Leisure Wheels – September 2019

leisurewheels.co.za SEPTEMBER 2019 7

FINGER TROUBLE

I was recently a passenger in a

Toyota Fortuner, early in the

morning in the Kalahari. It was

cold and the driver was

battling to get the air-

conditioning system to warm

the vehicle and demist the

windows so I took over.

Unfortunately, I hit the

incorrect knob, switching

the vehicle from 4×2 to 4×4 at

high speed, heavily upsetting

the driver.

I, too, own a previous

BAKKIE SALES

On page 46 of the August

issue of Leisure Wheels,

the Hilux is said to come

out tops on the sales charts

month after month. However,

on the very next page, the

summary states that the

Ford is consistently in the

lead when it comes to

selling double cabs in South

Africa. Which of the two

holds true?

Theo du Toit 

Via email

generation Fortuner and

suggest that Toyota improve

this layout. If this transfer case

button is so important (and

can cause damage if used

incorrectly while driving), the

button should instead be

placed on the driver’s side with

a red marking indicating that it

shouldn’t be played with while

driving. As things stand it is

easy for passengers and

children to do so.

The other risk that I found is

that there is no chime for the

rear seatbelts and that the

visual warning that does relate

to the rear seatbelt usage does

not return if the seatbelts are

plugged in and unplugged

again. This is a huge safety risk.

Sterrenberg Bester

Via email

The 4×4 dial in question is an

electronic switch that instructs

the transfer case to make a

mechanical change. If the

electronics detect the correct

parameters have not been met,

The reference to the Hilux sales

numbers includes all derivatives,

from double cabs, Xtra Cabs and

single cabs, so all models in the

line-up.

In recent times, the Ford Ranger

double cab range has outsold the

Hilux double cab range, hence the

reference to that. 

So, recently, Ford has been more

successful in the ‘leisure’ bakkie

segment but the Hilux still beats it

when it comes to overall sales

numbers. – Ed

for example if the speed is too

high or if the gearbox is not in

neutral, it will not allow the

transfer case to make the

change. In that way, although

it is not advisable, it is not

possible for any damage to be

caused by accidently hitting

the switch.

As for the safety belts, we

haven’t tested the system in this

manner but it remains the

responsibility of the driver to

ensure that all occupants are

strapped in correctly. – Ed