SA Motoring Newshttp://www.motoringnews.co.za/Copyright SA Motoring NewssNewsJust released in South Africa is Audi’s eighth-generation A4 Avant wagon which has the longest wheelbase in its segment giving it interior space and superb road manners. This is probably why Audi held the launch in the mountains of Mpumalanga with fun to drive twisty roads. The A4 Avant is an outstanding combination of performance and practicality. The A4 Avant wagon has an interesting mixture of looks, practicality, sportiness, utility and luxury. It has the same drivetrain that places the differential in front of the clutch as the A4 sedan. The engine, being the heaviest component, is inside a box drawn around the wheels; this pushes the front axle 154mm further forward. This layout increases the handling of the car immensely. Add to this the latest generation of Audi’s adaptive suspension and Bosch electronic stability system and you can just imagine how awesome its handling is. Much better that its predecessor. At 4.7m the 2008 A4 Avant is 12cm longer that the previous model and 5cm wider at 1.83m. The front styling is the same as the sedan - the single-frame grille and distinctive headlights. The difference is in the roof where the sedan’s roofline plunges abruptly into a short, understated rear deck the long, slow taper of the Avant roof merges almost imperceptibly into short D pillars to create a look of a stretched coupe. A sill line sweeps up towards the rear and projects the outline of an airplane wing on to the side of the car. The “tornado line” (as Audi calls it) is a continuous, slightly curved crease running each side from head to tail light creating a contrasts with the almost perfectly straight lower window line to add some tension to the Avant’s profile. The tail door opens to 1.89m and is available with auto opening and closing. Inside there is a cargo bay of 1m wide by 1m long and it can hold 490 liters. To make folding of the 66:33 split rear seat easy there is a clip on each side and the rear head restraints does not need to be retracted. When folded the back space increase to 1.77m long and can hold 1430 liters. There are also four tie-down rings on the floor and a chromed hook high up on each D pillar to secure the shopping. A cargo net is standard, but the optional cargo securing system has two T-tracks in the floor with a telescopic bar on pillars to hold your parcels in place. There is also a lockable strap for awkward items. A flat, carpeted floor can be lifted out and flipped to serve as a plastic tray, ideal for muddy hiking boots, wet beach towels or plants. You can easily lift out the tray and carry everything to where you want it. The interior offers soft, comfortable leather seats that are deeply dished to provide spacious lateral support. The instrument panel is superb and a huge plus point is that the rev-counter needle points straight up when you are in the middle of the power curve, half-way between peak torque and maximum power. This enables you to monitor the power delivery without taking your eyes of the road. The only down side is that the centre stack and console are crowded with lots of small buttons that makes adjusting the air-conditioning or sound a bit tricky. When choosing your A4 Avant you can pick form: Two engines – 1.8 turbo petrol or two-liter turbo diesel The 1.8 turbo displays little turbo lag at low revs but is more responsive when the air-pump has spooled up. The 1470kg Avant can go form 0-100 in 8.9sec. Two transmissions – six-speed manual or “seven-speed” multitronic belt-drive The multitronic is smooth and perfect for driving around town, but lacks in power for overtaking at highway speeds. When you push the lever to the left engaging the paddle shifters you can use it as a semi-auto. The six speed manual gearbox can go from 0-100 in 9.7sec. Two trim levels – mid level Ambition and upscale Ambiente The variable-ratio electric power steering is very accurate. If you hit a bump in mid turn the yellow ESP icon flickers on your instrument panel and Bosch takes care of it while you and the Avant continuous in bliss. The (optional) drive select allows you to move from Auto to Dynamic. The engine note becomes harder-edged, the throttle response and steering quicker and the suspension much firmer. This makes it a little bit harder to drive but a lot more rewarding. The prices for the different types of the A4 Avant are: 1.8T FSI Ambition – R303 400 1.8T FSI Ambition a/t – R318 400 2.0 TDI Ambition – R327 900 2.0 TDI Ambition a/t – R342 900 Thu, 11 Sep 2008 11:04:17 +0000http://www.motoringnews.co.za/news/the-new-a4-avant-/http://www.motoringnews.co.za/news/the-new-a4-avant-/The 2009 Toyota Hilux bakkie will be launched in South Africa in the last term of 2008, and it is bigger and better than before. It features a fresh new front styling along with improved comfort characteristics and definitely more power. The Toyota Hilux is due to be release the same time in the UK. These bakkies are put together at Toyota SA’s Prospect ion plant in Durban and hold a 22 percent share of the UK market in their division. Toyota UK estimates on retailing 8000 Hilux bakkies in 2009. When viewed form the fort the 2009 Hilux appears to have a lower centre of gravity. This is created by adding a deeper bumper with a wider air intake and a new grille. Defined crease lines spread across the bonnet to the bottom of each A-pillar and from there it runs into a straight waistline. The wheels of most of the UK models will be fitted with 15” alloy rims, while the high end range twin cabs will be fitted with 17” alloy rims. The same is expected for the SA models. A new five-speed auto transmission labeled “intelligent” complements the three-litre D-4D turbo diesel. This “intelligent” transmission observes factors such as the gradient of the road traveled and what the driver is doing, and according to this it adjusts its shift pattern accordingly. Other newly added features include the vehicle stability control and crash bags on the high-end models. The power of the auto diesel has been increased to 360, and is now available form 1400-3400rpm. The interior of the new Hilux is much more comfortable with finger controls on the four-spoke steering wheel that allows you to adjust the sound system and the information display.  It also includes a new air conditioning system that shows the selected temperature, vent and air-inlet mode on a digital display and you can adjust the settings with push-button controls. The instrument cluster, light switches and wiper controls are much more organized and the centre console on manual models has been amended.Wed, 10 Sep 2008 10:03:59 +0000http://www.motoringnews.co.za/4x4/toyota-hilux-2009/http://www.motoringnews.co.za/4x4/toyota-hilux-2009/Hyundai has unveiled the i30 CW wagon at the Frankfurt Motor Show line-up, which offers the practicality of a conventional wagon, but also adds flexibility and style.  The new Hyundai wagon is 4 475 mm long and 1 775 mm wide, ensuring sufficient interior space.  The luggage capacity can be altered according to the number of passengers.  With all the seats in place, the luggage capacity stands at 415 dm3.  This can go up to 1 395 dm3 when the seats are not in place.  A choice of two petrol and three diesel engines are available and can be mated with manual or automatic transmissions.  The entry-level model is the all-aluminium Gamma 1.6-litre that has an output of 91 kW and 154 Nm of torque.  The top-of-the-range 2.0-litre Beta II engine will power the flagship i30 CW model.  It delivers 106 kW with 186 Nm.  At the top of the diesel range is the 2.0-litre CRDi.  It has an output of 104 kW, with a maximum torque of 304 Nm.    The MacPherson strut front suspensions and multi-link rear suspension are available on all five models and they also come with ventilated 15-inch front and solid 14-inch rear brake disc, and a range of 15-, 16-inch steel and 15-, 16- and 17-inch alloy wheels.  It is not certain whether or not this new wagon will be made available in South Africa, but we sure hope it does enter the showrooms next year.   Tue, 02 Oct 2007 09:42:04 +0000http://www.motoringnews.co.za/news/hyundai-wagon-for-everyone-/http://www.motoringnews.co.za/news/hyundai-wagon-for-everyone-/The Ford hatchbacks are very popular and practical but a four-door sedan was still missing.  Fortunately Ford saw the gap and filled it very quickly.  The new Ikon sedan is based on the Fiesta and sourced from Ford’s Indian operation.    Of the petrol units, the 1.4-litre produces 61 kW at 6 000 r/min and 125 Nm of torque at 4 000 r/min, while the 1.6 develops 74 kW and peak torque of 143 Nm at 6 500 and 4 000 r/min respectively.  It is available in three derivatives with two trim levels – 1.4 Ambiente and 1.6 and 1.4 TDCi Trends.  The Duratorq unit is a new turbodiesel unit that produces 50 kW at 4 000 r/min and 160 Nm of torque at 2 000 r/min.  While a five-speed manual gearbox is standard across the range, Ford claims the turbodiesel unit is one of the smoothest and quietest units, promising more responsive acceleration and reduced emissions.  All models come with airbags for the front occupants, ABS brakes and pretension safety belts.  Air conditioning and power steering are also standard features.  The Ambiente comes with power windows, a heated rear window and CD player.  It is fitted with 14-inch steel wheels and comes with a full-sized spare wheel.  The Trend models add front and rear reading lights, a front ashtray and lighter and a folding rear seat back.  Fog lamps and body coloured bumpers and door mirrors set it apart from the Ambiente model.  The prices range from R125 990 for the 1.4  Ambiente to R144 990 for the 1.4 TDCi Trend and all models feature a three-year/100 000km warranty and a three-year roadside assistance plan.  Service intervals are 15 000km. Tue, 18 Sep 2007 09:36:09 +0000http://www.motoringnews.co.za/news/new-ford-ikon-is-here-/http://www.motoringnews.co.za/news/new-ford-ikon-is-here-/The BMW X6 is still pretty much a mystery to all, but what can be assured is that you will be blown away.  BMW is applying an aggressive application of the four-door-coupe concept first seen on the Mercedes CLS, to the new SUV genre.  What makes the X6 so unique is that the new look and style is directed towards the new generation – where looks are more important than practicality.  Don’t get me wrong, the BMW’s X6 is pretty practical, it’s just a little more pretty than practical.  The new X6 will only seat four as opposed to the previous model’s ability to seat at least five. The second-row headroom and rear cargo volume are both severely compromised due to the fact that the roofline begins arching downward after the B-pillar and continues plunging right to the X6’s rising waistline.  It is longer and lower than the X5, and yet it seats fewer people.  According to BMW what the new X6 loses in seating, it gains in performance.  I suppose they have a point… It is not known exactly when the new X6 will arrive in South Africa, but it is believed that it will be some time next year.Wed, 12 Sep 2007 08:59:09 +0000http://www.motoringnews.co.za/news/the-bmw-x6-to-arrive-next-year/http://www.motoringnews.co.za/news/the-bmw-x6-to-arrive-next-year/