Toyota Fortuner Epic (2020) Spec and Price

Toyota South Africa has announced specifications and pricing for its Epic and Epic Black editions of the Fortuner. See what's new here.

The Toyota Fortuner has been South Africa's top-selling SUV for some time and a multiple winner of the Adventure SUV category in the #CarsAwards-powered by WesBank. For 2020, Toyota has announced the Fortuner Epic and Epic Black.

The Epic and Epic Black are both based on the 2.8-litre GD-6 derivatives and have been given some nice upgrades, both inside and out. There's a branded nudge-bar and tow bar, while Epic Black models gain a bi-tone design with black roof, black roof rails, black side-view mirrors and unique, all-black 18-inch alloy wheels.

Inside, there are metal scuff plates and Epic-branded carpet set. Toyota hasn't changed the leather interior trim and 7-seat layout, and standard spec includes niceties such as dual-zone climate control, smart entry and push start, touchscreen infotainment system with navigation, reverse camera, TFT Multi-Information Display (MID), blue Optitron instrumentation, cruise control, steering switches, power-adjustable driver seat and power back door.

Toyota Fortuner Price in South Africa (April 2020)

All Fortuner models are sold with a 6-services/90 000 km service plan and 3-year/100 000 km warranty. Service intervals for the diesel models are 10 000 km, while the petrol model is set at 15 000 km. Customers can also choose from a variety of service plan extensions at their local dealer.

Fortuner 2.8 RB Epic 6AT R 660 000

Fortuner 2.8 Epic Black 6AT R 670 100

Fortuner 2.8 4X4 Epic 6AT R 729 000

Fortuner 2.8 4X4 Epic Black 6AT R 739 100

Want to buy a Toyota Fortuner? Search for new and used examples here

New Car Sales in SA: March 2020

The National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa [NAAMSA] has released new car sales figures for March 2020 and if there ever was a chance of market recovery in South Africa it’s now been obliterated with the arrival of COVID-19 and its impact has and will continue to have an adverse effect on the local automotive industry.

The global automotive industry is under considerable pressure in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic which continues to tighten its grip on countries around the world, forcing many into lockdown and bringing production lines to a standstill.

Unsurprisingly, South Africa has been hit hard too and while the local automotive industry experienced significant declines across the board during March 2020, WesBank warns that April 2020 is expected to reflect the true damage as South Africa navigates through a 21-day lockdown in an effort to curb the spread of Coronavirus.

“The market was looking to establish some form of stability judging from February’s performance, only to be undone by the COVID-19 global pandemic,” says Lebogang Gaoaketse, Head of Marketing and Communication at WesBank. “Looking at international markets already under lockdown, we can expect April to look even worse as consumers stay home and only essential services are delivered from dealer workshops.”

New Car Sales Summary – March 2020

Aggregate new vehicle sales of 33 545 units down by 29.7% (-14 150 units) compared to March 2019.
New passenger car sales of 22 200 units down by 26.8% (-8 139 units) compared to March 2019
New Light Commercial Vehicle (LCV) sales of 9 425 units down by 37.1% (-5 570 units) compared to March 2019.
Export sales of 28 883 units down by 21.5% (-7 905 units) compared with March 2019.

Top 5 Best-Selling cars in South Africa for March 2020

1.Toyota Hilux – 2 729 units

2. Volkswagen Polo – 2 116 units

3. Volkswagen Polo Vivo – 1 561 units

4. Ford Ranger – 1 263 units

5. Toyota Fortuner – 1 168 units

Top 5 Best-Selling Car Brands in South Africa

1. Toyota – 8 715 units

2. Volkswagen – 5 499 units

3. Nissan – 2 775 units

4. Ford – 2 667 units

5. Hyundai – 2 245 units

Sales Outlook

The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered a global economic collapse and while South Africa’s economy was in a recessionary state prior to the pandemic arrive on local soil, the outlook going forward is marred with uncertainty.

“While we are in full support of government’s decisive leadership measures to combat the spread of COVID-19, there is no denying the impacts it will have on the economy and certainly the country’s motor industry. With plant shutdowns already in place and dealers closed, the industry’s main concern will be the protection of jobs in this important employer base” said Gaoaketse.

He adds that “The Industry is planning as much as it can amidst the uncertainties presented to the world. South Africa will have further impacts from limited global production and the potential impacts on the supply of parts.”

It’s not all doom and gloom though and there are positives that consumers can take from the current situation. Firstly, the interest rate has been cut by 100 basis points which will assist indebted consumers and with the lockdown in full effect, consumers will also be saving on fuel/travel expenditure and car maintenance costs. Fuel prices have also been substantially cut for April 2020.

BMW X5 M and X6 M Price Revealed

The BMW X5 M Competition and X6 M Competition are on their way to South Africa. Here's how much these monsters cost.

The hottest and hardcore M SUVs are scheduled to land in South Africa in the next month or so and thanks to local carblog Zero2Turbo, we have local pricing.

BMW South Africa will be bringing in only the Competition derivatives of the X5 M and X6 M, meaning we'll be getting the high-output derivatives only. Power comes from a 4.4-litre twin-turbocharged V8 petrol engine, with outputs of 460 kW and 750 Nm. BMW claims sprint times of 0-100 kph in 3.8 seconds and they'll hurtle to a top speed of 290 kph.

We've already had a taste of the BMW X5 M Competition at its international launch event in the United States. We had this to say, "In terms of its dynamic talents on a challenging road, the outrageous BMW X5 M Competition is easily the finest rapid SUV the German company has produced – and it’s one of the most engaging machines of its type from any carmaker that is currently on sale." You can read the full report at the bottom of the article.

The BMW X5 is a worthy category winner in the #CarsAwards-powered by WesBank. Browse new and used examples for sale here.

BMW X5 X6 Competition Price in South Africa (April 2020)

The below prices include VAT, but exclude CO2 tax.

BMW X5 M Competition R2 400 000

BMW X6 M Competition R2 493 000

Land Rover Announces New PHEVs

Land Rover has revealed a new 3-cylinder plug-in hybrid system that will be offered on the popular Range Rover Evoque and Land Rover Discovery Sport SUVs.

In an effort to bring Land Rover one step closer to its Destination Zero mission, which strives for zero emissions, zero accidents and zero congestion, the Coventry-based firm is introducing a new plug-in hybrid system that will be offered in the Range Rover Evoque and the Land Rover Discovery.

The new plug-in hybrid system was designed and built in-house using the brand’s scaleable Ingenium engine architecture. The system combines a 147 kW 3-cylinder 1.5-litre petrol engine and an 80 kW electric motor to deliver an all-electric range of up to 66 km for the Evoque and 62 km for the Discovery Sport. Claimed fuel consumption is roughly 1.4 L/100km and CO2 emissions are as low as 32g/km depending on the model.

As for charging, the system can be charged by harvesting energy generated through acceleration and braking in electric or hybrid mode which recharges the battery. The 15 kWh battery can also be charged by plugging into a public rapid charger that will charge up to 80% of capacity in 30 minutes. A dedicated wall box at your home will take 1 hour 24 minutes while a domestic wall socket will take 6 hours and 42 minutes to charge up.

30 minutes is all you need to get up to 80% charge at a public fast charger.

Both the Evoque and Discovery Sport are built on Land Rover’s Premium Transverse Architecture and the hybrid hardware is neatly packed in the cabin floor without impinging on cabin space, luggage space or all-terrain ability.

The introduction of this technology marks the second phase of electrification at Land Rover’s Halewood plant where more than 1 500 employees are producing these new plug-in derivatives.

In addition to these new derivatives, Jaguar Land Rover is expanding on its electrified portfolio which embraces fully electric, plug-in hybrid and mild-hybrid vehicles seen in current products such as the flagship Range Rover, Range Rover Sport, the new Defender and the all-electric Jaguar I-Pace.

The company will also transform its facility at Castle Bromwich where a range of new electric vehicles will be built, including the new Jaguar XJ. It was also announced last year that Jaguar Land Rover would build its electric drive units at its Wolverhampton Engine Manufacturing Centre in the UK which is complemented with investment into the UK’s most technically-advanced battery assembly centre at Hams Hall, all of which will contribute to the company’s next generation of vehicles.

The Range Rover Evoque PHEV and Land Rover Discovery PHEV have not been confirmed for introduction in South Africa.

Buy a Range Rover Evoque on Cars.co.za

Buy a Land Rover Discovery Sport

BMW M135i Review – Is it Still an Epic Hot Hatch?

This is as much performance as you're likely to get in the current 1 Series. How does the 135i live up to its heritage now that it has changed the very thing that made it unique? Ciro De Siena made this video to explain it.

Every now and then, a test car arrives at the office and divides opinion among the Cars.co.za journalists. This is not one of those times.

With the new BMW M135i, BMW has removed all the character traits that made the M140i so special. Six-cylinder engine? Cheers. Rear-wheel-drive? Also gone. So this is now an all-wheel-drive, 2.0-litre, 4-cylinder hatchback. So, it's basically a Golf R?

In this video, Ciro De Siena finds out if there's any BMW-ness left in the flagship 1 Series.

Upcoming Karma Bakkie could be a Hybrid

Possible hybrid-bakkie in the making from American electric vehicle maker?

American vehicle brand, Karma (previously Fisker Automotive), teased a double-cab bakkie rendering earlier this year. With many broken promises over the years, Karma’s product deadlines are often met with disappointment, but the future of its bakkie project has just become a bit more real.

The company has now shown a working example of its new plug-in hybrid vehicle platform. Called the E-Flex, it is claimed to be one of the most sophisticated and adaptable hybrid vehicle platforms in existence.

For Karma’s own use the new E-Flex platform will support five different products, which could possibly include a production version of its new double-cab bakkie.

The E-Flex platform differs from the skateboard-type design, which has become the industry standard for electric vehicles of late. Where the clever engineering happens, is in how adjustable it is – being able to change wheelbase and ride height configurations, for different plug-in hybrid applications.

Whilst the industry is rushing to produce pure electric vehicle platforms, the reality is that most customers are more comfortable with hybrids. In the global bakkie market, hybrids are still a complete rarity and with the E-Flex platform, Karma could have an important design advantage to leverage.

Karma claims that 22 vehicle configurations are possible on its E-Flex platform, so it is quite safe to assume a bakkie is one of them. Our indication of the E-Flex’s powertrain output is by scrutinizing the speciation of Karma’s 2020 model year Revero GT sportscar – which is the only production vehicle currently using it.

The hybrids system powering Karma’s Revero uses a relatively modest 28 kWh battery pack, in combination with a BMW sourced 1.5-litre three-cylinder petrol engine. With the benefit of turbocharging, the total peak system output is 400 kW and 746 Nm.

Those numbers would be more than potent enough for any future double-cab bakkie project from Karma. And truth be told, the market might be more receptive to a hybrid bakkie transition, for now, than an expensive pure battery-driven double-cab.

Volkswagen Readies Tiguan + Arteon Plug In Hybrids

Volkswagen has announced plug-in hybrid versions of its Tiguan and Arteon to be released in 2020.

Volkswagen is making good on its electric mobility plans and while the all-electric ID.3 has been delayed, the brand is expanding its portfolio with an array of plug-in hybrids. Volkswagen claims the demand for some form of electrification has increased considerably in its domestic market of Germany with 1 in 2 Volkswagen Up! units is for the electric model, while 1 in 7 Passats sold is the plug-in hybrid.

The new plug-in engines look exciting on paper. The Volkswagen Passat GTE features a 1.4 TSI motor developing 115 kW as well as an electric motor with 85 kW. Combined, there's 160 kW and 400 Nm, and 3 driving modes. Impressively, it is claimed to cover up to 56 km on pure electric alone, which Volkswagen says beats the 42 km daily range by an average customer. It's this engine which we believe will be going into the Arteon and Tiguan plug-in hybrid models. There's also a Tiguan facelift due in 2020 to look forward too.

Volkswagen has already confirmed a GTE version of the new Golf 8, packing 180 kW as well as a Touareg R with its 340 kW hybrid V6. As for the South African market, Volkswagen SA has confirmed its undergoing trials with the ID.3 and e-Golf, before launching its electric cars to our market in 2022.

Next-Gen Nissan X-Trail Accidentally Revealed

It appears the new Nissan X-Trail has been revealed thanks to a patent filing in South America.

In a Brazilian patent filing, Nissan has submitted the designs you see here. From what we can see, the new Nissan SUV has a face and design elements not too dissimilar to that of the all-new Juke. The outgoing Nissan X-Trail wasn't unattractive, but the design seems to have matured nicely.

The cabin is expected to showcase the majority of changes as there'll be an upgraded interior with nicer materials and more modern tech thrown in. Expect a digital dashboard, more connectivity and so on. The Nissan X-Trail is available in 5-seater and 7-seater configuration, and depending on the model, quite handy when it comes to the offroad stuff.

In terms of engines, we expect naturally-aspirated petrol, turbocharged petrol and turbodiesel motors in the lineup. The last taste of X-Trail we had was the 2.5-litre petrol with 126 kW and 233 Nm mated to a CVT. Expect the new Nissan X-Trail (badged as Rogue in some markets) to be revealed before the end of 2020.

Interested in this SUV? Browse new and used examples here.

Toyota Financial Services Announces Relief Plans

Toyota Financial Services has announced relief plans for customers who have been financially impacted by COVID-19.

Toyota Financial Services provides a wide range of financial services products to the Retail and Corporate market in South Africa including Vehicle and Asset Finance, Full Maintenance Leasing and Vehicle Stock Funding.

Due to the current pandemic crisis which has impacted everyone, Toyota Financial Services has announced relief plans for customers. In a statement, Toyota Financial Services said, "in response to the effective actions put into place by our National Government, we have implemented what we believe, are appropriate and ethical plans to responsibly navigate around the current situation and ensure service continuity for all our customers. We applaud the Government for taking decisive action early on and charting the course."

What does this entail? From 1st April until the 30th June 2020, Toyota Financial Services will implement measures to provide relief to individual and business customers. Toyota Financial Services makes it clear that the relief and support will depend on the type of product and prior banking behaviour. Standard interest and fees will continue to accumulate, but no fees will be charged for any relief granted. Customers are advised to get in touch to make the necessary arrangements. "Our aim is to ensure that customers across all our product segments can continue keeping their financial affairs in order through this difficult time. We encourage all customers who can honour their financial obligations to continue servicing their repayments to maintain a positive credit record," said the statement.

287 kW Volkswagen Golf 7 GTI is Bonkers

British tuner, mountune52, has done some impressive upgrades on the current Volkswagen Golf GTI.

The Golf GTI has been a smash hit for Volkswagen and while its due to be replaced with an all-new GTI very soon, tuners such as mountune52 (The Volkswagen division of Mountune) are making the most of what the 7th generation Golf GTI has to offer.

While the current Golf GTI offers 169 kW and 350 Nm from its 2.0-litre turbopetrol engine, this fine Golf GTI specimen by mountune52 benefits from a Stage 2+ upgrade calibration which has boosted power to a cracking 287 kW while torque has been boosted to 510 Nm. Zero to 100 kph now takes just 5.2 seconds (standard GTI does 6.4 seconds)! It’s worth noting that the Golf GTI Clubsport S offers 228 kW and 380 Nm.

“This latest upgrade for the Golf GTI, showcases not only our performance expertise but also the continued broadening of the mountune52 product catalogue” explains Alec Pell-Johnson, Director of Mountune and mountune52. “The Golf GTI is an incredibly popular car with a huge community of enthusiasts always striving to take the performance of the car to the next level and we believe that the STAGE 2+ power upgrade does just that.”

The significant power gains are made possible with an IS38 turbocharger fitted from the Golf R as well as bespoke calibration to maximise performance. Using a mTune handset, users are able to decide when they access the additional performance. The DSG transmission can also be upgraded to a TCU DSG (a clutch upgrade is also available).

Do you like what mountune52 has done with the Volkswagen Golf GTI?

Buy a Volkswagen Golf GTI on Cars.co.za

Toyota Fortuner Epic (2020) Spec and Price

Toyota South Africa has announced specifications and pricing for its Epic and Epic Black editions of the Fortuner. See what's new here.

Toyota Fortuner Price in South Africa (April 2020)

Further Reading

New Car Sales in SA: March 2020

New Car Sales Summary – March 2020

Top 5 Best-Selling cars in South Africa for March 2020

Top 5 Best-Selling Car Brands in South Africa

Sales Outlook

Related Content

BMW X5 M and X6 M Price Revealed

The BMW X5 M Competition and X6 M Competition are on their way to South Africa. Here's how much these monsters cost.

BMW X5 X6 Competition Price in South Africa (April 2020)

Further Reading

Land Rover Announces New PHEVs

Land Rover has revealed a new 3-cylinder plug-in hybrid system that will be offered on the popular Range Rover Evoque and Land Rover Discovery Sport SUVs.

Related Content

BMW M135i Review – Is it Still an Epic Hot Hatch?

This is as much performance as you're likely to get in the current 1 Series. How does the 135i live up to its heritage now that it has changed the very thing that made it unique? Ciro De Siena made this video to explain it.

Related content

Upcoming Karma Bakkie could be a Hybrid

Possible hybrid-bakkie in the making from American electric vehicle maker?

Related content

Volkswagen Readies Tiguan + Arteon Plug In Hybrids

Volkswagen has announced plug-in hybrid versions of its Tiguan and Arteon to be released in 2020.

Further Reading

Next-Gen Nissan X-Trail Accidentally Revealed

It appears the new Nissan X-Trail has been revealed thanks to a patent filing in South America.

Further Reading

Toyota Financial Services Announces Relief Plans

Toyota Financial Services has announced relief plans for customers who have been financially impacted by COVID-19.

Further Reading

287 kW Volkswagen Golf 7 GTI is Bonkers

British tuner, mountune52, has done some impressive upgrades on the current Volkswagen Golf GTI.

Related Content