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In a perfect world, we’d all drive the same car. Wait, did I just type perfect? I meant imperfect. One of the greatest luxuries we have is choice, the ability to indulge our individual tastes. You drive a Golf, he drives a Focus, she drives a Hyundai and I’ve got a Civic.
The Ford Focus ST is part of an exclusive club of motorcars which includes the Golf VR6, BMW 325iS, Sentra STi, Kadett Superboss and Civic VTEC. Performance machines which have all become collectable and share one compulsory characteristic: there isn’t a single unmodified specimen left.
Guinea fowl are quite sweet, mostly in paintings or on a bed of raspberry jus with some mushroom sauce. Live specimens like the exploding and unbelievably noisy population opposite my home are a nuisance at best, even more so when they interfere with our work.
Once or twice a week my computer pings at me and announces the imminent arrival of a new test car. Should the electronic reminder include the word “Toyota”, my heart usually sinks in expectation of drab plastics, blunt sheet metal and, with the FJ-flavoured exception, a week of lacklustre driving.
Sedert Honda se bekendstelling in 1972 het die naam “Honda” sinoniem geword met onverbeterlike rygenot, kwaliteit afwerking, meganiese betroubaarheid en uitstekende brandstofverbruik (of dan altans wat Honda voertuie aan betref.) Ekonomiese brandstofverbruik is met opset uit bogenoemde lys van byvoeglike naamwoorde gebruik omdat dit spesiale vermelding verder aan verdien.
Four years, eight months and sixteen days ago I tested a car that made such a lasting impression on me that I not only dedicated a mixed CD to it but also counted the days until we were reunited. That day finally came when the Honda Civic Type-R arrived this week for a last hurrah.
Do you still remember the pop-up headlight Honda Ballade? What about the square one before that? These dependable and practical cars were uniquely named for South Africa and were actually called Honda Civic everywhere else – of which the ninth generation was just launched.
Dear 2011 Honda Jazz 1.3 Comfort CVT,
Please accept my apologies for only putting fingers to keyboard now, even though we parted ways a few weeks ago. I won’t give you the whole “it’s not you, it’s me” routine but have to note that I was extremely busy recently.
Many cars have left their mark on the South African market, some more than others, and few as successfully as the original Honda Ballade. The unique local name for what was essentially a Civic disappeared long before its antiquated, price-busting Citi and Tazz competitors did.