Some people like to drive something a little ‘different’, a little more avant-garde if you wish. Some people prefer to drive a car that makes them stand out from the crowd on the highway – that makes people wonder about their tastes and choice. Some people like to proclaim their individuality beyond the clothes they choose to wear and what or where they eat. Some people want more from their car design than most. Those people would drive a Range Rover Evoque.
Land Rover
Tested: Volvo V40 T5 R-Design
The blue shriek
Today I bring you more inside news. The Volvo V40 and its many models is the car I’ve reviewed most in 2013. Happily, the V40 is one of my favourite cars right now and I’ll gladly review every single one. The topic of this review is the top-of-the-line, muscular T5 R-Design.
Tested: Land Rover Freelander 2 Dynamic Si4
I’ve always thought that the Landrover Freelander looked a bit like the odd horse out in the Landy stable – it was just a little bit strange-looking and didn’t fit either the mould of the rough and ready Defender or the more luxurious Discovery. It seemed to hang in there like an uncomfortable third wheel. But no more.
Five-cylinder engines
The fantastic five
A gruff, off-beat sound usually accompanied by a whistling turbo charger can only mean one thing: five cylinders. With even numbers being the preferred stencil for engine manufacturing, the five-pot is just as quirky and potentially unbalanced as those little three-cylinders.
Tested: Chery J3
The acceptable roundness
It never rains but pours. No sooner had I reviewed a Chinese car and another one pitched up for a spot of evaluation. This week was the turn of Chery’s J3 TXE, a medium-sized hatchback from that land with the world’s biggest and oldest security estate wall.
Tested: Range Rover Evoque Coupé SD4
The arresting design
International motor shows usually feature a few concept cars to show the press and public what designers would have built if cost and practicality weren’t an issue. Most of these outrageous concepts disappear back into obscurity but a select few make an almost unscathed jump to production.
Bekendstelling: Hyundai Santa Fe [2013]
Kraaknuut 4×4 Supersport uit Korea
In die relatiewe kort tydperk wat Hyundai op die plaaslike mark beskikbaar is, het hierdie Koreaanse vervaardiger, by wyse van spreke, die stryd as een van die topverkopers in die land amper stormenderhand oorwin.
Padtoets: MG6
Britse Genot (met modderskerms uit die Ooste)
Dit is onmoontlik om oor die MG te skryf en nie so ‘n bietjie agtergrond inligting te gee nie; die nuwe generasie motorkopers is waarskynlik nie bewus van die roemryke verlede van hierdie handelsmerk nie.
Padtoets: Range Rover Evoque
‘n Range Rover vir die jonger, stylvolle geslag
Vandat die Range Rover Evoque verlede jaar op die mark gekom het, het dit wêreldwyd groot belangstelling uitgelok en was dit met hoë verwagtings dat ek die Evoque onlangs in ontvangs geneem het.
Padtoets: Land Rover Defender 130
Nou nog méér Land Rover!
Hoe méér dinge verander, hoe méér bly hulle dieselfde. Almal herken dadelik ‘n Land Rover Defender as hy (of sy) hom sien; of dit nou ‘n1950 model is of die jongste 130 met sy dubbelkajuit en groot bak met ‘n seilkappie agter, maak nie saak nie. Wat my laat dink aan die Bybelse gelykenis van nuwe wyn in ‘n ou wynsak!