ZA Car

There was a time where Americans had to wait until Big Game Day to see what the country’s most creative marketers had been working on to air in the singularly most expensive advertisement slots on prime-time TV. But with that ‘internet thing’ you can’t keep anything under wraps anymore. A full couple of days ahead of the big day most of the adverts are available online so there isn’t really any reason to have to hang in there and watch the game unless, of course, you like the American version of  rugby. We’ve collected and put all of the auto manufacturers’ Superbowl 2012 ads right here in one place. Aren’t we a nice bunch? Be amazed, be appalled, be disappointed. Let us know what you think?

It looks as if Toyota invests as much creativity in its ads as it does in designing dull and boring family cars. The one’s titled ‘It’s Reinvented!’ but we’re still trying to figure out what, you can’t reinvent boring obscure rubbish.

Another one from Toyota although, as with its cars, Lexus is more exciting than its parent, if only just a little bit. Lexus has even gone as far as calling its advert, ‘Beast,’ in the way that people ironically call their lapdogs ‘Beast.’ Very edgy for Lexus.

Hyundai: Hey, it’s different we guess. Hyundai has included people from its plant in here, so it gets a couple of points for company involvement, but the alignment to ‘Rocky,’ yeah, we’re just not so sure.

Hyundai, then, provides us then with a the perfect segue into the adverts involving movies, movie references and old movie stars. No one seems to have realised that if  they’d include Ryan Gosling, ladies will be in the dealership while the men watch the game.

Honda’s piss-take on Ferris Beuller’s Day Off gets Matthew Broderick clearly looking 25 years older than he did in the original Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and and places him in an ad that he will surely regret  one day.  What are out-of-work actors supposed to do, we suppose? We’d certainly fake an illness to spend a day in a Ferrari 250, notsomuch in a Honda CR-V.

Honda redeems itself (only slightly) with this remotely funny advert involving the Saab-loving, in the Seinfeld series at least, Jerry Seinfeld and car-nut funny man, Jay Leno. But it’s actually only the sound of the NSX that makes this advert worth watching — a pure tease.

Volkswagen’s ‘The Force’ advert last year with mini-Darth took the ad world by storm (49 million views on YouTube to-date) and went viral by virtue of the fact that it was cute and clever. VW had some pretty big shoes to fill and showed some promise with the teaser, “The Bark Side”…

…but ultimately let the side down with, “The Dog Strikes Back.” Poor form after last year’s great success.

Volkswagen shows that its alright to use pets, and so Suzuki also gets in the action with some pooches, these being some huskies in for a head-bopping time…

These are the ones that are actually quite good. Cadillac is first up with ‘Green Hell,’ a reference to the Nurburgring that unashamedly punts its performance credentials and actually communicates the values of the car. Imagine that? There’s the crafty inclusion of the advertising boards stating “Wir sind Opel,” “We are Opel” for the english types, which is important because this is the BMW 3-series/Mercedes-Benz C-Class/Audi A4 competitor. It’s clearly intent on telling the Germans that Cadillac is no longer a fat American pig and it’s roots, in fact, lie very close to home.

The former king of Superbowl ads, Budweiser has once again produced a hit and it only gets a mention here because there’s a car in it, a very famous car. And that’s what makes it funny and causes a smile to crack across even the most hardened 30 year-old’s face. The younger kids probably won’t get it, though.

Vampires are the rage. Everyone loves them, don’t they? Even Volvo. Audi pulls off a clever ad and actually ties it into one of its product’s selling features, the LED headlamps. Amazing what sticking to the basics can do, of all the leaked adverts so far, this is one of the best in our opinion.

Update: Chevrolet has held out until now so showcase five ads for Big Game Day and all of them are BRILLIANT, well four of them are. In our humble opinion, of course.

Chervrolet Sonic’s Bug Advert hits the cute spot with this one…

Chervrolet’s Volt advert gets the message across succinctly, “Smartest car in the galaxy” while dispelling the myth that electric cars have a very limited range. Clever.

Hitting the youth market and doing something clever, simple and effective but more of a teaser for the full new Chev/OK Go video on Sunday.

A very funny graduation video for Chev’s Superbowl Sunday madness.

Very emotive, brilliant. Very Clever. The advert for the Chevy Sonic.

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It’s the last show from the team for the year and what better way to wrap it up than with the ZA Car Show Car of the Year awards? Whether you’re looking for a hatchback, sedan, fun car, practical car or want to find out what each of the team picked as their overall car of the year for 2011, then go on take a listen, the results will surprise you, that much we are sure of.

The third and fourth doors are deceptively hidden in this image. Click on the image to see a full gallery and decide whether you like this new BMW or not (you will be redirected to another page -- right click and select 'open in new tab' to avoid this.)

The smart fortwo pickup expected to be unveiled in the US early in the new year. Our Trevor van de Ven is really excited about this. He really is strange.

The ZA Car Show Car of the Year features a Lexus, Honda, Citroen, BMW, to name only a few. Take a listen to find out what each member of the team chooses for their favourite cars of 2011.

Episode 144 hi-fi download (18MB) 
Episode 144 lo-fi download (9MB)

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As we wind down into the end of the year we start to get a little more festive, we mock Patrick about his new car a bit, give John a hard time and Trevor gets things wrong again.  The trio also bring you the latest from the Tokyo Auto Show, and reviews of Chevrolet Orlando 1.8 LS and Alfa Romeo 159 1750TBi.

The ZACS team agrees that most people could benefit from these types of cars rather than SUVs, but the rest of the market tends to disagree. It's a Passat with raised-ride-height, go anywhere looks and the comfort of a car. In a market that once featured the Audi Allroad Quattro and Volvo XC70, is VW crazy to suggest something like this even though it will be the better choice against an SUV. Click on the image to see a full gallery of the VW (you will be redirected away from the page. Alternatively right click and select "open in new tab")

in our opinion far more successful as a design execution than the BMW X6. VW's Cross Coupe Concept will likely become a reality and also shows of the changing corporate face that we're likely to see in future VW model facelifts. Click on the image to view a full gallery. (You will be redirected away from this page. Alternatively right click on the image and select 'open in new tab')

Trevor loves the Honda NBox. Yes, we know that it's just plain weird, but we;ve come to expect such lunacy from someone with his car history. What do you think? Click on the image to view a full gallery. (You will be redirected away from this page. Alternatively right click on the image and select 'open in new tab')

This is not a Toyota. It is not a Scion either. It is a Subaru, the new BRZ to be precise and you will notice that it has very little to differentiate itself from the other two. Time will tell whether the Scooby will get a turbo and four wheel drive in the future, leaving the other two in the current rea wheel drive, naturally aspirated guise.

Spot something different? Yes, it's the addition of two extra doors. And in this case it actually works at retaining the funky proportions of the A1. Click on the image to view a complete gallery of the A1 Sportback in various trim levels and in its exclusive Sportback colour, Samoa Orange.

Volvos with little blue Polestar stickers = not to be buggered around with.

Part crossover, part MPV. Click on the image to see the full gallery. Listen to the podcast for the full review.

A real beauty, this much we cannot deny. Even late on in its model-life this is a magnificent looking car that should outsell the BMW 320 and Merc C200. It won't, though, mainly because people think it will break, but probably won't. Ever. Click on the image to see a fully gallery of what you are missing out on if you dont consider a 159. Shame.

Episode 143 hi-fi download (18MB) 
Episode 143 lo-fi download (9MB)

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Our friend and contributor John Beale needs a new car so Thomas Falkiner, Christo van Gemert, Trevor van de Ven, Patrick Gearing and journalism student Dean Venter put their collective heads together to show what sensible options can be thought up if you crowd source.  The team, without Mr Beale who was eating sushi without us, also review the new Honda Accord 2.4 automatic and give you the low down on the motoring news from the past week.

The rebirth of the exciting Toyota. This flat four developed in conjunction with Subaru looks as if it has all the right ingredients to steal customers from the hot-hatch market. Click on the image to see a full gallery (you will be redirected away from this page).

Machbach is dead, Merc is pulling the plug. They are not the most handsome or striking cars but Trevor van de Ven still gets a bit teary eyed knowing that he will not see another all-white Landaulet again.

Patrick and Trevor love wagons. They also love Jaaaaags, so this car should put them both in a flat love-induced coma.

The new Honda Accord sports a dramatically revised front-end even if it's only the hawk-eyed that will spot the changes. Under the skin, this car is phenomenal. Take a listen to the show to find out what we think. Click on the image to view a full gallery (you will be redirected away from this page).

Episode 142 hi-fi download (18MB) 
Episode 142 lo-fi download (9MB)

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Ironically, bar the GTI, the best looking Golf in the range is the one that's the polar opposite of the GTI, the fuel sipper, eco-friendly BlueMotion

I’m often asked for what the best car  is that I have driven, and it is almost expected that I should answer Audi R8, Mercedes Benz CL-class or some similar such luxury sportscar. So it catches a number of people by surprise when I answer, “I think it’s the Golf BlueMotion.”

That’s the honest truth. As my ZA Car Show colleagues will agree, I’m a bit strange. The lust for Saabs and my vehicle ownership history raise enough questions to have me committed (thankfully I’ve not been yet, though). But the Golf Bluemotion is a good car for reasons the average motoring hack rarely touches on; those reasons being bang for your buck and economy (in the case of long-term ownership). The latter, as I’m sure you’ll agree, is quite important in this day and age.

Price is very much an indicator of what you get in cars these days. The market is characterised  by a few affordable models that offer good perceived quality whilst even fewer are priced to offer good value for the money you spend. The Golf BlueMotion offers both. An added bonus is that although the Golf promises frugality plus it’s still exciting enough to consider keeping it for a couple of years without committing suicide through boredom — we’ve just mentioned ‘exciting’ ‘diesel’ and ‘Golf’ in the same sentence and you had better believe it.

In this vehicle segment there are a small handful of emotive purchases. We’ve reviewed Alfa Romeo Giulietta on the show, and the Volvo C30 is another contender. Both are be stylish and cool, but burdened with unfavourable reputations. Let’s say  resale value, after-sales service and possible long-term reliability are in question in most people’s minds. There are also a number of the sensible options.  You need not look further than Ford’s Focus, the Mazda 3, Toyota’s Auris and the Audi A3 to know that they’re the choices for the masses, the every-man’s cars.

The design is not ground breaking or exciting, but it also won't age as fast as it's competitors.

So what makes this car the best of the year for me, especially since there are already very good offerings in the Golf model range to start with? Well, put simply, I have a very relaxed driving style. I have a regular job. And I have two kids. My priorities are different. I don’t look for out and out performance and handling is a by-product I rarely get to exploit. I look for cars that suit the work commute and at the same time provide a basis for a good family car. I am, in a way, an average South African.

The Volkswagen Golf BlueMotion offers a range of features that enables it to boast a comprehensive level of standard equipment, features that include VW’s semi-automatic Climatic climate control, electric windows, power steering, a multi-function steering wheel, alloy wheels (only 15-inch rolling on eco-friendly low rolling resistance tyres in this case), start/stop technology and very little in the way of optional extras to keep mass down and ensure the BlueMotion credentials stand for it being one of VW’s most economical cars in its range.  The motive force is provided by a four-cylinder, 1.6 litre turbo-diesel putting out 77kW @ 4400r/min and 250Nm from 1500rpm fed to the front wheels through a 5-speed gearbox. It’s also, as can be expected from VW, very well put together. But most importantly it’s these things matched by a price of R273 600 that make it such a compellingly good car.

It’s not without its faults, though and I don’t even know if I should call them that.  Its body kit and lowered stance, aid aerodynamics, but give the vehicle a sporty look ad odds with it’s eco-conscious pretentions. The car will look better with larger, sportier alloy wheels, but that’s not an option (at VW, at least). The limited optional extras also compromise the car a little as it can’t be fitted with any options save for satellite navigation. This also means there’s no premium sound system option and no sunroof. It doesn’t even come with floor mats or a spare wheel — the reason behind all of this is weight savings, and thus improved fuel economy. Granted that, its flaws, then, are intentional.

No frills, but class-leading build quality can be found in here.

My typical commute is about 50% highway driving and 50% urban traffic but it was not unusual to see an average consumption in the low 5 l/100km range with the Golf. On the open road I regularly got consumption around the 4l/100km mark. Factory claims are 3.8l/100kms. Needless to say, it’s simply astounding. Having covered around 800km while we had it on test, it was returned with still half a tank of diesel remaining. Even if you yield a relatively theoretical range of around 900kms per tank, the long-term savings in fuel are enormous.

In today’s world of rising fuel costs, increased congestion and infrastructure that does not lend itself to exploiting speed and handing, the BlueMotion just makes so much sense. It looks better than the rest of the models in the range, bar the GTI, and offers [almost] everything the other models do. I can forgive the minor flaws because the sum of the parts is so much greater. It’s when I drive cars like that I get really excited for the future of motoring. But like I said at the beginning of this review, I am a little weird.

Power: 77kW at 4400RPM
Torque: 250Nm between 1500 – 2500RPM
Safety: All electronic aids, front airbags, front and side airbags, front and rear curtain airbags
Tech and toys: Multi-function steering, cruise control, on-baord computer, daytime running lights, CD with MP3/WMA and AUX-in jack, 4 cup holders, 12v socket in the boot.

Website: Volkswagen Golf BlueMotion
Price: R273 600

ZA Car rating: Two thumbs up

Episode 117 featuring reviews of the VW Golf and Polo BlueMotion

Episode 117 hi-fi download (24MB)
Episode 117 lo-fi download (12MB)