Torque Magazine

How Does the Kiger CVT Actually Perform at the Pumps?⁣
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When it comes to daily fuel efficiency, the 1.0T CVT presents a slightly different real-world reality compared to the incredibly optimistic numbers printed in the official brochure. During our time with the crossover, we have been averaging around 12.9 km/L, which translates to a steady 7.7 L/100km on the daily commute. ⁣
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While achieving Renault South Africa’s claimed 6.0 L/100km has unfortunately remained out of reach for us, we are certain we could coax those figures down into the low 7s or even the late 6s if we could find the willpower to steer clear of the surprisingly addictive Sport mode.⁣
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Thankfully, the Kiger’s relatively light curb weight of just 1070 kg actively works in its favour, allowing this CVT-equipped variant to deliver punchy performance without entirely punishing your wallet. ⁣
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However, if absolute frugality is your primary goal, it is definitely worth looking at the 5-speed manual version of this iconic 1.0-litre turbo variant, which boasts a stellar claimed consumption of just 5.0 L/100km - a figure that makes it a seriously compelling option for the economy-minded driver.

: An Iconic Gullwing Shape with an AMG Soul⁣
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Imagine catching a glimpse of a classic Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing out on the road. Your brain instantly tries to process seeing a million-dollar automotive legend just casually driving past. ⁣
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But as you look closer, something tells you there is a brilliant twist to this story.⁣
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This is a fully restored 300SL Gullwing tribute, and it hides a spectacular secret under its skin. Instead of a fragile, high-maintenance 1950s drivetrain, this beautiful creation is built entirely on the modern chassis of a 2002 Mercedes-Benz SLK32 AMG.⁣
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It is the absolute best of both worlds. The hand-crafted aluminium bodywork was meticulously designed using a precise 3D scan of an original Gullwing coupe to capture those legendary, flawless lines. ⁣
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Because the heavy retractable hardtop mechanism of the standard SLK was completely removed and replaced with this lightweight aluminium shell, this car is actually a massive 400 kg lighter than the donor car. To ensure it handles properly, a full steel roll cage was integrated to keep everything incredibly tight and rigid.⁣
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That massive weight reduction means the performance is on another level. Under the bonnet sits the stock AMG 3.2-litre supercharged V6 engine, pushing out a healthy 260 kW and 450 Nm of torque, paired with a smooth 5-speed automatic transmission. It gives you the pace of a hand-built AMG sports coupe wrapped in the most beautiful shape in automotive history.⁣
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Unlike an original 1950s classic that would leave you sweating in traffic, the cabin keeps all the modern luxuries of the AMG donor car intact. You get a stunning red Nappa leather interior, power steering, and proper air conditioning for perfect comfort.⁣
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This is a rare opportunity to own a mint-condition, turnkey masterpiece that gives you all the billionaire style and AMG performance without the delicate fragility of a museum piece. It is currently available for R4,999,990.⁣
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Serious buyers can view the full listing and details here - https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/1649873112934825/

Bentley Motors' 500 kW Flying Spur S Officially Eliminates The Need For A Chauffeur⁣
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Tradition is a load-bearing pillar at Crewe, which makes the arrival of the fourth-generation a rather intriguing affair. ⁣
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For decades, the recipe for a grand British limousine involved a cavernous rear compartment, an excessively plush ride, and a distinct presupposition that the owner would be reclining in the back while a man named Jenkins handled the actual driving. ⁣
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With the revival of the performance-tuned , however, Bentley is making it abundantly clear that the person behind the steering wheel deserves a proper turn at the fun.⁣
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The headline act is a rather radical facial transformation. Crewe has discarded the traditional quad-round headlight arrangement, opting instead for single front lamps on either side. It is a styling choice no four-door has worn since 1962, aligning the sedan directly with its Continental GT stablemate. ⁣
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The S model avoids flashy chrome entirely, utilizing the Blackline Specification to tint the lenses and coat the matrix grilles, mirror caps, and badges in deep gloss black. It is a menacing look for a vehicle measuring well over five metres in length.⁣
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Beneath the extensive sheet metal sits a complex plug-in hybrid powertrain combining a twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 engine with a potent electric motor. The system develops a combined output of 500 kW and a monstrous 930 Nm of torque. ⁣
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Despite tipping the scales at more than 2.5 tonnes, this luxury cruiser can demolish the 0 to 100 kph sprint in a mere 3.7 seconds before topping out at a thoroughly brisk 308 kph. Should you wish to cross a city centre without waking the neighbours, it will happily travel for up to 80 km on pure electric power at speeds up to 140 kph.⁣
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Crucially, this iteration is built to behave like a much smaller sports car when thrashed down a twisting ribbon of tarmac. The S variant benefits from the sophisticated Bentley Performance Active Chassis as standard equipment. This clever suite bundles active all-wheel drive, twin-valve dampers, and a 48-volt active anti-roll system that counteracts body roll instantly when cornering. ⁣
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For the first time on an S model, an electronic limited-slip differential is bolted to the rear axle to manage torque vectoring across the wheels. The result is a limousine that genuinely defies physics, maintaining an incredibly flat stance through corners while relaxing into a supple glide on straight stretches.⁣
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The cabin remains a sanctuary of absolute excess, offering five distinct seat configurations that take twelve hours of hand-assembly each. Buyers can even specify an optional 21-speaker audio system derived from elite home audio architecture. ⁣
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Production commences in Crewe this September, signaling a new era where the chauffeur might find himself permanently relegated to the passenger seat.

Renault South Africa has completely overhauled the Kiger's light signature for this mid-cycle facelift, giving it a far more aggressive, modern edge.

Up front, the daytime running lights are noticeably slimmer and sharper, sweeping tightly along the bonnet line. They sit above the updated Tri-octa LED Pure Vision headlamps, which offer significantly better nighttime visibility than before. Functionally, the biggest upgrade is the addition of brand-new LED fog lamps integrated cleanly into the redesigned lower bumper.

At the rear, the distinct C-shaped LED taillamps return but get fresh detailing with smoked-out accents for a sleeker finish. With the flagship Iconic model also packing automatic headlamps as standard, the looks sharper and offers a massive jump in real-world nighttime safety.

What do you think of the updated light signature? Drop your thoughts below!

F1 Is The Pinnacle. It Always Has Been. It Always Will Be.⁣
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There are many ways to race a car at the absolute limit of human capability. You can do it sideways through a forest in a World Rally Car at 200km/h, which is genuinely terrifying. You can do it three-wide at Talladega in a NASCAR stock car at 320km/h, which is barely controlled carnage. You can do it in the Dakar Rally, which is less motorsport and more organised su***de - a fact underlined by the event's tragic history. You can even do it - and I use that phrase loosely - in a Formula E car, which produces all the sensory excitement of a fast elevator.⁣
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But there is only one category that does everything, all at once, and does it better than anyone else. That category has been running, largely uninterrupted, since 1950. Seventy-five years. It has outlasted empires, recessions, and at least four attempts by Bernie Ecclestone to ruin it. It is called Formula 1, and this weekend it parks itself, magnificently and impossibly, in the streets of Monaco.⁣
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So why does F1 occupy a tier of its own? Because the machinery is from another dimension. Under the 2026 regulations, a Grand Prix car produces over 750kW of total system output - roughly 400kW from a turbocharged 1.6-litre V6 and another 350kW from an electric motor - all from a chassis that weighs just 768kg. It generates cornering forces exceeding 6G, meaning that through a high-speed corner, your body effectively weighs six times its normal mass. The carbon-carbon brakes operate at temperatures exceeding 1,000°C and haul the car from 320km/h to near standstill in under three seconds. The tyres - Pirelli's finest engineering - are asked to perform at the absolute boundary of physics while managing complex thermal and chemical windows that shift lap by lap.⁣
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This is not comparable to any other form of motorsport. That is not disrespect - it is physics. Ken Block, God rest him, was a genius of car control. Sébastien Loeb is an eight-time World Rally champion and quite possibly superhuman. The WEC grid at Le Mans is stacked with extraordinary talent competing for 24 brutal hours. IndyCar racers at Indianapolis exceed 380km/h on the straights. MotoGP riders lean at angles that should be anatomically impossible. DTM produced some of the finest tin-top racing Europe has ever seen. These are serious, seriously dangerous forms of motorsport practiced by serious, seriously talented people.⁣
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But no other discipline combines the raw physicality of sustained 5G cornering, the strategic chess of a 305km race, the technical complexity of a 50/50 hybrid power unit producing over 750kW, and the sheer theatre of 20 of the planet's most competitive humans fighting for millimetres of tarmac - round after round, city after city, continent after continent. These are not anonymous athletes. This is Lewis Hamilton, the most decorated driver in the history of the sport. This is Max Verstappen, the most gifted driver of this century. The names alone sell out venues. F1 doesn't just visit the world. It colonises it. Twenty-four races across five continents, broadcast into 211 territories. Even football - the self-proclaimed global game - can't quite claim that reach with the same regularity, the same frequency, the same relentlessness.⁣
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And therein lies the other transformation. Liberty Media acquired F1 in 2017 and did something remarkable: they turned the greatest motorsport on earth into the greatest motorsport show on earth. Viewership has exploded. A new generation found F1 through Drive to Survive, through social media, through Lando Norris's streaming career. Rihanna attends. Jay-Z attends. ⁣
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The paddock has become a travelling circus of extraordinary scale - part sport, part fashion week, part geopolitical soft power exercise. The numbers in 2025 were staggering: 1.83 billion cumulative viewers across the season, 827 million declared fans worldwide, and in the United States alone - a market F1 could barely give away a decade ago - ESPN recorded its highest-ever single-season viewership. These people are not watching despite the spectacle. They are watching because of it.⁣
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Critics sniff at the showbiz. They shouldn't. The NFL didn't become the planet's most valuable sports league by hiding itself. The ethos remains unchanged beneath all the glitter: the fastest driver, in the fastest car, wins. Everything else is packaging.⁣
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Monaco, though, is where you understand all of it at once. Yes, it is largely processional on Sunday afternoon - ask any F1 fan who has sat through lap after lap waiting for an overtake that never comes. ⁣
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But tell that to anyone watching a 750kW missile blast up Beau Rivage flat in sixth gear, the driver's neck absorbing forces that would hospitalise most humans. Tell it to anyone watching the threading of the needle through Massenet and the Casino complex, where the barriers are centimetres away and a moment's misjudgement ends your weekend in the wall. Tell it to anyone holding their breath through the Swimming Pool section - that balletic, violent sequence of chicanes where the cars twitch and snap and somehow stay pointed in the right direction at speeds that make no sense given the geography.⁣
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Monaco is absurd. The streets are too narrow. The barriers are too close. It has been held here since 1929, because nowhere else on earth looks like this or means quite what this means. It is all flash and glamour and excess - and that, rather perfectly, is exactly the point.⁣
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The pinnacle of motorsport. In the most glamorous postcode on the planet. This weekend.

Should the Luce Bear a Ferrari Badge?⁣⁣⁣
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Enzo Ferrari once said he would never build an ugly car. He also famously declared that Ferrari would only ever make one more car than the market demanded - keeping desire at a fever pitch and exclusivity as iron law. ⁣⁣⁣
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The old man built his legacy on screaming V12s, on road cars that were barely domesticated racing machines, on the intoxicating and wholly irrational notion that a car could have a soul. That was Ferrari. That 𝘪𝘴 Ferrari.⁣⁣⁣
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So when the wraps came off the - a silent, five-seat, four-door, all-electric grand tourer penned not by Ferrari's own design studio, but by a consultancy co-founded by the man who gave the world the iPhone - the internet did what the internet does best. It lost its mind.⁣⁣⁣
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And honestly? Fair game.⁣⁣⁣
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The trolling has been spectacular. Kitkat, Toblerone, Nissan, Mazda - yes, Mazda, the maker of the original 𝘓𝘶𝘤𝘦 back in 1966 - all took shots. The bash-Ferrari bandwagon filled up faster than a Pista on a warm-up lap. ⁣⁣⁣
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But here's the thing: Ferrari absolutely played the room. Whether by accident or cold-blooded calculation, they have managed to get the entire world talking about a single car for weeks on end. Their share price dipped briefly when the Luce was revealed, then rocketed back up. Millions of eyeballs, millions of conversations - all of them with one word on their lips. Ferrari.⁣⁣⁣
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That, ladies and gentlemen, is a masterclass in brand exposure.⁣⁣⁣
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Now, let's talk about who this car is actually for - because it isn't for us. If you're reading this, you almost certainly grew up with a Ferrari poster on your bedroom wall. You know the sound of a flat-plane V8 on cam. You feel a specific kind of physical unease when someone says "EV Ferrari." You are, respectfully, not the target market. ⁣⁣⁣
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The buyers Ferrari are pursuing with the Luce have more money than opinions about throttle response. They want a status object. The Luce - with its 725 kW, its 0–100 km/h sprint in 2.5 seconds, its 310 km/h top speed and its 530 km range - delivers that in spades.⁣⁣⁣
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And the car itself? Genuinely impressive. Designed with significant input from LoveFrom, the studio co-founded by former Apple design chief Sir Jony Ive and Marc Newson, the Luce is aerodynamically the most efficient vehicle Ferrari has ever made - a drag coefficient of 0.25, achieved after 50,000 hours of development and 12 new patents. ⁣⁣⁣
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Four electric motors power each wheel independently. There's rear-wheel steering, active suspension, and steering-wheel paddles that actually do something - five stages of regenerative braking on the left, five torque maps on the right. The interior is extraordinary: a three-spoke retro steering wheel, layered instrumentation combining analogue dials with digital elements, and an integrated analogue clock, compass and stopwatch that is almost offensively beautiful.⁣⁣⁣
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Even Luca di Montezemolo, Ferrari's former chairman and a man who has never been shy about speaking his mind, was forced to concede that the Luce is unlike any other EV ever produced - in terms of its exterior, interior, and performance. He declined to go further, suggesting his full opinion would do the company "a disservice." Make of that what you will.⁣⁣⁣
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There is a theory doing the rounds that Ferrari built the Luce as a deliberate provocation - a message from the petrolhead faithful to the world's new automotive order: 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘌𝘝, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨. There is another theory that Ferrari simply needed to tick a regulatory box. Both are entertaining. Neither particularly matters.⁣⁣⁣
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What matters is this: if this exact design wore a Tesla badge, we'd be applauding its modernity. The Luce is fast, refined, technically extraordinary, and built with a level of care that shames most of the industry. ⁣
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But a Ferrari earns its badge through theatre - through the way it sounds, the way it communicates, the way it makes you feel like you're getting away with something. On those terms, the Luce remains a question, not an answer.⁣⁣⁣
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Enzo would have hated it. He also would have understood exactly why it exists.

Volkswagen's Upcoming Amarok W600 Matches The Raptor In Sheer Street Cred⁣
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To fully comprehend why a diesel bakkie from Wolfsburg has suddenly acquired the street cred to look Ford's squarely in the eye, one must understand the towering motorsport genius of Tom Walkinshaw. ⁣
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Younger enthusiasts might view the badge on the tailgate as a clever marketing exercise, but those with a proper automotive education know the name represents pure, unadulterated race-bred pedigree. ⁣
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was a Scottish racing driver and engineering maestro who built an empire out of making heavy, sensible road vehicles do completely impossible things on racetracks.⁣
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His outfit, , famously turned the lumbering Jaguar XJS into a European Touring Car champion and engineered the legendary XJR-9 to victory at . ⁣
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In , Walkinshaw was the strategic mastermind and engineering director at Benetton who steered a young to his maiden world championships, before taking over the team. ⁣
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Yet, perhaps his most delightfully unhinged achievement was convincing the world that a Estate - a vehicle built primarily for antique dealers and sensible geeks - belonged on the grid of the British Touring Car Championship. When Walkinshaw fettled a chassis, physics simply had to sit down and take notes.⁣
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That exact philosophy has been injected into the new Volkswagen , scheduled for a local launch in the fourth quarter of 2026. ⁣
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This machine completely ignores the traditional rock-crawling clichés. Recognizing that most premium bakkie owners rarely venture further off-road than a manicured gravel driveway, the engineers focused entirely on tarmac-shredding driving dynamics.⁣
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Beneath the bonnet sits the familiar 3.0-litre turbodiesel V6 engine, delivering a healthy 184 kW of power and 600 Nm of torque through a 10-speed automatic transmission. ⁣
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The real magic, however, lies in the chassis re-engineering. Walkinshaw discarded the standard front sway bar and bolted a massive 22 mm anti-roll bar to the rear. This is paired with custom, frequency-selective Koni shock absorbers, wider 20-inch alloy wheels, and ultra-sticky Michelin Pilot Sport 4 SUV tyres. Visually, it announces its presence with aggressive wheel arch extensions, a bespoke front bumper, and a shadow-chrome side-exit dual exhaust system. ⁣
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Inside, the cabin receives upgraded leather sports seats with firmer bolstering, aluminium pedals, and embroidered logos. ⁣
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What we have here, then, is not a machine for bouncing across the Kalahari dunes while shouting into a UHF radio. It is something far more sophisticated, and far more deliberate. It is a massive, diesel-powered rejection of the notion that double-cabs must handle like a cross-Channel ferry in a gale.

Let us be entirely clear: it is still a massive bakkie, and no amount of engineering wizardry can turn a 2.2 ton load-lugger into a nimble sports car.

But by invoking the spirit of the great Tom Walkinshaw, Volkswagen has delivered a heavy utility vehicle that actually manages to handle a corner with a dignity that will make its presence felt on South African asphalt by the end of the year.

This Is Exactly What Happens When Ridiculous Excess Meets Left-Field Customisation⁣
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MANSORY has never understood the concept of subtle. Their latest creation, the , takes the and turns it into a full-blown visual assault on your eyesight.⁣
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The vehicle is coated in a blinding gold finish, inside and out, featuring a widebody kit with sharp creases, fender flares, and an avalanche of front apron attachments. ⁣
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There are claw-like daytime running lights, a completely revised hood, and an eight-fin rear diffuser that looks ready to slice tarmac. It is a styling exercise that thoroughly throws traditional aesthetics out the window. ⁣
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Under the hood, they have tweaked the 4.0-litre bi-turbo V8 to deliver 530 kW and a stout 1,000 Nm of torque, which allows the vehicle to disappear before onlookers can fully process the wild styling.⁣
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Inside, the cabin matches the exterior energy with a sea of light brown leather, carbon fiber trim, and an illuminated starry sky headliner. Practically every surface is stamped with a Mansory logo, signaling an absolute rejection of understatement.⁣
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While purists will inevitably label this creation as gaudy, Mansory deserves props for thinking outside the box. More importantly, people are clearly buying these machines. If the company is still building them and pushing the envelope, a lucrative market exists for these creations. ⁣
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The buyers deserve credit too; in a sea of automotive sameness where every premium SUV starts to look identical, they are willing to stand out. It proves that while taste cannot be bought, sheer individuality certainly can.

Rolls-Royce Improves The Unimprovable With The Upgraded Spectre Series II⁣
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For over a century, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars has operated on a rather simple, unwavering philosophy: build the absolute finest motor cars in the world, and charge a small kingdom for the privilege. ⁣
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When the original Spectre arrived back in 2022, it represented a monumental shift for the brand. The lords of Goodwood had finally embraced electricity, ditching the revered V12 for silent, battery-powered wafting. ⁣
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It was a triumphant debut, quickly becoming a staple of the global elite. However, the fiercely competitive automotive market waits for no one. ⁣
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Thus, we are introduced to the new - a mid-cycle update that perfectly encapsulates the British stiff upper lip: quietly competent, unapologetically grand, and utterly devoid of panic.⁣
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designers have wisely left the exterior alone. The striking fastback profile and split headlamps remain entirely intact. Underneath the meticulously sculpted metal, however, the engineers have been frightfully busy. ⁣
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The re-engineered 102kWh battery now provides an estimated WLTP range of 628 km, while charging times have been slashed by 14%. Then there is the power. The flagship Spectre Series II now produces a rather brisk 500 kW. Crucially, it delivers a solid 1,100 Nm of torque when engaged in 'Spirited Mode'. ⁣
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It is a remarkably stout figure that ensures this 2.9-tonne super-coupe can depart from a set of traffic lights with an alarming, yet entirely silent, urgency.⁣
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The interior is where the true madness of Goodwood’s craftsmanship shines. Buyers can specify the new 'Duality Twill' fabric, spun from bamboo and demanding 2.6 million individual stitches and 16 km of thread to complete. ⁣
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If you prefer leather, Rolls-Royce will politely punch exactly 78,138 perforations into it to create a cloud-like motif. They have even fitted a new aviation-inspired clock above an up-lit stainless steel Spirit of Ecstasy.⁣
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Why is this machine so highly coveted? Bear in mind, the average owner already has half a dozen other cars sitting in the garage. Their collection easily spans from weekend exotics to the obligatory bakkies for the country estate. The Spectre is certainly not a purchase of necessity; it is a canvas for pure, unadulterated indulgence and isolated driving enjoyment. ⁣
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In an era where premium electric vehicles are beginning to look dreadfully alike, the Spectre Series II stands entirely alone. It represents the absolute pinnacle of modern luxury - a tailored, beautifully excessive motor car for those who demand nothing less than complete perfection.