Author: Sam Spiller

One of South Africa’s best-selling pickups, the Toyota Hilux, is now available in a limited edition “Black” guise. Following in the footsteps of previous special editions of the model such as Dakar, Legend 35 and Heritage, the Black serves as part of the company’s flagship double-cab Raider range, with prices for the Black starting at R521 100, or  R27 000 more than the standard Hilux. The new edition is available in three exterior colours – Glacier White, Chromium Silver and Graphite Grey – with the exterior also sporting colour-coded over-fenders, door handles and mirrors. The Black also presents itself with…

At the end of July, CAR Magazine ran an online story about how using the configurator on the German automaker’s website, they took a base-model BMW 3-Series and attempted to make it as expensive as possible by way of optional packages and equipment. The result of this little experiment was that this luxury sedan, which with its small 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbo petrol engine good for 100 kW and 220 Nm of torque (I note this because BMW and its drivers like to brand themselves by way of performance), went from the basement price of R498 100, all the way up…

Yeah, this is the first time I’ve heard of this car as well. Truth be told, the time it took for the Velar to go from official debut to the production line begs belief, with the all-new SUV now available to order from Land Rover dealerships just six months after it was unveiled at the London Design Museum back in March. The name itself is testament to the level of secrecy that surrounded the development of this car. Derived from the latin word ‘velaris’, which translates to mean veil or cover, and the word that served as a codename given…

The B-segment SUV market was recently refreshed with the launch of BMW’s all-new X3. This week sees a response from Audi. The launch of the second-generation of their medium-sized 4×4, the Q5. Launched globally back in 2008 and introduced in South Africa the year after, the Q5 has sold more than 1.6 million units worldwide, with local sales tallying 11,300. The new generation of the model is now available for purchase. The Q5 has undergone major dimensional changes. Weighing 90kg less than its predecessor, the car now stands 4.66 meters long, 1.89 meters wide and 1.66 meters tall. Boot space…

BMW to up electric cars  The BMW Group announced on Wednesday that several new electric vehicles would be added to the company’s model lineup by 2020. This comes in the wake of the German automaker introducing an all-electric variant to the Mini Cooper range, on top of existing petrol, diesel and hybrid power-trains. The technology itself will be derived from the current i3 and i8 models, with the group having invested over 100 million Euros in its electro-mobility division. BMW expects its electrified vehicles to account for 15-25% of its overall sales by 2025. Of Mazda’s new CX-8 SUV The…

So, a little personal history. During the eighteen months it took me to go from having a learners to a drivers, I had made use of four different cars on my way to becoming the competent and law-abiding motorist that I claim to be. The range was wide, from my sister’s Tata Indica (no direction to go but up, I suppose) to my mother’s VW Tiguan (and that magnificent automatic handbrake), and the two Toyota’s of my driving instructors, one I drove my test in being the hatchback version of today’s test car even though it was not a driving…

Despite operating in a turbulent economy brought on by political fighting circumstance, the South African motor industry is doing surprisingly well. This was the opinion of economics commentator Dr Azar Jammine, Director and Chief Economist at Econometrix. Speaking at a recent launch breakfast for Automechanika Johannesburg, Jammine explained that while the decline in recent new vehicle sales have had repercussion for the affected retailers, there had been the provision for an increase in the after-sales market, with consumers looking to keep and maintain their current vehicles resulting in increased service and maintenance. This assertion is assisted by other economic factors,…

Entry-level motorists have been awarded a refreshed offering with the arrival of the new Kia Picanto, the third generation of the South Korean brand’s budget hatchback. On the outside, The Picanto has demonstrated the current evolution of car design from curves to edges, taking on an even more youthful approach to its design than before (the outgoing model was already a bit of a trendsetter). In terms of size, the new Picanto has remained relatively the same, with minor changes such as the extension of the wheelbase by 15mm, and the use of wide C-pillars to lengthen the rear overhang…

The wraps have finally come off BMW’s new X3, the third generation of the German automaker’s mid-size SUV. Launched back in 2003, the X3 has been a successful entrant in its segment, with over 1.5 million units having been registered during the last 14 years. The X3 and its design follow that of BMW’s current motif, sporting an overall body shape reminiscent of the 1-Series hatchback, as well as front and rear bumpers downsized from its SUV big brother, the X5. A major change to the lineup is the inclusion of the M40i derivative, the first M Performance Automobile to…

For the next couple of paragraphs, I am going to put aside the “what now?” issue of Chevrolet leaving South Africa. Instead, I am going to do my job and review this beast, as well as voice my final farewells to the car with the golden bowtie. And those farewells are not without the sincerity and respect that this brand really deserves. Chevrolet has been part of the South African automotive landscape since the beginning of the 20th century, undergoing a major re-brand at the turn of the millennium that saw a resurgence in the local market for the American…