The South African new-car market is in the midst of a seismic shift. The initial wave of budget-focused Chinese crossovers, led by best-sellers like the Chery Tiggo 4 Pro and Haval Jolion, has established a firm beachhead. Now, we are witnessing the ‘second wave’: a coordinated, multi-brand offensive targeting every single segment, from rugged 4x4s […]
The VW Golf is a household name in South Africa. We have all owned a Golf at some point or, at very least, know someone who has. While the Golf was sold in droves, there are some that were sold in limited numbers. We outline the limited edition VW Golfs sold across the various generations. […]
Regular contributor Nicholas Pillay tries to answer a question that many of us have pondered: Where Have All The Hatchbacks Gone? Once a dominant force on South African roads, hatchbacks are starting to become an endangered species. The days when vehicles such as the Volkswagen Golf, Suzuki Swift, and Ford Fiesta sold by the ship-load […]
In a new series called, Defining a Segment, we take a look at cars that are not given the credit they deserve. Classic car buff Winston Mace takes a closer look at the Autobianchi A112. This boxy Italian can be considered the very first hot hatch. Contrary to popular belief, the VW Golf GTI was […]
It has been a week of performance car unveils. It started with the Kimera K39, which was followed by news of the rejuvenated Ford RS200. Not to forget the menacing Aston Martin Valiant and the brand new, hybrid BMW M5. With all that in mind it was easy to see why the updated Golf R […]
Hatchbacks have long been the beating heart of the South African car market. Volkswagen, in particular, held a large chunk of the market with models such as the CitiGolf, Polo and Golf. These vehicles were the gold standard, the benchmark by which all other hatchbacks were measured. Their success wasn’t lost on other luxury brands. […]
The list of Gazoo Racing-developed models in SA has grown to four this week with the addition of the GR Corolla. We attended the national ride-and-drive event to experience the newcomer first-hand. Toyota South Africa now offers some of the most exciting drivers cars on the local at the moment. That is not a sentence […]
Fast Golfs are part and parcel of the SA racing landscape. We all know that adage about there being a faster Mk1 Golf regardless of what you drive. However, we shouldn’t be too surprised that the world’s quickest AWD Golf comes from Germany. A crew known as TTK Turbotechnik Konne has created a truly impressive […]
Toyota GR Corolla SA pricing has been released via the company’s official website. And, as expected, it is quite competitive (see bottom of this post). This takes the list of Gazoo Racing-developed models up to four, namely the GR Supra, GR Yaris and GR86. The GR Corolla will be available in two derivatives, namely Core […]
This tuned AWD German drag race features four rivals from Germany’s top automakers. The challengers are the Audi RS3, BMW M240i, Mercedes-AMG A45S and VW Golf R. Follow Double Apex on Instagram and Facebook where we share more car content. Order from our online store and take advantage of free delivery in South Africa on […]
2023 is upon us and the motoring world seems to be returning to normality in a post-C19 era. This means that the automotive industry is shaping up for a bumper year. There are dozens of new models scheduled for introduction during the course of 2023. Here are the top 5 new models coming to SA […]
In South Africa, there is a well-known adage in motoring: Regardless of what you drive there is a faster Golf 1 (the car in this post is a prime example of an extremely quick Golf 1). Well it seems that phrase may soon need to apply to the Mk1’s successor. What you’re looking at above […]
The stopwatch says it all: is opening statement of a VW press release. The new Golf R 20 Years edition is now the fastest R model of all time on the Nürburgring Nordschleife. The Golf R 20 Years set a lap time of 7 min 47,31 sec. The time, four seconds quicker than the previous […]
VW has a few performance variants in its line-up. The Polo and Golf GTI immediately spring to mind. The list of performance models from Wolfsburg will increase in the coming months with the news that Volkswagen South Africa will add the Golf R and Tiguan R to the local line-up. Follow Double Apex on Facebook […]
The product has been the subject of a months-long teaser campaign. Toyota’s marketing department hid little clues and hints in adverts for other products, such as this recent GR86 television commercial. Now, the time has come as the Toyota GR Corolla finally makes its international debut. Follow Double Apex on Facebook and Instagram, where we […]
Earlier this year, Audi South Africa introduced the latest Audi S3 Sportback into the local market. We recently experienced the performance halo (for now) and share our thoughts on the hot hatch. Early in 2021, Audi SA announced that it would be introducing several high-performance models and derivatives into the local market. We’ve had the […]
One of SA’s most popular car brands is looking forward to a bumper 2022. Volkswagen South Africa announced today the new models that are scheduled to be introduced to the local market during the 2022 calendar year. Read up on all the electric Audis heading to SA next year at this link. Follow Double Apex […]
VW SA recently sent us a Golf GTI Mk8 to drive for a few days. We share our impressions of the perennial hot hatch in this view. G-T-I… just about everyone knows these three letters. In the South African context they represent performance motoring from VW, more specifically related to its evergreen hatchback, the Golf. […]
We recently spent some time behind the wheel of the smallest four-door member of the AMG family. We drove the Mercedes-AMG A35 Sedan to bring you this review. Mercedes-Benz first dipped its toes into the compact segment with the 190E (internal code W201). But as that car grew into, what we now know as, the […]
Though others may have used it, VW has made the ‘GTI’ badge its own. Regardless of there being more powerful, faster, quicker hatchbacks on the market at any given time, the Golf GTI remains the benchmark in the segment. With the imminent introduction of the eighth generation hot hatch into the local market we thought […]
ABT is well known for applying its special treatment to Audi and VW products. You can check out one of its wild Audi creations at this link. When it comes to VWs ABT has been at it since the very first generation of Golf GTIs debuted. Its first was the white Mk1 GTI as pictured […]
Mere mention of the word Wothersee gets the attention of any VW fan from around the world. The annual gathering in Austria started over 30 years ago but it has taken a hiatus in 2020/21 because, well.. you know why. VW HQ has commissioned over a dozen special projects that have been showcased at the […]
A while ago we brought you an interesting drag race that featured a VW Golf R against a BMW M135i and Mercedes-AMG A35. You can see that video by clicking here. The trio are natural rivals as they all have similar outputs and drivetrains. Without giving too much away, the Mk8 Golf R proved to […]
Volkswagen Polo Cup is the longest-running one-make racing series in South Africa. The championship is now in its 25th year. As ever the on-track action is frantic as you can see from these Polo Cup crashes from a recent race meeting. Special thanks to Dean Venter for sharing these video clips with us and to […]
We’ve seen a different version of this 2.0T AWD hatch drag race play out recently (which you can see here). These four rivals all hail from Germany and seem to built to the very same brief but which of the quartet is quickest over the standard quarter mile drag? UK automotive website Car Wow tries […]
