CITROEN ENTERS WORLD TOURING CAR CHAMPIONSHIP

Motor racing is deeply imbedded in Citroën’s DNA, but it comes in many shapes and sizes. 

After dominating several road-based events around the world for over twenty years, the Brand is now set to turn its attention to track racing, entering the FIA World Touring Car Championship (FIA WTCC) from 2014 onwards. 

This will be a new challenge both for Citroën Racing and for Sébastien Loeb, who will be driving one of the cars entered in the championship 

Citroën Racing’s entry into the world of track racing will coincide with the introduction of a new

generation of cars, which are more spectacular than the current crop.

“Competing in a category for the first time, starting from scratch, gives our division a superb challenge,” confirmed Yves Matton, Citroën Racing Team Principal. “Having said that, we will be able to re-use a large part of our existing expertise, starting with the DS3 WRC’s 1.6-litre direct injection turbo engine. Work has already begun in our Versailles technical center and is set to be stepped up in the coming weeks, with the first tests of our car and the start of our development programme to prepare for the 2014 season. Obviously, we’re still committed to rallying and we’ll continue to work hard to try and get the best possible result in 2013. Our partnership with Abu Dhabi is set to be reinforced, enabling us to continue to be involved in WRC with a new system and with new objectives.” 

Citroën Racing will be taking part in the entire 2014 FIA WTCC season. Obviously, the name of the first driver is already familiar: after winning nine World Rally Championship Drivers’ titles in a Xsara,C4 and DS3 WRC, Sébastien Loeb has made no secret of his enthusiasm about tackling this challenge with his favourite team:

“First of all, I am pleased that this has been confirmed. It’s a bit of a dream to think that we are going to write a new chapter in our history. I can’t wait to get out on track in the car and start testing.

I have used this transitional year to try out various experiences and to improve my track driving skills.

I don’t expect to win straight away, but I am determined to get there one day.”

STORY BY CITROËN

Post Title → CITROEN ENTERS WORLD TOURING CAR CHAMPIONSHIP

BREAKING: BRAND NEW 2014 MAZDA3 LEAKS OUT!

Breaking news! Here is the all-new 2014 model year Mazda3! The Mazda3 hatchback should launch in Mzansi in early 2014, but we have the leaked pictures and some details right now. Mazda has not been busy with new product launches and the Mazda3 is hopefully going to start changing that. It will compete with the likes of Ford Focus, Toyota Auris, Volkswagen Golf and Hyundai Elantra.

The new Mazda3 will come in three engine derivatives with four power outputs. The baby of the range will be a SKYACTIV-G 1.5-litre with 74kWand 150Nm of torque. Then the SKYACTIV-G 2.0 with standard power of 88kW and 210Nm. SKYACTIV-G 2.0 High Powerhas 121kW and the same torque of 210Nm. Finally the 2.2-litre turbo diesel makes 110kWand 380Nm of torque. All three engines feature direct injectiontechnology.

Mazda South Africa has not previously offered the Mazda3 with a diesel engine, so it will be interesting if they will bring this model here. Also interesting is that Mazda is sticking with the current unspoken Japanese code of not using turbo petrol engines in their cars. Nevertheless, the cars, depending on model, will either be offered with a 6-speed manualor automatic. Again, Mazda SA has not given the automatic a look for Mzansi before.

The car is 4.465 metres long, 1.765m wide, 20mm lower and has a wheelbase of 2.7m. It features a 51 litre fuel tank and boot space of 350 litres.

Post Title → BREAKING: BRAND NEW 2014 MAZDA3 LEAKS OUT!

NEED FOR SPEED MOVIE DETAILED

Need for Speed or NFS fans rejoice! Your game is finally coming to the big screen(and subsequently, at some point in its life, to SABC1, etv and Mzansi Magic). Shooting has begun in earnest in a collaboration between the game’s publisher Electronic Arts and DreamWorks Studios, the movie’s producer. It will debut in the USA around March 2014.

Need for Speed will star Aaron Paul, Imogen Pootsand Dominic Cooper. Don’t stress if you don’t immediately recognise these names. Google them first. Maybe someday they will be as well-known as names like Vin Diesel and Paul Walker.

Ford has been chosen as the main supplier of vehicles to the flick, giving the feature a special Ford Mustang that will be driven by Paul’s character. We are told that Need for Speed “chronicles a near-impossible cross-country journey for our heroes—one that begins as a mission for revenge, but proves to be one of redemption.”

There is of course a game attached to the whole thing, called Need for Speed Rivals in which players can choose to either be the good cops or the bad drivers evading them. The game sounds like it will have some really exciting elements, such as automatic multiplayerbility. It will start selling this November on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Windows PC. Thereafter it will be available on Xbox One and PlayStation 4.

We at IN4RIDEsincerely hope that Need for Speed the movie makes the same great transition from game to movie as Hitman did, and does not totally flop and disappoint in the same way the great Max Payne did on the big screen.

Post Title → NEED FOR SPEED MOVIE DETAILED

RENAULT SHOWS ITS 2014 FORMULA ONE TURBO ARSENAL

The FIA, Formula One’s main controlling body, has approved the use of new 1.6-litre V6 turbo engines from the 2014 F1 season onwards. The new engines replace the current naturally aspirated 2.4-litre V8. Last week French supplier Renault became the first engine manufacturer to show its hand in this regard.

The Renault power unit disperses about 560kW in total and uses energy recovery systems that contribute to that total. Only about 440kW of the total comes from the V6 itself. The rest (120kW) is derived from these recovery systems, including an updated KERS.

While to the untrained eye it may appear that 560kW is stunning from essentially the same size engine as a MINI Cooper or Mercedes-Benz C180, the trick here is these engines are not built to last as long as normal cars’. Therefore even though Renault’s F1 1.6 V6 turbo will rev up to 15 000rpm, it cannot even begin to compete with Renault’s everyday 1.6-litre turbo for of longevity. The latter should stay with the car for well over300 000km if taken care of properly. On the other hand, the F1 motor will only be able to last about 6 to 8 races at a time. Drivers are to be limited to 5 engines per year from 2014. At the same time, fuel efficiency must improve by up to 35% compared with the current 2.4-litre V8s as the cars will only be allowed 100kg of fuel per race.

Among the teams who are currently supplied with Renault engines are Red Bull, Caterham, Lotus and Williams.

Post Title → RENAULT SHOWS ITS 2014 FORMULA ONE TURBO ARSENAL

FASTEST ASTON MARTIN V12 VANTAGE S REVEALED

The quickest and fastest Aston Martin ever produced is the One-77. The second-quickest is the new V12 Vantage S, a car that Aston Martin believes embodies the true values of a sports car wearing a gentleman’s suit.

Few would argue the fact that Aston Martins are some of the prettiest cars on the roads today. Yet so far they have been excluded at exclusivespeed clubs, simply because they aren’t as quick as their direct rivals. The new V12 Vantage S though is fast dispelling those notions.

Powered by a 6.0-litre V12 naturally aspirated rasper codenamed the AM28, the car is said to be able to accelerate from - 100km/h in just 3.9 seconds, which is about the same time that Mercedes-Benz claims for its SLS AMG Coupe and Audi for the normal R8 V10. Maximum torque of 620Nmis available at 5 750rpm, 510Nm of which can be accessed from 1 000rpm. Drive is through the rear wheels via a new automated manual transmission called the Sportshift III. It basically works like BMW’s old SMG and Audi’s R Tronic in that it has a clutch but no clutch pedal.

Some of the other new tech include a three-stage adaptive damping system that allows the driver to select either Normal, Sport or Track driving modes to suit his current mood or driving conditions. While these may not be industry firsts (even a BMW 1 Series is fitted with such), they do demonstrate AM’s progression. One of these days the brand may unveil a turbo engine, or even a hybrid!

Post Title → FASTEST ASTON MARTIN V12 VANTAGE S REVEALED

MOPAR OPENS PRETORIA FACILITY

Fiat Auto SA and Chrysler SA have announced the opening of a 19 000 square-metrefacility in Pretoria to help distribute over 50 000 Moparparts to 80 delivery points in Mzansi, Botswana and Namibia. The Mopar parts are used by both Fiat and Chrysler, ever since Fiat bought into Chrysler.

In opening this warehouse, Mzansi follows countries like Brazil, South Korea, Russia and the UAE.

“We will strategically grow our parts distribution network in order to support our brands and customers in the marketplace,” said Pietro Gorlier, President and CEO of Mopar, Chrysler Group LLC’s and Fiat SpA’s service, parts and customer-care brand. “Our new parts distribution centre will further improve service to our dealers, distributors and customers in this region. We will continue to look for opportunities to support our growth.”

While Mopar enjoys a substantialfollowing in the USA, South Africa just hasn’t quite picked up on the fumes yet. This may have to do with very little or no marketing directed at this accessories brand, or even the fact that Chrysler doesn’t sell that many cars in this country anyway. Early this year though, there was a Dodge Caliber Mopar Edition that went on sale here. 

Post Title → MOPAR OPENS PRETORIA FACILITY

AUDI WINS 2013 LE MANS 24 HOURS RACE!

For the second time in succession, Audi has won the Le Mans 24 Hours with a hybrid race car and quattro drive, thus continuing its unique success story at the world’s most important endurance race. Victory was clinched by Loïc Duval (F), Tom Kristensen (DK) and Allan McNish (GB).

As expected, the twelfth triumph for the four rings at Le Mans was one of the most difficult and hardest-fought ones. Following a change in the regulations that was made at short notice, the three Audi R18 e-tron quattro cars on average were able to do two laps less on one tank filling than their main rival Toyota. The Audi drivers had to compensate for the additional pit stops by faster lap times on track – and did so in weather conditions that at times were extremely difficult.

Rain showers crossed the track again and again during the dramatic race. They resulted in numerous incidents and a total of eleven safety car deployments. The field ran for more than five hours under ‘yellow’ while the track was cleared and repairs were performed.

The three Audi R18 e-tron quattro cars, which are equipped with an electrically driven front axle, were the fastest vehicles in the field throughout the entire race – as well as the most efficient ones: Victory in the Michelin Green X Challenge, a competition of the cleanest, fastest and most efficient prototypes, went to Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm as well.

“We owe the twelfth victory of our brand at Le Mans to the consistent, innovative spirit of our engineers, the unconditional commitment of the entire team and the skills and strong nerves of our drivers. On behalf of Audi, I extend my sincere congratulations on this success to all of them,” said Rupert Stadler, Chairman of the Board of Management of AUDI AG, who, as usual, personally watched the race on location. “This marks another great success for Audi in which our hybrid system again prevailed and new technologies, which our customers will also benefit from in the future, were tested.” They included innovative radiators and matrix-beam LED headlights, which make optimum lighting of the corners at night possible – a crucial advantage at Le Mans.

“We knew that, not least due to the regulatory requirements, it would be very difficult for us this year,” commented Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. “As expected, Toyota was a very strong rival – but our Audi R18 e-tron quattro was in a class of its own. My thanks go to the entire team that worked for months to achieve this success.”

The twelfth Audi victory at Le Mans was achieved by the number ‘2’ Audi R18 e-tron quattro driven by Loïc Duval (France), Tom Kristensen (Denmark) and Allan McNish (Scotland) who had started the race from the pole position. For Duval, who had clinched the pole position on Wednesday, this was the first success at the classic French endurance race and the third for Allan McNish. Tom Kristensen, who has been the sole record holder of the race since 2005, triumphed for the ninth time.

The victorious Audi R18 e-tron quattro ran for 24 hours without the slightest technical problem. Duval/Kristensen/McNish took the lead at 21:43 on Saturday night and would not relinquish it anymore up to triumphantly crossing the finish line at 15:00 on Sunday. The three Audi drivers achieved the crucial one-lap advantage over the second-placed Toyota at an early stage and maintained it all the way to the end, even in partially chaotic conditions with torrential rain.

Misfortune struck the other two Audi squads that almost simultaneously were forced to make unscheduled pit stops shortly before the end of the seventh hour of the race and, up to that time, had made for an Audi one-two-three lead up to that time. Oliver Jarvis was touched by a slower vehicle and, as a result, suffered a punctured tire on which he had to complete nearly an entire lap that cost him two laps. In the thrilling final phase, Le Mans newcomer Lucas di Grassi (Brazil), Marc Gené (Spain) and Oliver Jarvis (Great Britain) managed to overtake the Toyota that had been running in third place up to that time, and to thus secure third place on the podium.

Due to changing the alternator Marcel Fässler (Switzerland), André Lotterer (Germany) and Benoît Tréluyer (France) lost their sure lead a total of twelve laps. With an impressive recovery the 2011 and 2012 winners managed to advance from 24th place to position five in their R18 e-tron  quattro.

The 90th anniversary of the Le Mans 24 Hours was overshadowed by a fatal accident that occurred in the GT class shortly after the race started. “Obviously, this horrible incident dampens the joy about another great Le Mans victory for Audi in which our team and our drivers were under extreme tension for 24 hours and couldn’t make any mistakes,” commented Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. “We were all completely shocked by the news of Allan Simonsen’s death. During his career, he also contested races in the Audi R8 LMS. Our sympathy primarily goes to his family and friends but to the team of Aston Martin as well. It shows that you must never stop doing whatever is possible for safety in motorsport. This is the first fatal accident we’ve had to witness in 15 Le Mans years. I hope it’ll remain the last.”

Post Title → AUDI WINS 2013 LE MANS 24 HOURS RACE!

TOYOTA WINS KALAHARI BOTSWANA 1000 DESERT RACE

Anthony Taylor and Dennis Murphy (Castrol Team Toyota Hilux) were the provisional overall and class SP winners in the Production Vehicle category of the three-day 32nd Toyota Kalahari Botswana 1000 Desert Race, which ended in the village of Kumakwane on the outskirts of Gaborone this afternoon (Sunday, June 23).

It was Toyota’s second successive victory in the longest and toughest motor race in southern Africa and Castrol Team Toyota’s second win in a row in the Donaldson South African Cross Country Championship. The result was also a personal triumph for Taylor, who came within 17 kilometres of winning the event in 2011, only to be denied by a broken drive shaft while enjoying a comfortable lead. 

Second overall and in class SP were Toyota privateers Hugo de Bruyn and Henri Hugo in another Hilux, who finished 8 min 29 sec behind Taylor and Murphy. Third were Chris Visser and Japie Badenhorst (Ford Ranger), a further 1 min 4 sec in arrears.

Reigning champions and winners of last year’s Desert Race, Duncan Vos and Rob Howie, looked headed for third place and a place on the podium when they were forced to stop and change a flat wheel just 30 kilometres from the finish. This allowed Visser and Badenhorst to overtake them and they eventually crossed the finish line in Kumakwane in front of a large and enthusiastic crowd in fourth place, 1 min 25 sec behind Visser and Badenhorst.

Taylor and Murphy’s popular and hard-earned win, achieved in hot, dry and extremely dusty conditions, lifted the Castrol Toyota pair into joint first place in the championship with Visser and Badenhorst with 85,5 points. Vos and Howie are now third with 54 points.

Privateers Jason Venter and Vincent van Alleman finished 12th overall and were the winners and only survivors of class D.

The race took its toll of the combined field of Production and Special Vehicles, competing together but in separate championships, with just 13 production vehicles and five special vehicles from an initial start list on Saturday of 54 cars.

Toyota won the manufacturers’ award for the event and enjoys a comfortable lead in the overall manufacturers’ championship.  

Leeroy Poulter and Elvéne Coetzee, more accustomed to competing in the SA Rally Championship in a Castrol Team Toyota Yaris, came off the high of winning Friday’s 62-kilometre leg of the race in their first off road racing appearance together and experienced the low of being forced out of the race with electrical problems on their Castrol Toyota Hilux in Saturday’s 480-kilometre leg.

After leading the 54-car field from the start in Kumakwane on Saturday, they impressively built up a lead of more than two and a half minutes over De Bruyn and Hugo before alternator problems ended their race.

Team principal Glyn Hall commented: “Anthony and Dennis did a great job in the roughest Toyota Desert Race in recent history. Much of the route was new this year and the event lived up to its reputation for being the most extreme off road challenge on the calendar. Anthony came so close to winning this event in 2011and the whole team is delighted it came right for him this year.

“Duncan and Rob were unfortunate to have to start first and open the road for the rest of the field in Friday’s qualifying race,” said Hall. “.’This meant they started Saturday’s race further back in the field than they would have liked. Had it not been for the fact that there were communications problems that prevented him from being alerted to the fact that Visser was catching him, he would not have settled for what he thought was a safe third place.”    

Hall paid special tribute to the Imperial Group and Castrol who, together with Toyota, made it possible to enter a third Hilux for Poulter and Coetzee. “This undoubtedly gave this year’s race some extra Toyota spice. A big thank-you also to our technical team for a great job in preparing the three cars and looking after them throughout the three days of the race. All three ran extremely well and we were on for the perfect result as planned.”

Post Title → TOYOTA WINS KALAHARI BOTSWANA 1000 DESERT RACE

RGMOTORSPORT MODIFIED TOYOTA 86 HITS 220KW

RGMotorsport’s first supercharged Toyota 86 has come storming out of their Strydom Park workshop…from where it headed straight to Gerotek to record some very impressive performance numbers. These include a top speed of 258.8 kilometres an hour, a 0 – 120 km/h sprint of 8.9 seconds and a standing kilometre in 26.4 seconds at a terminal speed of almost 205 km/h...

As part of the validation process, the car was also put through its paces by teenage race sensation Jacques ‘The Stiglet’ Joubert, who pronounced himself highly impressed after a bruising day of hot laps at Zwartkops. After pounding around the Pretoria circuit without a hiccup, The Stiglet stopped the clocks with a 1 min 14.5 second lap, which he felt was a good indication of the car’s pace.

“The RGMotorsport 86 Supercharged is great fun,” enthused the teenager, who is far more chatty than his taciturn namesake. “The power delivery is so smooth and predictable, you can drive it really sideways! Whereas before the gearshift paddles were just there for show, now the car really feels racy when you go up the ‘box with them.”

At this point an important fact needs to be mentioned: as you may have deduced from the reference to shift paddles, all these numbers were garnered with an automatic transmission car, which is normally woefully short of urge at Reef altitude. Despite its sporty aspirations and undisputed ability through the twisties, existing owners of the two-pedal version have grown accustomed to seeing all but the most limp-wristed of family cars disappearing into the distance.

When we tested this very car in standard form some months back we managed a rather lame 0 – 120 km/h of 14.1 seconds, a kilometre taking more than half a minute. Not the kind of numbers that you want to trot out around the braai, unless you want to give your mates a good chuckle.

The solution as RGM sees it is to upgrade the 147 kW naturally-aspirated flat four to a 220 kW/315 Nm forced induction one. That’s a 50 percent increase in grunt and as is their wont, RGM has achieved this with the help of a Vortech bolt-on blower – imported from the USA in kit form – and fitted in the workshop by a team of skilled technicians.

In fact this conversion – in which every nut, bolt and washer arrives in a box which also contains an intercooler – is really simple by RGM’s standards. With many Supercharged conversions a variety of components need to be designed and manufactured from scratch, but they’ve taken a different approach here, which has helped them keep price down and reduce turnaround time.

Forcing the air into the intercooler is a V-3 H67BC centrifugal supercharger and this particular unit is designed specifically for the horizontally-opposed FA20 Boxer engine. The package incorporates a generously-sized airbox and an optimised filter housing which allows for additional flow while retaining the factory cold air ram intake.

One of the most important parts of the conversion is the work done by RGM’s dynamometer gurus post-installation. To this end a Unichip auxiliary engine management computer is used to remap ignition, air and fuel requirements, ensuring consistent power and reliability when running on standard 95 octane pump fuel.

Says RGMotorsport’s managing member Rob Green: “I believe we really hit the sweet spot with this conversion and it works exceptionally well. There are no sacrifices when it comes to smoothness and drivability and the power delivery is fierce without being scary. Drive it normally and you wouldn’t actually know it is Supercharged, but when you put your foot down and flip the paddles down a ratio or two it really goes.

“Now we’ve finished the first automatic our focus shifts to the three-pedal version, and we’ve got our eye set on getting a sub-six second 0 – 100 km/h sprint out of it – that’ll certainly put it in the major league as far as sports cars go.”  

The Toyota 86 RGM Supercharged costs R85 000 including a Techniflow exhaust system, and comes with a six month or 20 000 km warranty on all components used in the conversion. 

STORY AND PICS COURTESY OF ROADWORX COMMUNICATIONS

Post Title → RGMOTORSPORT MODIFIED TOYOTA 86 HITS 220KW

SUZUKI SX4 ROCKS SANI PASS

It may only be 9 km long, but Sani Pass, the notoriously dangerous, steep and twisty gravel mountain pass linking KwaZulu-Natal to the Mountain Kingdom of Lesotho has long been considered a serious test for off-road vehicles.
 

For exactly that reason, Suzuki Auto Club SA’s Jaco Nel decided that driving up Sani Pass would be a worthy test of the versatile Suzuki SX4 hatchback’s all-terrain talents. And while conquering Sani Pass would be the key objective, the trip would entail driving some 1 350 km over varied terrain, including crossing Lesotho from the top of Sani Pass to the border post at Ficksburg.

The SX4’s odyssey started in Centurion, and after following the national route to Villiers, Nel and his crew opted for the road less travelled, traversing mostly rural gravel roads all the way to the town of Himeville, at the foot of the Drakensberg. The SX4 took the ruts, rocks and washaways in its stride, while demonstrating the benefits of its all-wheel drive system to good effect.

But the real test was yet to come. Arriving at the South African border post, located at the bottom of Sani Pass, the SX4 was dwarfed by all the large, so-called ‘serious’ off-road vehicles waiting to tackle the pass.

Needless to say, the presence of the compact Suzuki, which admittedly looks more like a sporty hatchback than an all-terrainer, evoked much shaking of heads. It was obvious that there was some serious doubt about the ability of the SX4 to reach the top of the pass.

Intent on proving their critics wrong, Nel and his team set off from the border post, opting for the car’s 4WD Auto mode to provide the necessary traction. The SX4 made it look all too easy, coping with the often treacherous conditions with consummate ease.

The last few corners near the top of the pass proved to be the most challenging, as the very steep gradient would normally require switching to low range. However, the SX4 wasn’t going to be intimidated by that fact, and bravely soldiered on, with Nel opting for 4WD Lock mode to optimise grip.

Much to the surprise of several onlookers, the Suzuki SX4 arrived at the top of Sani Pass without so much as a scratch. But the challenge was by no means over. Some of the roads leading from Sani Top to the main road were even rougher than the pass itself.

Undaunted, the SX4 took the conditions in its stride, and didn’t miss a beat on the long and often challenging route to the Ficksburg border post. After a welcome respite and overnight stay in the cherry capital of SA, the SX4 was saddled up for the final leg of the journey, this time on tar.

Showing off its versatility, the SX4 swapped roles from talented all-terrainer to comfortable cruiser, cosseting its occupants in climate-controlled luxury as it covered the final 400 km to its home base.

The SX4 covered just more than 1 350 km in three days, of which 500 km was on gravel roads. Fuel consumption averaged approximately 8 litres/1000 km, and the entire trip was completed without a single hitch: no punctures, no body damage, and no mechanical ailments.

“Our trip proved emphatically that the Suzuki SX4 is a great all-rounder. It coped with a wide variety of road conditions, conquering the iconic Sani Pass in the process, while delivering on the comfort, performance and safety fronts, too,” Nel concluded.

STORY BY SUZUKI      

Post Title → SUZUKI SX4 ROCKS SANI PASS

CITROEN LAUNCHES DS3 CABRIO

Citroën has now given us the new DS3 Cabrio, a car that competes with the MINI Convertible. Based on the highly desirable DS3 Coupe, Cabrio is what is says it is, which is a car whose roof can be converted to open. Or does it really?

One imagines a convertible (or “cabriolet” – with a silent t – as they prefer in France) to have a roof that can be completely uncovered, from windscreen top to the boot area. And in most cases this is true. Except here. See, the new Citroën DS3 Cabrio is not exactly that. The soft roof top can certainly be “converted” at the push of a button, and at speeds of up to 120km/h in just 16 seconds. But where other cabriolets remove it all, the DS3 Cabrio prefers to saunter around with the roof frames still intact. That means the structural integrity of the car is not compromised in the same way as it would be on a normal cabriolet. The side windows and frame remain just where they would be. It’s really like opening a can of sardines in this way.

The advantagesare quite clear. One is that because the side pillars remain intact, rigidity is just about the same as that of the tin top, which bodes very well for handling. In fact, driving through some of the best passes in the Cape area I was able to ascertain this for myself and came out noddingin appreciation. The DS3 has lost none of its elasticity. Even more good news is that it only weighs in at 25kg more than the coupe, while the cabriolet norm is usually higher in terms of weight penalties. Boot space is at 245 litres, also good for the type of vehicle.

Pushing the front wheels of the THP 155 model forward through the 6-speed manual gearbox is the company 1.6-litre turbo. This is the highest-spec DS3 Cabrio by the way and it kicks out 115kW of power and peak torque of 240Nm. There are two lesser siblings in the form of a 60kW VTi 82 (1.2-litre) and the VTi 120 with the same 1.6, but no turbo, thus shedding only 88kW. The siblings are also less endowed with a 5-speedmanual tranny.

Because style is a matter of personal taste, Citroën has tried to cover as many tastes as possible by offering several options and standard features that can make the DS3 Cabrio stand out on its own in a crowd. Some of these include the Infini blue or Monogramme Moondust roof canvasses and the eMyWay satellite navigation system. Hopefully Citroën and the insurance company MiWay are both ok with this name. These come as part of three packages with different pricesattached to them, all with different features. For me the most glaring was the lack of an alarm system with the standard car. It has to be purchased extra as part of one of these packages!

The DS3 Cabrio offers something a little different to buyers who do want their drop-tops, but are just not willing to shell out the usual arm and a leg for them. That it’s a DS Line model means one is not compromised in terms of style, quality and the all-important chic factor either.

Citroën DS3 Cabrio Prices

DS3 Cabrio 1.2 VTi 82 Design (R219 900)

DS3 Cabrio 1.6 VTi 120 Style (R258 900)

DS3 Cabrio 1.6 THP 155 Sport (R291 900)

Post Title → CITROEN LAUNCHES DS3 CABRIO

HYUNDAI SONATA UPDATED WITH NEW ENGINE

Hyundai South Africahas launched a new engine derivative for the flagship Sonata range. The 2.4 GDI Elite engine measures 2.4-litre in displacement and is now more powerfulthan its predecessor of the same size.

While Hyundai has made great strides in catching up with some of its competitors, when it comes to powertrains they are still lagging. This is evident in the fact that the 2.4 is a naturally aspirated motor at a time when the likes of Volkswagenand Ford are pulling out highly efficient and powerful turbo engines with smaller displacements. Nevertheless Hyundai is confident that the jump from 131kWto 148kW at 6300rpm, as made by its GDI Elite, is enough to impress customers who’ve been flocking to drive off the current 6^th generation Sonata since 2010. It generates maximum torque of 250Nm at 4 250rpm. Thankfully the engine is mated to a 6-speed automatic gearbox. Hyundai says it will go from 0 – 100km/h in 9 secondsflat, reach a top end of 210km/h, while averaging 7.9 litres of unleaded fuel per 100km.

“The Sonata was already a very elegant, well-designed sedan that was the choice of many buyers who were looking for a modern premium motoring package at a very competitive price,” says Hyundai Automotive South Africa’s Marketing Director Stanley Anderson. “The new engine and subtle changes to its exterior looks, coupled with the changes on the extensive list of specifications, has enhanced this excellent offer of Hyundai in South Africa even more. It is important to note that this new Sonata is not a facelift – the designers have merely added some very sensible ‘product enhancements’ on the exterior as well as the interior.”

Not a facelift? Said “product enhancements” are to the tune of a redesigned front grille featuring the familiar family face, now with a three-louvre spindle finished in chrome, a new front bumper with redesigned headlights, new side mirrors and new rear lights. How is all this not a facelift? Unless Mr Anderson means a facelift is still on its way…

The other new bit is the interior and it now features a touch-screen sound system (still no RDS though), chrome on the door handles, two-zone climate control, electrically-adjustable front seats, cruise control, park assist, USB music port, leather seats with a 3-way memory function for the driver, and others.

Hyundai Sonata 2.4 GDI Price

R379 900

Post Title → HYUNDAI SONATA UPDATED WITH NEW ENGINE