Nick Bates

Thanks to prices that are starting to look like telephone numbers, petrol is becoming a grudge purchase, like tyres. With that in mind, fuel companies and their allied filling stations are improving their acts — rarely do you get bad service and the forecourts are generally clean and accessible.

It seems Ford isn’t prepared to see the competition run away with the lion’s share of the rapidly growing turbo-diesel market. Among the recently launched new Focus models is a very competent 2,0 TDCi. The Focus is available in either four-door sedan or five-door hatch — the latter aimed squarely at Renault’s 1,9 Megane and VW’s Golf IV Sportline.

"Okay, so they lost the Ashes and were thumped in the Tri-Nations by their next-door neighbours, but the Aussies can build a good SUV. That was my impression after spending a week driving Ford’s latest offering, the Territory Ghia AWD. The permanent four-wheel drive cruise from down under impressed in almost every department," writes Nic Bates.

Built in Tanjung Malim, the Proton Gen.2 is an attractive piece of machinery, and my "vigour red" 1,6 GLX unit drew admiring glances, especially with its rather aerodynamic boot with spoiler, clean flowing lines, and attractive 16-inch alloy wheels. The Malaysians have certainly perfected the art of styling in a short space of time.

"As SUVs and MPVs (sport utility/multi-purpose vehicles) become more popular, so the choice available to the buyer increases. And instead of just big, ungainly SUVs to choose from, there is now a plethora of smaller vehicles more suited to urban travel available. I spent a week with the Fiat Panda and came away fairly impressed," writes Nick Bates.

Alfa has launched its upgraded 147 1,9 JTD model, and if the brief time we spent with the Italian is anything to go by, Alfa has a winner on its hands. Styling wise, the new 147 oozes pizzazz. It’s a very sexy car that offers good performance and frugal fuel usage.

Subaru’s popular Forester SUV range has been upgraded in all departments. For starters, it gets a new front grille with sharper lines and sleeker headlights, which give it a more robust look. The rear tail clusters have been reworked and boast clear, trendy lens covers, while the tailgate has a smart garnishing strip.

There’s an angry crackle from the 10 cylinders up front as I push down on the accelerator. In just 66 milliseconds, the Sequential M gearbox (SMG) hooks fourth gear. BMW’s fourth-generation M5 was launched to the media three weeks ago at the Phakisa race track in Welkom, and sensibly so.

The introduction of Toyota’s new Hilux range is a significant move by the country’s largest vehicle manufacturer. Not only has this legendary LCV/SUV shattered sales and performance records and assisted Toyota in earning itself its superb reliability record, but the newcomer is likely to yield significant increases in forex.

There’s a new animal prowling the streets, but it doesn’t have a menacing gait, long claws, fierce growl or those trademark black eyes. It’s Fiat’s new Panda, a small 4×4 that won the 2004 European Car of the Year. It comes in two guises: the standard, entry-level Trekking and, for those who want a little more luxury, the Climbing.

Not content with winning the recent Car of the Year competition with its S40, Volvo SA has added another couple of strings to its bow in the form of the V40 2,0 turbo diesel sedan and the S50 station wagon with the same engine. The 2,0 diesel models are probably among the most refined versions on the market in that capacity.

There’s that addictive pop-pop-pop as you lift your foot off the loud pedal and the engine goes into over-run. There’s no waste gate to speak of, and that excess pressure created by the now very refined supercharger has only one place to go through one of the four, 399,5cc capacity cylinders. The Minni Cooper S has undergone some changes and motorists are unlikely to realise that under that familiar body, there’s a whole new beast.

The Mégane CC should feature high on your shopping list if you enjoy the wind in your hair. Chic and classy is how I’d describe it. At R270 000 this coupé-cabriolet is sensibly priced (its closest challenger, the Peugeot 307cc, comes in at R299 900), and it is extremely attractive — with the hardtop up or down. Getting the top down will take you just 22 seconds.

Last October I tested BMW’s 120i and, like any hack, I wanted more power. In the case of the 120i petrol version, both automatic and manual versions reflected a lack of grunt and I waited patiently for the diesel version to arrive. Finally, a magnificent 120d arrived for testing, fitted with the optional 17-inch alloy wheels and electronic sliding sunroof.

Ingolstadt carmaker Audi has launched its new A4 range, comprising 11 models with three engine derivatives. At the media launch in Mpumulanga, Audi pointed out that these are not just facelift versions of the previous range, but brand new models in every way — only the roof remains similar.

In the past 60 days South Africa has seen the arrival of no fewer than seven new Citroen models. Last month the French car manufacturer released its face-lifted C5 range, a trio of luxury family saloons that boast high standards of fitment, comfort and safety. All are well-priced and positioned to rival the BMW 3-series, Volvo’s S40 and Audi’s A4 models.

Production of the Hi Ace and Stallion vans has stopped with the introduction of the Quantum. Toyota has always enjoyed a very strong light commercial vehicle (LCV) presence, having held as much as a 30% market share in the past — although this has declined to 26% recently.The arrival of the Quantum range of LCVs, the company believes, will allow it to increase that share again

To date, there are just seven Land Rover Defender 147s on our roads, and one is owned by Kian Barker of Shakabarker tours in St Lucia. With a zoology degree and honours in ichthyology, Barker is nobody’s monkey and he soon realised that to provide his guests with the ultimate turtle egg laying/ hatching experience, he needed a very different vehicle.

Driving skills specialist Rob Handfield-Jones has come out firing against the Department of Transport for dismally failing in its duty to curtail South Africa’s astronomical road fatalities. Backed by the Automobile Association, Drive Alive and the Committee for Active Road Safety, he also accused the Arrive Alive campaign of implementing ineffective road safety initiatives.

With the impending arrival of a new range of Hilux bakkies in the second quarter of this year, we decided to arrange a sojourn with the KZ-TE, one of the Legend35 turbo diesels. Armed with luggage and golf clubs, our merry trio put it to the test.

Toyota is to introduce the cutting-edge technology of the Prius (which was voted both the North American and European Car of the Year 2005 late last year) with its its hybrid synergy drive on a small scale in South Africa to test the water. There is no doubt that if the vehicle is sensibly priced, it will be hugely successful in the urban environment.

The Mini Cooper S may not be the cheapest or most practical car on the road, but it is sure to appear on the top of every enthusiast’s shopping list. The new Mini II boasts a new front grille, tail-light clusters with reverse light and clear lenses and restyled front headlights, while the bumper remains unchanged in the S version.

The Mini Cooper S may not be the cheapest or most practical car on the road, but it is sure to appear on the top of every enthusiast’s shopping list. The new Mini II boasts a new front grille, tail-light clusters with reverse light and clear lenses and restyled front headlights, while the bumper remains unchanged in the S version.

Indian manufacturer Tata is the latest entrant to the South African passenger car market with the arrival of their Indica and Indigo range. The Indica, a five-door hatch, is rather spunky looking, while the four-door Indigo boasts more space, especially for rear passengers. Both models are powered by a 1 405cc, eight-valve motor, and all boast power steering.

One of the key elements of the Honda CR-V update was to give it a more masculine fascia. The vehicle maintains its familiar broad stance, but there are visual updates front and rear that are both practical and aesthetic. Along with the changes in the looks department, improvements have been made to the four-wheel drive system and to the instrumentation and upholstery.

The Toyota Camry paid another visit to the cosmetic surgery department last month. The popular family car now looks even more attractive than it did at its relaunch 20 months ago. <i>Wheels & Deals</i> takes to the road in Toyota’s new-look comfort family car and gives it a thumbs up

"If you’ve ever wondered why journalists write ‘claimed’ or ‘approximately’ about performance and economy figures supplied by the manufacturers at a vehicle launch, it’s because we haven’t tested that particular vehicle." How does the VW Caddy Life live up to its manufacturer’s consumption claims?

Setting up a new computer always involves a little work that, by most accounts, is a lot of fun and gratifying too. You get to learn new things, and that custom set-up you achieve a few months down the line, is deeply satisfying. So too is the new A6 from Audi and, in this case, a rather explosive 3,0 V6 turbo diesel. The Audi A6 Tdi couples the latest electronics, high performance and fuel economy.

There are countless cars out there that boast sequential gear shift, each with its own nomenclature. There’s SMG from BMW, Selespeed from Alfa, and M-MT from Toyota, to name a few. There’s tiptronic and multitronic too, just to confuse you. Each claim "almost seamless" changes, but few can match Audi’s latest trick, direct-shift gearbox (DSG).

BMW’s foray into the hatch market has brought it under the spotlight, and credit must go to not only to the Bavarian auto-maker, but also to its controversial designer, Chris Bangle, who took some heat with the current 5- and 7-Series models. But the 645i Cabriolet and the new 1 Series have elevated him to the favourites list.

If you did a search on Google and typed in the key words "guided missile", you’d come up with a multitude of products such as Exocet, optically tracked, laser-guided, wired-guided and nuclear. Page down and you’ll probably find "Renault Megane Sport" — hardly a product designed for warfare — hidden among the listings.