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/ 20 October 2008
The new Lexus hybrids are like double-thick chocolate milkshakes without the calories or guilt, writes Sukasha Singh.
The DBS shows off why Aston Martins are as coveted as Apple Macs, writes Sukasha Singh.
General Motors gets serious about smaller cars, writes Sukasha Singh.
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/ 5 September 2008
Mercedes has launched a space-age self-parking car, writes Sukasha Singh
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/ 3 September 2008
Hyundai’s new entry level runabout lives up to expectations, writes Sukasha Singh.
A new Indian cookbook has Sukasha Singh wondering just how incompetent an Indian woman she is.
But it is beautiful, writes Sukasha Singh.
The new Mazda 6 is part of the company’s strategy to reinvent itself, writes Sukasha Singh.
Sukasha Singh looks back at two occasions when she was lucky enough to meet Nelson Mandela.
The eighth generation of the Accord is exceptional in almost every regard, from the muscular nose to the short butt.
The new A4 lives up to its ad campaign, which promises innovation in every part. It also offers the most engaging drive in the luxury sedan segment.
Sukasha Singh is impressed by VW’s Tiguan range, but not by the fact that her own VW got lost in the company’s system.
The Daihatsu Terios is like the middle child who has to work extra hard all the time.
I have never driven a Mini and it wasn’t until the recent Mini Clubman launch that I realised on what I had been missing out, writes Sukasha Singh.
Sukasha Singh reviews the Honda Civic hatch.
"When Nissan sent out a press release inviting the <i>Mail & Guardian</i> to the upgraded Hardbody launch, I was somewhat reluctant as I thought we would have to do some serious adrenaline-fuelled bundu-bashing."
Sukasha Singh reviews the C-Class C63 AMG and says there is an alphabet soup of standard features.
"As a friendly driving instructor from the Mercedes-Benz Dynamic Driving school strapped me into the performance version of the Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG, he asked if he could tighten the belts strapped across me at every angle."
Sukasha Singh defends the 2008 South African Car of the Year competition-winning Mazda2 1,5-litre, and says that unlike the case with its competitors, with the Mazda2 you’re getting more in terms of features, a notable one being the Smart Start keyless entry.
When it comes to rushing around like the proverbial blue-arsed fly, I’m guilty as charged. So when new Lexus GM Kevin Flynn told us, at the recent launch of the Lexus SC430, that the new addition to the range was about "savouring the moment", I cynically wondered to myself if he was stationed in sleepy Cape Town, writes Sukasha Singh.
For the seven days I drove the BMW 335i convertible, I couldn’t help letting those revs reach their limit, I couldn’t help kicking in that clutch pedal and I couldn’t help but let that engine rip just for the acoustics, for that throaty, spine-tingling growl. Beautiful, yet brutal, but not so brutal that it can’t be enjoyed, writes Sukasha Singh.
Audi’s first attempt at a supercar — the R8 — is much like Tchaikovsky’s <i>Capriccio Italien</i>: there are moments when the V8 engine whispers sweet nothings in your ears, but when you let the revs climb into the red zone, it explodes into pure aural magic, writes Sukasha Singh.
Evaluating a car over six months gives you a better idea of what it would be like to live with that vehicle and the Chevrolet Captiva has, in the past four months, caused me a fair amount of consternation. Normally, when I’m thinking of buying my next vehicle, I gravitate towards sporty sedans. Now, however, I’m not so sure, writes Sukasha Singh.
Looking back on Toyota’s 50 years in motorsport, it’s easy to see why this manufacturer continues to be at the forefront of global vehicle manufacturing. To commemorate its 50th motorsport anniversary, Toyota opted for its main celebrations to take place at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in Winchester, England.
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/ 7 September 2007
During the question-and-answer session at the launch of the Mercedes-Benz C-Class in Mpumalanga, a journo asked how he was supposed to fit all the info about the new model into a 750-word story. We all laughed and agreed that that was a challenge: trying to summarise how much the C-Class had changed and what it had to offer.
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/ 6 September 2007
General Motors (GM) is making a point of acknowledging girl power with the launch of the Chevrolet Captiva. Using the blockbuster movie <i>Mr & Mrs Smith</i> as a premise, GM went to great lengths to accentuate the versatility and over all appeal of its latest SUV.
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/ 5 September 2007
"I know this might sound corny, but the sound of the Aston Martin Vantage Roadster’s V8 engine gave me indescribable pleasure. Yes, I’ve driven V8s, V10s and even a V12-engined vehicle before, but none has ever sounded as viciously sweet as this," writes Sukasha Singh.
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/ 5 September 2007
"Powered by a 2,3-litre diesel multi-jet engine with an output of 88kW and 320Nm, the 13m Fiat Ducato wasn’t the quickest taxi I’ve ever been in. But with the help of a smooth six-speed manual gearbox, increased body rigidity and Macpherson suspension up front, it ranked among the most comfortable."
The facelifted Hyundai Tiburon (Spanish for "shark") perfectly illustrates just how far this young Korean manufacturer has come in a short space of time. Given that it’s a sports coupé, Hyundai took the opportunity to use Wesbank Raceway to take motoring scribes through an advanced driving course using the new Tiburons.
My first car, a Ford Sapphire, was an absolute disaster. I owned it for six months before trading it in for a Toyota Corolla 1,3-litre. But my third car, a Corolla 160i, was, in my book, my first real car. I loved it. Its acceleration was smooth, it handled twisty bits with confidence and it never let me down, writes Sukasha Singh.
You trundle along through your daily activities — drive to work, drive home, drive to gym, drive home — and you never really consider how much time you spend behind the steering wheel of your car. That is until you find a vehicle that’s not completely manic in nature, but stirs the senses enough to make you realise that it’s not about getting from Point A to Point B anymore.
40 years ago the Hyundai Motor Corporation created its first car — the Pony — and it was a dismal failure. The few cars that were shipped to Nigeria (and a handful of other countries) experienced a host of problems, which included the vinyl peeling off the roof as a result of the harsh African sun.