2018 VW Polo 1.0 TSI

POWER: 70 KW

TORQUE: 175 N.M.

0 TO 100 KM/H: 11.8s

MOTOR: TURBO INLINE 3

GEARBOX: 5 Speed Manual Gearbox

*Details found on carmag.co.za

Another week, another misconception busted. This week I review the new VW Polo 1.0 L TSI that came out last year. When the car first came out, I despised it. I thought the styling was horrendous and the small engine would be gutless.

Anyway, let start with the styling. I still am not the biggest fan of it, simply because it looks like the first gen BMW 1 series. In my mind, a Polo should be small and easy to park, but it had now grown to Golf five size. Honestly, I have never been a fan of the styling, until the facelift of the previous Polo came out (My regular readers will know that I own one, if you don’t, read about it here).

But, let's not judge a book by its cover. My initial fears about the new engine, which is a Turbo inline three-cylinder, turned out to not be true at all. I think that it is one of the best on the market today. I got my grubby paws on a comfortline, and if I compare it to my comfortline, it packs a serious punch. It is quick to get going and climbs the rev range with relative ease. I routinely found myself shifting gears at 4000 RPM, and it still had more to give. The clutch took some getting used to, but even it feels more sporty than the old version. My only gripe is that you have to use a lot of force to slot in the gears, which almost feels like there is something wrong with the ‘box, but the sales rep explained that it is normal.

The interior feels very upmarket, with lots of styling tweaks and very driver-focused layout. Everything that you need to use while you are driving is in reach and easy to use while still looking at the road. I love new touch screen which you download a new App on your phone, which allows you to connect with the infotainment system, which as a millennial, I find pretty cool. They have also gone rather Audi A1ish on the inside as well, with lots of bits and pieces lifted from the A1 such as the window switches, which either adds or detracts from the overall feel depending on how you see it.

The ride is rather harsh, in line with the sporty feel of the car, which, don’t get me wrong, is terrific if you are throwing the car into corners and such, but for a long road trip, I would imagine it could

cause a bit of discomfort.

Then there also some of the little options you can add such as the R line package, which adds some trim pieces such as a new splitter, rims, R badges, etc. it elevates the whole car just that much more.

All in all though, a pretty good little car. 

Rating: 4 out of 5.

TL; DR:

Good: Engine, interior, driver focus

Bad: Styling, ride comfort, tricky clutch. 

Volvo, a old man's car? Think again...

Hello and welcome to this weeks post! This week you are in for a treat! I managed to test not one, but two different Volvos. Let me say, what I thought was a mundane old man's car (but let’s be honest here, they did make the 850R…), is not. Now, before we start, go grab a cup of coffee, tea or hot chocolate, because this is going to be a long post. Done? Good. So, without further ado, let’s get into this.

2005 VOLVO S40 2.4i A/T

POWER: 125 KW

TORQUE: 230 N.M.

0 TO 100 KM/H: 9.8s

MOTOR: N/A TRANSVERSE INLINE 5

GEARBOX: 5 SPEED AUTOMATIC GEARBOX

The first Volvo I tested was the 2005 S40 2.4i Petrol. It is either a car you love or hate. I by the petrol head god I fell in love with that naturally aspirated five-cylinder motor. I’m usually not the N/A motor believer, but this engine has a lot of which it can be proud. As you know, I drive a TSI Polo (link), and I have become so used to a turbo lag that a driving a car with a N/A engine was refreshing. The power was there from the get-go, and it loves climbing through the rev range, but at 4500 RPM the power starts to taper off.

Interestingly, when you take traction control off, turn the wheel hard and floor the gas pedal, the car breaks traction and goes sideways. Not exactly what I expected from a front wheel drive car, but hey, it is a 2.4 litre 5 cylinder, and power does strange things to a front wheel drive car.

Now, the comfort bit, the interior is all leather with soft touch plastic on the dash and other bits and pieces. I love the Volvo centre console, everything is within reach and is very intuitive to operate, so much so, that after a short while you don’t even need to look down to figure out where anything is. But, by far, my most favourite item in the whole interior, is that gear selector. It is amazingly chunky and fits in your hand perfectly. Not to sound like Doug Demuro, but it is SO satisfying to select a gear with, it pops into gear with a satisfying “clunk”. It’s like the car is asking you if you want that gear.

Rating

4 out of 5

 

2008 VOLVO V50 D5 GEARTRONIC

POWER: 132 KW

TORQUE: 350 N.M.

0 TO 100 KM/H: 8.5s

MOTOR: TURBO TRANSVERSE INLINE 5

GEARBOX: 5 SPEED GEARTRONIC

The second car I tested was the 2008 Volvo V50 D5 Geartronic. Mouthful of a name if you ask me, but hidden in that name is a real gem of a car. Yes, it is an estate, but if you cast your mind and forward, Volvo has a habit of making estates that are particularly good, for example as mentioned above, the 850R estate. Their current “Hot” estate is the V60 Polestar, which as I’ve heard, is impressive.

The V50 is a “standard” 2.5 turbo diesel, but it is really, and I mean really, good. Sure the engine is loud but is a large, inline five diesel that generates a considerable amount of power.

Getting into the car I was pleasantly surprised; it felt like I was getting into a car that was brand new. Like in the S40 above, the controls were intuitive and felt like I was right at home. The only thing that is weird is the key slot. The slot is on the left on the dash. With the newer models, you put in the key and push a button. With the older models, you still turn the key. But boy, once you turn that key and fires up, it’s like opening a portal to another universe. You can almost feel the power weighting for your right foot to give the signal to unleash the beast.

Driving the car was a fantastic experience. Besides the fact that the car is loud, thanks to the engine, it drives and handles like a sports car. It doesn’t feel like an estate, but rather a hatch. When you do give the signal to unleash the beast, it does so with gusto. The Geartronic ‘box drops one or two gears depending on how hard you press down on the pedal, and that famous low-end diesel torque rears its head and propels you forward.

Unlike the S40 above, this car behaves its self in the corners, even with traction control off. NO FUN! But other than that, it is a reliable, fun car with the capacity to carry many people and many, many things. 

Rating

4.5 out of 5

2007 Ford Ranger Lexus Swap

One of the Biggest rivalries in modern South Africa is indeed not between the All Blacks and the Springboks but rather that of Toyota and Ford. The two marques have been trying to outdo each other regarding sales on both the Hilux and the Ranger.

This week, I managed to get my hands on a unique Ford Ranger. The Ranger in question is trying to end the debate once and for all. How do you ask? Well, the owner had a small issue of a blown engine a few years back and decided to swap out the American for a Jap. A Lexus V6 from an RX SUV to be precise. Having driven the car before and after the swap, I can say that it was well worth it.

Let’s start with the noise. The original engine always sounded fine, but with the new engine, it is has become godly! Lexus has always had, in my mind, one of the best sounding notes in the business and putting it into a Ford Ranger makes so much sense.

The straight line performance of the new engine is slightly up from the old, but not much. Don’t get me wrong; the performance is still pretty good. Put your foot down, and it will take off a good pace, but the car is weighty, and as such it will not break any land speed records. I also wouldn’t recommend putting your foot down in a corner as it will break traction and try and kill you.

One of the most important things for me is ride comfort. Yeah, this doesn’t have that. The suspension is rock hard and you feel everything. Slot a set of coilovers on that, and you should be good to go. But hey, at least it does have a 4x4 system which always helps.   

The biggest drawback in my mind is the build quality. The interior is very plastic and not particularly comfortable. The rear doors are much too small for any normal sized adult to get into, but I am 6’2” and not the smallest person in the world, so getting into the rear seats was an absolute struggle. Getting into the front of the car was no issue as the doors are wide enough. The floor is flat, which is weird and takes some serious getting used to.

The seats are also not the most comfortable in the world, but they are built for work and not for road trips. Moving onto the outside, the car does show its age with the massive panel gaps and the fact that everything seems to rattle and shake, which can be very disconcerting when you see the hood shake around when driving. Far from Fords Premium offerings of today.

Right, let's rate this car without losing a friendship…

3 out of 5

TL;DR

Good: That sweet, sweet sounding Lexus V6; 4x4 system.

Bad: Pannel gaps, the cabin is plastic fantastic, the ride comfort  

2015 Mercedes Benz C 180

POWER: 115 KW

TORQUE: 250 N.M.

0 TO 100 KM/H: 8.5s

MOTOR: TURBO INLINE 4

GEARBOX: 9G TRONIC AUTOMATIC GEARBOX

Before I start, NEW LOGO! Let me know what you think in the comments. 

Well Ladies and Gents, I have a good one for you this week. I managed to get my hands on a Mercedes Benz C 180 (Okay, it was the base model).

Even for a base model, it was impressive. It comes with a 1,6 l inline 4 that produces some astounding figures for a 4 cylinder. It comes with some really nice tech such as dynamic select, paddle shift and dual-zone climate control in the front. The seats are electrically adjustable up and down and the recline function is also electric.

But the cabin is not all that great. It is rather plastic fantastic. All the finishes are in Piano - Black and quite honestly, it feels a bit tacky. The steering wheel is wrapped in leather and is very pleasant to hold with all the controls you need right at your fingertips.

Anyway, let's get into the Tech of the car. The most important piece of tech in the car is the Dynamic Select. Dynamic Select lets you the driver select the set up of the car with the following options:

• Eco (Ignore this entirely)
• Comfort (Good for road trips)
• Sport (Much fun to be had)
• Sport + (Not much different to Sport)
• Individual (Will get to this later)

One thing I did find that the suspension is relatively hard in whatever setting you select. Comfort mode is amazing for longer trips, but the real magic lies in Individual Select allowing you set up the car just so. On the base C 180 the options are limited, but even so, the options you have to play around with are numerous

The options you have to adjust are the following:

• Engine (Eco, Sport, Comfort)
• Steering (Sport, Comfort)
• Climate Control (Eco, Comfort)
• Auto Stop (On or Off)

My selections were the following and to me, made the car perfect in everyway (For me at least). Engine in Sport, Steering in Comfort, Climate in Comfort and Auto stop in off.

Now there is one small last thing to cover, the small matter of breaking traction on the rear wheels. It is so easy! Turn the wheel and floor it, hey presto, you have broken traction and are sliding into the corner you have just turned into. See? not just an old person car...

Rating time:

4.5 out of 5

TL;DR

Bad: Plastic Fantastic

Good: Lots of fun, Dynamic Select, powerful, comfortable.  

2014 Audi A3 S Line Package

THE TORQUE POST

I got the opportunity to drive the 2014 A3 with the optional S line package on it. I must say, that the I had mixed feelings about the car.

The first few meters I thought that I had found a gem, but that soon evaporated. Where to start with the negatives? Let me start with the Gearbox. It is the most dim-witted gearbox I have ever come across. In normal mode, it decides it wants to stay second gear at the stop street and then take off in third gear then randomly downshifts to first and then takes off at a million miles an hour…

Drop it into sport mode and hey presto it works like a normal car! Anyway, back to the bad, the turbo has got to have the biggest lag in the history of turbos, but when it kicks in it works like an absolute dream.

Another thing that absolutely bothered me in the cabin was the road noise and the engine noise. The cabin is way too loud and does become a bit annoying at times especially when overtaking someone.

There are good parts to this car as well. It has the most amazing bucket seats that counteract the lean in the corners and the steering wheel is chunky and provides good grip. The car is plastic fantastic but at least all of the plastic is soft touch and doesn't detract from the upmarket feel of the cabin.

It does suffer from a lack of space in the cabin, but you can comfortably fit in two kids and two adults into the cabin and the above-mentioned seats will make for a comfy road trip.

Back to the engine, I found something good to say about it. Once you are over the turbo lag, the power plant becomes quite gutsy and will pull the car along quite nicely.

Right, in all in all it's not a bad car, but for the brand of the car, it is quite a letdown.

Rating:

3 out 5

TL;DR

Good: Seats, engine (when it's going)

Bad: Turbo lag, noise, lean, gearbox

Need For Speed: Payback

THE TORQUE POST

NEED FOR SPEED: PAYBACK

Here is one for all you car gaming freaks!

I love me a good car game just like the next person and I have been playing Need For Speed since I got my Play Station One some many years ago. 

I love the franchise, but Payback just took it to a whole new level! The story is amazing and the cars are even better. They have everything from old Volvo's right down to the Regera. They crafted the game in such a fantastic way. 

My favorite car in the whole game has to be the R 34 Nissan Skyline GT R V - Spec. You get it as part of the story fully upgraded (keep it, you need it for all the races!) 

The story is split into different chapters and each chapter requires you complete several challenges before you can progress. These challenges are called questlines and completing them unlocks derelicts which need you to find parts to build them. On top of this, completing each questline adds more and more to the story which unfolds the main story.

Some of the crits I have on the game is the fact that the old skool way of upgrading your cars is gone. Instead, you have to win races or go to a shop to buy cards to upgrade the performance of each car. As you progress through each chapter, these cards get more and more expensive and it feels like they do less and less.

Let's talk about graphics. The graphics are amazing when it comes to the car you are driving, but other than that, the graphics are not the best. I mean they are good enough to determine what cars they are (it seems that most traffic is made up out of BMW 1 Series and Vans advertising LG OLED).

There are several side challenges such as drift zones, speed traps, and average speed zones. Each build-up Racer Cred which means that you level up. As far as I can tell racer cred does nothing for you, but I suppose it helps when you are playing online. 

What is my rating?
4 / 5

It would be five out of five if it wasn't for the upgrading of the cars. Bring back the old way of doing it!

TL;DR
Good: Cars and Story
Bad: Upgrading the cars 

Dapper Coffee Co. Cape Town

THE TORQUE POST

Dapper Coffee Co.

Power: Caffeine

yeah, I'm not going to do that for this post... 

I have found petrol head heaven on Earth in the form of Dapper Coffee Co. located on Bree Street in Cape Town. It is located in the Club 9 dealership which means when you walk in you are greeted by a collection of the most amazing cars!

Remember the song: "How much is that doggy in the window"? Well, how about "How much is 2.8 Granada in the window"? The Granada is the first car that caught my attention as I walked from where I parked my car too the coffee shop. As I walked into the shop, I was greeted by a pair of 300 SL Mercs and some of the neatest old-timer Ferrari's I have ever seen. 

Sitting down for coffee, I thought I might as well order lunch as well. Sitting down, an SL 55 AMG caught my eye! Convertible and in Black it made my lunch just that much more special. 

Right, let's talk about coffee and food. The Cappuccino could be a little bit bigger, but it was amazing! Well brewed and not bitter at all. I ordered the Cheese and Tomato was amazing as well! The shoestring fries I would recommend giving it a miss. They are frozen and taste I bit like cardboard. 

After lunch, I had another walk around the dealership and I am pretty sure I died and went to heaven!

Rating? 4.5 out of 5

It was all perfect except for the fries. 

Feast on the pictures!

TL;DR:

Good: CARS, Food and Coffee

Bad: Fries