All posts in Cars

No Regret Friday

by Chris M on July 21, 2011 in Cars with No comments

I received a cool gift the other day, a lovely picture frame from the folks at SAB. A little exploration revealed a new campaign called No Regret Friday. No Regret Friday is a movement that has been created by SAB to encourage South Africans to be responsible about drinking and driving. Read real stories from people who have been affected by drinking and driving.

The first paragraph basically summarizes everything, but it really is an eye-opening website, spending 20 minutes reading people’s stories really does give you a wake up call on what could happen if you drink and drive – I fell ill to the stomach after reading several stories.

I really like the area on the website which allows you to pledge your support – basically you fill in your name and check a box which basically verifies that you agree not to drink and drive. The list is getting longer and longer, I urge you to join in and pledge your support by clicking here.

Really great initiative!

Everyday Awesomeness: gadgets and gizmos

by Jo B on July 20, 2011 in Cars, Equipment, Gadget of the Week with No comments

If you’re one for gadgets and gizmos, keep an eye on Popular Mechanics’ “Great Stuff” web page. Here are some favourites I spotted this week:

Sony Cybershot HX100V

Forgotten your camcorder? Don’t stress. At the touch of a dedicated movie button, Sony’s 16,2-megapixel Cyber-shot HX100V delivers full HD video recording and stereo sound. Ideal for intrepid travellers and photo enthusiasts alike, it features a Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonner lens with T coatings on all optical surfaces to virtually eliminate flare. It also features 30x optical zoom, allowing you to capture detailed close-ups of distant subjects, and a manual control ring for adjusting focus and zoom.

A smart image stabilisation system with “3-way shake cancellation” significantly reduces camera shake and a sweep panorama mode allows you to capture landscapes simply by pressing the shutter button and sweeping the camera (now you’re talking a mind-boggling resolution of 10 480 x 4 096 pixels). High-speed autofocus locks on to subjects in as little as 0,1 seconds, allowing you to grab the most fleeting of moments. And here’s a nice feature: Background Defocus mode automatically combines two successive frames captured at different focus settings to yield professional- looking images with crisply focused foreground subjects against smoothly blurred backgrounds. Price: about R4 500. Contact Sony on 011-690 3555 or visit www.sony.co.za

Sandisk 32GB Extreme Pro

It’s all very well having a sophisticated camera that can take high-res photos and shoot HD video, but if you can’t capture the action, you might as well not bother. Enter SanDisk’s 32 GB Extreme Pro SDHC UHS-1 memory card, which delivers write speeds of up to 45 MB/sec in continuous burst mode. It adheres to the new UHS Speed Class 1 video rating, offering minimum sustained write speeds of 10 MB/sec, so it’s able to record HD 1080p videos and 3D content. It’s also water-resistant, and is said to withstand extreme temperatures, shock, vibration, X-rays and magnetic fields. Price: about R2 520. Contact distributor Tudortech on 011-803 2226, or visit www.tudortech.co.za

Garmin nüvi 3790LT

If you’ve come to view the GPS market as being a tad predictable in terms of innovative devices, you’re in for a pleasant surprise. Garmin’s latest beauty – the nüvi 3790LT – is a real keeper. Resembling an iPhone, and measuring a modest 8,77 mm thick, it comes packed with a host of features to ensure you never get lost again.

An 11 cm 800×480 pixel capacitive LCD touchscreen allows you to slide, tap and pinch to zoom in and out or browse surrounding areas. You can set your own “wake-up” command to activate speech recognition mode for hands-free navigation. Negotiating tricky intersections becomes a breeze, thanks to Lane Assist and Junction View, which indicate the correct lane for your chosen route. A built-in safety camera data base provides real-time alerts to keep you on the straight and narrow. This nifty gadget will even mark the position of your parked car on the map to ensure you can find it again. Price: about R4 350. Contact Garmin on 011-251 9999 or visit www.garmin.co.za

Samsung Galaxy Tab

If you’re looking for a swanky mobile tablet for both work and play, check out Samsung’s second-generation Galaxy Tab, available with either a 25,6 cm or 22,6 cm WXGA (1 280×800) display. Both versions feature an Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) operating system, a 1 GHz Dual Core application processor, expandable memory (via microSD card) up to 32 GB, a 3-megapixel rear camera and 2-megapixel front camera. In addition, you’ll fi nd surround sound stereo speakers and support for Adobe Flash 10.2. Bluetooth 3.0, Wi-Fi 802.11 (a/b/g/n), HSPA+ and a USB 2.0 port ensure you stay connected. Samsung’s Social Hub aggregates e-mail, instant messaging, contacts, calendar and social network connections into a single interface. Expect to pay about R8 000 and R7 500 for the 256 mm and 226 mm models respectively. Contact Samsung on 0860 726 786, or visit www.samsung.co.za

Mr Handsfree Solar car phone kit

We all know that talking on a mobile phone while driving is irresponsible, if not downright dangerous. However, built-in hands-free car kits can be prohibitively expensive. The solution may lie in the Mr Handsfree Solar car phone kit, which attaches to the windscreen with suction pads and does a good job. Smaller than an iPhone and convenient to use, it can support two Bluetooth-enabled handsets simultaneously. It has a battery life of up to 900 hours and features an integrated solar charging panel. Price: about R600. Contact distributor Gammatek on 011-201 0800 or visit www.te-group.com

Home-made Batmobile!

by Chris M on July 15, 2011 in Cars with No comments

Sheesh, I read some pretty wild and wonderful stuff on the Internet, but sometimes I read about something which I just think is somewhat crazy and this is one of those times. Ok, so this isn’t weird or freaky, but more just amazing.

Casey Putsch must be one of the biggest Batman fan’s that I’ve ever heard about. Why? Well, he’s built a friggin’ batmobile! There’s a real turbine jet engine in the vehicle, which he took from an old US Navy helicopter. The vehicle’s street legal and pushes out 365 horsepower! That’s really not shabby.

Pretty crazy don’t you think?

Check it out:

You have got to take a watch of the video:

Brilliant BMW MPowered Advert

by Chris M on July 7, 2011 in Cars, Marketing, Video with 1 Comment

These days I use PVR, almost all the time, so I don’t see many adverts and the main reason is because most adverts are absolutely stupid. Let’s face it, when last did you see an advert that was really good on television? I hear nothing.

But, every now and then a fantastic advert is launched, perhaps it’s an advert by Samsung, perhaps it’s one by Peugot, or perhaps it’s one by BMW..

Check it:

Chrome Audi R8 Spyder for charity!

by Chris M on June 28, 2011 in Cars with No comments

I’m a huge Audi fan, so naturally this caught my eye – check it out: Audi have provided the Elton John Foundation with a chrome Audi R8 Spyder, which they will auction off to raise funds.

Audi have not disclosed the amount that the audi will be auctioned for, but it’s going to be a good few bar! All money raised will go into Elton’s foundation, which is in support of the fight again AIDS.

Here’s the beast:

2012 Mini Cooper Coupe

by Chris M on June 22, 2011 in Cars with 4 Comments

Said to be the fastest Mini ever, the 1.6 liter, twin turbo’s vehicle puts out an impressive 208hp and clocks the 0 to 100 in just 6.1 seconds. Pretty decent for a small car, but then again, I was impressed with the power that the Cooper S put out when I had one for a day.

I’m undecided on the shape of the new Cooper, it’s more streamlined, the side skirts are aggressive and the scoop in the front is an interesting addition, but I just can’t decide whether I like it more than the Cooper we’ve all got to know. Continue reading →

Soft-top Audi R8 GT Spyder

by Chris M on June 5, 2011 in Cars with No comments

I’m an Audi fan, through and through, so when I spot something new like the Audi RS3 or the new soft-top R8 GT Spyder, something inside me gets a little excited. I mean, take a look at the photographs, who wouldn’t?

Audi are only releasing 333 of these monsters, each which comes with a 5.2-liter V10 engine, which puts out 560hp and boosts from 0 to 100 in just 3.8 blistering seconds! Imagine that sort of power with the top down? I know in my car when I reach 120km/hour, it’s normally time to slow down a little, my baby’s shielded and all, but sheesh, 120 with the roof down is plenty.

Here’s a look at this gorgeous vehicle:

A way for car rental agencies to reduce costs

by Karen on May 26, 2011 in Cars, Travel with 4 Comments

Here’s a car that I’d even let my children drive – Ford introduced their MyKey as a standard feature on the Ford Focus in 2010. It was initially created to give parents more control over the driving habits of their teenagers, but it also has a lot of potential for rental car agencies. You can put a limit on the top speed, mute the radio if the seatbelt isn’t buckled up, give earlier low fuel warnings and even block offensive radio stations! Anything to save on insuring reckless drivers.

It all comes down to the magic MyKey, which is a cross between a remote and a key. Hold in the menu button and you can set several different options. I won’t be surprised if a system like this becomes common place with other car manufacturers. It will certainly instil a sense of safety when driving in a rented car you know hasn’t been used to dice in road races! It will also encourage customers to drive safer and be more aware of their surroundings.

In the meantime, the issues we can control are really down to common sense. When hiring a car, be sure that you know exactly what to do and who to contact if the car breaks down or if you lose the key. If you can afford it, ask for a car similar to your own and remember to let the rental agency know if you require a child seat. It is not always practical to get on an airplane with one of those in tow. If the car looks like it’s been in a major accident recently, covered up by a new paint job, it is probably a good idea to request a different car. It is also worth sticking to reputable car rental agencies and shell out a bit more, your life is worth it!

Audio warning or not, I always drive with my seatbelt on.

HUGE traffic fine clamp down in Cape Town

by Chris M on May 26, 2011 in Cars with 8 Comments

If you’ve got any outstanding traffic fines, now’s a very good time to pay them and save yourself from potentially facing jail time!

Next week, Cape Town will experience a week long road block, where traffic officers will be checking thousands of drivers’ record. On top of this, officers will be visiting offenders at their work places and homes to collect outstanding fines.

Check these stats out:

Almost half a million of Cape Town’s drivers have warrants for arrest for unpaid traffic fines.
446232 motorist had arrest warrants against their names because of unpaid fines worth R207m
There are 1.4 million fines outstanding to the value of R592m

If you need to pay a fine, you can do so on www.paycity.co.za (new payfine.co.za). If your offense requires more than just paying online, you can find contact details here.

This isn’t a laughing matter, the last thing you want to do is be stopped at a road block, removed from your car and escorted to a prison cell!

Pay your fines, and I suggest printing out receipts and keeping them in your car!