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MAY 2012 | VOLUME 21 NO 05 | R28.95

Porsche’s best sports car? 1 9 -P AGE P O R SC H E SP E C I AL

917E MANS LEGENDY THE MAN WHOOWERED IT

NEW 918

LATEST ON PORSCHE’SSUPERCAR

FERRARI

FF ON ICE &NEW F12

PLUSBENTLEY SUV

IG BRUISER FOR THEWEALTHY & THE BLIND?

DRIVEN:EW MERC SL, ASTRA GTC

TESTED:

ORD KUGA, HONDA CIVIC

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MAY 2011 I TOPCAR.CO.ZA

IT’S INTERESTING TO COMPARE THE finalists in the World Car of the Year competitionwith topCar ’s 4 Best Buys winners published in ourApril edition. While our competition differs as it isvehicle segment specific and details all locally availablemodels (not just those launched during the year), BMW’s

new 3 Series and Range Rover’s stunning Evoque wereshort-listed finalists in both competitions. We werealso quite surprised that the likes of Hyundai’s Elantrawasn’t one of the WCOTY Top finalists, as it’s astand out Best Buy in its segment and was also recentlyawarded the SA Car of the Year title. Other morepuzzling inclusions in the WCOTY finalists wereCitroën’s DS5 and Toyota’s equally unremarkablenew Yaris.

That aside, of the top three WCOTY finalists, Porsche’snew 9 (99) is our favourite for the WCOTY crown– and the World Performance Car of the Year title forwhich it is also a finalist – as it’s our worthy Best Buyin the Performance Car category. By the time you read

this, we’ll know if our fellow scribes (from 3 countriesaround the world) agree with us.

That said, you may have noticed that this issue is abit of a Porsche celebration, with Ben Barry gettingup close and personal with the all-new Boxster on page

6. We also recall the performance heritage that forgedthe Porsche legend in an interview with Hans Mezger,father of the 97 and architect of many a Porschepowerplant (page 68). Then look to the future as GeorgKacher uses the stunning 98 RSR as a visual backdropto reveal Porsche’s future supercar plans (page 74).

If our Geneva motor show coverage (from page 8)is anything to go by, heavy metal, not chocolate orcheese, is Switzerland’s biggest export this last month.We sample some of the finer delicacies on offer fromthe new Mercedes-Benz SL (page 88) to Bentley’sodd-looking SUV concept (page 96).

Closer to home, we venture on a 4km comparisontest around the Cape Peninsula with the new VolkswagenGolf GTI Edition 35, Volvo C3 R-Design Polestar andCitroën DS3 Racing to see if the Renault Megane RSCup is still the hot hatch king (page 5). Regular readerswill also notice some subtle design changes in thisissue, providing cleaner navigation, more reading valueand sharper design. Let us know what you think of

the fresher content and if you are not finding topCar in your area on [email protected] . Enjoy the read!

Angus ThompsonEDITOR

// EDITOR’S WELCOME

TOPCAREDITOR Angus Thompson

[email protected]

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SENIOR WRITER Aaron [email protected]

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GP EDITOR Dieter Rencken

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6 TOPCAR.CO.ZA I MAY 2012

All the news, the cars, the drives @ www.topcar.co.za CONTENTS

// COVER STORIES

74

60

‘The sound is mesmerising, like a Star Wars TIE fighter, getting louder the more you

approach the redline’ – AARON BORRILL

50 50 | HOT HATCH GROUP TESTWe pit the revered Renault Megane RS Cup against some unfamiliarrivals in a 400km trans-peninsula group test

19-PAGE PORSCHE SPECIAL

60 | THE ALL-NEW BOXSTERIs this Porsche’s best sports car?

68 | THE MAN WHO POWERED PORSCHE

Hans Mezger: designer of the original flat six, father of the 917

74 | PORSCHE 918 RSRWhat this amazing concept tells us of Porsche’s sports car future

88 | MERCEDES-BENZ SL500 DRIVEN

Is the sixth-generation SL still the S-Class of roadsters?

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MAY 2012 I TOPCAR.CO.ZA 7

// BULLETIN8 | FIRST LOOK: FERRARI F12 BERLINETTAFerrari’s 599 replacement is faster around Fiorano than an Enzo

10 | BULLETIN: HOT PROPERTY

The all-new Mercedes-Benz A-Class is one cool hatch, Lambo’soutrageously mad Aventador J, the new Audi A3: annoyingly bland;infuriatingly good and a topless Evoque

22 | EUROPE’S CAR BOSSES SPEAK! Gavin Green has an audience with the men who lost R11.6bn. What’sthe plan?

24 | TOPCAR COLUMNS: Gavin Green, Georg Kacher and

Dieter Rencken get a whole page each

// FIRST DRIVES

30 | OPEL ASTRA GTC

32 | TOYOTA AVANZA

34 | OPEL MERIVA

35 | VOLKSWAGEN GOLF CABRIOLET

36 | JAGUAR XKR-S CONVERTIBLE/MERC ML63 AMG

38 | BMW ACTIVE HYBRID 5

40 | MINI ROADSTER

41 | FIAT PUNTO/MITSUBISHI PAJERO SPORT MANUAL

// ROAD TESTS42 | HONDA CIVIC

Aaron Borr ill says Honda’s new Civic sedan is better than you think

46 | FORD KUGAIt’s taken Ford four years to bring the Kuga to SA. Too old to makean impact? Wayne Batty finds out

// FEATURES

80 | FERRARI FF EXTREME TESTWhat happened when we lost control. At 130kph. On ice...

96 | BENTLEY’S SUV SHOCKERThey call it ‘regal’. Really?

// BACK102 | AUTO SCULPTURE: Legendary Fiat Mefistofele reimagined

106 | TECH KNOW: Battery-powered cars have their place but

Mercedes-Benz reckons hydrogen power is the way to go

110 | TOPCAR CLASSIC: FIAT ABARTH VS 850TC

116 | CAR SALES: BREEZING ALONG

117 | COOL STUFF: WATCHES

118 | GADGETS: The stuff you need to have right now

120 | OUR CARS We welcome a diesel Jaguar XF and Volkswagen Passat to the fleet.We say au revoir to the Peugeot 3008. Plus updates on our BMWX1, Honda Accord, and Volvo V60 Polestar

146 | THE TOPCAR TOP 10 Things that car designers have designed, but here’s the twist: they’renot cars

46

110

14

118

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BULLETIN // GENEVA MOTOR SHOW


FIRST LOOKCONTRIBUTORS: PHIL MCNAMARA, BEN BARRY, TIM POLLARD, MARK WALTON, BEN PULMAN, ASHLEY OLDFIELD

FERRARI F12 BERLINETTA

So it’s quick and it’s red: what’s the big deal? A 545kW V12, pioneering aero and Ferrari’s design future, that’s what

FERRARI F12 BERLINETTA

IN A NUTSHELL Ferrari reinvents its front-engined V12,with thermonuclear resultsBEST BIT Make that bits: the 545kW V12 redlined at8 700rpm, the aerodynamic ‘air bridges’ above the frontwheels, design evokes a 21st century 275 GTB/4DELIVERIES Late 2012LIKELY PRICE R4 Million (est)VERDICT Makes the Aston Martin One-77 look slothfuland over-priced

ACTIVE AEROHot brake discs trigger bumperducts to open; Manzoni saysF12’s aero boosts top speed by10kph – to more than 340kph

DYNAMICSChassis gets adaptivedamping, carbonbrakes, Ferrari’selectronic diff andadjustable traction andstability settings

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MAY 2012 I TOPCAR.CO.ZA 9

COCKPITSeats and dash are set lowerthan in 599; F12’s designer is

Flavio Manzoni (right)

WHERE DO YOU start with Ferrari’s F Berlinetta? This car breaksmore ground than an Alpine tunnel boring machine: it’s the fastest-accelerating Ferrari ever, runs its most powerful V and features cutting-edge aerodynamics, all wrapped in a package that’s lighter and smallerthan its 599 predecessor’s.

And it’s the first car from Ferrari design director Flavio Manzoni(below). The ex-VW designer (he joined Ferrari in January ) is apurist, rigorously making form bow to function and averse to embel-lishments and ‘déjà vu’ styling cues.

‘My goal is to create unique forms, led by the car’s performance,function and aerodynamics, not for aesthetic reasons,’ says Manzoni.‘This is the rigorous method we are following, for this car and the ones

that follow.’ Manzoni studied architecture and industrial design, andhis tour of the F begins with the car’s backbone: its package. Thealuminium F stands 63mm lower than the 599, and it’s shorter andnarrower to improve agility and with a lower centre of gravity to booststability. The trim 55kg dry weight is biased 46:54 front:rear, withthe front-mounted V offset by a rear transaxle housing the seven-speeddual-clutch gearbox and electronic diff.

The new, naturally aspirated V has a swept volume of 6 6cc, high-pressure direct injection and a 3.5: compression ratio, deliveringexplosive results. Peak power is 545kW, maximum torque is 69Nm.

The F can blast from -kph in 3.sec, while the kph barrieris smashed in 8.5sec. Its :3. laptime around Fiorano is a second quickerthan the 599 GTO’s, and .9secs faster than the mid-engined Enzo.

Naturally, aerodynamics help unlock this staggering performance;the F has twice the aero efficiency of a 599. A stark example are thebonnet channels beside the front lamps, which force air beneath two‘air bridges’ and down the sculpted sides, boosting downforce andeliminating the need for a big rear wing, says Manzoni proudly.

Manzoni’s team and Pininfarina collaborated on the design. ‘The bigengine and [-inch] wheels help give fantastic proportions,’ says Ferrari’sdesigner. ‘We tried to use eye-catching elements, to make the F uniqueand recognisable.’

In that respect it’s mission accomplished. ‘I’m most proud of thedesign’s originality and equilibrium,’ says Manzoni. ‘Every Ferrari hasto be a masterpiece; it was my dream to try to create a masterpiece.’

Only longevity can bestow that status on the F, but it’s balancedtwo often conflicting goals: it’s both beautiful and functional. And every

inch is pure, unadulterated Ferrari.

THE HEARTFerrari’s punchiestever V12 punches out88kW per litre. Fuelconsumption improves

30% to 15/100km

AIR BRIDGESSee those ductsbetween wheelarchand A-pillar? Air ischannelled off thebonnet and throughthem, generatingdownforce

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BULLETIN // GENEVA MOTOR SHOW

// Red spoilers a nd seatbelts? Fun replaces revolution as Merc targets Golf

MERCEDES-BENZ A-CLASS

The new A, ushered in at Geneva, is a resolutely moreconventional affair, designed to raise profit margins,not excitement levels of technicians.

The original A-Class was arguably one of four radical

small cars of the past two decades (the others beingSmart’s Fortwo, Audi’s A and Tata’s Nano). An unusualsandwich floor was designed to accommodate alterna-tive powertrains which, ironically, are only just becomingfeasible now, 5 years later. But the A-Class’s complexelevated cockpit caused a few wobbles along the wayand ended up costing Daimler a lot to manufacture.

So the new A has no sandwich floor, no tallboy statureand no troubling engineering solutions. But far fromdismissing Mercedes’ smallest as going all dull on us,the new hatch broadens the appeal of the model. Hell,they’ve even created an AMG Sport pack with red spoileraccents and crimson seatbelts to strap you into integrated,bucket-syle seats. We’ve already seen the sober, sensibleB-Class and now the five-door Golf-alike A-Class

hatchback. But chief executive Dieter Zetsche tells usa further three derivatives are coming. Count on a baby4x4 and CLS-apeing coupe-cum-saloon plus a mysteryfifth model. All are wrapped around a front-wheel-drive

architecture which can be equipped with 4wd for higher-powered hot-hatch versions (a rabid 5kW A5 AMGis coming) and that compact SUV. Engines will pre-dominantly be .6- and .-litreunits, with the cleanestemitting just 99g/km of CO.Downsizing and direct-injection – are deployedand every engine isthus turbocharged.And what of thestyle? This is anentirely differentkettle of fish,stretching 49mmlonger and 6mmlower than the old Aand the execution is neatly stylish. Lofty driving positionsare out, low-slung sports seats are in, with tablet screens,smartphone syncing, and round silver air jets for vents.It’s a lovely cabin to sit in and button-prod, and the bootis 34 litres once you get past the narrow opening pinchedby those large rear lamps.

If you ever doubt the technology trickle from premiumto mainstream, take note: every A-Class will have radar-based collision avoidance, it will read speed limit signsfor you and there are five different types of interior carbon

fibre finish. The quirks may be gone, but that’s cool.

AMG TO COME

Merc is lining up a 250kWA25 AMG that will likely be4wd and target BMW’s elite1M owners.

MERCEDES A-CLASS

IN A NUTSHELL Merc’s smallesthas been normalised – it’s nowslap bang in Golf/1 Series territoryBEST BIT New A will spawn awhole family: SUV and coupes will

join 5dr hatch and B-ClassON SALE January 2013LIKELY PRICE From R250 000(est)VERDICT It might be moreconventional, but the new MercA-Class is more of a class act than

ever

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Topcar 2012-05