DieselDrive Magazine

Audi South Africa has doubled the local A1 compact hatch range with the addition of the new A1 Sportback. Essentially a five-door version of the already popular three-door A1 (over 2 000 examples were sold in South Africa in 2011), the new Sportback mirrors the existing range of models, but with the added practicality of [...]

Kia Motors has just launched its all-new D-segment sedan to the South African market. Breaking into the segment for the first time since we last saw the Magentis a few years ago, the new Optima is set to spearhead Kia back into a very busy market segment. Featuring new-age Kia styling and the brand’s now [...]

After quickly selling up a storm with the all-new Rio hatchback, which Kia Motors introduced to the local market in November 2011, the new Rio sedan has just arrived in South Africa. Featuring the same bold new look as the hatch, the new sedan is set to strengthen Rio sales even further for the Korean [...]

The arrival of the Nissan GT-R – or Godzilla, as it’s fondly known – on local shores is a fond memory in my mind. I vividly recall the excitement that had built up in the motoring journalism fraternity the closer its launch date came and also that it was one of the best birthday experiences [...]

The scantily clad women who grace the pages of most men’s magazine are undoubtedly nice to look at, but when you ask Joe Soap about it, the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen won’t be a well-known model or actress, but the woman he took home to introduce to his parents. She may not be [...]

I’ll be the first to admit that I never saw the need or purpose of the first-generation Mercedes-Benz B-Class. With its mini-MPV stance and hatchback proportions, it was the Mercedes-Benz with the least coherent design I could think of and, whenever I saw one of the road I wanted to follow it and ask the [...]

It’s hard to believe that legendary cars like the Rekord, Kadett and, more recently, the Astra came from the same company that made sewing machines and high-wheel bicycles when it started 150 years ago in Germany. It was a time when a concept such as personal mobility had absolutely no impact on society and no [...]

The somewhat quiet Opel brand has just unleashed its all-new Astra GTC models to the local market, following on its debut local showing at last year’s Johannesburg International Motor Show.   The new GTC is a concept-turned-production car, with much of the concept’s fantastic design cues making its way onto the road. It’s also unmistakably [...]

With the local launch of the new BMW 3 Series (codenamed the F30) this past week, BMW didn’t have to prove anything to convince anyone about the car’s rich heritage and undeniable benchmark status in its segment. Since the first generation 3 Series made its debut in 1975, more than 12 million units have been [...]

Fiat has just released its refreshed Punto range to the local market, and unusually at the same time as other international new Punto launches. The revitalised range sees new life injected into the brand’s bread-and-butter model, with updated styling, a host of new colours, new interior fabrics, daytime running lights and Start&Stop technology for all [...]