I miss those days of bakkies just being bakkies! Simple, with no frills. So it was exciting to be reunited with one at the launch of the third-generation Gazoo Racing-inspired Hilux, in my home province of Eastern Cape. 

Right off the bat, it is unmissable, thanks to the flared wheel arches. It has a feel that puts you in mind of that WWE Boss Vince McMahon walk of arrogance. 

This is further enhanced by the new-look front end — the bumper and grille have benefited from redesign and an air intake and bash plate round off the front quite well. 

The side profile’s biggest drawcard is the aforementioned big wheel arches which house 17-inch gloss black wheels wrapped in BP Goodrich rubber and huge mud flaps. 

The rear bumper also benefits from gloss black inserts and more hardened plastic, while the LED taillights are decent, especially when viewed under the night sky. 

Did I mention lots of GR Sport badges?

The interior oozes sportiness. The mix of leather and suede on the sports seats; the GR logo on the front headrests; the centre-marked, multifunction steering wheel with pedal shifters; sports pedals and a power button show what this vehicle is about. 

The infotainment screen resolution is crisp, with a user-friendly functionality for both Android Auto and Apple Car, with a booming JBL sound system to boot. 

Space is ample and functional. 

Under the hood is the trusty 2.8-litre turbo diesel powerplant that generates an impressive 165kW and 550Nm via a six-speed automatic transmission that has a manual override option. This is done by flicking the gear lever to the side or via the paddle shifters. 

A huge sense of occasion is felt thanks to the 20mm increase in ride height, a 70mm wider front track and a 77.5mm wider rear track. 

New mono-tube shocks and a reworked suspension add to the markedly improved ride we experienced on the tar, sand and a lot of gravel driving. 

The power is not lacking as the 165kW is ample for a bakkie of this calibre. While there is some bounce on gravel, it is tolerable, and the handling on the road is impressive, even with the thick rubber which was surprisingly not noisy. 

Our launch route took in various surfaces and the Hilux was able to take them on with ease. 

The route on a Jeffreys Bay farm started with steep inclines which saw us test departure and approach angles, along with hill-descent control. The newcomer fared very well, as wide as it is.

We then did some sandy exercises through a course set up on the beach which it also handled well. Mind you, we had deflated our tyres to between 900psi and 850psi.

The experience was fun and reminded me of Namibia, which remains the benchmark for sandy, off-road driving. 

The sand was dry and also tough and that can be detrimental if one does not tread carefully, even with flowing traffic, because we create paths to follow on the trail. 

We had one casualty, though, which was not the car’s fault but rather a lack of sufficient momentum on the driver’s part to clear the obstacle. 

The gravel stretch from Plett to George was intriguing as it was dry with a lot of undulations. The dust was serious and safe following distances had to be maintained. 

This was where we could feel if the improvements which have been made to this vehicle were worth it or a waste of time. The vehicle’s performance wasn’t all that bad but a multilink suspension would go a long way to improve comfort.  

This latest Toyota Hilux GR-S is all it’s cracked up to be, in my view and, contrary to popular belief, it is not a Ford Raptor competitor. 

I get the sense that it is up against the Ford Ranger Tremor, as they have similar qualities, although the Ford has more electronic tech. 

The Toyota is a simpler vehicle, yet it can dance easily on sand and gravel, has great on-road manners and it looks the part. 

Price: R999 000

Well, I was that lucky. I was in Cape Town seven years ago when BMW SA introduced us to the first-generation subcompact luxury crossover the X2 and again for the new generation of the model. 

Then, they had just two petrol engines on offer at the launch, as they did with this new generation. It was a strange approach but it proved to be a good product with 390 000 units sold globally. 

The world has gone SUV crazy and BMW has not been left behind as its X model portfolio has something for everyone. 

The all-new, second-generation X2 set headlines alight a few months ago when we first laid eyes on international press release pictures. We were smitten — or at least I was. 

The looks scream bold. The huge grille (which we have now come to terms with) and LED headlights plus the illuminated grille — in the instance of the flagship M35i — do justice in their way. 

Both derivatives at the launch were decked out with M Sport packages and M Sport Pro, in the M35i. 

The lines are sharper than those of its predecessors, which had a more rounded and softer look, even in  their sportiest regalia. 

The side profile highlights are the 19 to 21-inch, multi-spoke wheels wearing lovely, comfortable rubber in the S-Drive 18i we sampled first. 

The M35i has a lower-profile 245/35/21R rubber, which has serious street cred, but does compromise some comfort. 

I adore the M-specific mirrors in the M35i, while the 18i has standard glossy black covers. 

The rear end completes the sports coupe silhouette beautifully with a glossy black spoiler and bumper inserts for the 18i, and double gloss, extended quad exhaust outlets, surrounded by what we could call a diffuser, on the M35i. 

The new X2 is 194mm longer (at 4,55m), 21mm wider (at 1,84m) and 64mm higher (at 1 590m) than its predecessor. 

The exterior look on both models had me smitten and the colour selection is comprehensive. 

The interior is minimalistic, spacious and flowing, yet practical. 

The low-slung dash allows for better visibility over the curved digital display, which uses the latest BMW operating system 9. 

The centre console controls are similar to what you find in the current X1 and I was not a fan. It has visual appeal but lacks a practical and user-friendly aspect. 

The seats are possibly the second best thing about the car. They are clad in two-tone leather, with high-quality stitching, while the dash inserts in the M35i boast Alcantara-feel leather. 

You also get illuminated, powered M sport seats in the range-topper, which are super supportive.

Coupe-style SUVs, for the most part, tend to compromise on boot space, but not the X2, which has the standard 560-litre space. 

Both launch models were kitted out with a thumping Harman Kardon sound system. 

The overall feel is premium, yet sporty, and it works brilliantly. 

You now get a panoramic glass sunroof which does not open but adds an airy ambiance to the cabin.

How does it drive? The 18i has a three-cylinder, 1.5-litre, turbocharged powerplant which might just be the one for most folks, despite its 115kW and 230Nm output, which might not seem like much to haul an SUV this size. But it proved ample to send power to the front wheels via a seven-speed auto box that made gear changes an absolute cinch, even during bursts of spirited driving. 

BMW has filtered down the boost function from the new 5 Series, which is activated by tugging the upshift paddle on the steering for a few seconds to get a spurt of power, which is handy for overtaking. 

The steering does feel rather sensitive — even to the slightest input at higher speeds. 

I found the lane-keeping and departure-safety driving aids in both models intrusive. While I understand the safety aspect, I do wish they had a slightly less sensitive warning system.

The M35i comes gun blazing with a 2.0-litre force-fed mill delivering 233kW and 400Nm through a seven-speed auto gearbox sending power to all four wheels. 

This feels intoxicating — until you discover the pops and bangs are not coming from the quad exhaust pipes but rather are synthetically piped through the speakers. Eish, BMW! 

Performance, however, is strong. The car jolts with the vigour of a track athlete, romping to a claimed 5.6 seconds in the 0 to 100km/h sprint. The surge of power is relentless right up to the rev limiter, while the handling is brilliant, even with the sensitive steering. 

When one needs to shave off the momentum, the 19-inch brakes do a commendable job. 

Fake exhaust sound notwithstanding, the new BMW X2 scores high marks as a stylish sibling to the more pragmatic, yet still brilliant, X1. 

Priced at R873 793 for the S-Drive 18i and R1 223 935 for the range-topping M35i, with all the standard specifications on both derivatives, I reckon it’s a winning package.

Needless to say, when I was rocking the VW e-Golf, it was met with mixed reactions. It had no exciting sounds and I had to explain countless times that it drives just like any internal combustion car. 

On a more recent visit with the new Polo GTI, it was quite a festive affair. It looked right, it sounded right and went like the clappers — happiness all around. 

A few weeks later, I’m afforded a drive with the first-ever fully electric M-Performance car, BMW’s i4 M50. This car is equipped like the all-familiar drive modes and has a very special sound when engaged in a sportier set-up. Its sound was developed by acclaimed music composer Hans Zimmer, and it was met with ample excitement. 

Pity, then, that I could only experience this car in Joburg. Many in my community have expressed their dislike of EVs — such as the Nissan Leaf and BMW i3. The i4 M50 would surely have swayed many opinions.

Driving these cars in our neighbourhoods is also usually met with a rather odd reaction as far as performance is concerned. The instant torque delivery provokes smiles and wide grins — the surprise of those left in the wake of an EV will always crack my highlight reel. 

It’s the hushed drive of an electric vehicle that puts people off: “Tata, mayivakale imoto xa isiza” (we must hear a car coming). Also, the price tags for EVs are generally not favourable and let’s not even get into the matter of our ailing power utility. 

Another not-so-often-considered aspect is employment. Where will EVs leave the trusty kasi mechanics who have long served us without fail? This issue touches me deeply. 

While many factors can mean the demise of local businesses, most motoring outlets as we know them are still standing. 

There is still a lifespan for the internal combustion engine ekasi.

We recently drove to East London (from Gqeberha) to take a look at Merc’s new C43. After a three-year hiatus from most local travel thanks to the pandemic; it’s been a much-needed exercise. I hold the Mercedes Benz SA plant in the same high regard as the Volkswagen plant as they both build world-class cars in my home province, while creating much-needed jobs.

At first glance, one can’t be blamed for thinking it’s a C63. The styling cues are quite similar, however, in the previous generation it lacked a sporty boot spoiler — in fact, the entire look was laid back. The new AMG C43 looks aggressive with that Panamericana grille, massive side air vents and lower intake valance, and four muscular bonnet bulges that round off a mean-looking front end. The side-view silhouette is smoother, with just the new 20″ alloys and performance designation logos jumping out at you. The rear benefits from the standard two-a-side exhaust outlets, a boot spoiler, model designation and Affalterbach assurance badge on either side of the boot.

The interior isn’t really that far off the standard C-class, except for Sports seats in a mix of Alcantara and leather with detailed stitching, a sportier steering wheel with aluminium paddle shifters, and drilled sports pedals. The W206 has never really disappointed me in the looks department, but this C43 looks much better than its predecessor.

Under the skin is where it gets interesting and disappointing in equal measure. A 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo (plus battery assist) fettled to 300kW (310kW on overboost) of power and 500Nm of torque mated to a nine-speed automatic gearbox that sends power to all fours via Merc’s 4-Matic system. Sitting on the right-hand side as a passenger felt strange but how it all unravels is interesting; the car is pretty fast, thanks to Merc-AMG’s expertise in making small engines blisteringly quick. F1, anyone? Equally impressive is the takeoff with launch control, and the sound from the synthesisers makes up, to some extent, for the noise and personality that’s lost. Handling and on-road manners are excellent! The exterior soundtrack is what I was pretty much expecting, muted. I do hope that some aftermarket tuners will get their hands on it and make it pop. Overall, the C43 is impressive by today’s standards, and we’re sure the way it drives will win hearts rather than the way it sings.

And the Mercedes-AMG C63?

The words AMG C63 command serious respect and applause. We were afforded an up-close-and-personal sneak peek of what lies ahead for Merc-AMG’s super sedan. Enthusiasts are livid with the idea of a 2.0-litre motor strapped into the C63. It’s not ideal, sure, but what Mercedes-AMG has been able to extract from this engine is nothing short of phenomenal. There’s 500kW of power and a whopping 1 020Nm of torque, thanks to the engine working in tandem with the electric motor. 

Seeing the car in action erases all doubts about the engine size, and it does sound, shall we say, okay… 

At this stage, the vehicle is being built at the company’s East London plant for both domestic and export markets. However, the model is earmarked for launch locally in the fourth quarter of 2023, which is quite some way off still. Nonetheless, we hope that the long lead time will be worthwhile.