Namibia's content-driven motoring portal
There are always reasons someone buys a car. These can range from the basic need to connect the first two letters of the alphabet to the more sensible desire for a safe, reliable and efficient mode of transport. Then there are the purely hedonistic purchases – entertaining cars like the new Volkswagen Polo GTi.
Good facts to know: The Hyundai Veloster is not exactly new, having been launched internationally in 2011. We got the car about three years later because it took that long to re-engineer its distinctive feature for right-hand-drive – the Veloster has two doors on one side and only one on the other.
Volkswagen het onlangs sy nuwe Polo-reeks bekend gestel. Die eerste generasie van Volkswagen se Polo modelle is alreeds in Oktober 1996 in Suid-Afrika bekend gestel om die gaping tussen die Golf en die Citi Golf te oorbrug.
Hear ye, hear ye! Today I will dispense more motoring advice collected from the vast armada of vehicles I have tested over the years. In my humble but considerable experience, the ultimate performance car to buy is always second best – one down from the top model.
Just when you thought it was safe to venture out into the hot hatchback-mad streets again, Volkswagen comes to the late night drag racing party. Their venerable GTi embodies the hot hatch rather well but who will defend the family name at the traffic lights? The Golf R, that’s who.
I am writing to you today from the comfort of a sea-side villa where the beach is within spitting distance and a particularly jovial dog has been avoiding capture by its owner for the best part of ten minutes. Why did I come here? Among other things, to get my head around Peugeot’s new 208 GTi.
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.
Time for a quick course in German. Volk means Nation and Wagen means Vehicle; more or less. Combine the two with the obligatory “s” in between and you get Nation’s Vehicle or, if you like, People’s Car. Despite a faint whiff of socialism, that’s what Volkswagen stands for – the nation’s vehicle.
Recently I was accused of being biased towards certain genres and brands of cars but easily defended my preferences with the fact that a car must ultimately serve its purpose. Some brands do it better than others and my love for two-door coupés is simply because they should be beautiful and sophisticated.
Did you design your own house? Have you got a truly puzzling music collection? You have an iguana instead of a retriever, don’t you? If you refuse to go mainstream by getting a Golf GTi and have been longing for something rather eccentric with a dash of fun, meet the Volvo C30 T5 R-Design.