SA Roadtests
South Africa
ctjag8
This is the home of automobile road tests in South Africa. I drive South African cars, SUVs and LCVs under real-world South African conditions. Most, but not all, the vehicles driven are world cars as well, so what you read here possibly applies to the models you get where you live.
My most recent drive is on the home page. Archived reviews and opinion pieces are in the active menu down the left side. Hover your cursor over a heading or manufacturer's name and follow the drop-down.
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Posted: 9 April 2015
The cheat sheet
Price: R3 087 014 including CO2 tax
Engine: 5980 cc, 36-valve, 60-degree V12 with chain-driven SOHC and single turbocharger per bank
Power: 463 kW between 4800 and 5400 rpm
Torque: 1000 Nm between 2300 and 4300 rpm
Zero to 100 km/h: 4.1 seconds
Maximum speed: 250 km/h (governed)
Real life fuel consumption: About 14.4 l/100 km
Tank: 80 litres
Boot: 400 litres
Warranty and maintenance: 6 years/100 000 km; at 15 000 km or annual intervals
Kevin Felger is a Master Mechanic, a title he wears proudly because it is hard-earned. Not for him or his approximately four-dozen colleagues the pretentious and overworked title of Automotive Technician. Highly skilled, highly trained, proud and motivated, they have no need for fancy appellations because their job is the envy of mechanical craftsmen the world over. They build beautiful, powerful and personalised engines at Mercedes-AMG in the little town of Affalterbach in Southern Germany.
Every moving part is blue-printed and balanced, every component is controlled and recorded and every process and procedure is logged. And every unit is painstakingly assembled by hand. One man, one engine, is the mantra and to prove each motor’s provenance, it is personally signed off with a plaque bearing the mechanic’s signature. Herr Felger built the 6.0-litre, twin-turbo V12 fitted to the S65 AMG Coupé we had on trial recently.
The most sophisticated and expensive of all (unarmoured) Mercedes-Benz cars available in South Africa at present, it is probably also the most-noticed one we have ever driven.
Starting with the young father who brought his pre-teens to photograph the car and ultimately sit in it, touch and hear it; to the curious crowds who swarmed around and jostled to be inside while their friends took pictures; the car guard who dreams he will win the Lotto one day and buy one just like it, and finally the schoolboys who hauled out their ‘phones to grab pics as the car drove by – the reflected glory was almost embarrassing.
“It’s just a car,” we stated more than once. “Oh, no, it isn’t” was the universal reply.
Apart from its popularity, mainly among males of all ages, the first thing you notice about an S65 AMG is the exhaust note. Utterly distinctive, it’s a sort of rumbling, rasping sound that does weird things to your heart rate - especially at startup. It’s unlike Detroit Iron in that there are fifty-percent more pulses - and the timbre is different because it has an offset-, rather than cross-plane, crankshaft. That makes a big difference.
We also suspect trickery with the exhaust system because the spec’ sheet shows a higher decibel count at idle than at cruising speed. Whatever the reason, this is not a car for sneaking around in; neighbours will know exactly what time you arrived and when you left. For a hint, read our review of the C63 version here:
Then there’s the steering weight. With man-sized heft, it’s comforting, confidence-inspiring and substantial. When it becomes too much for daily use, there’s a button on the dash that adds some assistance, but even then, it remains a fistful. Dialling in Sport mode not only sharpens the steering but it adds weight to the action – just thought you should know.
The next thing you notice is that this machine is planted. It sits and handles so solidly you could swear that every wet road on the planet suddenly dried up. Don’t take that too literally because it’s not our place to encourage hooligan behaviour. The motoring writers’ Guild disapproves and we can’t be responsible for anything unexpected or beyond our control. So have fun. But behave.
Then there’s the power; although little old ladies could drive it in traffic, it should be treated with respect. In normal freeway use, a gentle nudge on the loud pedal gets you past other traffic quickly and unobtrusively, but a playful stomp yields surprising results. Depending on the enthusiasm with which you prod, a single- or double-thud in the kidney region makes your eyes go big while those iconic three letters change slightly - to O.M.G. - and the far horizon reels in faster than you believed possible.
It’s pointless spending hundreds of words on all the features, toys, safety kit and options, because most Mercedes' offer the same stuff, it just takes up space and you can get yourself a brochure. Let’s rather decide whether it’s usable or not. The boot is big enough for a decent load of groceries or luggage, but the car has only two doors; which by definition means it doesn’t “do” back seat riders very well.
Space for a 6’1” passenger, seated behind the front chair adjusted for him- or herself is marginal and headroom for the same person in the hot seat is not great either. The standard panoramic roof steals vertical space, so there’s only about two fingers’-width of gap between scalp and hood lining.
The sedan version would probably be better for family use, but coupés aren’t meant to be boring and practical. They’re escape machines for those whom adventure calls; and don’t give a cuss who knows when they come or go.
Test car from MBSA press fleet
This is a one-man show, which means that every car reviewed is given my personal evaluation and receives my own seat of the pants judgement - no second hand input here.
Every test car goes through real world driving; on city streets littered with potholes, speed bumps and rumble strips, on freeways and if its profile demands, dirt roads as well.
I do my best to include relevant information like real life fuel economy or a close mathematical calculation, boot size or luggage space, whether the space is both usable and accessible, whether life-sized people can use the back seat (where that applies), basic specs of the vehicle and performance figures if they are published. In the case of clearly identified launch reports, fuel figures are of necessity the laboratory numbers provided with the release material. If I ever place an article that doesn't cover most things, it's probably because I have dealt with that vehicle at least once already, so you will be able to find what you want in another report under the same manufacturer's heading in the menu on the left.
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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SA Roadtests
South Africa
ctjag8