South African Festival of Motoring highlights

So the first South African Festival of Motoring, held recently at the refurbished and now truly world-class Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit, has come and gone.

And by all accounts, it was a success, and hopefully paves the way for bigger and better events in the future.

The venue was perfect. It allowed for static and interactive displays, test drives in new cars, and passenger hot laps in seriously fast racing machinery. Food and drink outlets also ensured the family was happy.

Everything from the moment you arrived at the main entrance worked like clockwork.

Yep! Have a ticket, go park at your designated area and hop on one of the courtesy tuk-tuks and golf carts around the circuit.

This worked particularly well if you were not keen on walking, making it easy to be anywhere within the complex in mere minutes.

Bottom line, it was a feast for motoring enthusiasts, with a number of manufacturers using the weekend to unveil new models.

1. Jaguar F-Type SVR The F-Type SVR is the fastest and most powerful Jaguar ever to be sold in the country, and its exceptional straight-line performance was unlocked by raising the output of Jaguar’s supercharged 5.0-litre V8 to 423kW and 700Nm, enabling the F-Type SVR to claim an acceleration from 0-100km/h in just 3.7 seconds and on to a top speed of 322km/h.

2. Datsun GO+ Less than two years after the introduction of the Datsun GO in South Africa, Datsun is proud to launch its second model, the GO+. The GO+ offers adventurous up-and-coming motorists a car that is flexible and will carry their growing families in style.

3. Range Rover Evoque Convertible Land Rover has unveiled the world’s first luxury compact SUV convertible. Range Rover Evoque Convertible combines the bold design and refinement of Evoque with comprehensive specification and a sophisticated folding roof to create a no-compromise, all-season convertible.

4. Toyota Fortuner Echoing a similar sales success story to that of its Hilux sibling, Fortuner has proven to be a hit with a variety of users. 2.8 GD-6 and V6 models receive an upgrade to stylish 18” alloy wheels with a distinctive dual-profile machined finish.

5. Toyota Etios Sprint The well-respected Etios range has established itself as a staple in the small passenger car market in South Africa. Building on this established platform, is the new ‘Sprint’ model, which will add some zing to the Etios line-up when it makes its debut in Q1 of 2017.

6. Toyota Hilux SRX Based on customer feedback, Toyota is implementing certain changes to the SRX grade model. The key change point is the move to a wide-body construction, complete with wide integrated over-fender, as utilised on current Raider grade.

7.  Toyota C-HR Taking centre stage at the Toyota stand was a holographic preview of the futuristic and funky C-HR cross-over vehicle. As Toyota’s first foray into the small SUV/cross-over genre, the C-HR is set to make a statement with distinctive ‘diamond-themed’ exterior styling.

8. Lexus Making its first public appearance on the Lexus stand was the face-lifted IS Sport Sedan. The IS’s characteristically edgy shape has been enhanced, elevating its aggression.

9.  Nissan GT-R Shown was the new 2017 Nissan GT-R, which is Nissan’s most powerful, yet most refined version of the R35 to date. The new models are available right now at a price of R1 950 000 for the Premium Edition and R2 050 000 for the Black Edition.

10. Mercedes-AMG Following the recent onslaught of new model introductions by Mercedes-Benz, and its sports car and high-performance brand Mercedes-AMG, the brand showcased and demonstrated almost all of its exciting products to customers and car fanatics alike.

11.  VW Tiguan VW showed its recently launched Tiguan, and it is the first VW SUV to sit on the now familiar MQB platform, which means it benefits from the latest available technology and shares much of its underpinnings with her successful new models such as the award-winning Golf and Passat.

12.  BMW M4 GTS The BMW M4 GTS gives BMW M GmbH a new and exclusive technological showpiece that elevates the potential of the BMW M4 Coupe to another impressive new level. At the same time, the sharpest BMW M4 of all – like its BMW M stablemates – can also hold its own on public roads.

13. BMW M3 “30 Years M3” As a tribute to the first generation of the BMW M3, the anniversary edition “30 Years M3” is painted in the exclusive exterior colour, Macao Blue metallic, which once celebrated its premiere in BMW’s colour range as a special option for the first generation of the BMW M3.

14. BMW M760Li xDrive BMW South Africa also presented the new BMW M760Li xDrive to a specialist audience and media at the SA Festival of Motoring, and this car debuts a new 448kW M Performance TwinPower Turbo 12-cylinder petrol engine.

*Images| Quickpic