SA Roadtests
South Africa
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This is the home of automobile road tests in South Africa. We drive South African cars, SUVs and LCVs under South African conditions. It also just happens that most of the vehicles we drive are world cars as well, so what you read here probably applies to the models you can get at home.
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Published in The Witness Motoring on Wednesday November 14, 2012
Phenom, Voleex C10 and plain C10; all names used in various parts of the world to describe GWM’s replacement for its Florid city car. Luckily for us, GWM South Africa decided to simply call it C10 and leave the tongue-twisters for overseas buyers. The CB150 has also been discontinued but Florid Cross will remain for a while at least, because no C10 crossover has been developed yet.
While the 1500 cc, GW4G15 motor continues in service with the same claimed output numbers, GWM SA assures us that it has been remapped slightly to run more smoothly and use less fuel. The proof is in the official CO2 emissions figure of 117 gm./km. It certainly seemed quieter and smoother and felt more solid than we remembered from driving a Florid for Maritzburg Fever a few months ago.
Apart from the obvious changes in its appearance, the new car is slightly shorter although its wheelbase is longer and the body is microscopically wider. This translates into more people space between the wheels and greater comfort. Suspension and brakes remain as they were, as does basic equipment. This includes ABS with EBD, two airbags, power windows all around, electric mirrors, air conditioning, built-in radio and CD player with USB and auxiliary, fog lamps at both ends, disc brakes front and rear, remote central locking, reverse parking assistance, heated and wiped rear screen and childproof locks for the back doors.
Its party trick is eight-way adjustable loading space as demonstrated enthusiastically by the regional sales manager who delivered the car. At least we think he said eight ways – it blurred after a while. The back seats are split 60:40 and slide back and forth individually. Their backrests can recline too and they fold completely flat provided you haven’t lowered the boot floor. Huh? Precisely, Berkinshaw. Under the floorboard lies the spacesaver spare and a pair of compartmented plastic boxes that allow you to stash valuables without attracting attention.
Both boxes can be removed after loosening plastic turnbuckles and put aside until needed again. Replacing the floorboard, so it sits directly on top of the spare, makes the boot deeper. Sliding the seats forward so the cushions are up against the front seats makes it longer. Then you can fold the seat backs down; individually or together. This will cause a slight hump. If you need a completely flat loading space, replace the plastic boxes and raise the floor level again. Mum’s baby carrier just became a Kombi. If you have stuff to plug in or recharge, the C10 boasts three 12-volt sockets between the boot and the front ashtray.
Being a small city car, rear seat leg- and headroom isn’t great for tall people although its target demographic of younger buyers and families with small children probably wouldn’t notice. Both steering and the driver’s chair are adjustable for height and the wheel features sound controls.
There are bottle bins on all doors, a fair-sized glove box and a little cell-phone, or tollbooth change, box by the driver’s right knee. Fit and finish is very good and dashboard layout is certainly more modern than on the Florid. It has a bright and airy appearance; welcoming is a good word. Performance from the 1500 cc motor is competent rather than electrifying, but well up to everyday expectations.
The numbers
Price: R134 990
Engine: 1497 cc DOHC, 16-valve, four-cylinder
Power: 77 kW at 6000 rpm
Torque: 138 Nm at 4200 rpm
Zero to 100 km/h: 12,8 seconds
Maximum speed: 175 km/h
Fuel consumption: 6,9 l/100 km
Tank: 40 litres
Warranty: 3 years/100 000 km, with 2 years’ roadside assistance
To see the launch report and more technical detail, click here
This is a one-man show, which means that road test cars entrusted to me are driven only by me. Some reviewers hand test cars over to their partners to use as day-to-day transport and barely experience them for themselves.
What this means to you is that every car reviewed is given my own personal evaluation and receives my own seat of the pants judgement - no second hand input here.
Every car goes through real world testing; on city streets littered with potholes, speed bumps and rumble strips, on freeways and if its profile demands, dirt roads as well.
My articles appear every Wednesday in the motoring pages of The Witness, South Africa's oldest continuously running newspaper, and occasionally on Saturdays in Weekend Witness as well. I drive eight to ten vehicles most months of the year (press cars are withdrawn over the festive season - wonder why?) so not everything gets published in the paper. Those that are, get a tagline but the rest is virgin, unpublished and unedited by the political-correctness police. Hope you like what you see, because there are no commercial interests at work here. As quite a few readers have found, I answer every serious enquiry from my home email address, with my phone numbers attached, so they can see I do actually exist.
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So occasionally a cow, a goat or a horse may add a little local colour by finding its way into the story or one of the pictures. It's all part of the ambience!
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SA Roadtests
South Africa
ctjag8