/100km.

2014 Honda Ballade price in South Africa

Honda Ballade 1.5 Trend – R195 900

Honda Ballade 1.5 Trend CVT – R210 500

Honda Ballade 1.5 Elegance – R220 990

Honda Ballade 1.5 Elegance CVT – R235 590

The pricing includes a three-year/100 000 km warranty, a four-year/60 000 km service plan, and one-year roadside assistance.

2015 Volvo XC90 Interior Revealed

Volvo has released the first images with the 2015 XC90, showing its most luxurious interior ever ahead of a full reveal scheduled for August 2014.

The all-new Volvo XC90’s interior combine’s materials such as soft leather and wood with handcrafted details including a gear-lever made of crystal glass, and diamond-cut controls for the start/stop button and volume control. It also adopts an uncluttered configuration as most of the buttons have been replaced by a large tablet-like touchscreen display.

“These details are designed to become the jewels of the interior. They add a bit of exclusive playfulness rather than pure functionality,” said Robin Page, Volvo Cars’s Interior Design Director.

The vehicle will be offered with a seven-seat configuration, with three individual seats in the second row and class-leading comfort in the third. According to Volvo, tall passengers will be comfortable in the rearmost seats and each passenger inside will have its own stowage space.

Over the next few months Volvo’s inside-out launch approach will methodically reveal all the detail on the vehicle and will culminate in the full global reveal of the all-new 2015 Volvo XC90 in August this year, finally showing off the exterior.

Production is set to begin early next year at the Torslanda plant in Gothenburg, Sweden.

First official images of the 2015 Volvo XC90 interior

2015 Volkswagen Passat Tech Details Revealed

Volkswagen has released full tech details of the next-generation Passat set to be unveiled online in July ahead of its public debut at the Paris Motor Show in October.

New range of engines

The German midsize sedan is said to be powered by a powerful 2.0-litre diesel engine producing 176 kW and 500 Nm of torque. The new BiTDI motor will work with a newly developed seven-speed DSG transmission sending power to the 4MOTION all-wheel drive system. A plug-in hybrid model will also be offered, with potential to travel 50 km on battery power alone, and with a potential maximum range of around 966 km.

Based on a stretched version of the MQB platform, the Passat will be up to 85kg lighter than its predecessor, thanks to the use of advanced materials – including high-strength, hot-formed steel and aluminium in certain areas. It will come with a more spacious cabin with additional leg- and head-room, as well as a larger trunk.

New technology

Other new technology to be offered on the new Passat includes the Active Info Display, which replaces the instrument cluster with a fully configurable interactive 12.3-inch TFT display, updated Park Assist, head-up display, revised 360-degree Area View function, as well as a Trailer Assist system providing aid when reversing the vehicle with a trailer attached.

The 2015 Volkswagen Passat will additionally boast a generous list of safety features including Traffic Jam Assist which makes stop-and-go driving more comfortable, Emergency Assist, which can potentially halt a vehicle when the driver is incapacitated, and the latest Front Assist system with City Emergency Braking, which optionally combines both radar and camera sensors to add pedestrian detection.

Further details and first pictures of the Passat will be available in early July 2014.

Aston Martin DB9 Carbon Edition Complete Gallery

Here are the official images of the Aston Martin DB9 Carbon Edition led by the Carbon Black and Carbon White specifications.

Striking exterior additions for both Carbon Black and Carbon White editions include carbon fibre side strakes, rear lamp infills and black meshes and window surrounds reinforcing the powerful visual themes. The carbon theme can be extended further with optional carbon fibre front splitter, rear diffuser and mirror cap/arm features.

Standard exterior equipment also include 10-spoke diamond-turned alloy wheels available with either silver or satin black finishes and a choice of red, yellow, grey or black brake callipers.

For more details on the Aston Martin DB9 Carbon Edition, click here.

Check out our selection of pre-owned Aston Martins here.

Aston Martin DB9 Carbon Edition

2015 Toyota Yaris Offical Images

Here are the official images of the 2015 Toyota Yaris scheduled to launch in South Africa in the second half of the year.

The new Yaris features more distinctive stylistic aspects, and benefits from the development of Toyota’s “Keen Look and Under Priority” design concepts enhanced by the cross-shaped structure with the top and bottom parts separated.

The Toyota Yaris is one of South Africa’s most popular cars and has proven to be a reliable and reasonably economical city commuter. It has fair specification and is very easy to drive. For a younger generation, the Toyota Yaris represents a great first car. Check out pre-owned Toyota Yaris models here.

We have all the details on the 2015 Toyota Yaris here.

2015 Toyota Yaris gallery

2014 Lamborghini 5-95 Zagato Concept Unveiled (Video)

Lamborghini together with Zagato, have unveiled a one-off 5-95 concept at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, with the purpose of creating a real contemporary collectable car.

The 2014 Lamborghini 5-95 Zagato concept, created exclusively for collector Albert Spiess and designed to be a modern collectible in honour of Zagato’s 95th anniversary, is based on the Lamborghini Gallardo LP570-4 which was recently replaced by the Lamborghini Huracan.

Design wise, the model takes inspiration from the Lamborghini Raptor Zagato, with the double bubble roof, a wrap-around windscreen (with wind deflector), carbon fibre firewall that conceals the front air intakes, along with a shorter rear that ‘reveals the brutality of the mechanical components.’ The rear volume has been slightly reduced introducing a ‘coda tronca’ (truncated tail) to emphasise the perception of leap.

The 2014 Lamborghini 5-95 Zagato will remain a one-off project.

2014 Lamborghini 5-95 Zagato world debut

Cars.co.za Attends Live To Race 2014

Despite the inclement weather lashing Cape Town, Live To Race 2014 got off without any major issues. As mentioned last week, Live to Race is a non-profit organisation which draws upon on a database of passionate petrolheads who are willing to take mentally handicapped, terminally ill and underprivileged children around around a track.

This year, Cars.co.za was invited by Car Magazine to participate as a driver. The brief was simple: bring a car, a helmet and report to Killarney Raceway for some gentle laps with some of the little ones in the passenger seats. After sending out a mail to the fleet managers and explaining the nature of this event, I was offered the Mercedes-Benz A45 AMG. Not only is it entertainingly quick, it also has all-wheel drive (very handy in the drizzly conditions) and is practical enough for a driver and three passengers. Perfect for Live to Race, in other words.

The Mercedes-Benz A45 AMG was joined by the latest generation MINI Cooper S, a Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG and SLK 55 AMG, a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo, some Porsches, and some classic American muscle in the form of a Shelby Cobra, a Ford GT40 and the iconic Ford Mustang Mach 1.

Live to Race 2014

There were 65 children from Reach for a Dream, Hokisa and The Anna Foundation at this Live to Race event and when they weren’t being taken around the track, they enjoyed free pizza and drinks courtesy of Romans Pizza. Naturally with such precious cargo sitting in the passenger seats, the emphasis was on safety at all costs and very few of the cars present went flat out on the race track.

In fact, many of the little ones were more interested in playing with the infotainment systems of the cars. Live to Race shared the track with title sponsor Subaru Cape Town, who were busy launching the all-new WRX sedan. As for the Mercedes-Benz A45 AMG, the children loved the noise it made as it changed gears, but I think they loved the music from the radio even more.

*Read the review of the awesome Mercedes-Benz A45 AMG here*

Range Rover Sport (2014) Review

Before the Range Rover Sport, these vehicles weren’t really even called cars. Range Rovers were simply amazing 4x4s with the most luxury you could get in an offroad vehicle, which made them the darlings of people who liked to drive into the city now and again.

But since the advent of the Range Rover Sport in 2005, we’ve had to change the way we think and feel about the brand. This was a car, mind you, that had amazing performance despite its bulk and offroad ability. That ability could take it deep into the Andes mountains or the Sahara desert if you didn’t mind scuffing those fancy aluminium alloys, or shredding one of the expensive low-profile tyres.

Range Rover has continued to trend towards ‘car-ness’ with its Evoque, a massive hit for it worldwide, and of course the full-sized Rangie continues to be the last world in luxury-orientated off-road travel with terrain mastery that defies its suave on-road presence.

Popular vehicle

Now we have the second-generation Range Rover Sport, launched here late 2013. The success of Range Rover’s re-invention of itself as a car for all reasons and seasons can be realised by the sales figures of the previous-gen Sport. Since 2005, sales of that model soared above the 350 000 mark indicating an average of some 40 000 a year for a car that, at current South African prices, sells at between R850 000 and R1.3-million. Those kind of sales figures for a super-expensive car generate plenty of cash for development and Land Rover, the parent company, has not been shy to invest huge amounts in the development of new models.

The latest Sport follows the new full-sized Range Rover in using an all-aluminium chassis. And if you thought the previous Sport was impressive – which it was – wait until you experience what a weight loss of some 420 kg does for the overall dynamic ability of such a large vehicle.

The redesign has seen the nose change, the windscreen lean back further, and the overhangs shorten for a modern Sport that is completely in keeping with modern Range Rover. The Range Rover Sport is still one humungous chunk of metal – lightweight or not – and when driving it you should be aware that it’s still in the region of between 2 100 and 2 200 kg.

Engine choices

To motivate that mass, you can choose between a supercharged 3.0-litre V6 petrol delivering 250 kW, a turbodieselof 215 kW strength, or the magnificent 375 kW Supercharged V8 flagship.

Although the diesel and supercharged v6 engines are very good, there is no denying that ultimate feeling you get when you toss the key into the console, punch the starter button, and that new improved all-powerful V8 rumbles to life. I believe V8 engines could well be used in the treatment of psychological disturbance. There is a resonance peculiar to a V8’s exhaust that is incredibly soothing to the soul, particularly on light-to-medium acceleration. It’s such a pleasant sound.

Range Rover Sport acceleration

You launch the Range Rover Sport off the line and in under 5.5 seconds you are doing 100 km/h, shaking your head all the while as you remind yourself this vehicle weighs over two tons! That feeling extends to the way this mammoth deals with changes in direction, as well as braking. The cornering of the car has been enhanced not only by its air suspension, but a new rear electronic limited slip diff which makes it handle like a sportscar.

Ride, handling and 4×4 ability

Progress in either flat-out or cruise mode is remarkably smooth, due in no small part to the very impressive eight-speed automatic gearbox fitted. In fact, with the Range Rover Sport you can choose two completely different transmission options when ordering the car. The one gives you the choice of a low-range (off-road) transfer case, while the other is an urban-orientated single speed transfer case.

Whilst both models come with Land Rover’s  second-generation Terrain Response system, I reckon few people will take the Sport to Botswana or Zambia for very serious 4x4ing. Nevertheless, if you need it, on all models there is some 260 mm wheel travel at the front and 272 mm at the rear, class-leading figures, to enable you to cope with just about any obstacle in your way.

Summary and conclusion

I wasn’t overly enthusiastic about the level of trim in some aspects of the interior in the Range Rover Sport. I found the materials used and the overall design not quite as sophisticated as one would expect from a vehicle costing in the million-buck region. Also, the new cabin design made ingress to the driver’s pew a bit of a chore as I kept bumping my head on that sloping A-Pillar.

But overall, it’s a huge improvement in this second-gen car which was already excellent, with fuel consumption now down in my personal experience from around the 22 litre/100 km level to 18 litres/100 in the city and as good as 14.5-litres per 100 at highway speeds. What an amazing car.

Range Rover Sport Price in South Africa

  • R 1,325,823 for the Range Rover Sport 5.0 V8 HSE Dynamic.

Range Rover Sport (2014) Quick Specs

Engine  5.0-litre V8 supercharged petrol
Power  375 kW
Torque  625 Nm
Transmission  Eight-speed automatic
Wheels  21-inch alloys
0-100km/h  5.3 seconds (claimed)
Fuel economy  13.8 l/100km (claimed)

We like:
. Exceptional performance for a two ton vehicle
. Sounds incredible when you accelerate
. Is a serious offroad 4×4
. Stylish

We dislike:
. Some interior flaws
. Supercharged petrol engine drinks fuel
. 21-inch low-profile tyres aren’t suited to serious offroading

Also consider:

. Porsche Cayenne
. Mercedes-Benz ML
. BMW X5