BMW M2 Competition Pack gets the goods
The car itself hasn’t really materialized in any meaningful way just yet, but already the M Performance catalogue is brimming with fresh ‘content’. Performance parts always excite us, whether they’re mechanical or mere carbon-fibre tinsel, mind you the less superficial the more we like it.
Now, we doubt the base car even requires such addenda, but here they are anyway beginning with an M Performance suspension upgrade lowering the car 20mm closer to the tarmac. Add to that larger high performance brake options, 19-inch forged alloy hoops and Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 rubber. Then there’s an assortment of bodywork, sills and splitters, wings and pretty much anything else that could be rendered in carbon fibre or Alcantara or both. Including the key fob.
The Volkswagen Arteon is here
It used to be simple. Want a VW saloon? Better get a Jetta. Need something bigger, there’s the surprisingly premium Passat and a slipperier CC rendition (which the Arteon effectively replaces). Something smaller? VW will sell you a Polo with a boot.
But all that has now changed thanks to this, the VW Arteon. So what is it? Simply put, it’s Volkswagen’s flagship sedan with a coupe-like profile and a hatchback for a boot. So, think Audi A5 Sportback then, with a pair of two-litre engines on option, a diesel in 130kW (FWD Elegance or R-Line) flavour or a 206kW petrol burner in R-Line trim with 4Motion all-wheel drive. They all come with the obligatory DSG auto, 6-speed in the diesel, 7-speed in the petrol. Tech levels are stratospheric, whilst overall desirability is at an all-time high – well done VW.
Volkswagen Arteon Pricing:
2.0 TDI 130kW Elegance DSG
| R599,900.00
|
2.0 TDI 130kW R-Line DSG
| R649,900.00
|
2.0 TSI 206kW R-Line 4Motion DSG
| R699,900.00
|
Includes a 3-year /120 000km warranty plus 5-year / 90 000km maintenance plan.
Ford Ranger Raptor gets the stress test
You know what it is, the 2.0 litre biturbo diesel-engined performance double-cab bakkie from Ford that’s meant to challenge the other ‘hot trucks’ of Mzansi.
Ford have decided to give us some insight into their testing process by means of an informative video.
"We are so excited and proud to unleash this vehicle to the public, driving it really makes you feel like a hero," said Jamal Hameedi, chief engineer, Ford Performance. "The Ford Performance team is excited to extend the Raptor name from our flagship off-road performance F-150 to Ranger. Just like the F-150 Raptor, the Ford Ranger Raptor builds upon the core capability of the range of vehicles it comes from and carries the unmistakable Ford Performance DNA appearance."
Yes indeed, but not before wringing the necks of the test mules hey? Watch these poor Raptors suffer the ordeal for the sake of reliability and tenacity.
Watch the video above.
