Bucket Seat: Opel Grandland

At one point Opel South Africa was quite a prominent brand in the market, it's Corsa Lite not only developed cult status due to the popularity of their TV adverts but also being an affordable starter car for your new driver. Since then, sales declined and the models didn't appeal many, their choice to can the OPC badge locally didn't help their course either with many not giving them much notice. Then for a short period of time they disappeared altogether thanks to the GM fiasco. Truth be told, not many noticed this but their re-introduction to the market, like Citroen might be slow and steady but people are starting to notice them again, last year with the introduction of the new Corsa, boasting a new design language and updated interior, the launch of their latest Mokka small SUV really got peoples attention, with a stunning exterior and an interior similar to that of the Corsa, boasting good quality materials and an attractive price point, it certainly started getting the Open name to make waves in the market again. I recently got to spend time with their latest offering, the Grandland, weird name I know, and another model that flew under the radar in its previous generation, purely because it wasn't that exciting, the new one however follows the same bloodline as the Mokka and is much more eye catching, here  I my thoughts on it. 

DESIGN

As mentioned, Opel's new design language is a lot more edgy and modern which adds a different dynamic to what we're used to seeing on the roads. With Opel falling under the Stellantis umbrella, you bound to find similarities in their cars with the likes of Citroen, Peugeot and others but that is nothing new with the motoring world as many other manufacturers share platforms for cars. The Grandland shares the same chassis as the Peugeot 3008 but you wouldn't tell that by the exterior design as both are very different in body shape and details, while the 3008 has more flair, in true typical German fashion the Opel is more subdue but in saying that has its own unique character with straight edged lines and sleek silhouette. While subtle the car does stand out from the crowd in its own right. The solid grille in front has people mistaken it for an EV but its not, full matching colour body paint with not an overly amount of brushed aluminium and chrome elements give the Grandland some dimension to its stature.  On the profile the the large 18=-inch diamond cut rims are the standard out visual aspect of it the car with the swooping roofline being the other. The rear of the car doesn't make it look like a typical crossover/ SUV has it follows a more hatch back style with the protruding boot followed by the rear lights that swoop around the side. The large Opel emblem is prominent in the back with the name badge spreader across the back. It's all very neat and pleasing to look at. 

PERFORMANCE

Like the Peugoet 3008, the Grandland also comes powered with the 1.6L Turbo petrol motor mated with the 6-speed automatic gearbox. It's a pretty frugal engine for this size car with it producing 121kW with its technologically enhanced powertrain, it makes the driving dynamics of the car much more responsive. The car handles extremely well, in any condition, from urban cruising to highway driving, the sporty range of low-friction, high-efficiency turbo engine gives you a silky transition through the 6-gears while driving. Minimal turbo lag adds to the great driving feel to the car. There is a manual option should you get tired of the car doing all the work for you, with paddle shifts located on the steering wheel. There are driving modes to choose form as well to vary the engine performance, while the brochure claims an average fuel consumption of around 6L per 100km, I managed to get about 7.5L which isn't too bad considering I only had a week with it. 

COMFORT

The Grandland's interior is very similar to the Mokka with the front being very driver focused, the dash like the exterior is minimalistic, as it features a pure panel display. It's very streamlined display for the instrument cluster that is fully digital and in my opinion a bit too simple. Opel say the reason for this is to simplify the data and serve as a digital detox While it displays all the relevant information I would have liked to have more options to view other stats on the display. The same goes for the 10-inch infotainment screen, its a large display but the black borders on either side that displays just the climate control temperatures, this could have been integrated into the main screen and then have the display large than what it is. The car comes with dual zone climate control air-conditioning with vents provided in the rear for the back seat occupants. The driver and front passenger have heated seats as standard, even a heated steering wheel for those frosty winter mornings. The front seats have been certified by the campaign for healthier backs (AGR), something that I didn't know existed. This assists by offering superior seating for extended journeys as they offer a more relaxed seating position, with a 16 way adjustable seat. There are tonnes of storage space with clever design for the phone storage with wireless charging, there is also mobile apps preloaded to the cars infotainment. There is a host of safety features on the Grandland such as automatic emergency breaking, advanced park assist, a 360 degree camera for easier parking, lane keep assist and lane departure warning but by far my favourite is the LED pixel lighting system which is a different concept from what everyone else is doing, the Grandland has 84 segments that adapt to traffic conditions by automatically switching off individual units to avoid blinding the oncoming cars. The Grandland has an automatic hands-free tailgate that works extremely well, I even found myself using this feature while my hands were free.

 

VERDICT

While Opel might not be the first brand that comes to mind when the consumer goes to the market when looking for a car, but I like what they're offering. It's something different to the norm and if you like being different, but practical then this sort of car will appeal to you.The build quality is great,choice of materials used is premium and robust which is perfect for the typical usage for a car like this. The standard features rival most of the other European competitors which most offer as optional extras. This car, while different still serves its purpose and another great option for this ever growing segment, it brings about good competition and variety for the consumer. 

SPECIFICATIONS

Engine	1.6L Turbo-Petrol
Gear Box	6-Automatic with Paddle Shift
Torque	240Nm
Power	121kW
0-100km/h	8.9 seconds
Price	R720,900

Bucket Seat: Toyota Corolla Hybrid

There's certain cars that are just all round winners in the market, a car that no one can fault and they just work. One of those cars is the Toyota Corolla, I don't need to dive into the heritage of this model from the Japanese motor manufacturing giant as its roots are firmly set in SA having being assembled at the Prospecton plant for many years. It's the ideal family car, with a spacious interior, comfortable ride and engines that match everyone's preference, and building on this Toyota have expanded their engine offering with a Hybrid model in the current line up. A very smart move by them, offering one of the most affordable hybrid sedans on the market. I had the opportunity to spend a week with this model, taking it on my daily commute as well as my long distance work travels and it performed its duty diligently every time. Join me as I delve into my time spent with this car as I get to explore everything that it has to offer. 

DESIGN

I'm a big fan of the design on the new Corolla, it's very modern approach to the latest Toyota design language that see's them use lots of smoother lines and lots of curves. The angular details and trims give the car a sporty edge, while there are similarities to the sister company Lexus noticeable in certain areas, but it still remains distinctly Toyota. The sculptured outer body is equally matched by an attractive but practical interior. That is ultimately the Corolla's goal, to be a practical and affordable sedan for the masses. It's design brief is to be not controversial but appeal to almost everyone and I think Toyota have been doing this very well with the previous models but this one they did tinker on the wild side a bit with the car have a very modern edgy look. The car looks fantastic and I don't think anyone can fault its appearance, the colour I had on test was Glacier White, which for me is the best colour in the range as it really brings out all the lines of the car and has that speckled metallic finish that makes it look extra great in the sun. 

PERFORMANCE

This is the real star of the car, the 1.8-litre petrol combustion engine mated with the electric motor that generates a combined power output of 103kW with 142Nm of torque. The 4-cylinder engine is the perfect size for the cars body and size, the electric motor helps with the take off and coasting which in-turn lowers fuel economy allowing the Corolla Hybrid to achieve a claimed 3.9 litres per 100km. Having had the car for a week, and doing some long distance traveling with it, which included some light gravel road travels, I managed to get the economy down to 4.4-litres per 100km which is not bad given that trying to achieve the claimed figure in most cars is near impossible most of the time. Power delivery is instant with the electric motor being on standby since the time you switch the car on, once the required power is increased, the combustion engine kicks in to take over. At coasting speeds the combustion engine does take a backseat to allow the electric motor to assist with the cruising of the car and this is done without the driver or occupants even knowing. Toyota's hybrid tech is still one of the best on the market and I still haven't driven another manufacturer that has a better system than Toyota and Lexus. 

COMFORT

Do I really need to elaborate on this? It's a Corolla! These cars are known for their spacious interiors, comfortable, no fuss ride quality and it gets better with the Hybrid model as its based on the XR model which comes with leather seats and an extra silent engine. The tech that is standard in the new Corolla is brilliant, with standard features normally coasting you a few extra thousand bucks in other cars. Safety is of paramount interest in the Corolla with it coming with active guidance cruise control, lane departure warning, active steering and front and rear PDC's. There is a reverse camera too just to make sure of your parking. 5-airbags as standard with Toyota Safety Sense. It has a smart key with smart entry tat allows you to unlock and lock the car with smart sensors on the door handles. 

VERDICT

It's a no brainer for me, being a Corolla owner, having the option to get a hybrid power unit just makes sense. It's the perfect family car for people on a budget, its super comfortable and the reliability is second to none. With its good looks and sporty appearance, stunning interior with large touch screen infotainment unit that has built-in wireless mobile applications as well as details on the power units, there's nothing more you need in a car. Pricing is a bit steep but compared to the other cars on the market, this is a winner if you're looking for an affordable hybrid car that has a great name behind it. 

SPECIFICATIONS

Engine	1.8-litre petrol with hybrid electric
Gear Box	CVT Auto
Torque	142Nm
Power	103kW (combined)
Fuel Economy	3.9 litres per 100km
Price	R548,200

Bucket Seat: Toyota Corolla Cross Xs Hybrid

It's probably the most important car that Toyota SA has produced in a long time at it's plant in Prospecton, Durban. If you're a local to the city you would know that the area is basically now a mini Toyota City with the motor manufacturing giant occupying majority of the industrial area in Durban's famous south basin. While the plant was famous for producing the Corolla and Hilux over the decades, it's now got a new golden child coming off the production line and that is the all-new Corolla Cross. Toyota, very clever with their thinking opted to make a cross-over version of the much loved Corolla making it the 3rd variant in the offering from the Corolla badge, with the Hatch and Sedan being the other two. What makes the Cross so special is that it also comes with a Hybrid engine option and it's produced locally as well, making it the first model to be locally produced with a Hybrid engine. Exciting times for the plant as they will gain major brownie points in terms of produced low emission vehicles and could pave the way for other Hybrid or EV cars to be produced in South Africa. I recently got to spend some time with the entry level Corolla Cross Hybrid, the Xs and here are my thoughts on the car. 

DESIGN

I'm a massive fan of what Toyota have done with the new Corolla, the sharp edges, sweeping design, futuristic head lights and well rounded off rear end is very attractive, so when I heard about the Cross, I thought it would be much of the same but I was wrong. The design of the Cross seems to be very conservative when compared to the corolla. No sweeping lines, not sharp edges just a no thrills, no fuss design and while it might not jump at you in the pictures, in the metal is does look a big better. I can understand the thinking behind this decision by the design team seeing that it is a brand new model and one they expect to get a lot of sales from, but personally I would have liked a bit more flair to it, I wasn't that wrong in my thinking because shortly after its introduction, Toyota released a list of styling enhancements for the Corolla Cross, to give it that certain something extra to make it stand out. The interior remains exactly the same as the rest of the Corolla range and for me that is perfect because the interior is one of the best on the market given the pricing, its stylish and form functional which is most important in a car like this. 

PERFORMANCE

So the first question I got when people saw me driving this car was, "how's the fuel economy"? And it's quite a valid question in the greater scheme of Hybrid engines. Given the ever rising fuel price, the cost of fully electric vehicles, these Hybrid vehicles are the best option for many to counter the high prices at the pump. When it came to the Corolla Cross Hybrid, from the time I got the car, the average was sitting at 5.0L per 100km, the highest it went up to was 5.5L per 100km, which for my style of driving is unheard off, I tend to be a bit heavy on the foot and even though the car was fitted with that infamous CVT gearbox that groans more than an angry mother-in-law, the car seemed composed at every opportunity and delivered the right amount of power the wheels when needed. The great thing about the Hybrid engine is the silence on start-up, you'd have to check your instrument cluster to realise the car is running, the car uses electric power until it feels that the electric motor can't deliver adequate power required and then the petrol engine kicks in. While many say it can do a max of 50km/h before the engine starts, at times I managed to get up to 80km/h on electric power. A great feature is also the coasting mode where you'd be doing a constant speed on the high-way, like 120km/h and the combustion engine switches off and the pace is maintained by the electric motor. This all aids that great average economy and saves you on your pocket without having you at the pump as you would with a normal car. 

COMFORT

Another thing people asked if the batteries had any negative impact on the car, given that they weigh a lot, people might think this would hamper the balance and even take up space. The answer to both those questions are no, you don't even know the batteries are there thanks to a great design from Toyota. Remember they've been producing Hybrid cars longer than any other manufacturer so they know all the tricks to this technology, in fact they're the brand I trust the most when it comes to Hybrids. Many tried and have failed with the power re-generation, hence they had to swap over to plug-in hybrid models but with Toyota and Lexus, this has never been the case. Coming back to the comfort factor of the Corolla Cross, it rides just as well as the hatch and sedan, its honestly one of the best in its class, being a cross-over you'd expect the ride height to be increased, I mean I did but it remains the same as the others, it might be slightly higher but its definitely not noticeable when you're behind the wheel. In saying that, you'd not going to be venturing up Sani Pass in this thing but rather around town and picking up the kids from school, and for that its perfect. There's no compromise on creature comforts in the cabin with you still getting dual-zone climate control, a big fancy touch screen infotainment center that has built in mobile applications for ease of use. A full multi-control steering wheel and premium feel leather seats, loads of safety stuff including an array of airbags. The cabin space is more than adequate for a family of five, the luggage capacity is huge as well. 

VERDICT

At the beginning of this review I said this car was going to be very important for the brand and its already proving to be, with sales hitting new highs for the brand in this segment. It's over-took the Corolla sedan sales which was a tough act to beat but with such an attractive price tag versus what you getting, its a no brainer for many to opt for this. As mentioned, with the various styling packs available now, it gives customers a chance to individualize there Corolla Cross,  I played around quite a bit on the online configurator and think I've settled on my ideal styling for it, now I got to make some money to buy one. This particular entry level model will set you back about R413,000 and truth be told its perfect for your everyday needs but then you look and see the top of the range Xr model is R440,000 so if its in your budget, it might be worthwhile paying that little extra to get the car fully loaded with everything on offer. 

SPECIFICATIONS

Engine	1.8L  Hybrid Electric
Gear Box	Automatic CVT
Torque	142Nm
Power	72kW
Top Speed	170km
Price	R413,000

 

Bucket Seat: VW Tiguan R 4 Motion

When it comes to midsized family SUV's in South Africa, a firm favourite amongst many is the VW Tiguan. Volkswagen seem to have come up with the perfect formula for the Tiguan, one which appeals to everyone! I've not met one person who doesn't like the car, even with its high price tag, people will still opt to purchase this vehicle by hook or by crook, managing to find a way through various financing options available to them. So while I can understand the fascination created by this car, I really wanted to understand what has people so fixated on the Tiguan, why it makes people get that "must have" attitude towards it, after spending a week with the latest revised R Line version of it, I managed to deduce the following.

DESIGN

Lets start with the looks, I mean the previous model was a really good looking car already but this face-lift is like it went to a plastic surgeon for minor tweaks like some fillers and botox and came out looking like a supermodel. My God this car was fantastic to look at from every angle.  The colour, Deep Black Pearlescent just accentuated the R Line styling package and gave it that menacing look. The details of the design with the chrome beading a subtle red accents made the overall look of the car just so fantastic that at times you couldn't take your eyes of it. The changes include a revised front end with a new headlamp design in keeping to the new VW design language, that has this swooping like shape that extends into the side profile of the car, housed in these enclosures are Volkswagen's new IQ Light system which I'll discuss a bit later. As usual with face-lift models, there are subtle differences to the grille with a larger VW badge and lower bumper and diffuser, with chrome detailing outlining the key shape changes of the front end. Everything looks bolder and smoother than the previous model. On the side profile not much has changed apart from the front changes that wrap around. There is some extra beading in a brushed aluminium prominent on the doors. Moving to the rear, the rear lights also get the IQ light treatment with some new LED's. As per all new VW models, the model badge is now bolder and centrally positioned on the tail. The R Line package has the rear diffuser much lower and neatly designed quad tailpipes to end it off at the bottom. My one gripe would be the choice of rims as that bar some change in colours remains the same from the previous model.

PERFORMANCE

The Tiguan is powered by a 2.0 petrol TSI engine, the same in which you'd find in the new GTI, but this one obviously down tuned to suit the body shape, it produces 162kW with 350Nm of torque. The power to weight ratio in this model is perfect as the motor delivers exceptionally well to propel this large vehicle around, it boasts a 0-100km/h time of 6.5 seconds which for a family SUV is impressive. The marriage between the motor and the 7-speed DSG gearbox is sublime as ever when it comes to VW's. The synergy between the two hardly has the engine overworked as the gear changes are smooth and efficient, that along with the four wheel drive system in 4MOTION make navigatinf with the Tiguan simply a breeze in any circumstance. Though with such great power delivery, especially in Sport model you do tend to get carried away with it and that doesn't help the fuel economy in this thing, so you'll see your range deplete quite drastically in this 60L tank, Volkswagen claim a combined feul average of 8.3L per 100km which is achievable in ideal driving conditions. Car copes well in all types of environments, especially in the urban setting which is probably why it's quite popular for mums on the school run, or any family type environment. Then again with its new age design it also passes off as a swanky business type SUV.

COMFORT 

Like most new models, the Tiguan came loaded with optional extras which I'm sure don't come cheap, VW didn't put the prices on any of the listed extras on my list but when building your car on their website it wouldn't be too difficult to find. My favourites included the new IQ light system with Matrix LED, that's basically adaptive technology and high beam assist, it is a MUST for all new cars going forward. I know I'm pretty much an advocate for this tech but seriously, visibility at night cannot be compromised and once you experience this, there really is no going back. Being the R Line, it comes with a host of sporty features with the kit, also gives the car a more edgy look so that's a definite tick in my books. The large panoramic sunroof is another firm favourite of mine, the sheer size of it is amazing and the amount of natural light you get in the cabin just brightens up everyone's mood, no pun intended. The IQ drive system is another must for driving packages as it includes your safety features such as adaptive cruise control, park assist, lane departure warning and collision warning. VW's premium sound system is now catered for by Harman Kardon, these guys know their sound and have curated a perfect speaker system especially for the Tiguan. With the new touch screen interface, it includes a host of new features, my favourite being in car WiFi which enables wireless mobile phone connectivity for apps such as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, so you don't have to fiddle with cables anymore. Should you wish to plug in your USB's make sure they're USB C as the there are two ports up front as well as in the back for passengers to charge their devices. There is also a wireless charging pad for the front passenger/ driver. The Tiguan comes with dual zone climate control seat heating as an optional extra for the driver and front passenger. Luggage space is plentiful, with standard capacity at 520L and with the rear seats folded extends to 1,655L. 

VERDICT

It's difficult not to see the appeal of the Tiguan, especially for South Africans and their trend shift to SUV's at the moment. It's a great looking car, very trendy and has everything that one requires in this modern age of motoring in terms of technology and power. While the price has escalated significantly over the years, you know you have the backing of the brand on the vehicle which includes great build quality and service, I guess this is why people tend to not argue to the price point and opt for this over other models on the market. With the influx of Asian brands in the market, VW might find it a bit difficult going forward as locals get adjusted to the new models at much more affordable price points. It's definitely thrown a spanner in the works for many of the Germans who still rely on brand loyalty and status preference. 

SPECIFICATIONS

Engine	2.0TSI 4MOTION
Gear Box	7-Speed DSG
Torque	350Nm
Power	162kW
Top Speed	225km
Price	R710,000*

*Base Price