NEWS
26 | September 2019 go! Drive & CampTucson’s new sporty body
UnlikethestrugglingX-Class,it appearsthattheV-Classis
asuccessstoryforDaimler,theparentcompanyofMercedes-
Benz.Sinceitslaunchin2015,some 209000 ofthesevanswere
soldworldwide,ofwhich 64000 foundhomesin2018.Thisis
incontrasttothe 16700 X-Classessoldinthesameperiod.
Thisis whyMercedes-Benzdecidedtogiveitspopularvan
a makeover.“ItwillbeeasyfortheV-Classfacelifttotakeover
fromwhereitspredecessorleftoff,asit wassucha stylishand
dynamicoffering.Initslatestguise,theV-Classcontinuesto
convincefamilies,variousleisureadventurersandbusiness
customersalike,thattheV-Classis theperfectfitforany
purpose,”saysNadiaTrimmel,vice-presidentofMercedes-Benz
VansSouthAfrica.
So,what’snew?Thefrontbumper’sairscoopsaremuch
largerandarereminiscentofMercedes-Benz’snewrangeof
sedancars.Thegrillesportsa diamondpatternandthethree-
pointstarnowsitsrightinthecentreofthegrillewithtwo
chromestripsthatfurtheraccentuateit.Thewheelrimsare
alsonew,andyoucanchoosebetween 17 inchand 18 inch
rims– blackorgrey.
Inside,theair-conventsarenewandthefinisheshavebeen
refurbished.A notablenewfeatureis optionalrearcomfort
seatsthatareevenbetterthantheonesyou’llfindinanairline’s
businessclass.Thesecomfortseatscanrecline,massageyour
backandcoolorwarmyourbody.
Theengineoptionsremainsunchangedandall-wheeldrive
is unfortunatelynotavailable.PricesrangefromR913 951
forthebasemodelV200d
toR1 292474 fortheV250d
Avantgardeflagshipmodel.
Contact
mercedes-benz.co.za/vans
V-Class gets a facelift
Thanks to satisfactory sales of the 2016 model Hyundai Tucson, the
Korean manufacturer has just launched its latest Tucson Sport.
“After the midlife upgrade of the Tucson, the time was right to
create another Sport derivative,” says Stanley Anderson, sales and
operations director at Hyundai South Africa. “We have again fitted
the Tucson with bespoke black rims and a body kit that gives it a
very sporty look without being overbearing. Tucson customers have
really taken to the Sport after our first ‘experiment’, so we could
confidently repeat the exercise this time,” he continues.
The new Tucson Sport is available in two versions: a petrol
version with a 1,6 ℓ turbocharged four-cylinder engine and a 2 ℓ
turbo diesel. Both are chipped by a ChipBox Pedalbooster and both
are driven by the front wheels. Unfortunately, all-wheel drive is not
an option.
The 1.6T delivers 150 kW at 5 500 rpm and 300 Nm at 4 500 rpm.
The power and torque are only sent to the front wheels by a seven-
speed automatic dual-clutch transmission (DCT) with a sport
function that allows you change gears with the gear lever.
The 2.0D also delivers 150 kW, but at a lower 4 000 rpm. The
torque is 460 Nm at 1 750-2 750 rpm and is sent to the front wheels
by a standard eight-speed automatic transmission.
The Tucson 1.6 TGDI Sport (DCT) costs R654 900 and the Tucson
R2.0 SportturbodieselR664900.
Contact hyundai.co.za