Honda South Africa has just released two new models to their fleet. A new Ballade and a completely new “RV” model employing the letter W… the WR-V!
VTEC
My Honda fleet: a Brady bunch
Above image: Covered by 4 inches of snow, lies the 6th Honda that I’ve owned since my first car.
The annoying assistants
Why do we have all these electronic nannies in modern cars?
Believe it or not, as a motoring journalist I have an inexplicable attraction to basic and classic vehicles. This love is due to the uncomplicated nature of cars like the Renault Sandero, Suzuki Jimny, Land-Rover Defender, Volkswagen Polo Vivo, etc.
Bekendstelling: Honda Civic Type R
Honda se nuwe Blits!
In hierdie tye van besparing en kommer oor skadelike gasse kan mens wonder of daar nog ‘n aanvraag is vir opgewarmde sportiewe luikrugmodelle wat gebou is vir spoed eerder as ekonomie. Maar as jy na die lys van aanbiedings op die mark kyk is daar nogal heelwat. Die bekendste is seker Volkswagen se Golf GTI wat al lank met ons is. Dan is daar ook die Opel Astra OPC en die Renault Megane RS en later in 2016 kom die Ford Focus ST.
Safari in a V6 sedan
The perfect job
It’s a crisp and sunny winter morning in the Kruger Park and a number of cars have bunched up in one place to get a better look at some interesting fauna. Lions juggling a baby giraffe or something. More worryingly though, in the midst of the obligatory Fortuners and Defenders is a silver Honda Accord V6.
Long term test: Honda Accord 2L
The six reasons
It turns out that we were on our best behavior throughout the year as we found a new Honda Accord under our Christmas tree last year. Although we weren’t allowed to keep the maroon metallic sedan indefinitely, the kind folks at Honda allowed us to use it all through the festive season.
Tested: Honda Accord 3.5 V6
The biggest plus
Once upon a time, I met someone who unwittingly committed a heinous car crime. The owner of a Honda Accord with 39,000km replied to my disgust at its empty service book with “but it doesn’t need a service, there’s nothing wrong with it!” After almost 40,000km, the car had never been serviced.
Tested: Honda CR-V 2.0 Comfort
The refined baby
Honda veered off in a new direction a few years ago which saw the demise of Formula One, NSX and other high-revving monsters in favour of smooth, friendly, green products. Yawn. Like many people I miss the old VTEC screamers but have to admit that their new cars are incredibly refined, especially the CR-V.
Tested: Ford Focus ST
The exclusive handful
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.
Long term test: Honda Civic 1.8 VTEC Executive
The fastidious replacement
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.