Bucket Seat: New KIA Sorento wins 'Large SUV of they year' Award

KIA have really being done some great things in the motoring world, their SUV's have been particular ones that have been drawing a lot of attention in the market. With a wide range of small crossovers to the larger models, they all seem to offer great quality, comfort and not to mention, really good looks. One model I'm looking forward to this year is the new Sorento, its the largest SUV in their arsenal and features the new KIA design language and it looks amazing! The Sorento is a 7-seater large SUV, offering luxury and comfort to its occupants and was recently nominated in the "What Car?" car of the year awards for large SUVs and it claimed the prize! 

Up against worthy competition in the Large SUV category, the What Car? judging panel chose the Sorento for its impressive fuel economy, driving dynamics, high levels of standard specification, and exceptional build quality. The variant chosen by the judges at What Car? was the 1.6 T-GDi Hybrid in the UK’s ‘2’ specification*, packed full of standard features such as a Reversing Camera System, Intelligent Speed Limit Assist, and Forward Collision Avoidance with pedestrian, cyclist and junction detection.

Commenting on the Sorento win, Steve Huntingford, Editor of What Car? magazine said: “The Sorento's hybrid tech combines good real-world fuel economy with comparatively low CO2 emissions, while the ride is comfortable and the steering accurate. Throw in a nicely made and well-equipped interior, and a driving position that’s lofty enough to make HGV drivers jealous, and the Sorento is an outstanding all-rounder.” Won-Jeong Jeong, President at Kia Motors Europe commented: “It is always a great honour to receive awards for the vehicles that we produce, and particularly from such well-known and highly regarded publications as What Car? magazine. The fourth-generation Sorento is a car we are very proud of, particularly as it represents the first application of electrified power in our flagship SUV.”

The all-new Sorento has only been on sale in Europe for a short time, yet has already cemented itself as an important halo product in the Kia line-up, having also won ‘Car of the Year’ in the UK’s Carbuyer 2021 awards. Models shown in the pictures are from European market, South African models and engine variants to differ upon market introductory. 

Bucket Tech: CES 2021

Consumer Technology Association CES is hosting their annual global show, this time virtually and going with the current times we're seeing some interesting devices and concepts that form part of the "new normal". With the worlds landscape changing dramatically over the past year, it forced people to work remotely and also adapt to new ways of living, brands have noticed this and have acted accordingly to bring through technology into their products that will help us adjust to the new way of living. Of course the show isn't just about what will help us live in a pandemic and some pretty cool new devices have been launched too, so here's our picks so far. 

Gaming accessories manufacturer Razer unveiled their "Project Hazel" N95 facemask protoype, which they call the first ever "smart face mask". Razer did launch their own variant of reusable cloth masks last year which featured cool designs and patterns, but Project Hazel takes it up a notch with a dual filtered ventilation system that allows cool air in and hot air out. These cylindrical vents also featured LED halo lights which Razer says has up o 16.8 million colours, so there's a colour for any occasion. The mask also features a soft silicon guard which fits over the cheeks and nose, promising an airtight seal as well as comfort for your face. The main design feature is the transparent plastic of the mask, which allows anyone to see the mouth of the mask wearer. Razer say this design feature was critical as all masks make it difficult for individuals to understand each other with the mouth being hidden and thus will allow users to read the lips as well as hear them perfectly. The Razer Project Hazel comes in a pretty cool box which serves as a wireless charger for the mask as well as a built-in ultraviolet disinfectant case for the mask. Is the future for masks? 

Smart glasses were a big talking point over the past two years and then it sort of died off but Lenovo have resurrected the topic by launching their ThinkReality A3, which they say is the most versatile smart glasses ever designed. the ThinkReality A3 is a lightweight smart glasses offering to deliver intelligent transformation in business and bring smarter technology to more people. From customized virtual monitors and 3D visualization to Augmented Reality assisted workflows and immersive training, the ThinkReality A3 helps transform work across many levels of the enterprise. The ThinkReality A3 fits like sunglasses and can be enhanced with industrial frame options for safer and more durable use, its powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon XR1 platform for high-quality performance and feature stereoscopic 1080p displays presenting the user with up to 5 virtual displays. An 8MP RGB camera provides 1080p vide for remote expert use cases while the dual fish-eye cameras provide room-scale tracking. This is some serious Sci-Fi movie stuff and something that will be put into good use for the right industries. 

One of the biggest talking points so far has to be about LG's rollable smartphone, for years we've seen brands tease the concept of a screen that you could roll up like a piece of paper but since then we've only seen folding screen technology, LG have gone one up and given us a glimpse of their latest smart device which has a rollable screen, the video teaser shows a tablet device being reduced in size to that of smartphone but my a method similar to that of a rolling garage door. LG insist that this isn't just another teaser but and actual device will be made available to purchase this year. This is massive in-terms of screen technology, as maybe we'll finally see it being adapted to other areas, like TV's and so forth. 

Technology in cars, Mercedes-Benz showed off their MBUX Hyperscreen which will be debuting on the EQS electric luxury sedan, it's the brands first all-electric production vehicle. The massive 55.5-inch widescreen display spans the entire dashboard and is made up for three haptic OLED touchscreens under one continuous piece of Corning Gorilla Glass. The driver and front passenger each get a wide 12x13 inch screen with and 18inch screen in the center for general controls such as ventilation, entertainment and navigation. The passenger can display video and the drivers side has all your general gauges and instrument cluster. A cool feature shown in the press briefing was a UFO graphic that zooms around the display to demonstrate the g-force the car is undergoing in real-time. Not quite sure why Merc is giving the option to display G-Force in an electric luxury sedan but hey, its there if you want it. 

Some other noteworthy gadgets that were worth a mention are, L'Oreal's smart shower head which not only regulates the amount of water you use per shower but also uses a technique called "fractioning" that forces water droplets to collide and reduce in size, while simultaneously accelerating their speed. Lenovo showcased their ThinkBook Plus 2 which is a normal laptop but with an added 11inch black and white E-Ink display on the top. Giving you a Kinde like display on top for you to work from when the device is closed. Dell launched their 40inch Ultrasharp monitor, its the biggest model for 2021 from Dell and has an astonishing 5,120 x 2,160 pixel resolution. 

There's still a lot more to lookout for at CES in these upcoming days, including news from Samsung which many are presuming is the new Galaxy S Series flagship device, the S30, but we are going to have to wait till tomorrow for that. 

Monday Choon: Teamworx ft Sarah de Warren - Can't Get Enough (Azooland & CORX Remix)

Teamworx teamed up with Sarah de Warren on this cracking track back in August and towards the end of last year the label Protocol Records released a host of remixes. After listening to them all, it was quite a tough choice to select just one to feature, as most were pretty good. It came down between two but the eventual winner was Azooland and CORX, their Remix included the original feel to the track with an uptempo underbody which starts off with a deep bass line which we're hearing a lot from the likes of David Guetta. The build up leads to a deep sound drop which just amplifies the track and for me works better than the Bosto Leon one. While the original version of "Can't Get Enough" is still a banger, we needed something a little more faster to get the year going. 

Bucket Seat: Hyundai i30N

This review was meant to go out on Christmas Day last week but with everyone, eating, drinking and being merry, including myself I decided to postpone it and let it be my final review of the year. It would have been fitting for Christmas seeing that the car was red but oh well, you getting to read about the car now so be quiet. There is many adjectives I can use to describe the Hyundai i30N, controversial being the first one, simply because of the public uproar over the pricing. I get many were upset over the price which is just under 700K but this is the Korean manufacturers first performance model, one that was not going to make our shores at all but after much outcry they heeded the call and brought in a few units. The ones whom are making the most noise are most likely never going to buy or experience this car, so they can go on venting their frustration on the internet about it but after spending a week with it, bly me Hyundai, all I can say is what took you so long!

DESIGN

The i30N is a brand new design, looks nothing like the current i30N model on the market and probably a good thing to because it gets people to notice you. After-all it is a car that cost almost R700,000, you want to stick out a bit. As mentioned the car was red in colour with black accents around the car which included the roof, which three-quarters of it was the massive panoramic glass sunroof. The wheels, massive 19" multi-spoke, bi-colour rims with clear view of the huge brake discs and red calipers. The front end is very sporty with the pointed front and the trapezoid grille and X style venting, having the Hyundai badge center with the N to the side. The number plate slots right in the middle just below the front difuser. The LED day-time running fogs give the car that extra highlight when looking at it from the front. From the side, it looks like your average hatchback but the back continues the sporty theme with a large rear difusser which houses the raucous twin tailpipes. The rear lights are LED with a pattern that follows the outline. The rear wing almost looks like an extension of the roof and has a single join at the center which house a triangle break light. All very sporty and enhances the cars aggressive look. On the inside, the car is set up to be a drivers car with the cockpit being very driver centric, the front seats are racing seats and if look carefully in the trunk, you will notice bit of the roll cage being exposed. 

PERFORMANCE

So, all that money for a Hyundai, what am I getting? Well apart from the 2.0-litre turbo-charged petrol engine which delivers 202kW and 353Nm of torque, with a 6-speed manual gearbox, electronically limited  top speed of 250kph, you're probably getting one of the best driver intuitive hot hatch on the market. This car evokes emotions that you want from a car, while there are various driving modes such as ECO and Normal, you're only going to want to drive it in sport but once you get to know the car you can even go and customize your driving profile, deciding from power, exhaust volume, power delivery and even steering. The car lets you command what you want from it, and when you want it. The front wheels are fitted with an electronically limited slip differential, traction control and stability control (ESC) these can be switched off at your own digression. The cars infotainment has an application called N Mode which is perfect for tracking performance, gives you live telemetry and also allows you to go back to the last 30 minutes of driving so you can check where the optimum performance levels were and where you were slacking. It also has a timer for 0-100km which was rather fun to use as well, the best I managed was 6.10 seconds which is not that far off from the 6.2 seconds claimed time. The clutch on the i30N is pretty heavy and took some getting used to but you appreciate why they've done that after driving it around, with the short gear changes, its good to have it and also provides such great feedback that you just want to keep on going. Also when you push the clutch in, the exhaust lets out a few pops and bangs to get the people around you aware that you're there. The car manages brilliantly on corners as it does on the straight stretch, the amount of control you have with the rigid body and big tyres, the car almost mocks you to say attack that corner more, give it more power as you navigate the twist's, the gearbox is also lenient with you, allowing you to drive at the lower or higher gear, giving you a boost to sort when you exit the corners, also for those moments when you have lapse in judgement and end up switching the car off, just push the clutch back in and the car starts itself up. 

COMFORT

Look, its a performance hatch back, so you're not going to get Rolls Royce luxury, and I even said it has a roll cage, well half of one for added support so that alone tells you that this isnt going to be the most comfortable ride. In Eco and Normal mode, the suspension does its best to keep it calm on the ride but I was all about that Sport mode life, suffice to say it was rather bumper but the seats are good at keeping you in your place, pretty snug and comfortable and it even has a heating function! The layout of the cabin is very spacious, the seats are also electronically controlled with memory seats, the car has dual climate control as well to regulate temperature in the cabin, the car has a huge infotainment touch-screen with bluetooth connectivity, there was no sign of Apple Car Play or Android auto but to honest I didn't really care. There was a wireless charging mat for your smartphone so probably there is an add on app or software update that could give you smartphone app connectivity in the future. The steering which and instrument cluster is blody brilliant, with a multifunction wheel, the only buttons I was interested in was driving mode and the custom race button which gets you into sports mode with one push of the button. Easy enough to get you from driving miss daisy to racing Vin Diesel. The car has adaptive headlights which navigate through bends and switches on the brights in dark roads, there is also rain sensitive wipers and my favourite feature was the rally style LED lights on the dash which light up when red-lining. 

VERDICT

The i30N is a beast in its own right and deserves to be lauded and spoken in the same breath as the Golf GTI, Renault Megane RS and Honda Civic Type R. While many still won't be keen on it, its a breath of fresh air to the hot-hatch segment offering its own unique take on what a hot-hatch should be. It's a brilliant first attempt from Hyundai and with a confirmed i20N due next year, one can only anticipate how good that will be. Yes, R679,000 is a lot but when you're comparing apples, this car offers a lot more than its competition and also the overall feel you get when driving it is incomparable to some of the others. Hyundai, you've blown me away with this one, I really didn't want to hand back the keys, it was blimming good fun and I'm jealous of the owners of this model, one of which I passed in Umhlanga while driving around, judging by the massive smile on her face, I could tell she is very happy with the purchase. Also the i30N comes with Hyundai's standard 5 year/150 000km manufacturers warranty which can be extended by 2 more years. 

SPECIFICATIONS

Engine	2.0L Turbo-Petrol T-GDI
Gear Box	6-speed manual
Torque	353Nm
Power	202kW
Economy	8.5L per 100km
Price	R679,000

 

Monday Choon: Tiesto - The Business (220 KID Remix)

 

With the world being on lockdown for most part of the year, it gave DJ's the time to experiment and work on new music. One of the bigger names in the business has been cracking this year with him releasing remixes and new work including his London sessions album release in May, yip I'm talking about Dutch legend Tiesto who also recently became a father. His track The Business is one of the biggest tracks on social media at the moment with people using the sample for videos on Tik Tok, Instagram and many more social media networks, there's been a number of remixes of the track as well but this one by 220 KID has been our pick of the bunch, it was released a few weeks ago and really keeps the essence of the original but ups the tempo to give it quite a vibey sound. 

F1 2020 Recap

It's been a strange year of note but many were glad when the FIA decided to go ahead with the 2020 season despite the pandemic and to say they pulled it off is doing them an injustice as the season played out almost 100% with most of those involved hardly being affected by the virus and gave us, the fans a season to remember! Lewis went on to equal Michael Schumacher's record by winning his 7th title this year but apart from Lewis running away with the title, there were some interesting battles in the top 10 places and saw a lot of relatively smaller teams showing their grit and metal when it came to fighting for points places. 

I suppose that is what I enjoyed the most about this season, while we always knew the other drivers, we never really gave them the attention as we were always focused on the bigger teams and their drivers. With the disaster season that Ferrari had, it gave the other teams like Racing Point, Mclaren and Renault the opportunity to close the gap on not so much Mercedes because as per the norm, they were on another level this season, Red Bull had their fair share of disappointments and highlights as well, the best coming in the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi which saw Max claim victory at the Yas Marina circuit. 

With the host of drivers playing musical chairs during the season, next years grid will look rather interesting, the biggest shock came last week when Red Bull announced that they've ditched Alex Albon and have offered the second seat to Sergio Perez who will partner Max Verstappen. It's an interesting combination as both drivers are pretty racy and while we all know Red Bull have no rules when it comes to their drivers, so it will be one to keep an eye on. Ferrari have a lot of work to do in the off season with Binotto even claiming that fans should not expect too much from them next year as they will only have a car that will be ready to compete in 2022, not the kinda thing the Tifosi would want to hear but lets just hope that comment was made to throw off the competitors, also with the appointment of the new Ferrari CEO John Alkann this month, he will definitely have something to say about the total embarrassment of a season that they had. 

Vettel's move to Aston Martin Racing will be an interesting one, little to nothing is known about that team or the car but one thing is for sure, if they give Seb something decent he will prove his worth. Many fans would tell you, if Seb had Lewis's car, he would have achieved the same, which many Hamilton supporters rubbished very quickly but if saw what George Russell was able to do with Lewis car at Sakhir, many were left scratching their heads thinking maybe the Seb fans were right? Yes Russell didn't go on to win the race but he was fastest in all practice sessions, second in qualifying and the most bizarre pitstop error from the mechanics cost both their drivers a possible one, two finish. Yes the season was wrapped up by then but seeing something so careless from a team that is faultless was rather odd, sparking the odd rumour mill to suggest that Merc did this on purpose so people wouldn't question Lewis's credibility. 

While that is pretty juicy gossip, we won't really give that too much attention, but rather what next season holds in store and that is plenty of drama. The return of Fernando Alonso will be one, with him and Kimi being the oldest drivers in the pack, and many hope the dual between Vettel and Lewis re-ignites again, while us Ferrari fans sit and pray that Carlos and Charles get something decent to drive. Then there's always fun with the youngsters, thanks to the virtual races in March and April, many got close to the likes of Charles, George and Lando, so here's hoping to see more fun from those lot in 2022. Another big name signing into F1 is the Formula 2 champion given a seat at Haas but he has an all too familiar name with the sport, that is because he is the son of Michael Schumacher. Yes, Mick Schumacher joins F1 and looks to rebuild on his fathers legacy and here's hoping to more success for him. 

Monday Choon: Protoculture & Diana Miro - Seconds

 

South Africa's very own Nate Raubenheimer, better known as Protoculture needs no introduction as he's been producing tracks of the highest quality for the past two decades. His tracks have been featured on just about every major label when it comes to electronic dance music and he has a very close affiliation with Amarda Music and Armin himself. Nate's latest offering is our featured track of the week and has the vocals of the beautiful Diana Miro on it, the track was released late last month and has been gaining massive traction on the podcasts, and for good reasons too. It's a proper banger and definitely one to get the Christmas festivities going, albeit with much of the world back in lockdown, be safe, party at home!

Nate Raubenheimer.

Bucket Seat: Ford Ranger Raptor

Last year I had the Ford Ranger Raptor on test and it was the first time I experienced a "performance bakkie" and at the time I never really saw a need for such a vehicle. Before the official Ranger Raptor was launched, there were many places offering "kits" and stickers to make a normal Ranger look like a supposedly Raptor but then Ford decided to pull reigns and release an actual Ranger Raptor to stamp their authority on the market. The Ranger Raptor comes fitting with a 2.0L Bi-Turbo diesel that churns out 157kW and 500Nm of torque, I mean for a bakkie that is a lot of towing power but people who buy this van aren't buying it as a work horse but rather something to have fun with. Ford sent me the Raptor again last month and fortunately I had some work down in the KZN South Coast, which involved a lot of off -road driving, in mixed conditions and I had the perfect opportunity to put this beast to the test. 

When it comes to styling, I said it before, Ford got this one right, most of these kits we see on standard Rangers are over done and make the car look ghastly, with the Raptor, its more of a minimalistic approach where the concentration was aligned with the practicality of the car. A lot of the design was centered on what they wanted to van to do rather than just the looks, so with the wide body, the Raptors front face being shorter than the normal Ranger, with a metal scuff plate underneath to protect the under carriage from potential damage in high-speed bush whacking. The Raptor comes with a MacPherson strut design, double-wishbone front Fox racing suspension with coil-spring solid axle with Watts linkage at the rear. This along with the huge 17" 285/70 tyres allows you to conquer just about any terrain with relative ease and also, with some speed. 

Navigating the gravel roads in both the rain and wet proved to be effortless for the Ranger Raptor, ride quality was unmatched to other bakkies in its class, the car was so comfortable in this setting that it actually wanted you to go faster and that is when I appreciated the engineering that went into this car even more. The way it manages to grip to the surface but maintain composure is really something else. All of this happening on the outside while you are pretty relaxed in a comfy cabin, fitted with racing  seats for driver and front passenger, finished in a suede with stitching and heating, dual climate control and the huge infotainment screen with Ford Sync 3, which has built in Android Auto and Apple Car Play. Being an Android user I made use of the Android Auto, which worked seamlessly, my only gripe would have to be connectivity with the cable, but that is more for Google to sort out than Ford as it is an OS issue. On normal road driving it would be fine but when you're making your own roads in the middle of no-where, the connection between cable and device might break off now and then which doesn't help you when you are driving and enjoying your favourite track only for it to cut off and you have to spend time trying to re-link it. 

Anyway, back to driving, when it comes to most 4x4's, many tend to prefer the manual gearbox but the Ranger Raptor ain't your normal off roader so the 10-speed auto box is the perfect fit for this, also Ford given you paddles on the steering should you feel the need to down change or want the manual feel while driving, it really enhances the rally feel and often you even forget about the sheer size of this thing, because the Raptor is longer, wider and higher than a normal Ranger Wildtrack which in itself is massive. Parking this beast is a bit tricky at first but with all the tech like PDC's and reverse camera to help you with it, you will master it quicker than you would expect to. Overall, my second experience with the Ranger Raptor surpassed my first and I really got to appreciate the type of vehicle Ford built here. It's not just a status symbol, if its used for the purposes its built for, you will soon discover there is really nothing else like it on the market. It truly is worth the price tag which now is just shy of 900K. 

Monday Choon: John Grand - Nine to Five

 

LA based DJ and producer John Kunkel better known by his stage name John Grand has released his latest EP titled "Who We Are". I had a listen to it a while back and this one particular song just stuck out for me, so much so I kept on repeating it on my playlist whenever I had the chance. Nine to Five is a proper banger and one that any trance lover will love and appreciate from start to finish. Interesting fact about John, before his dive into EDM, he used to be the lead singer of a band called The New Division, so he has a multitude of talents in the music spectrum so you know he has a great appreciation of the art. You'll notice this in this particular track, how everything is done in such precision, from the build-ups to the drops and the chorus. Simply brilliant, so turn up the volume and enjoy Nine to Five for whom many are in their last working week of 2020. 

Bucket Seat: Audi A6 40TDI

We've all seen the movie The Transporter, Jason Statham, in a slick black suit driving a luxury German Sedan in black, getting things done while pushing the car to its limits and more often that not, wrecking it. I'm not saying I felt exactly like him but with this particular test car it came close, I had the new Audi A6 40 TDI on test for a few days and yes it was in a black, with the S Line finish and my God did it look good! The kicker was, if you thought it looked good during the day, at night it looked even better. Audi's new design language has taken a turn for the better, not that their designs have been bad in the past but there was a progressive upward trend in them and quite honestly, what we seeing from the e-Tron stable which is being migrated into their current range is certainly affirming their status as a major player in the German market. Due to Covid restrictions I was only afforded a few days instead of the full week I would normally get the car on test, but as they say, beggars can't be choosers and even a few days in this luxury sedan was better than none. 

DESIGN

Like I said earlier, the A6 is quite a looker, and in this particular segment that a key characteristic that can set you apart from your competitors. One of the German manufacturers found this out the hard way when their model which basically looked like a scaled up version of a smaller class but they are rectifying that lapse in judgement of design. Getting back to the A6, it came in the S Line trim, which had some extra details to make it stand out, like larger air vents on the sides with brushed aluminum finish, massive 21" multi-spoke wheels, that large grille the stand out design feature, sort of the focal point of the car. Audi's party trick of recent is the laser lights, not only do they look fantastic but the animated display it has when opening or locking the car will have you and the bystanders just watching in fascination as the sequence unfolds. Much of the design is the same as the previous generation A6 but with sleeker lines and sharper edges, giving that futuristic feel. The car definitely has a more premium look to it, almost closer to the A8 than the baby A4. Stepping inside the car, its like getting into a space ship, Audi have replicated the Q8 interior and customised it to suit and fit the A6, it's a blody marvelous space to be in. 

PERFORMANCE

Now Audi's new model naming configuration still has many scratching their head and I don't blame them as I was pretty baffled by it first but then you realise its pretty easy. This model being the 40TDI, the 40 translates to an engine output of between 125kW to 150kW, most of these engines in the 40 line-up would be 2L. The A6's engine pushes out 140kW with 400Nm of torque and an electronically governed top-speed of 250km/h. Economy on the car is pretty good, as expected with an Audi TDI, with a claimed average consumption of 5.2L/ 100km, I managed to achieve 5.9L which isn't too bad seeing that I was doing mixed driving and mostly in the rain where I really got to test the Quattro system out. Needless to say the Audi A6 delivers in every aspect of performance you can think off, the turbo diesel motor is simply sublime, almost zero lag on take off and when flicked into sport mode, she gets rather excited with all that torque so be-careful! 

COMFORT

I had to limit myself from talking about the interior earlier in the review as to save some info for this part, while the A6 has a carbon copy interior of the Q8, it is made quite well to suit the cabin of a limousine rather than have that SUV feel. The textures and materials used in the interior are by far the best I've seen in this class. With high gloss piano black finishes on the dash to silver and chrome detailing around the cabin. The straight edged vents on the dash set the tone of the cabin, the main feature being the dual touch screens, the first for the MMI touch screen infotainment unit, which has soft touch sensors to select your option, the screen below for your front dual zone climate control. The car came with Audi's virtual cockpit, which in my opinion is a must if you're buying any Audi these days. The multi-function steering wheel is laid out pretty well with all the important buttons at finger reach, ensuring you won't have to take your eyes of the road to make the volume higher. The seats, ultra comfy with seat heating functionality for driver and passenger, perfect for those long drives which would be perfect in this car. The rear passengers also enjoy loads of legroom and get super comfy seats too, no seat heating though, but they do get dual zone climate control on a pretty nifty touchscreen unit as well.  Ride quality is superb in the car, its pretty close to floating on air if I had to say so myself. 

TECHNOLOGY

The car is loaded with great tech, the main talking point would be the 10.1 inch infotainment unit which is equipped with MMI Navigation Plus, its pretty easy to use and in future will feature Audi connect which has just recently launched in the country. The car does come with Apply Car Play and Google Android Auto preloaded so its a simple plug & play set-up. The car has multiple USB ports as well as a wireless charging mat for your smart phone in the hand rest compartment. A good way to ensure your phone is tucked away while you're driving. The premium Bang & Olufsen 3D sound system is brilliant and adapts to the type of music you're listening to, ensuring sound quality is always perfect. The A6 is a large car and has an optional camera package which has a 360 degree view finder to see your surroundings, this coupled with the PDC's makes parking a piece of cake. The laser lights not only look cool, they serve a great purpose when driving at night, with the adaptive function which switches on the brights when needed and if no other cars are around as well as lights up dark patches on the side. The car also came with adaptive cruise control with swerve and turn assist.  

VERDICT

A pretty well rounded package if you ask me, well seeing that the base price is just over 900K, you'd expect it to be packing nothing but the best. At the moment Audi are only offering the A6 in diesel derivatives, with the other engine option being the 45TDI, the only petrol option being the sporty S6 which is leads to the RS6 Avant that touches down locally some time next year. This segment of cars is by far my favourite, I'm a big lover of sedans and the luxury is offers, the appeal of SUV's hasn't gotten to me yet and when cars like this roll into my driveway, you definitely feel badass driving it, not sure if that's the Jason Statham/ Transporter vibes coming off or just the appreciation for a great sedan. Overall, the A6 is good as what it's meant but with so much more on offer, the luxury family come business sedan just got promoted to an executive sedan, with technology you'd expect in range topping models. The ambient lighting on the interior along with the finishes make you feel like you're in a first class cabin. The ride and comfort is on point, couple that with the great looks and tech, this is in my opinion the current market leader in this segment. Top notch Audi, bravo. 

SPECIFICATIONS

Engine	2.0L Turbo-Diesel
Gear Box	7-Tiptronic
Torque	400Nm
Power	140kW
Economy	5.2L per 100km
Price	R919,500*

*Base price excluding extras.