Lockdown Basement Review – New Honda BR-V 7-seater
How do you review a car when you can't drive it anywhere other than to the local shops? And without a film crew? This seemed like a chance for Ciro De Siena to do his job.
With South Africa under national lockdown to help fight COVID-19, we had to find a way to still review cars. Luckily Ciro De Siena has a 4-story basement in his building and enough camera equipment to film on his own. With the Cars.co.za crew staying safely at home, Ciro asks you, our lovely audience, to bear with him as he attempts to do his job on his own, in a basement.
In this video, we'll take a detailed look at the segment the Honda BR-V competes in, notably against the new Suzuki Ertiga and Toyota Avanza. Ciro also takes the BR-V for a spin around the basement to get to grips with the fire-spitting engine. All to answer the question, is this the best 7-seater family car you can buy right now?
With the gradual uptick in automatic gearbox choices among customers, Ford is offering an entry-level self-shifting option in its Compact Family SUV. It has also taken the opportunity to add a few more features to the rest of the Ecosport lineup.
The current Ecosport compact SUV was introduced locally in 2013 with a model rejuvenation in 2018. The Ecosport has remained a top-seller in the segment since its introduction thanks to its generous specification and keen price point. With sales in SUVs heavily in favour of automatic gearboxes, Ford has added the option of a 6-speed auto to its entry-level Ambiente model. The 1.5 petrol Ambiente (91 kW and 151 Nm) model is the only naturally-aspirated Ecosport in the lineup, and alongside the diesel Ambiente, is sourced from India (the rest come from the Romanian plant).
In addition to the auto, the Trend and Titanium models have benefitted from further safety and technical updates. It has added Ford’s Collision Mitigation System – a pre-collision assist feature that alerts the driver of a potential collision with the vehicle ahead, pre-charges the brakes and, if necessary, applies maximum braking pressure once the driver presses the brake pedal.
Cruise control with a speed limiter function has now been added to the Trend models, while the Titanium gains front parking sensors to accompany the rear sensors that are standard across the range. An underbody protection shield added on Trend and Titanium models reduces the threat of potential underbody damage.
Audi has revealed the sedan version of its all-new A3. Check it out.
The compact 4-door Audi A3 sedan was received when it was first launched and now there's a new model. It's 4cm longer, 2cm wider and 1cm taller, giving it a bit more space in the cabin, while boot space is identical to that of the outgoing model at 425 litres. The new Audi A3 sedan is 15 cm longer than the 5-door Sportback model. The 3-door Sportback model has been canned.
The design is sleek, with Audi claiming its aerodynamically efficient more than ever. Inside, the cabin is near-identical to that of the A3 Sportback. It adopts the new-look MMI Touchscreen and a fully digital cockpit display. Standard connectivity services such as online traffic information and the news are available as well as giving passengers Wi-Fi connectivity, but final SA-specs are still to be confirmed. Audi is also offering Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, as well as Amazon Alexa in the car.
In terms of engines, there are 3 available. There is a 1.5-litre turbocharged 4-cylinder motor, plus a 2.0-litre turbodiesel. In A3 35 TFSI spec, the 1.5-litre delivers 110 kW and can be mated to either a 6-speed manual gearbox or a 7-speed S tronic dual-clutch transmission. If you opt for the latter, the vehicle boasts a 48 V mild-hybrid setup that improves efficiency. The diesel 35 TDI model has 110 kW and is fitted with a 7-speed S tronic dual-clutch transmission. Audi says there will be a lower-spec diesel model, badged as a 30 TDI.
For the performance fans, there will be the S3 sedan and RS3 sedan, the latter of which we've seen undergoing testing in disguise.
Audi South Africa confirmed the A3 Sedan will be coming to SA with an expected arrival time around the second quarter of 2021.
There are many things you can’t do during this national lockdown period, but you can still buy a car, for the most part.
If you’re still in the market for a car or come across something that catches your eye in the online classifieds during the lockdown, the dealers are still open for business, albeit behind closed doors, of course. Most dealers have set up contingency plans like working from home or redirecting calls of enquiry to their mobile phones. Dealership sales staff members are still responding to the queries and requests you put though. We spoke to Meyer Benjamin, MD of the IPOP group that houses brands like Suzuki, Haval, Mazda and GWM, as well as Willie Du Plessis of Bidvest McCarthy Toyota Table View to get an idea of what’s still happening on the dealership front.
Q:How far down the vehicle-purchasing road can a buyer currently go under lockdown?
Meyer Benjamin (MB): Pretty far, actually. In terms of percentage, 85% of the way… to put a figure on it.
Willie Du Plessis (WDP): We can do everything up to the point of delivery, the car will be set aside in the dealership, ready for the day that the business reopens its doors.
Q: The cars in the dealership can’t be test-driven, obviously. What options does a buyer have in terms of viewing the vehicle?
MB: There is a lot we can do with modern technology. Voice calls are the easiest, but we can field questions on WhatsApp too. We have a lot of images that we can share of the vehicles, as well as stock videos we may have and are available to answer any questions. We have also been posting on social media in order to help inform buyers of deals and vehicle features.
WDP: We are continuing to service customers over the phones and via WhatsApp. What's more, we continue to advertise stock on various platforms so buyers understand we are still available if they want to enquire.
Q: Is finance still available?
MB: Yes finance is still available, right the way from application to funding from the finance houses.
Q:When would a buyer get their car if they were to buy it now?
MB: That’s more up to (President) Cyril (Ramaphosa) and the length of the lockdown, but we are in a position to resume deliveries the moment the lockdown ends.
WDP: As soon as the lockdown ends.
Q:What about vehicle inspections and quality checks?
MB: All vehicles go through a roadworthy inspection when they come to us, you can rest assured that before they go on sale they would have undergone the necessary checks.
WDP: We do all our inspections in-house through our workshop, all vehicles are inspected when they come into the dealership.
Q:Are vehicles at your premises safe and kept out of harm’s way?
MB: The vehicles that fit within the showroom floor have been locked inside. Others have been moved to a secure off-site location.
WDP: The vehicles remain at our premises under lock and key; security is still on-site – they are considered an essential service.
What about trading in?
When it comes to trade-ins, the dealer can make you an offer based on your vehicle's mileage and model year. Some dealers will accept images you have of the vehicle and make you an offer based on what they see. Finance can then be applied for, but the offer will be subject to inspection after the lockdown has ended. If anything is discovered that would affect the value of the trade-in, the finance application will have to start all over again.
And new cars?
We asked Charmagne Mavudzi, head of marketing and communications at Volvo Car South Africa similar questions to see if you still have access to new cars.
Q:How far down the vehicle purchasing road can a buyer currently go under lockdown?
CM: Our retailers are available to assist you from their homes to yours. In the comfort of your home, you can reserve the vehicle of choice, discuss pricing and have any questions you may have answered. All vehicle sales enquiries can be sent to [email protected]
Q:The cars can’t be test-driven, obviously. What options does a buyer have in terms of viewing the vehicle?
CM: A fully interactive website, which details all makes and models available for purchase at our dealerships can be found here: https://www.volvocars.com/za In addition, the latest news, reviews, and Volvo car content can be found socially via Instagram, Facebook and Twitter
Q: Is it possible to get a purchased vehicle delivered during the lockdown or how soon thereafter would it be delivered to a buyer?
CM: Personal safety is at the heart of Volvo’s purpose – providing freedom to move in a personal, sustainable and safe way. In line with the national lockdown, Volvo Car South Africa and our dealer network will be closed during this time as we fully support the efforts to flatten the curve and slow the spread of the pandemic. Our services will return to normal following the end of the national lockdown.
Q: What security measures are being taken to make sure a purchased car remains safe/clean at this time?
CM: Our Customer Care and Support teams continue to function normally. We have strong plans in place and robust technology that allow us to run our operations remotely. All new vehicles purchased will remain securely stored at Volvo facilities until such time as they can be delivered following the end of the national lockdown.
After posting massive losses in Q1, Ford has confirmed more bad news to British industry insiders Autocar: there will be no evolution of its celebrated RS-badge.
For decades Ford’s European designers and engineers have built RS-badged passenger cars, at times to fulfil homologation requirements, but also to ensure that enthusiast followers of the blue oval badge had something to aspire too.
That Ford RS heritage is now scheduled to become a fact of history, without any future plans.
Although South African Ford fans have been prepared for such disappointment, due to the latest-generation ST vehicles not being marketed here, it will still come as a shock to committed followers of the RS sub-brand.
Rumours have been milling in Europe, since the start of this year, that Ford’s RS strategy would be suspended. Initially, it was assumed that hybridization would ensure a next-generation Focus RS, but the development cost of adding an electric drive to the platform's rear axle proved too expensive.
Passengers cars have certainly taken a back seat in Ford's vehicle strategy, with the brand overcommitting to its profitable bakkies and larger SUVs in recent years. This has been seen in SA where the once, thousand plus a month Fiesta has seen its numbers drop to around 15% of that. Models like the Ecosport, Ranger and Everest have pushed Ford's numbers of late.
Without a viable passenger car market in North America, the Focus RS had effectively become a European model, creating issues. As surging emissions regulation and penalties wait to be deployed in the European car market, Ford decided to call it quits rather than seek a costly solution.
The absence of a fourth-generation Focus RS will deliver Ford hot hatch fans into a future dominated by German or even Korean alternatives.
With Ford focussing on the American market and a global portfolio of bakkies to drive its return to profitability, niche products such as Focus RS, have become completely irrelevant.
The hot-hatch market is dominated by models with dual-clutch transmissions; by launching its Veloster N with an 8-speed dual-clutch automatic and an i30 N manual-beating 377 Nm of torque, Hyundai is widening the appeal of its N derivatives.
It seemed everyone but Honda (Civic Type R) and Hyundai (i30 N) got the memo… A dual-clutch (or direct-shift) automatic is the transmission of choice in the hot-hatch market; in fact, Volkswagen no longer offers its iconic Golf GTI model with a 6-speed manual in South Africa; the 8th generation (scheduled to arrive here before the end of 2020) probably won't be available with a "stick-shift" either.
As opposed to its i30 sibling, the Veloster N was introduced at the same as the rest of the derivatives in the 2nd-generation range.
Hyundai offered the previous generation of the Veloster in South Africa (in naturally aspirated and turbocharged 1.6-litre guises) and the current (2nd-generation) Veloster remains under consideration for the local market. However, the N derivative is not produced for right-hand-drive markets, but even if it was, it’s not as strong a proposition as its i30 N sibling due to its quirky 4-door packaging.
What is significant about the self-shifting Veloster N, however, is the fact that it comes equipped with Hyundai’s new N DCT – an 8-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission with a wet (oil-lubricated) configuration – as opposed to the 7-speed dual-clutch setup of the now discontinued Elantra 1.6 Turbo Elite Sport. And, of course, the i30 N will ultimately be available with that transmission as well.
The i30 N has only been available as a 6-speed manual thus far, which has pleased traditionalists, but arguably limited its appeal.
Like its (thus far manual-equipped) i30 N sibling, the Veloster N produces peak power of 205 kW (okay, the local model is rated at 202 kW, but that's close enough), but its peak torque figure is 377 Nm, which is notably higher than the former’s 353 Nm (claimed).
The cars have the same 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbopetrol motor, so where does the newcomer’s extra 24 Nm come from? Well, as a demonstration that super-serious Hyundai’s burgeoning N Division is now trying its hand at hot-hatch marketing ballyhoo (to be fair, as so many other manufacturers have – and still do) the answer is: N Grin Shift (NGS).
The Veloster N is said to charge from 0 to 100 kph in 5.5 seconds in manual guise, so the N DCT version should be slightly faster.
That’s right, apart from being additionally equipped with N Power Shift (NPS) and N Track Sense Shift (NTS) modes, the new transmission’s NGS technology allows the Veloster N’s engine to deliver an extra 24 Nm on overboost in 20-second bursts.
The newcomer further features an 8-inch infotainment system, a premium JBL audio setup and optional N Light Sports Bucket Seats. Apart from being 2 kilograms lighter, each N seat features an illuminated logo built into the aluminium-trimmed backrest.
Although it is difficult to tell from this image, the Veloster N comes equipped with steering-wheel-mounted shift paddles.
We don’t believe there is much chance of the Veloster N coming to South Africa (even if Hyundai changes its mind about LHD-only production, it's a very niche offering and in a very price-sensitive segment). What’s more, Hyundai SA has not officially committed to the (now pre-facelift) i30 N’s sustained availability beyond the first consignment of cars that arrived here a couple of months ago.
However, should circumstances change regarding the i30 N on the local market, given the market’s preference for dual-clutch-equipped hot hatchbacks, an 8-speed DCT-equipped i30 N derivative would certainly be well received by local hot-hatch aficionados. Watch this space.
In conclusion, also bear in mind that a wet-clutch setup allows for much higher torque delivery and resistance to punishment (such as sustained hard driving or track excursions, for example). Hyundai has been testing a 2.5-litre motor in its Veloster, so if the N Division plans to introduce a higher output motor in one or several of Hyundai’s models, this ‘box would be well suited to that application.
Ford will be keen to keep the iconic Mustang alive in an increasingly green-focused world. The next-gen Ford Mustang will feature a hybrid V8 as well as all-wheel drive.
*Pictured is the Ford Mustang Mach-E, the brand's Mustang-inspired all-electric SUV
Ford recently celebrated the 56th birthday of its iconic Mustang sports car and unfortunately, for it to survive the future, it will need to go green. According to Autocar, the next-generation Ford Mustang will gain a hybrid engine as well as all-wheel drive. Back in 2017, Ford filed a patent for a V8 motor driving the rear wheels with electric motors driving the front wheels and its this tech which is expected to land up in the next-generation Ford Mustang. There's also talk of the next-generation Mustang using a modular platform shared with one of the many SUVs Ford makes.
While many petrolheads will understandably vent and express disappointment that the V8 tyre-shredding icon is going soft, Ford, unfortunately, has no choice but to go down the green route to meet increasingly tough emissions and efficiency targets. Ford has already laid out plans to reveal at least 18 mild-hybrid and full-hybrid in the next 2 years. There were already question marks over the Ford Mustang Mach-E, which is everything a Mustang isn't: an all-electric and all-wheel-drive SUV, and yet, bookings and orders for it have been impressive.
The last 2 iterations of Ford Mustang have been a runaway success for the Blue Oval as it finally introduced right-hand drive, meaning countries like the UK and South Africa could sell them.
Korean car brand Hyundai is rapidly expanding its N performance arm and there are many products in the pipeline. There's also a new engine.
First spotted by KoreanCarBlog, a Veloster N mule was seen cruising the streets with a sticker on the door, detailing its engine capacity. Rumours are strong that the Koreans are shifting from the 2.0-litre turbo Theta II motor to the Theta III 2.5-litre turbo. There are already rumours Hyundai will adopt the new Smartstream technology which means more power and we're expecting to see a jump to 223 kW and 421 Nm.
Photo from KoreanCarBlog
As it stands, we already have the Hyundai i30 N in two states of tune (although the SA market only gets the high-spec model), i30 N Fastback, Veloster N and we know Hyundai is working on N versions of its Kona, Elantra sedan and compact i20. There are also strong signs of Hyundai working on a mid-engined hybrid high-performance vehicle based on the Veloster. There's also an 8-speed dual-clutch transmission for the i30 N and Veloster N due in the next few months.
Given its rapid growth, we're expecting a lot from the performance arm of Hyundai and we already think its fair to ask if N is the new M, given how many German engineers now work for Hyundai.
Halving the flagship C-Class' cylinder count might alienate Mercedes-AMG's loyal customer base, but it involves issues beyond Benz's control.
The man who built the terrifically successful performance-car business that is Mercedes-AMG (AMG) is also aware of its weaknesses. Since taking control of Mercedes-Benz's Affalterbach-based performance division in 2013, Tobias Moers has used his engineering background to deliver cars that customers want – and generate the kind of profits that the Daimler's shareholders expect.
For the world’s oldest car company, it has been a brilliant business. Since being fully absorbed by Mercedes-Benz in 1999, AMG has become a centre of global technical excellence. Although AMG was once seen as nothing more than wayward tuning firm (prone to creating warranty issues among Mercedes-Benz’s most well-heeled and daring customers), it has inarguably proven its worth.
The downside to growth
AMG has evolved into more than Mercedes-Benz could ever have hoped: It is now recognised as a standalone brand and its models are in high demand. Having said that, there has always been an external risk to the linear progression of AMG’s success – Moers recently alluded to this when he speculated that the division's product line-up had grown too diverse, possibly at the cost of confusing customers and creating the potential for model cannibalisation.
Political interference is the other significant peril for AMG. As EU and global emission laws grow ever stricter, AMG has realised that its celebrated V8 engines are at risk. The original M156 V8 established the brand’s dominance, but when AMG shrunk its V8 engines from 6.2 to 4.0 litres and added turbochargers, it triggered a trend that was never going to reverse.
Hybridisation is now a reality for AMG and the latest information from Germany suggests that one of the brand’s most iconic cars is likely to be radically downsized in the W206 C-Class.
Skipping the sixes
Despite introducing a 6-cylinder AMG in 2018, AMG looks to be pursuing 4-cylinders instead.
After an absence of nearly 20 years, Mercedes-Benz revived its inline 6-cylinder configuration in 2018. It was not a question of respecting tradition, but a decision driven by pure economics and engineering requirements…
Packing the latest mild-hybrid technology, with integrated starter motors and generators proved far easier with an inline engine, as opposed to the more popular V-configuration.
Mercedes-Benz also gained notable build efficiency by replacing its V6s with inline sixes. A production line that makes inline 4-cylinder engines can easily be adapted to produce 6-cylinder powerplants too. By contrast, building a mix of inline 4-cylinder engines and V6s on a single machining and assembly line is nearly impossible.
AMG has implemented the new 3.0-litre inline 6-cylinder engine in the 53-series models, but the V8-engined 63s have historically driven a great deal of profit for Affalterbach.
However, the pressure on AMG's future performance-car business is now so severe that the Affalterbach division is engineering a radical new powertrain structure destined to halve its powerplants' cylinder counts. The next iteration of the C63 is virtually guaranteed to become AMG’s first 63-series car that is not a V8. As a matter of fact, it won’t even be an inline 6…
Numbers or noise?
Mercedes-AMG has built much of its reputation on producing powerful, but also particularly sonorous, V8 powerplants.
There are benefits and risks to making AMG’s forthcoming C63 a 4-cylinder petrol-electric hybrid. Removing the emotional argument for the C63 to remain a V8, there is no question that AMG’s next C63 will be incredibly potent. It is a simple equation of physics that smaller 4-cylinder engines can spin their cranks with less inertia than a similarly turbocharged V8. By that logic, the 4-cylinder C63 could have an impressive engine-speed ceiling.
The next C63’s engine should be an evolved version of AMG 45-series M139 2.0-litre motor, which redlines at 7 000 rpm, the same as AMG’s current 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8s. Enthusiasts will be hoping for more, with AMG engineers capable of increasing the hybridised M139 powertrain to shriek well beyond 7 000 rpm.
By downsizing the engine so dramatically (from 8 to only 4 cylinders), AMG will reduce the weight of the ICE component of the C-Class flagship. That said, the hybrid system’s motor/s and batteries will add weight, but that mass will be positioned in optimised locations to benefit the car’s overall balance.
Without a large V8 mounted above the front axle, the 4-cylinder C63 should have more agile handling then AMG’s current version. But will that really matter?
It's hard to forget the sound of the old 6.2-litre V8. Will new engines measure up in the sound department?
For all their lofty peak power and torque outputs, the C63s are most adored for their throaty V8 soundtracks. AMG’s spent a great deal of research in exhaust materials, tube diameters and contours to ensure its cars are loud and dramatic. Customers expect it.
All the mechanical engineering and metallurgy in the world cannot undo the discrepancy in the quality of sound produced by a V8 and a 4-cylinder engine with half its capacity. Even with the best ignition and fuel system control technology, AMG will be unable to make its 4-cylinder C63s sound even remotely as sonorous as their V8 predecessors. And that could be a significant issue.
People who buy C63s don’t really care about tenths of a second when discussing 0-100 kph times. They care about the way their cars sound when delivering full-throttle performance between sets of traffic lights, and perhaps even more so, on the overrun.
AMG is in an unenviable position. Compared with its V8 predecessor, the 4-cylinder C63 will better in every measure of performance, yet customers may be deterred by its less evocative soundtrack.
Big money for only 4-cylinders
Will C-Class AMG owners mind sharing powertrains with A-Class drivers?
Sound (or lack thereof) may not the only inhibitor to the 4-cylinder 63-series' chances of success. With each iteration of its products, AMG has added enhanced technical expertise.
When I drove the original C63 AMG back in 2008 (the 6.2-litre naturally aspirated version, at a sweltering Phakisa circuit test session), it was an awe-inspiring model, but looking back, it had a mechanically geared limited-slip rear differential and 7-speed automatic transmission. AMG’s 2020 version of the C63 has a 9-speed transmission and torque vectoring between the rear wheels.
As the C63 grows in complexity and incorporates increasingly exotic materials, AMG will expect customers to keep paying more for the model, but in return for ostensibly less engine and drama. To price the future C63 halfway between R1- and R2 million and expect customers to happily pay for an acoustically muted driving experience powered by only 4-cylinders might be a bridge too far.
In the realm of pure status cars, assumption matters. AMG’s engineers will deliver a 4-cylinder hybridised C63 AMG that is superior to its V8 predecessor in all metrics, but that won’t matter – with cars of this calibre, it never does. What has made the C63 so desirable is the profound noise it emits and the way that the V8 engine gently burbles at idle.
The collector's performance car market has taught us that cylinders equal value, over time. That is the reason why many genuinely awful-to-drive Italian supercars still command premium prices: because they have temperamental 12-cylinder engines. To give you another example: Porsches are among the best investment cars you can buy. However, the flat-6 Porsche models appreciate in value over time (especially the air-cooled ones), but 4-cylinder cars from the same era trade like South African government bonds.
The original compact performance Benz had a 4-cylinder powerplant…
Perhaps history is also evidence that things could be different for our ominous 4-cylinder C63 predictions. Mercedes-Benz’s original performance sedan was a 4-cylinder; the car in question being Stuttgart’s 190E Cosworth Evo 2. It was an extraordinarily bold venture for Mercedes-Benz, completely out of character for the company’s deeply conservative manner in the early 1990s.
With a dogleg gearbox and engine technology from a British specialist, the 190E Cosworth Evo was everything Mercedes-Benz wasn't (at the time). The original list price was radical, yet demand easily outstripped supply. Even more telling is that despite all the 6- and 8-cylinder AMGs that followed, the 4-cylinder 190E Cosworth remains Mercedes-Benz’s most coveted 4-door car.
The 190E Cosworth cars set a precedent for Mercedes-Benz, the motorsport-bred 4-cylinder sports sedan was a precursor to much-beloved performance models from the Three-pointed Star. Perhaps the next C63 AMG will channel some of that legacy and be more universally accepted than we assume. Either that or M156-engined C63s are about to become an excellent investment opportunity…
Imagine if Audi had to go down this dusty road and actually produce a bakkie… The Ingolstadt-based firm would at least be in a position to learn from the spectacular failings of the Mercedes-Benz X-Class.
Nonetheless, the sketch you see here by Raleigh Haire shows the potential for an Audi Quattro Truck that would take aim at the American market where vehicles such as the Ford F-150 and Chevrolet Silverado dominate.
The Audi Quattro Truck is said to blend Audi’s offroad rally heritage with advanced electric hybrid technology and Raleigh reckons “Audi has all the necessities for a tough high tech truck”.
Unlike the typical body-on-frame design seen on today’s bakkies, the Audi Quattro Truck features a unibody frame which is lighter and more rigid and with the hybrid system’s batteries integrated into the frame which aids in lowering the centre of gravity while also improving overall packaging. A nifty feature is a detachable utility battery from the side of the vehicle that can be used to charge equipment or provide power in your campsite.
In terms of design, the exposed unibody frame adds visual strength to the design while the front end features a single light bar graphic with a glowing Audi logo at its centre. The grille itself is integrated into the body panelling and external LED lighting provides illumination while also adding to the rugged look of the truck. Aimed at the power-sport enthusiast, the Audi Quattro Truck is also fitted with integrated loading ramps should you wish to easily load up your dirt bike into the load bin.
While this is only a design study, it’s interesting to imagine what an Audi bakkie could look like. Do you think this is something Audi should pursue or do you think Audi should rather focus refining its current passenger car offerings?
