Top motoring highlights of 2010

A flood of recalls from some top manufacturers and an industry-crippling metal workers strike were amongst the less-than-memorable motoring events that made headlines in 2010. Well, that and the continuing existence of the Chrysler Sebring Convertible…
But none of these misfortunes were enough to stop these significant motoring highlights from making waves last year.

BMW 1 Series M coupé

Like any “M” BMW, months of fuzzy illustrations of what the 1 Series M Coupé may look like preceded its eventual launch late in 2010. This is the car that BMW fans could barely wait for – finally, a genuinely compact BMW with an M badge attached to it is a reality. The M3, great as it is, has become so large and pricey that it is out of the reach of those who would most pride its ownership.

The 1 Series M Coupé comes with some nicely beefed-up bodywork, a 3,0-litre, twin-turbo motor and some nifty weight-saving technology, all to realise a claimed 0-100km/h time of 4,9 seconds. Official pictures released by BMW show the M parked alongside the original M3 and if the greasy bits under the skin emulate the original as noticeably as the design does on the outside, get ready to see some bloodied noses from the likes of Audi in comparative road tests everywhere.

Budget cars in SA (Vivo and Figo)

Although not as cheap as the Citi-Golf and Tazz, the new Volkswagen Polo Vivo and Ford Figo have done much to plug the QUALITY budget car gap in the local market with two proven, good value propositions. Proven, because the Vivo is of course based on the hugely successful previous generation Polo and the Ford Figo on the previous Fiesta. While the Vivo rules on the sales charts and is South Africa’s current top-selling passenger vehicle, it’s the base model Figo at a tad over R100 000 that is the quintessential example of a modern budget car: great value, spacious, well-built and with all the important equipment fitted as standard.

Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG

Not very long ago, Mercedes-Benz would be the last of the German brands to be named as a maker of a seductive, well-balanced and shatteringly fast super car. Yet, in the SLS AMG, it has achieved all of this and more.

The design is breathtaking and despite exquisite use of the original 300 SL’s Gullwing door design, the new SLS forsakes that car’s comparative daintiness for all the aggression and anger of a typically modern super car that could easily star in the latest hip hop music video – and the sound of that gigantic V8 would be the one bagging the Grammy.

On another positive not, a revived local passenger vehicle market saw an increase in sales of 23% for the first three quarters of 2010. A significant shift to smaller cars as consumers are forced to downsize has seen buoyant A- and B-segment activity – a good sign for the aforementioned Figo and Polo Vivo, both of which should see even stronger numbers being moved in 2011.

A Jump Start to Motoring Basics: Engine Size Explained

For many, buying a new car in 2010 means sifting through a mind-boggling array of acronyms that make up the technological achievement that is the modern automobile. But even before one has to deal with those acronyms, comes the challenge of figuring out what size engine should be fitted to the vehicle you’re paying too much money for. In many cases, I come across drivers who don’t know that they drive a 1.6-litre or a 1300 so for this post, I’ll be explaining what the numbers affixed to your car’s rear end signify. The letters, like “GTi”, “GLE” and TSi… well, that’s for another post entirely.

Most cars are fitted with internal combustion petrol engines. These have pistons that travel inside cylinders – okay, that is already getting rather technical – but all you need to know is that the pistons and cylinders are the greasy bits that move up and down inside your engine, compressing a mixture of fuel and air until a spark ignites it, thereby generating the power that propels you past the Golden Arrow bus blocking your path.

So, engines contain cylinders and cylinders contain pistons. The size – or displacement – of your engine is the maximum amount of space in the cylinders that can fill with air and fuel. Engine displacement is measured in either cubic centimetres (cc) or litres. A 2.0-litre engine will therefore have a total displacement of approximately 2000 (a 1989cc engine will be rounded off and referred to as a 2.0, not a 1.989-litre!) cubic centimetres. In comparison to a 1.6-litre, a 2-litre engine obviously has a larger capacity and therefore the ability to pump a greater amount of air/fuel which enables it to produce more power than the average 1.6.

"325" denotes a "3 Series BMW" fitted with a 2.5-litre motor

A common motoring adage says that “there is no replacement for displacement” and it largely holds true. The easiest way – alongside forced induction - to generate more power out of an engine is to increase its size. Of course, engine size generally correlates to the size of the vehicle – this is why you will never see a Fiat Uno 4.0-litre cruising by. If you do see such a car, it will more likely be flying to the moon than cruising.

A CitiGolf fitted with a 1400cc motor and a diagram of an internal combustion motor with 4 cylinders. The coloured areas represent the engine's displacement.

Of course, the obvious disadvantage of larger engines is that because they’re able to pump a larger amount of an air/fuel mixture, they’re heavier on fuel. Also, whether presented as a 1600, 160 or 1.6, these are all engines with a displacement that is the same or similar enough to make no real difference.

Perhaps the next oversight that many make when relating to engine size is that a 1600 is definitely faster than a 1400. However, there are many variables that one has to take into account when comparing the performance of two vehicles. For example, a 1.6-litre VW Citi-Golf is faster than a VW Jetta fitted with a 2.0-litre. Even though the Jetta has a larger engine and produces more power, it is much heavier.

For a more accurate (but never entirely perfect) performance comparison, one has to take into account the power to weight ratio of a vehicle – this figure can be used to compare vehicles in different segments and with different sizes of engine.

So, there we go. A basic guide to engine capacity/size/displacement explained… may you now nod knowingly at the thousands of 180i Corollas, 1.6 Polos and 1.4 Fiestas as they whizz by you.

2010 Launch Preview

We’re now officially into the latter half of 2010 but there are still five months remaining for motor manufacturers to bring in the new decade with a bang. Five months left to capitalise on a passenger car market showing some really positive growth in recent months.

So, let’s take a quick look at some of the most significant new vehicle launches in the coming months.

Volkswagen Amorak (thumbs up)

It’s curious that a company the size of Volkswagen has taken this long to tap into the local market demand for big single/double cabs. After all, Toyota’s Hilux mostly trumps the Corolla / Auris on the monthly sales charts.

There is simply a huge demand for something rugged, dependable, big and with enough luxury to transport the family in comfort.

The Amorak instantly gets a thumbs up from me for looking far classier than any of its natural competitors. It’s also said to be brilliant both on and off-road.

Nissan Micra (thumbs down)

The Nissan Micra has always been a decent runabout with good engines, a neat cabin and some good ol’ Japanese reliability.

The previous model was too girly and limited in its appearance, though. So one would assume that the new, 2010 version would look, well, better. Small, modern hatchbacks are either really sharp and aggressive (Mazda2, Ford Fiesta) or classy (VW Polo).

The new Micra is neither and looks more dated than its predecessor, making the fact that it has a new CVT gearbox with “30% less friction than other CVTs” – as well as any other attributes to its new design – irrelevant.

Audi R8 Spyder (thumbs up)

The Audi R8 remains the single model from the house of the four rings that make it hard for diehard Beemer, Merc and even Porsche fans to not take a second look.

The Spyder / convertible version of the awesome R8 sees the solid roof of the “normal” model cut off so that petrol heads can now make mincemeat of Aston Martins and also have the wind blowing through their hair, assuming they have any left.

The Spyder will come with all the requisite convertible add-ons such as a pair of roll-over safety bars and a strengthened chassis. Thankfully, this Iron Man 2 car star will maintain the use of the V10, 5,2-litre masterpiece that shares much with the one found in the Lamborghini LP 560.

Citroёn DS3R (thumbs up)

The DS3 has caused a stir since its launch with its striking looks but is set to really take the fight to the Mini with the DS3R. The “R”, of course, signifies “Racing” and that this version of the DS3 will be fitted with a powerful, turbo-charged 1,6-litre motor.

Add a bit of carbon-fibre sporting bits here and a beefed-up braking and suspension system there, and Citroen should have few problems selling all of the limited number of DS3R models being produced.

Audi A8 (thumbs down)

Just launched is Audi’s new flagship, the A8. It is of course an immense machine and will showcase yet another level of mind-blowing tech, refinement and LED daytime running lights made famous by the manufacturer.

Sadly, I don’t see this A8 doing well once the fanfare if it being new wears off. It just doesn’t have the presence and character required from a grand saloon and found less-than-sparingly on the 7 Series and S-Class. I haven’t even mentioned the Porsche Panamera and Aston Martin Rapide, both of which have shaken up traditionally expected design standards in this class. Come on Audi, give the A8 some R8-like menace already!

Other exciting models worth looking out for and still to be launched in 2010 include Alfa’s long-awaited replacement for the 147 - the dramatic Giulietta. Also coming soon is the mammoth Mercedes-Benz S-Class coupe and for the many of us without access to ridiculous sums of money, Fiat’s attractive Linea will receive a much-needed power boost in the form of the T-Jet model.

And now, a special mention needs to be made for the Mercedes-Benz SLS. You would no doubt have seen a few pictures of this beast with its innovative yet iconic Gullwing door design.

It is a car that makes the notion that Mercedes-Benz was once the maker of staid and emotionless machines almost unthinkable.

The SLS is now unavailable in the country - unavailable, because only a select few of us will be able to afford the R2,4 million rand price attached to what must be considered a modern design classic.

That wraps up the highlights of what motoring fans and buyers can look forward to in the car market for the rest of 2010.

Tricky Trends

In the great world of cars, trends good and bad are followed relentlessly. Manufacturers get so caught up in “the moment” of what’s perceived as trendsetting that they often design features or sometimes entire cars that actually go against the very essence of what their brand stands for.

Somehow, the Toyota Yaris doesn’t come standard with an air conditioner or alloy wheels and yet it is fitted with an extravagant centrally mounted digital (on the hatchback, analogue on the sedan) instrument display. The Renault Scenic is another example of this instrument display.
Do these manufacturers not know that if something is not directly in your line of view, your significantly inferior peripheral vision takes over? Hardly conducive towards safe family motoring, something both Renault and Toyota strive to provide.

Then we have the first generation Polo Classic (at least, the first generation launched in South Africa).
While it was seriously unpretty / boring and therefore couldn’t have had ambitions of setting any trend, it nevertheless was fitted with a design feature that (and I stand to be corrected here) I had never before seen on a car and which spread rapidly to other vehicles – namely, a single rear reverse light.
There can be no logical explanation for this besides cost-cutting. What it does is to provide the rear of your car with an unbalanced appearance and permanently make it appear as though one reverse light is broken. It is also less safe – if anything happens to be obscuring the side of the vehicle without that reverse light, those viewing it from behind won’t always know it’s moving backwards.
Seems a petty concern, but it’s simply unnecessary.

It is my next “trend” that really gets me hot under the collar (and depending on which car I happen to drive, her too!).
Apparently, modern vehicles have become so impeccably well engineered that some of them no longer require the once obligatory temperature gauge. All that is now needed is a single and often miniscule red lamp in the instrument panel that illuminates once your engine is probably on the verge of exploding while you’re traversing De Waal Drive at 20km/h on a Friday afternoon.
The very point of a gauge is to be able to constantly be aware of how warm the engine is. This way, you’ll be alerted instantly when it starts to heat up and long before steam starts spewing from underneath the bonnet of your Chevrolet Spark (which, you guessed it, is one of the offenders).
As advanced as they have become, modern vehicles’ engines still run on petrol, they still rely upon a cooling system and they can still overheat.

Car names are another moot point. It seems as though designing a car from scratch takes so much effort that there is insufficient brainpower left for the team to think up a reasonable model name.
Volkswagen has loads of fun revising its dated CitiGolf every 5 days or so, complete with new individual designations for each model in the line-up that range from an eerie canine to a synonym for doggedness; I doubt anyone will feel very good telling their mother-in-law that they drive a Citi Wolf or a TenaCiti. A sharply raised eyebrow is sure to follow.
Manufacturers of 4X4s are perhaps even worse. They can’t resist the tendency to drown their gas-guzzling beasts in an hilarious assortment of masculine words like Defender, Discovery, Commander or Outback. Or, if you often indulge in the odd trip around your backyard, you could get yourself a VW Touran Track and Field. Not many could have predicted that cars would one day be named according to the surface they’re adept at driving on.
Let’s all hold thumbs for a BMW X5 Road and Driveway.

But perhaps more bizarre than all of these is a car that tries extremely hard to be trendy when it is actually quite terrible.
The range-topping Tata Indigo GLX comes standard with awful interior plastics, a breathless engine, refinement notable only by its absence and… a dual rear DVD entertainment system. Hell, they’ve even thrown in leather upholstery. Whether it’s real leather or not is highly
debatable.


Tata Indigo

What it all boils down to is that far too often, being perceived as cool, funky or trendy takes preference over reliability, practicality and good old common sense.
Then again, who would say no to the ridiculously overindulgent fingerprint recognition system on the Audi A8 that adjusts seats and the like to your preferences at the touch of a little electronic pad…? Not me.