RoadTrip Magazine SA

25/12/2023

Going Big…

We went big for this edition. Not necessarily big in terms of size or the amount of “pages” but more in terms of celebrating bigger models, larger events, grand trips and huge milestones.

In line with this, we joined the Suzuki launch event for the new, bigger five-door Jimny and headed off to Botswana to sample the expanded go-anywhere little sports utility.

We also celebrate a century of Ford Motor Company in South Africa with a very special photo shoot by image magician Ryan Abbott at the Franschhoek Motor Museum, and 25 years of the .Audi TT with a journey to the Isle of Man, whose legendary annual TT race lent the design icon its name.

We also undertook a grand tour – to the Kingdom of the AmaZulu in the province of KwaZulu-Natal in a nifty and thrifty Hyundai Grand i10 sedan, as well as towards the Eastern Cape Province to cross Frontier Country with a Suzuki Fronx.

We traversed the still technically closed Bloukrans Pass near Nature's Valley on the limited-edition BMW R1250GS Adventure Trophy Edition and feature an interesting story relating to Sani Pass in KwaZulu-Natal - a race up the pass with a Dakar Rally-spec Toyota Hilux and a Sherco Enduro bike to find out which is the fastest; the bakkie, or the bike?

We trust you will enjoy our “go big” issue, and wish all our readers, advertisers, contributors and stakeholders safe travels and a blessed time during the festive season, as well as prosperous new year...

25/12/2023

Wishing all our readers, contributors, advertisers and stakeholders a Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New Year. Stay safe, wherever the roads may lead you this Festive Season.

05/09/2023

20/08/2023

SA Bakkie of the Year testing... Watch out for our report on this highly relevant competition...

26/07/2023

Thank you, Giro Diva Drives, and welcome back!

17/07/2023

Zigzagging into Zim...

27/06/2023

Construction on the Sishen-Saldanha railway line started fifty years ago. Two French companies joined forces to lay the line and acquired a flotilla of Peugeot 404 bakkies as workhorses for the project. To celebrate the half-century milestone, we followed the 861 km-long line in a 50-year-old 404 pickup and the latest Peugeot Landtrek bakkie.

Click here to read the full story online for free: https://www.freemagazines.co.za/roadtrip-june-july-2023/ #20

RoadTrip Magazine SA
Peugeot

22/06/2023

The Afrika Odyssey begins...

20/06/2023

Lions on the Line …

Fifty years ago, in June 1973, construction started on one of most ambitious projects in South Africa, the Sishen-Saldanha railway. Two French companies won the contract to construct the 861 km long line and, in true French fashion, they acquired French bakkies (but locally assembled) to do the Lion’s share of light work on the line …

So, to celebrate this half-century milestone, we followed a section of the heavy-haul railway line (in atrocious weather conditions, one must add), driving the adjacent service road with a classic 50-year-old petrol-driven Peugeot 404 bakkie, similar to the pickups used to build the line, accompanied by the latest, modern Landtrek double cab bakkie in the Lion litter.

Subscribe FOR FREE and read the latest issue of RoadTrip Magazine SA at https://www.freemagazines.co.za/roadtrip-june-july-2023/
Peugeot Stellantis Club Peugeot Afrique du Sud Peugeot landtrek Sishen–Saldanha railway line Transnet Freight Rail Golden Anniversary

12/05/2023

Lead article loading....

From The Grenadier Pub at only 16 m above sea level to the highest pub in Africa – 2 876 metres above sea level – there could be no better place to take the new INEOS Grenadier, now locked and loaded for production, than up the steep Sani Pass into Lesotho, coincidentally on Moshoeshoe's Day.

RoadTrip Magazine SA
INEOS


Click here to read more online for free: https://www.freemagazines.co.za/roadtrip-april-may-2023/ #30

07/05/2023

A bevy of Italian beauties... as shot by Madrabbott Photography. Look out for our coverage of this amazing road trip in the next edition of RoadTrip Magazine SA...

20/04/2023

The best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men gang aft a-gley, wrote Scottish poet Robbie Burns. Contributor Jim Freeman learned this hard lesson again when he took the recently launched new-generation SUV from Ford to Frontier Country.

Click here to read more online: https://roadtripmag.co.za/switching-to-plan-e-verest/

Ford Motor Company

19/04/2023

With a timeline firmly under Mother Nature’s control, correspondent Ian McLaren on the eve of the local launch of the all-new Ford Ranger Raptor set course for one of the rarest sites in the botanical world...

Click here to read all about it online: https://roadtripmag.co.za/full-bloom/

Ford Motor Company
Ford

With a timeline firmly under Mother Nature’s control, correspondent Ian McLaren on the eve of the local launch of the all-new Ford Ranger Raptor set course for one of the rarest sites in the botanical world …

15/04/2023

Quadrifoglio Anniversary Edition

Today, precisely 100 years will have passed since an indelible symbol of Alfa Romeo, the Quadrifoglio, made its debut on the racing version of the RL during the 14th edition of the Targa Florio road race.

For this special anniversary, Alfa Romeo has introduced the new Giulia and Stelvio Quadrifoglio in Sicily with the exclusive commemorative “Quadrifoglio 100th Anniversario” edition.

A symbol of Italian sportiness, the legendary Quadrifoglio has always been synonymous with the highest-performing creations from Alfa Romeo. This not only holds true for its racing models, but for its most powerful and exclusive road vehicles as well.

Limited to just 100 units both for the Giulia and Stelvio, the “Quadrifoglio 100th Anniversario” edition launch models are distinguished from their facelifted kin by an enhanced version of the renowned 2.9-litre twinturbo-V6 engine delivering 388 kW (for Europe, the UK and China) combined with a mechanical self-locking differential, making its debut on this special series.

The celebratory models share the new look of the Giulia and Stelvio range with new '3+3' adaptive full-LED matrix headlights offering anti-glare and adaptive driving beam for optimal lighting in all conditions. However, it is distinguished from lesser versions by burnished 5-hole 19-inch sports alloy wheels (on the Giulia) and 21-inch wheels for the Stelvio with new, exclusive gold brake calipers.

The same hue distinguishes the emblem celebrating 100 years of the Quadrifoglio, positioned on the mudguard of both cars. To add even more sportiness, for both, the grille and mirror caps are in visible carbon. Three liveries are available: Rosso Etna, Verde Montreal, and Nero Vulcano.

Inside, the special models receive an exclusive combination of black and Alcantara leather enhanced by new and exclusive golden stitching and an innovative 3D finish in real carbon for the instrument panel, the central tunnel, and the door panels.

On the dashboard, there is a special stitching of the number “100” next to a golden Quadrifoglio. The steering wheel is upholstered in leather and Alcantara with black stitching and carbon fibre inserts. The new instrument panel with historic “telescopic” design, debuts a digital 12.3-inch TFT screen and three layouts (Evolved, Relax and Heritage), with the exclusive ‘Race’ configuration making its debut on the Quadrifoglio. It is highly doubtful that any of the anniversary models will be made available locally.

ALFA ROMEO Quadrifoglio Alfa Romeo Alfaromeo_QV Alfa Romeo Stelvio ALFA ROMEO GIULIA

14/04/2023

You might think you know lions but, till a male in his prime has stopped five metres away, looked you in the eyes and GLARED, you know nothing about them. It does not matter that you are sitting high up on a game-viewing vehicle, you just know he could hop up there in an instant and drag you off into the bush for breakfast or dinner.

Click here to read more online: https://roadtripmag.co.za/a-river-runs-through-it/

Kwandwe Private Game Reserve

You might think you know lions but, till a male in his prime has stopped five metres away, looked you in the eyes and GLARED, you know nothing about them. It does not matter that you are sitting high up on a game-viewing vehicle, you just know he could hop up there in an instant and drag you off int...

13/04/2023

From The Grenadier Pub at only 16 m above sea level to the highest pub in Africa – 2 876 metres above sea level – there could be no better place to take final pre-production models of the new INEOS Grenadier than up the steep Sani Pass into Lesotho, coincidentally on Moshoeshoe's Day.

INEOS Grenadiers
INEOS

Click here to read the full story: https://roadtripmag.co.za/locked-and-loaded/

From The Grenadier Pub at only 16 m above sea level to the highest pub in Africa – 2 876 metres above sea level – there could be no better place to take final pre-production models of the new INEOS Grenadier than up the steep Sani Pass into Lesotho, coincidentally on Moshoeshoe's Day …

12/04/2023

One Tank Challenge

Over the years theD-Max bakkies from ISUZU has earned a reputation for good fuel economy, low running costs, solid performance, dependable reliability and durability.

These attributes have been further reinforced by the seventh-generation D-Max, assembled at Isuzu's plant in Struandale, Gqeberha, and the introduction of the smaller latest-generation 1.9-litre four-cylinder intercooled turbodiesel engine to the range.

To prove the engine's remarkable fuel-sipping habits, Isuzu recently conducted a fuel economy test drive from Johannesburg to Cape Town with a D-Max 1.9 Ddi Double Cab 4×2 Manual driven by Grant McCleery, head of the ISUZU Driving Academy, as a precursor to an official “One Tank Challenge”.

McCleery completed the 1 431 km test run between the two biggest cities in South Africa at a real-world average speed of 100 km/h and the D-Max 1.9 Ddi used a mere 73.82 litres – which translates to a remarkable 5.1 ℓ/100 km, or 19.39 km/litre.

Even more impressive is the fact that in a similar test done in 2021 with a previous-generation D-Max 2.5 Single Cab, the vehicle used a total of 102.31 litres to cover 1 454 km, for an average consumption of 7.02 ℓ/100 km or 14.2 km/litre.

The “One Tank Challenge” took place in March, with seven teams in different Isuzu D-Max 1,9 Ddi models, all with a fuel tank capacity of 76 litres, participating. The teams drove from Midrand to Signal Hill in Cape Town at an average speed of around 80-90 km/h.

Six of the seven teams successfully concluded the challenge, averaging a consumption of 5.1 ℓ/100 km over the distance. The winning team was the motoring journalists Mpho Mahlangu and Blessing Mtshakazi.

Isuzu D-MAX Engen SA

12/04/2023

Revelations and Celebrations

Moshoeshoe Day, a public holiday in Lesotho, is observed on 11 March to commemorate the founding father and first King of Lesotho, Moshoeshoe I, on the anniversary of his death in 1870.

Coincidentally. on this same day we made our way up Sani Pass in final pre-production INEOS Grenadier 4×4s – and our experience with these built-for-purpose and hugely capable new 4×4 contenders on the Roof of Africa turned out to be a real revelation.

Perhaps it is not so much of a coincidence that the first production INEOS Grenadiers are now being shipped to their owners – on the eve of the Diamond Jubilee of Land Rover, the brand that served as inspiration and motivation for the Grenadier – when the Series model, spiritual antecedents to the newcomer, was introduced to the world on 30 April 1948.

To celebrate this landmark occasion, we travelled to the Gateway Offroad Centre outside Wellington to introduce the latest Land Rover Defender 75th Limited Edition to a select few of its famous heritage edition ancestors.

In another strange coincidence, we witnessed one of the rarest and most spectacular sights in the botanical world while on our way to Namibia for the launch of the impressive and powerful new Ford Ranger Raptor – the blooming of the **Crinum paludosum**, a rare species of lily known to flower for a week only.

We also celebrate Carnival Time – a quarter century of the popular Kia Carnival/Sedona people-mover from Korean manufacturer Kia. In order to commemorate this milestone, we reacquainted the latest model with the original version – at Carnival City Casino and Entertainment World (obviously), also celebrating its 25th anniversary this year …

The very impressive Mahindra Scorpio-N also showed it was at home on the jutting peaks of the Witteberg Mountains surrounding the Moolmanshoek Private Game Reserve in the Eastern Free State, and we had to revert to Plan E-verest when things went wrong while on a visit to Frontier Country with the new-generation SUV from Ford.

Subscribe (for free) and read the latest issue of RoadTrip Magazine SA here: https://www.freemagazines.co.za/roadtrip-april-may-2023/ #

INEOS Grenadier South Africa Ford Motor Company Ford Performance South Africa Land Rover Farm Sandhof Lilies Mahindra South Africa Mahindra Bloemfontein

17/03/2023

Celebrating St. Patrick's Day...

17 March is celebrated by the Irish as St. Patrick's Day. During the last 3 centuries, the Irish left their mark in South Africa. One of the monuments which commemorates the role played by the Irish is this one in....?

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Orania

09/03/2023

Suzuki has finally revealed the production-ready long-wheelbase (LWB), five-door variant of its globally popular Jimny compact off-roader at the Auto Expo 2023 in India ... and word is that this longer, more spacious version will soon be available locally alongside the existing three-door range.

https://roadtripmag.co.za/five-door-fraternity/

Suzuki SA

Suzuki has finally revealed the production-ready long-wheelbase (LWB), five-door variant of its globally popular Jimny compact off-roader at the Auto Expo 2023 in India ... and word is that this longer, more spacious version will soon be available locally alongside the existing three-door range.

06/03/2023

Rock Solid...

The recently revamped T-Roc is delivering a shining performance for Volkswagen. Not only is it now the bestselling SUV in Europe; it rocked the establishment by outselling the Golf. We took the latest flagship 4Motion R-Line for an outing to the gleaming Paarl Rock … https://roadtripmag.co.za/gleaming-rock/
Images: Madrabbott Photography
Volkswagen Lindsay Saker Volkswagen Volkswagen T-Roc Club Volkswagen VW T-Roc VW SUV CLUB - Touareg Tiguan T-Roc T-Cross Amarok - Volkswagen Paarl, Western Cape Paarl Mountain Nature Reserve

02/03/2023

Higher Stakes

Hyundai South Africa has unveiled its enhanced Palisade flagship SUV, with fresh new exterior design cues including a wider, better looking (in our view) cascading black chrome grille with rugged parametric shield elements, and new vertically connected LED composite lights framing the grille – imparting a more appealing, coherent, and premium appearance up front.

New detailing on the lower front skid plate element further conveys a rugged, yet refined demeanour, and the sharp-edged, technical appeal of the extended hood profile enhances aerodynamics and heightens its road presence, New 20-inch multi-spoke alloys fill the wheel arches, and bold C-pillars plus panoramic side window graphics convey generous spaciousness. At the rear, vertical LED taillamps and lower fascia skid plate details emphasises its wide stance.

Inside, the Palisade now has a new instrument panel, a new steering wheel design, driver’s instrument gauge cluster and audio interface design, new seating surfaces and materials; and second-row armrest angle adjusters (in the 7-seater derivative). The infotainment system has also been thoroughly upgraded. with a wider high-definition infotainment display screen (with a split-screen function).

Enhanced USB-C ports have replaced the USB-A ports (with quicker cell phone charging up to 3 amps), wireless device charging has been enhanced from 5W to 15W, as well as the dynamic voice recognition, the sound system is now a 12-speaker Infinity system, and two Bluetooth devices can now be connected to the infotainment system simultaneously.

The flagship Hyundai now has a Quiet Mode so that rear passengers can rest or sleep while the front-seat occupants can listen to music, radio or podcasts. Rear air conditioner settings can be controlled from the front or second row, and seat-warming or seat-cooling buttons has been added.

The local range is unchanged, consisting of the 7-seater and 8-seater Palisade R2.2 Elite, both equipped with a 2.2-litre turbodiesel delivering 142 kW at 3 800 rpm and 440 Nm of torque between 1 750 and 2 750 rpm, coupled to a smooth-shifting 8-speed automatic transmission and HTRAC four-wheel-drive system.

Both the 7-seater and 8-seater derivatives are priced at R1 099 900. We will have more detail and driving impressions of the new Palisade in the April edition of RoadTrip Magazine SA.
Hyundai Worldwide Hyundai South Africa New Hyundai Palisade

27/02/2023

Wolfpack: Amarok Double Cab pricing

Following closely on the heels of the Ford Ranger Raptor reveal, Volkswagen South Africa has released pricing for its Amarok double cab wolfpack, officially on sale from 18 March, with the single cab derivatives set to follow in the second quarter of the year.

The double cabs in the locally built range will be available in Amarok (base model), Life, Style, PanAmericana and top of the range Aventura trim, priced from R599 000 to R1 105 000. The Single Cab workhorses will be available in the following derivatives:

Amarok Single Cab 2.0 TDI 110kW (Low Rider) 5-speed manual, Single Cab 2.0 TDI 125kW 6-speed manual and Single Cab 2.0 TDI 125kW 4Motion 6-speed manual. Standard features in the single cab range include 16-inch steel wheels, 17-inch Combra alloy wheels, a trailer hitch and rear diff-lock (available only in the 2.0 TDI 125kW 4x2 and 2.0 TDI 125kW 4Motion), a full-size steel spare wheel, LED headlights and halogen taillights.

Other features in the single cab range include driver/passenger/
side/curtain airbags, Bluetooth connectivity including wireless App-Connect, a 10-inch colour touch-screen infotainment screen, electronically foldable side mirrors, a multi-function steering wheel and front centre armrest.

The following double cab derivatives are available: Amarok 2.0 TDI 110kW 5-speed manual, Amarok 2.0 TDI 125kW 6-speed manual and Amarok 2.0 TDI 125kW 4Motion 6-speed manual. In addition to the standard features in the single cab range, the double cabs come equipped with all-terrain tyres, side steps, a driver knee airbag, Park Distance Control (rear), rear view camera and cruise control.

Amarok Life is available in 2.0 TDI 125kW manual, 2.0 TDI 125kW 4Motion manual, 2.0 TDI 125kW 4Motion 6-speed auto and 2.0 BiTDI 154kW 4Motion 10-speed auto form and comes with 17-inch Combra alloys (standard on the 2.0 TDI 125kW models), 18-inch Amadora alloy wheels, a full-size alloy spare and seat heating (standard on the 2.0 TDI 154kW model).

The Amarok Style is available in the following derivatives: Amarok Style 2.0 BiTDI 154kW 4Motion 10-speed auto, 2.0 BiTDI 154kW 4Motion 10-speed auto (Comfort Package), 3.0 TDI V6 184kW 4Motion 10-speed auto and 3.0 TDI V6 184kW 4Motion 10-speed auto (Comfort Package). The Amarok Style is equipped with 18-inch wheels (standard on all 2.0 TDI 154kW and 3.0 V6 184kW models) or 20-inch Bendigo alloy wheels, and a host of other standard features.

The Amarok PanAmericana off-road design (with black painted 18-inch alloys) is available in 2.0 BiTDI 154kW 4Motion 10-speed auto, 2.0 BiTDI 154kW 4Motion 10-speed auto (Comfort Package), 3.0 TDI V6 184kW 4Motion 10-speed auto and 3.0 TDI V6 184kW 4Motion 10-speed auto (Comfort Package) guise,

The top of the range Amarok Aventura 3.0 TDI V6 184kW 4Motion 10-speed auto comes standard with chrome finishes (mirrors, door handles and side steps), 21-inch Varberg alloy wheels, body colour sports bar, electric roller cover for the load bed and premium carpet floor mats.

Amarok recommended retail prices:
2.0 TDI 110kW 5-spd manual R599 000
2.0 TDI 125kW 6-spd manual R650 500
2.0 TDI 125kW 4Motion 6-spd manual R721 500
Life 2.0 TDI 125kW 6-spd manual R683 500
Life 2.0 TDI 125kW 4Motion 6-spd manual R738 000
Life 2.0 TDI 125kW 4Motion 6-spd auto R760 000
Life 2.0 BiTDI 154kW 4Motion 10-spd auto R825 500
Style 2.0 BiTDI 154kW 4Motion 10-spd auto R900 000
Style 2.0 BiTDI 154kW 4Motion 10-spd auto (Comfort) R919 500
Style 3.0 TDI V6 184kW 4Motion 10-spd auto R966 000
Style 3.0 TDI V6 184kW 4Motion 10-spd auto (C) R985 500
PanAmericana 2.0 BiTDI 154kW 4Motion 10-spd auto R987 000
PanAmericana 2.0 BiTDI 154kW 4Motion 10-spd (C) R1 017 000
PanAmericana 3.0 TDI V6 184kW 4Motion 10-spd R1 053 000
PanAmericana 3.0 TDI V6 184kW 4Motion 10-spd (C) R1 083 000
Aventura 3.0 TDI V6 184kW 4Motion 10-spd R1 105 000

The new Amarok now comes standard with a 4-year/120 000km warranty, a 5-year/100 000km EasyDrive Maintenance Plan and a 6-year anti-corrosion warranty. The service interval is 15 000km.

VW Amarok and Vans Volkswagen VOLKSWAGEN VW AMAROK OWNERS CLUB VW Amarok Owners Club Volkswagen AMAROK Owners Group Australia

26/02/2023

Dakar-ready Raptor power
… for less than an Everest

The new Raptor, ultimate performance derivative of the Next-Gen Ford Ranger series, is now available and even with Dakar-ready twin-turbo V6, electronically controlled four-wheel drive system with both rear and front differential locks and seven selectable drive modes, it is priced below the flagship Ford Everest 3.0 V6 4WD Platinum, and the outgoing Volkswagen Amarok 3.0 TDI 180kW 4Motion Extreme…

Introduced with a recommended retail price of R1,094,900, the new Raptor 3.0 V6 EcoBoost 4WD 10AT costs less than the current flagship Amarok (R1,118,200), the Everest Platinum (R1,113,100) and the soon to be available new Volkswagen Amarok Aventura 3.0 TDI V6 184kW 4Motion 10-speed (R1,105,000).

For added context, the new Amarok PanAmericana 3.0 TDI V6 184kW 4Motion 10-spd (with Comfort Package) is priced at R1,083,000, and the previous model Ranger Raptor SE – with just over half the power (157kW) compared to the newcomer – was available for R999,150.

With a high performance 3.0-litre EcoBoost engine delivering 292kW and 583Nm, smarter technology controlling tougher, next-generation hardware, a re-engineered suspension with Fox shock absorbers, selectable settings for steering response, suspension settings, exhaust noise and features such as Trail Crawl, plus user-defined ‘R’ MyMode, the latest Raptor blends raw power with mechanical and technical precision.

We will have a full report on the most advanced Ranger yet in the next edition of RoadTrip Magazine SA
Ford Motor Company FORD-Next Generation Next Generation FORD Ranger Ford Performance South Africa Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa Ford Fanatics South Africa Ford Drivers South Africa

21/02/2023

If the Toyota Land Cruiser is billed the King of Africa, then the Toyota Hilux must now be known as the King of the Desert, following the dominating performance of Toyota Gazoo Racing and Toyota Overdrive teams in the 2023 Dakar Rally in the dune fields of Saudi Arabia.

https://roadtripmag.co.za/dakar-dominance/

Toyota SA
Dakar
TOYOTA GAZOO Racing

If the Toyota Land Cruiser is billed the King of Africa, then the Toyota Hilux must now be known as the King of the Desert, following the dominating performance of Toyota Gazoo Racing and Toyota Overdrive teams in the 2023 Dakar Rally in the dune fields of Saudi Arabia.

16/02/2023

Buckle up and get ready to discover the upgraded Mazda CX-3 compact SUV! This long-serving gem has undergone some subtle yet significant changes that will blow your mind. But wait, there's more! Our flagship Hikari version, named after the Japanese phrase for "ray of light," is sure to catch your eye with its stunning looks. However, longtime Mazda fan, Jim Freeman, reveals that this beauty is now all about the "chug-chug" and less about the "zoom-zoom." Don't miss out on the latest iteration of the Mazda CX-3 - where style meets substance!

http://roadtripmag.co.za/light-rail-service/

Mazda Southern Africa
Winelands Light Railway

Buckle up and get ready to discover the upgraded Mazda CX-3 compact SUV! This long-serving gem has undergone some subtle yet significant changes that will blow your mind. But wait, there's more! Our flagship Hikari version, named after the Japanese phrase for "ray of light," is sure to catch your ey...