Latest VW Polo GTI goes live in Mzansi
And wow, 147kW and 320Nm straight off the bat, more doses of ‘Vrr’ and ‘Pha’ than the Mk5 Golf GTI which single-handedly brought that particular car back from the brink.
That gives its new 2.0 litre turbo powerplant enough muscle to more than match the Renault Clio RS at 147kW and 260Nm, poured into a dynamic chassis with sports suspension and XDS limited slip differential. At 1355kg we’d no longer consider it to be a lightweight but for the power under that hood, it’s a sweetly balanced machine.
We haven’t spent any time behind the wheel yet ourselves but can confirm that it will blitz from 0-100kph in 6.7 seconds, will eventually max out at 237kph and return a combined fuel consumption of just 5.9l/100km. That’s with the standard DSG transmission no less. Nifty.
Yours for R375,900 and that includes the usual veritable raft of technology you’d expect from Volkswagen. It also comes standard with a 3 year/120 000km warranty, 3year/ 45 000km Volkswagen Service and a 12-year anti-corrosion warranty, with services pegged at 15 000km intervals.
Audi Q8 revealed and the jury is split
Do you like it? I like it. Not everyone does though.
It’s been likened to fish sporting gaping maws, it’s been called heavily overdesigned, but I’m a fan of science fiction and the cars that brings, and the Q8 looks like the kind of space machine you’d see piloted by a Space Marine – to which I ask, can I see one in army camo?
Seriously though, it is Ingolstadt’s flagship SUV coupe, built on the VAG MLB evo platform, features a bold design and will be launched with the company’s 3.0 TDI sporting 210kW and 600Nm capable of catapulting this svelte new off-roader from 0-100kph in just 6.3 seconds.
It will benefit from every clever bit of technology in Audi’s arsenal. But will you buy one? Or opt for the BMW X6 or Mercedes-Benz GLC Coupe instead?
2019 BMW X5 looks tough as marble
It’s coming to South Africa, has a tough act to follow, but have no fear – the new BMW X5 is heavily up to the task. This is after all the car that the house of premium SUVs was built upon, and early signs are very positive – most notably that carved from granite exterior.
There’s also the fact that it has a 42mm longer wheelbase than the car it replaces, is fully equipped with updated and upgraded technologies from the ornate lamp clusters to acoustic windscreens (come again?), traffic jam and lane departure systems, thermo-cupholders and more. You can have yours in either X Line or M Sport trims which should be self-explanatory, whilst engines will be divided amongst petrol and diesel – essentially two of each.
No news just yet on which models will make it to our shores, nor prices. More news at it develops.
You need to see the Jaguar XE SV Project 8
Just. Look. At. It! Meet the most powerful Jaguar road car ever – and it’s a mere XE!
Jaguar’s SVO (Special Vehicle Operations) division were given free range to build a successor to the Type F-Type and look, you’re never going to see one or drive one are you? So let’s just revel in the numbers and these beautiful images and be glad something like this now exists, shall we?
From its 5.0 litre supercharged V8 the XE SV Project 8 produces 445kW, sent to all four wheels and is good for a 0-100kph sprint of just 3.3 seconds. In a Jaguar saloon.
We love you Project 8, you mess of carbon fibre, you.
