We don’t mean that you’ll somehow snag Nissan Skyline GT-R performance from what is a fairly modest family car but it’s easy to appreciate the level of engineering that the Japanese automaker ladles into its vehicles. Even small details are tightly refined to the point where they disappear from view unless you’re looking for them.

Big blue 

Before we get there, let’s take a look at the stuff that everyone else gets to look at. You know, the exterior. The Qashqai follows similar design language to previous outings but there’s a sporty look to the front end that’s only enhanced by deeper cuts and vertical slashes. It’s only once you look at the vehicle broadside or from the rear that its SUV/family nature leaps out.

But don’t get too attached to the visual presentation here. The 2023 Qashqai starts at R568,00 but that’s for the very base model of the vehicle. Stuff did not get to test the very base model. We were sent the DIG-T 150 CVT Acenta Plus Xtronic CVT. The complicated designator means that it’s Nissan’s top-spec model but the two-tone Magnetic Blue/Pearl Black paint job should be the major giveaway. This one starts somewhere around the R670,000 mark, which suits us. This one’s also got all of the best tech. Visually, though, the overall exterior design doesn’t vary much between options.

Standing still

We’ll mention the external features in brief but they’re sufficiently impressive to warrant some attention. This model is fitted with 19in rims, though they can be as ‘small’ as 17in. There are a couple of exterior trim options if you’re pedantic about how your ride looks and the dynamic LED headlights are capable of automatically shifting position as needed. It’s one of those quality-of-life features Nissan seems to do extremely well. They function so well that you’re barely aware that they function at all.

This spills over to the Qashqai’s in-vehicle tech. If you’re looking for a complicated operating system and almost smartphone-like functionality, you’ll be disappointed. It was surprising how much of the central 12.3in LCD’s control relies on physical buttons. Oh, you can tap on the touchscreen but there’s not much depth to the menus and you can get similar navigation from the strip at the bottom of the screen. That said, it hits all the notes it should.

Connecting a smartphone is simple as can be (why more drivers don’t do it is a mystery to us) and the subsequent functionality is smart and intuitive. Playing media is either automatic or activated by a couple of quick taps. The audio is piped (in this particular Qashqai) through ten Bose speakers. The effect is rather lovely. When an incoming message or call comes in, it’s possible to answer, reject, or send a brief ‘I’m driving’ message from the comfortable steering wheel. It uses its own GPS which is minimalist, slick, and lacking in traffic data. Still, navigation is anything but a pain. Part of this might be the actual driving.

Road worrier

Nissan’s Qashqai doesn’t only look sporty up front. We’re not sure many companies go to the trouble of making their engine bays look as attractive as Nissan does. Even if you don’t know a damned thing about the 1.3-litre four-cylinder sitting up front, it’s worth popping the hood just to stare at it. Out of the box, at least, it’s an impressive sight.

It’s even more impressive when it’s under your foot, of course. There are three modes while driving. Eco, which we found deactivated every time we turned the car off, is the obvious fuel-saver. In return, you promise to be okay with a slugging pull-off and similar performance on slopes. Standard was the winner, at least in our eyes. A great blend of performance and economy, it allowed for some rapid acceleration in traffic but also offered plenty of control at lower speeds.

The sport mode allows the engine to get a little growly, if a 1.3-litre can be described in that way. It’s for more aggressive driving, upping the Qashqai’s responsiveness to your every command. Unfortunately, we reckon it’d be simple to slingshot yourself into the car in front of you if you’re not paying attention.

There are features in place to mitigate this. Sensors and cameras surround the exterior. Parking is a dream, provided you don’t manually fold the mirrors (and the cameras on them) down by accident. Lane-assist keeps you in your own, and there are blind-spot sensors and a warning notification that seems to become more sensitive if you’ve got your indicator on. Nissan’s ProPilot is also integrated but you’ll only rarely know that it’s working. Unless you sometimes drive like a muppet and the system has to maintain your follow distance or warn you that you’re being a Kermit. Then you’ll know that ProPilot is there.

Nissan Qashqai (2023) verdict

The Qashqai is a family car. The spacious interior, the comfortable seats, the fixtures and fittings, and the overall design all point in that direction. But when Dad is out on the road by himself, it’s possible to get a little silly thanks to the sportier mode built into the dashboard. The tech is extensive, right down to an adjustable lumbar region and back massage function, but it’s also unobtrusive. Just because it’s all there – and it is all there – doesn’t mean that the Qashqai has to hit you over the head with it every time you start it up. And then there’s the engine bay…

The C40 Recharge is apparently the first Volvo to be designed as a pure electric vehicle only, while the Swedish manufacturer’s other EV offerings, like the XC40, are also available in hybrid and ICE derivatives. It certainly won’t be the last EV-only vehicle from the company as it aims to only sell EVs by 2030.

The XC40 and C40 Recharge share many similarities. In fact, the C40 is pretty much just a sportier version of the XC40, in both looks and performance. From the outside, that’s most noticeable in the C40’s sloped rear instead of the XC40’s boxy attire.

Along with the slope, Volvo’s included a few embellishments that hint at the C40’s understated performance – the rear roof overhangs and a spoiler. The rear design is supposed to make the C40 more aerodynamic to help with its battery range but it does cost you 15l of cargo space and 62mm of rear passenger headroom while only netting you an extra 10km over the XC40.

Going the distance

The total range of the 78kWh lithium-ion battery pack inside the C40 Recharge is supposed to be 510km, according to Volvo’s website. That will depend on driving style, conditions, and how well you use the built-in range optimiser.

You have a few options when it comes to charging. During the week we spent driving our review model around Johannesburg, the full charge it came with lasted for the entire time with our average 22.6kWh/100km usage.

C40 Recharge buyers will receive a Volvo wall box charger and a seven-metre charging cable with their vehicle. While that’s a nice addition, it does make you reliant on having electricity available at home which we all know isn’t guaranteed and isn’t exactly cheap if you’re getting it from Eskom or City Power.

If your home is equipped with three-phase power, the wall box charger is capable of an 11kWh output so you’re looking at roughly eight hours for a full charge. That’s not bad, considering the provided cable used for plugging it straight into the wall can only do 2.3kWh. When you don’t have the whole night to wait for a charge, publicly available chargers can be found scattered around the country.

If you’re lucky enough to find an unoccupied 150kWh fast-charger, Volvo says a 10-80% charge will only take you 27 minutes. We recommend becoming friends with GridCar’s interactive charging stations map if you’re a prospective EV owner.

These horses are electric

While the sporty embellishments might look a little out of place on a Volvo, they start to make sense when you’re behind the wheel. While the C40 Recharge is still very much a Volvo – a Volvo crossover, at that – it still features the kind of performance we’ve come to enjoy from electric vehicles.

Peak power and maximum torque are rated at 300kW and 660Nm respectively. A 0-100km sprint will only take 4.7 seconds and the top speed maxes out at 180km/h. That’s a fair bit more than other similar vehicles in this segment and not something we expected from a brand known for its sensible, safety-first approach.

Volvo is only offering the top-specced C40 Recharge Ultimate in SA. It features a twin-motor setup, one for each axle. That means the all-wheel drive system is ready to apply all of its available power to the road beneath you at a moment’s notice.

There’s something special to be said about breezing past other vehicles as if they were stationary with nary a peep save for the slight electric motor whine. Especially when the occupants of said stationary vehicles have to do a double take because they weren’t expecting that from a Volvo.

Performance around bends didn’t bring the same enjoyment. There’s no escaping the fact that it feels like you’re driving a tank at times, having to lug all that battery weight around. Despite the slanted rear, the C40 Recharge still felt a little top-heavy and we would’ve liked the steering to feel a little more present. But we’re inclined to let that slide. This is still a crossover SUV, after all.

The slanted sporty rear may have alluded to the C40 Recharge’s performance but it’s a different story inside the cabin. Volvo has crafted a superbly sophisticated cabin that will feel familiar to past Volvo owners yet somehow still adequately advanced in 2023.

Comfort, meet technology

That was apparent from the moment we climbed in and instinctively looked for the ‘Start’ button. There isn’t one. You simply climb in, select ‘drive’ or ‘reverse’ via the centred nubby selector and you’re off. It took some getting used to but we came to enjoy the ease of use. Just as we enjoyed ‘one-pedal’ driving, as Volvo calls it. This engages regenerative braking to its maximum effect and eliminates the need to manually brake in all but a few scenarios.

We also appreciated the fact that Volvo’s infotainment system now runs on Google’s Android Automotive. This means the 9in vertical centre display works a lot like an Android smartphone. It makes over-the-air updates a lot easier to manage on Volvo’s end so you won’t have to visit a dealership as often. It also means that if you aren’t intimately familiar with Android, you might not have a good time right away. The words ‘needlessly complicated’ come to mind.

Google’s Maps, Assistant, and Play Store apps are all supported natively and come preinstalled, widening your choice for just about everything. Climate control is also handled by the centre display. There aren’t any physical buttons so we’d recommend spending a bit of time familiarising yourself with the layout because it isn’t always as intuitive as Volvo probably intended.

The C40 Recharge’s 12in driver display lives where you’d normally find a gauge cluster. It provides you with info while you drive although we would’ve liked a few more customizable options here than the present two – ‘Calm’ or ‘Navi’.

Other interior highlights include an ambient lighting system that you may not care about, an air purifier system that you’ll probably care about a little more, and a 12-channel Harmon Kardon sound system that you’ll absolutely care about if you’re under 40.

We did find one, rather large issue during our time with the C40 Recharge – driver visibility. The windows of our model were tinted a little too aggressively for our liking which impacted visibility, particularly at night.

The panoramic sunroof that comes standard is fun while the sun’s out but isn’t much to help at night. Coupled with the small rear window thanks to that sloped backend, there were times during our review when pulling into and out of tight spaces took longer than it should have. And that’s with Volvo’s 360-degree camera system helping.

Speaking of which, Volvo’s other assistive safety features are present as well, like cross-traffic alert, blind spot information system, collision avoidance, and lane-stay assistance. They’re there if you want them or can be turned off if you can find them in the menus.

Volvo C40 Recharge Ultimate (2023) verdict

If it wasn’t already obvious, the Volvo C40 Recharge really impressed us. It offers a ménage à trois of sophisticated comfort, effortless immediate power, and technical capabilities that we reckon a lot of people will find very appealing. The starting price of R1,324,000 certainly isn’t cheap so we don’t foresee streets full of C40 Recharges anytime soon. But if you’re looking for an all-electric luxury compact SUV crammed full of tech, put this at the top of your shortlist, or at least in the top three.

And that’s because you’re going to pay for that second (electric) engine. It’ll make you pleased you spent the cash but when the so-called ‘mild hybrid’ version starts at R957,200, you’ll start questioning why the plug-in hybrid (PHEV) XC60 T8 starts at R1,284,000. The difference is between a small amount of electrical assistance (with no fully-electric driving at all) and an electric motor able to take control of the entire car. That’s worth the price of a decent second-hand hatchback, right?

What’s in the box?

Once upon a time, Volvo’s design language was 95% rectangular. Stereotypically so. The (Chinese-owned) Swedish company has since softened its lines but there’s still a hint of its roots in the XC60 T8’s design. And before you ask, all of the rest of the XC60 models feature the exact same design. It’s what’s under the hood, and the little badge at the back, that sets each model apart.

From outside, you’re greeted with clean lines flowing from front to back. There’s a hint of aggression to it, but just a hint. The whole concept feels like a family car that’s trying to be edgy, but not so much so that the kids steal it to go for joyrides on the weekend. But, in typical Volvo fashion, if that were to happen, said kids would be very well protected in the event of an accident. After the accident, however…

The sensible design carries on to the interior. The version we drove was packed with features, mostly to do with driver comfort (more of that in a bit). It’s eye-catching enough but not so much so that you’ll come across as a show-off. You’re far more likely to see an XC60 T8 picking kids up from school than racing other cars at the intersection. If you plan it right, though, it’ll also scare the pants off a performance car or two.

Box of tricks

That’s because the XC60 T8 Recharge is perfectly capable of running entirely on electric motors. What this means is instant torque from a standing start, though the 18.8kWh battery is only good for about 80km before you’ll top it up via the included cables. Regenerative braking is also an option but that means your brakes have an awful lot of work to do. It’s best to just charge it overnight. Connected to a wall, it’ll take seven (uninterrupted) hours or so to top up.

You don’t have to charge the T8 but that negates the point of it. When the electric motors are fully charged and working, your daily trips to the office and back will use only hints of petrol. Volvo claims about 1.6l per 100km. Our experience, according to the dashboard readout, was often more like 0.9l/100km. It seems that the engine only takes over at around 80km/h — it’s hard to tell, the Volvo is incredibly silent inside and the transition is seamless — so most town speeds are fully electric.

But we also ran the battery flat, just to see what would happen. Turns out, fuel economy isn’t nearly as good, sitting in the region of 11l/100km for the 2.0-litre 340kW engine, though cold startup will have you sweating bullets at the projected 18l/100km assessment. That’s very temporary, at least, but you also get a feel for what the engine can do when there’s no battery compensating for your gas-guzzling.

But you’re not buying a PHEV in order to not use the thing and the extra R300,000 and change you’ll pay for this over a mild hybrid works out to a massive saving in petrol. If you’re economical about your daily driving, a single full tank (70 litres) should last you close to 7,000km. But the option to go on longer trips without experiencing any range anxiety makes this an easier drive, mentally, than most pure EVs.

Internet in a box

The XC60’s interior, particularly the seats, is highly customisable though it can take some time to really get your placement perfect. Don’t do what we did and go for ‘good enough’. Adjusting a seat in traffic when you have no idea which of the little buttons and dials does what (and then switching over to the touchscreen centre console display for fine-tuning) is a terrible idea.

But very little about the rest of the experience is. The heads-up display is bright enough to be seen in any condition, though it isn’t enough to prevent us from using the display behind the steering wheel nearly constantly. That might change over time but Volvo only gave this one to us for a week.

The centre console’s operating system is based on Android. As such, it’s a breeze to use, though we’d have preferred a different file structure. The version here works. Icons are always a good idea but we’d have preferred more physical controls in addition to the various software options. We’re fond of tactile engagement. Sue us.

The XC60 T8’s camera system, though, was spot on. If we were to complain about anything, it would be that the extreme edges, right next to the vehicle, aren’t as visible as we’d like but we’d also be splitting hairs. It’s really not a problem anyone should care about. Ever. Besides, with features like anti-collision and blind-spot warnings, parking sensors, advanced climate control, and a very slick sunroof, we reckon Volvo’s done more than enough to offset any perceived negatives.

Volvo XC60 T8 Recharge verdict

Not on board with the EV trend? A plug-in hybrid like Volvo’s XC60 T8 Recharge might be what you need to convince you otherwise. Maybe not all the way there — there’s still the option to put your foot down and feel cylinders burning dead dinosaurs kick into action — but it’ll certainly save on your monthly fuel bill. Volvo’s effort packs in as many tech features as you could ask for from a car, plus the PHEV offers fuel economy that would make a scooter feel like a glutton for gasoline. Whether it’s worth spending more than R300,000 on the XC60 T8 over the mild hybrid version should be up to you and your bank but we’d have to come down on the full PHEV’s side on this one. It’s mostly silent, uses almost no fuel, and has the range of a traditional petrol vehicle. That’s a tough combination to beat. We’re not even sure that pure EVs are up to the task.

Before going any further, there’s no skirting around the price. Laying your hands on Suzuki’s most kitted-out model – the one we played with — will set you back a cool R530,000. If you don’t have that kind of cheddar lying around or, you know, hate the planet, there are cheaper models out there with a regular engine in the bonnet that’ll pull in a better value. At least, in our opinion.

Sittin’ pretty

If you’ve seen Suzuki’s Vitara before, you’ve seen the Grand Vitara (GV) before. The added grandeur here – also known as a bigger chassis – is noticeable, though the sexy boxy design that was apparent there hasn’t yet disappeared. That extra space certainly helps the car’s interior, giving the designers more room to work with and the ability to pack in more than they’d be able to in a normal car.

But we’ll return to the interior in a bit. There’s still the GV’s front and weirdly futuristic-looking rear to deal with. We’ll deal first with the multi-level grille mounted to the front, stuck right in-between the car’s 3-point daytime headlamps that act as the eyebrows of the operation. Below are the car’s standard lights and standard-issue bumper that doesn’t add frills where they don’t need to be.

The back keeps a similar theme, with two plain-LED lines encompassing the ornate S. With only the license plate and bumper left back there, it’s all a rather formal affair with little flair to help it stand out. We can’t see Suzuki struggling to get these off the lot. Whether the owner can get it off or not is another question entirely.

Gettin’ a view

We quite literally had a front-row seat to check out the GV’s innards, of which there were plenty. Unlike the outside, which opted for a more… subtle look, it’s clear Suzuki spent most of the budget on the spacious interior, adorned with comfortable faux leather and glossy black trims everywhere you look. Oh, and it’s big, too. That’s important to… some people.

Our eyes were immediately drawn to the 9in infotainment system, which says more about modern society than it does the car. Philosophy aside, we had no trouble hooking up our Samsung smartphone through Android Auto, though we found that the process was smoother still with an iPhone at hand. That’s not Suzuki’s fault – but it’s certainly worth remembering if you’re an Android person.

Taking refuge underneath the screen (and the vents) are a few physical buttons you’ll find on the front docket. These control the temperature, though the built-in automatic climate control was intelligent enough throughout our journey that we hardly needed to fiddle with buttons at all.

In truth, most of our touching went to the infotainment system which was simple enough to operate, though best done while parked. We got on alright with (and much preferred) the steering wheel’s physical buttons, which kept our music blasting throughout the trip. There wasn’t enough time to dig into the dashboard’s speedometer controls, which says enough about the customization on offer there.

If you’re springing for Suzuki’s GLX models and above, you’ll be greeted with more USB ports than you know what to do with. There’s also a wireless charging port that our phone occupied, even if the charging was somewhat slow and might have done better with a physical cable involved. Still, a charge is a charge.

Take me home, country roads

Eventually, it was time to finally drive the thing. We weren’t particularly thrilled with the Vitara’s on-the-road performance, with the pull-away power and overall performance leaving us a little downhearted. Once the car picked up a bit more speed and we became accustomed to the car’s ins and outs, the ride proved to be smooth and comfortable, though not extremely fast. It was responsive when we needed it to be – especially when the rain began pouring sometime around the Montagu Pass, giving us an excuse to really put the AllGrip name to the test up the winding, uphill turns.

The real test came when the trip took a turn (no, really) onto a dirt track laden with the day’s mud. We locked it into 4×4 mode and set off. It navigated the rain-glutted roads with ease, and for off-roading novices like ourselves, it made the experience far simpler and less stressful than expected. Maybe it’s the weight, the hybrid engine, or our excellent driving that did the trick. Either way, it made for an experience we wouldn’t mind doing in the Grand Vitara all over again. Whether we’d do it in one of the GV’s less-expensive models…

There are a couple of features that made an appearance along the drive. Our favourite was the 360-degree camera that helped us navigate the trail with a little more ease (though the raised suspension did plenty to help too) when the roads narrowed. Like most vehicles, it’s hard to fault a rearview reverse camera. That came in handy once or twice.

We’d hoped for a little more power on the everyday roads than we got and a pull-away that excites us just a little. We weren’t all that impressed with the Hybrid K15C engine (instead of the K15B which is reserved for the petrol models). Its power wasn’t all too noticeable, though that’s by design, with Suzuki’s main ambition in the Hybrid being to save on fuel – what with the added 125kg the AllGrip and 4-wheel-drive our model had extra. It begs the question; is it worth it?

Suzuki Grand Vitara Verdict

We’d have liked at least a few more hours of driving to get our thoughts in order on the Suzuki Grand Vitara. But, we didn’t and this is the result. Overall, we enjoyed our time with the car, and are even willing to look past the few minor issues. If you’re looking to get into a Grand Vitara, we’d suggest sticking to one of the model’s cheaper variants, regardless of the (slight) savings on fuel. Still, more time would have been appreciated

We’ll shortly get our wish and will be spending a full week behind the wheel of the Grand Vitara 1.5 GLX 6AT Hybrid AllGrip to get a better sense of the range, fuel consumption, and ease of navigation through Joburg’s traffic. Expect that… soon.

Finally, it’s worth mentioning that our hours-long test drive was made possible through Suzuki’s new partnership with FlySafair – with the airline bringing us to George for the drive. Better yet, the collaboration includes a competition where you could win yourself one of two Suzuki Grand Vitara 1.5 GLX 6AT AllGrip Hybrids if you book a flight with FlySafair before 31 July – after which you’ll be automatically entered into the draw.

Read More: First Drive: Volvo C40 Recharge – Volvo’s back in Recharge

But you’re buying a completely different thing if you’re opting for an EV and the Volvo C40 Recharge is no different. It looks like a Volvo. It smells like a Volvo. But it’s actually a surprisingly stealthy ninja car that’ll confuse anyone you happen to drive past. It looks like it makes noise but it really, really doesn’t.

Everybody line up

The C40 Recharge looks like an SUV-lite, one with a spot of sportiness about it. Standing outside the car, it looks bulky at first glance but once you’ve started it up, you’ll have trouble remembering why you thought that. The design is almost typically Volvo but with slightly more curves and an aggressive line or two. That last point might just be us anticipating what an EV can do. But first, a look at the inside.

The interior of the vehicle, from the driver’s seat, is dominated by a large touchscreen panel, angled slightly toward the driver. It’s optimised for Google Automotive Services, which is what runs the whole vehicle. It’s like Android Auto but wholly integrated. That goes some way to explaining why the menus are so deep and sometimes complicated — any control is best done while stationary or by a passenger. It’s very distracting.

The interior goes light on physical buttons. They’re there but they’re underemphasised since the major control will happen via the touchscreen.

The heel and stalks are easy to manage. Controls are within easy reach of thumbs and you can choose one of several modes for the instrument cluster. These vary in how busy they are but the most useful includes navigation updates along with your speed and power info. It may be more customizable, but we didn’t have enough time to really dig into the settings.

Road worrier

As far as driving the Volvo C40 Recharge goes, it’s perhaps a little too easy. It doesn’t include quite the same aircraft carrier takeoff jolt you get from Jaguar’s electric vehicle but it’s snappy and responsive when you need it to be there. Whipping past slow-moving trucks in Franshoek was incredible, but the vehicle’s weight and tendency to hold velocity longer than expected — regenerative braking may have been turned off — makes for a hair-raising experience on tight passes. We know, we know, make better driving choices. But when it’s capable of 0 to 100km/h in 4.7 seconds, you kinda have to put your foot down. At least once. Even if they tell you not to.

The cabin itself is plush though Volvo tells us that the interior is all recycled and doesn’t use any leather at all. You could have fooled us, but that’s the point. We found, in the overcast Western Cape afternoon, that the window tint was a little too dark for comfort but the glass sunroof made up for it somewhat. Still, changing lanes was a bit hairier than we might have liked. Thank goodness for all of Volvo’s driving assists, like blind-spot notification, lane assist, and collision avoidance. We didn’t use that last one. Promise.

It comes out at night

There were a few features we were only told about since they primarily function at night. The Volvo C40 Recharge features an ambient light strip inside the cabin that hides a Swedish easter egg. We forget the name of the feature it represents but it’s there and a dealer will probably explain it to you.

The other feature was the Pixel headlamps. These apparently feature intelligent lighting, able to illuminate the area in front of you without blinding other drivers. We’d have loved to see it in action. Sadly, we’ll probably only experience it ‘passively’ when an oncoming Volvo C40 Recharge spares our eyes one fine winter evening.

Volvo C40 Recharge initial verdict

We only got to spend a limited amount of time behind the wheel of the Volvo C40 Recharge but the experience was great. Part of that was the scenic Western Cape roads but a lot of it was the responsive and safe-feeling EV.

There’s 300W of output behind the wheels and 660Nm of torque, which is more than enough to overtake anything plodding along. The 78kWh battery apparently features a 444km range, which looks about right, based on our time with the vehicle. It’s rated for charging at home (AC, 3.5kW) or from a custom installation (11kW) but you really want to take it to a DC charging station, which hits up to 150kW and gets drivers from 10% to 80% in under 40 minutes.

But these are all just figures we’ve been told. From what we’ve experienced, it’s well worth giving a serious look if you’re after a spacious and safe EV. As long as you’ve got around R1.3 million in the bank (or a very good car loan), that is.

Which would be a shame, because the new BMW 3 Series features a great front end. The redesigned headlights and kidney grille sit above impressive dragon’s-nostrils air intakes. The LED headlights are slimmer, with blue light effects below them to give the front end a striking Tron-like appearance in the darkness. Those adaptive LED headlights are as hi-tech as everything else in the 3 Series, with cornering light, non-dazzling matrix high beam (no, we don’t know what that is), dynamic range control, and variable light distribution (yes, we do know what those are). The 3 Series’ rear end is also revamped to look more muscular. And the exhaust tailpipes now measure 90 or 100mm across. You laugh, but dreams are made of less.

It’s what’s on the inside

The interior is a completely new experience, dominated by a 12.3-inch information display behind the steering wheel and a 14.9-inch control display merging into a single, hi-res unit. As in BMW’s new X1, greater touch- and voice control has reduced the number of buttons and controls throughout the cabin. Within this curved display are the BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant and the My BMW App, a fairly intuitive interface between driver and vehicle.

Read more: New BMW X1 – first look: Two sporty new crossovers and an EV on the way

There are five models in the series, with one diesel and four petrol engines. All of them will spark the desire to drive one.

Heading the engine range are two BMW Performance models. This means the 3 Series covers an output range from 115 kW to 285 kW. Mild hybrid technology gives a particularly rapid response and increased efficiency to the six-cylinder in-line petrol engine and the diesel unit.

All engines for the new 3 Series link up with an eight-speed Steptronic transmission as standard. Its sporting character is emphasised by the gearshift paddles on the steering wheel.

Standard on all models except the BMW 318i is an eight-speed Steptronic Sport transmission with particularly sharp shift dynamics, providing a really dramatic Launch Control function for traction-optimised acceleration off the line and unlocking quick bursts of mid-range power with its Sprint function. Be ready to spend a lot of time pressed back into your seat.

3 Series skills

A host of automated driving and parking systems augment comfort and safety. Too many to mention, really, but here they are: standard equipment includes Front Collision Warning with brake intervention, which detects cyclists as well as vehicles and pedestrians, Cruise Control with brake function, and Lane Departure Warning with lane return. Options include lane-change warning, Head-Up Display, and Driving Assistant Professional, which comprises the Steering and Lane Control Assistant, Active Cruise Control, and traffic light detection.

The 318i, 320i and 320d range from R767 900 up to R930 300. The 330i M Sport is R953 000, and the M340i xDrive starts at R1.338m and goes to R1.353m with the M Sport package Pro. If that seems like a lot, think about those gearshift paddles on the steering wheel…

Images via BMW

What’s a crossover? They’re smaller, lighter and more fuel efficient than full-size SUVs. More agile, also easier to manoeuvre and park, and nicer to drive – which is what we were looking forward to with the new X1.

The launch line-up comprises two models: the X1 sDrive18i (claimed fuel consumption combined: 6.5 l/100 km) powered by a 115 kW three-cylinder engine, and the BMW X1 sDrive18d (claimed fuel consumption combined: 5.0 l/100 km), whose four-cylinder diesel unit generates 110 kW. They’ll be followed in early 2023 by the all-electric BMW iX1 xDrive30e.

X1 marks the spot

What’s changed? First thing, it’s bigger. Half a metre longer, in fact, with 4cm extra headroom and a longer and wider wheelbase to boost handling. There’s more room to enjoy the cabin, front and back. On the outside, BMW aficionados argue about the new-style, almost square kidney grille, but the fresh styling of the X1’s slim LED headlights and sculpted look are pleasing. And on the inside …

By 2022 the old X Series felt as analogue as its instrument cluster. So the new X1’s curved, customisable digital display and 10.7-inch central touchscreen offer a welcome new experience. There’s also the latest BMW steering wheel design, which adopts a smaller hub and thinner rim. But at Stuff, we’re all about the screens.

That big central touchscreen transforms the dash, while intuitive touch and voice control have reduced the number of physical buttons and switches for a cleaner look throughout the cabin.

Head in the clouds

Cloud-based BMW Maps offers a 3D augmented view as an optional extra, invaluable for getting yourself in the right lane in the dog-eat-dog world of motorway junctions. We left the steering to BMW’s excellent Steering and Lane Control Assistant once or twice – which was as many times as we found white lines still painted on the roads – and as advertised it kept us safely centred in our lane.

How is it to drive? Pretty damn good. The 18i felt more like a 3 Series than a mini-SUV; the diesel version was just as agile but not so quick. On sharp curves, we pulled 2G’s (iDrive8 told us so). That’s Top Gun speak for having more fun than you should on a public road.

Cruise Control, the front-collision warning system and park assist are standard. Electric seats, panoramic glass sunroof, Harman Kardon sound system, Head-Up Display and the Steering and Lane Control Assistant sadly aren’t.

In standard xLine spec the X1 sDrive18i is yours for R753,000, the 18d for R790,000. Upgrading to the M Sport package will boost that to R793,000 and R830,000 respectively, but who’s counting?

Images via BMW

At this point you’re looking at the header image and saying to yourself, ‘Surely it can’t cost that much.’ Oh yes, it bloody well can. Our review vehicle turned up at the Stuff offices with absolutely no optional extras installed. That might be cause they’re mostly included in the purchase price. The Range Rover First Edition, without any extras at all, will set you back a substantial R3.53 million.

It’s all there

You’re not getting ripped off, as it happens. The tricky bit is affording it. The surprisingly bulky vehicle sports 23in rims, an oddly-sedate design that still manages to be eye-catching, and a generally smooth outer shape that doesn’t look like it’s worth spending the price of an actual (used) supercar on. There’s no denying that loads of thought has gone into the design but Land Rover has saved its value for the First Edition’s interior.

Still, worth noting are the running boards. This vehicle is higher off the ground than it looks. It’ll automatically lower suspension to let you clamber in but that’s hardly dignified. There’s an automatically-retracting running board the length of the body (between the tyres, obviously) that pops out when the door is opened. Close the doors and start up and it disappears back to its place of concealment.

This is just one of many little touches Land Rover uses to make drivers feel like they’ve got value for money. The company’s door lights make sure you always know where you’re stepping in the dark but, like we said, you really need to spend time inside it to appreciate just what the company’s done here.

Comfort creature

Slipping into the cabin envelopes you in the most comfortable car seat you’ve ever been in. It’s no bucket seat with a five-point harness. You won’t be driving that fast. It’s more like the sort of chair you’d buy if you were planning to watch Netflix while remaining seated for as long as possible. The headrest is extremely soft and seat adjustment is a breeze. If it’s uncomfortable, it’s entirely your fault.

The space between the driver’s and passenger’s seats is equally lush. There’s a cooled container for soft drinks (beer is probably a terrible idea). The gearshift occupies an island between two sections that’ll hold your detritus. If you want to conceal their contents from the world at large, tasteful panels can be shifted over them. Wireless charging and USB ports are, of course, included.

Above is what the Range Rover First Edition calls a sliding panoramic roof. Want some actual sunlight on your pasty body? It’s as simple as touching a switch on the ceiling. It’s possible to remove just the cover or the entire panel, to let a little fresh air into the cabin.

Entertainment industry

The driver gets one of the better digital clock screens we’ve seen in a car, along with Range Rover’s heads-up display projected onto the windscreen. In the centre is a 13.1in touchscreen display with Land Rover’s trademark OS running. Android Auto and Apple Carplay are both takeover options if you feel the need. But it’s the folks in the back who get the better part of the deal.

Both rear seats are fitting with an 11.4in touchscreen display. In case you’re left in any doubt about what those screens are for, a set of over-ear headphones is included in each rear passenger door. It’s possible to connect to these screens (Bluetooth), charge your devices (USB), and generally entertain yourself while the driver gets on with driving you to your exclusive housing estate somewhere that included a helicopter landing pad.

Road worrier

You’d expect a R3.5 million Range Rover to handle the road like some sort of fluffy daydream and you’d be entirely correct. It’s incredibly easy to forget that you’re driving. Despite its bulk, the Range Rover First Edition is incredibly easy to navigate. Camera- and sensor-assisted features let us cram it into spaces that we were really unsure about. It’s surprisingly nimble too. Something this size usually comes across as top-heavy, slewing around corners rather than traversing them smoothly. That’s not the case here. The First Edition handles like a vehicle that weighs somewhat less than 3.3 tons.

It’s also surprisingly economical. It’ll suck up 11 litres per 100km, which isn’t bad for a 3.0-litre petrol engine. It’s almost nippy, too. It’ll hit 100km/h in about 6.1 seconds (according to Land Rover — we were too busy being comfy to set a timer). It’s also got a top speed of 234km/h. But while there’s a Dynamic mode for that speedy takeoff, you really don’t have to use it. It’s really no hardship being behind the wheel of the First Edition, which means you’re not in a hurry to get anywhere. Presumably, that changes if you can actually afford to buy one (you’ve probably got quite the schedule). Speaking as folks who will never have that kind of cash, we really, really wish we did. It’s a dream to drive, especially when the lights and wipers are fully automated and all you have to do is flex your ankle and twitch your forearm a little to get home.

Range Rover First Edition (2023) verdict

The Range Rover First Edition is a tremendously expensive car for most South Africans. You’ll need some serious stock market chops, Mafia connections, or lucrative tenders in order to afford one. But if you can, you won’t be sorry that you slipped behind the wheel of one of these. But if you can afford the R3.5 million price tag, why not go all the way and just cram in the rest of Land Rover’s extras? They can’t bump the price up by that much, surely?

Not because of the environment (though lithium mining is having its own effects on the planet). Instead, it’s the sheer joy of stomping on an accelerator and having a petrol engine leap forward like it’s about to consume the car in front of it. Whether, as in the F-Pace SVR’s case, it’s worth paying nearly R2 million to do that is up to the individual driver but this is certainly one of the most entertaining cars Stuff has been behind the wheel of.

Bulking up

Jag’s F-Pace SVR looks like one of the brand’s F-Types that has been hitting protein shakes and gym particularly hard. There’s a bulk to the design that doesn’t actually have to be there but you’ll be kind of glad it is. When encased in the cockpit, you’ll be aware of solidity in every direction. It’s that impression that brings the engine’s performance under mental control — but more on that in a second.

The outer skin is impeccably designed. Lines slope into the occasional angle, offering just enough aggression to live up to the Jaguar brand name. For all that, though, this strikes us more as a family car than something you’d use to terrify traffic. If you’re the sort of person to drop R2 mil on a family SUV, you’ll certainly have the raddest vehicle in the school pickup line. The rumbliest, too.

That’s just Super

It’s not often that we sit behind the wheel of an expensive car and wish that it was harder to drive but the F-Pace SVR manages that feat. The 5.0-litre supercharged V8 under the hood is just begging for a gear lever and a clutch to… well, actually, we’d probably get ourselves killed trying to reign in that power manually but what a way to go. As it happens, this Jag is all about that automatic gearbox. While it serves, we still sit and sigh about what could have been.

There are several driving modes available, each of which deactivates more and more power as you step down. At its lowest setting (Eco), the F-Pace is a slightly more shouty commuter vehicle. It’s noisy enough to scare intersection vendors and pedestrians. Click it up to the full-throated Dynamic setting and you’ve got that V8 power plant at your command. It’s not the same flying takeoff you’ll experience in Jag’s I-Pace but it’s somehow more satisfying.

It bloody better be, considering how thirsty the V8 is. Our fuel consumption, the dashboard helpfully informed us, varied from just over 17l/100km to somewhere over 19 litres per 100km. If you can afford the R1.92 million price tag (the cost of our specific model — they start at R1.83 million), you can probably afford to stop for gas once a week. Honestly, the driving experience is so glorious that the fuel will seem like a small price to pay.

Interior monologue

The outside is decent. On-road performance is excellent. Inside the cabin, the Jag F-Pace SVR is almost as good. It’s just overshadowed by the urge to put foot to floor and go roaring through traffic until the fuel gauge demands a top-up. A load of interior features ensures that you can do just that.

Like your average camera, it’s entirely possible to operate everything manually. But why go to all that effort when you can set the lights and wipers to automatically do their thing when conditions demand it? That frees you up to fiddle with the 11.4in touchscreen panel (which you shouldn’t do while driving — there’s too much power at the wheels) or experiment with the various driving modes.

Android Auto and Apple Carplay support are present and very insistent you set them up as soon as possible. If you eschew either in favour of Jag’s own OS (which we always do), you’ll find that the car’s settings are easy to navigate. As with all operating systems, some of the settings are tucked away where you can’t do any harm with them.

Our only gripe? Jag’s heads-up display, which throws driving mode, speed, and turn-by-turn directions onto the windshield, isn’t present here. At nigh-on R2 million, a little HUD action is the least we’d expect. But then the V8 makes another inviting growl and we’re quite happy to forget about it.

Jaguar F-Pace SVR 5.0l V8 verdict

The Jaguar F-Pace SVR supercharged 5.o-litre V8 isn’t an affordable car by any stretch of the imagination. You’ll pay almost two million for one. Throw in insurance and that fuel bill and you’re looking at an executive-level monthly cost. The sort of cost where even government ministers might go, “Hang on, that’s a bit pricy.” Maybe. But if you can swing the cash needed to keep this thing on the road, you won’t regret a moment of it. The only thing you’ll regret is that Jaguar doesn’t actually make a manual transmission of this muscle car stand-in. That’s a serious pity. The things we would have done with an honest clutch.

Led by a vastly divergent and aggressive new monolithic front end, the car tapers down bullish RR Phantom lines to finish with a perfectly proportioned rear that at worst is a tiny nod to the frumpy sandwich of yore.

Like the rest of the car, even the exterior is bristling with innovation from backlit Swarovski headlights to vastly improved sensors and cameras with object recognition for augmented reality and assisted driving. Based on recent patent submissions, the thin strips that house the running lights and possibly functional indicators may be merged with the controversially enormous kidney grilles to form a single front element. (More info here).

Front or back door?

As before, the 7 Series is designed to be both a driver and chauffeured experience with a slight bias towards passengers that goes beyond the full-seat recliner. It’s at this point where the new 7’s move into Fun Land may divide its audience.

As the automatic doors swing open and you enter the back seat, based on a preset mode the car can either look like anything from an ubër nightclub in Berlin or the world’s most opulent 1^st class booth. There are mini smartphone-like controls in each door that allow a host of controls for entertainment such as the R60,000 optional 8K dropdown Fire OS-powered touch screen.

The list of options and settings is mind-numbing but it’s the preset modes that make you question a shift in the car’s potential audience. The options are Sport, Efficient, Expressive, Relax, Theater, and Digital Art. The strange blend of cosmetic and functional may take some getting used to. Cosmetically they change the backgrounds on the dashboard and passenger control screens as well as colourfully changing up the lighting on the controls, cabin, LED patterns on the panoramic roof, and the Swarovski listello.

Functionally they affect driving dynamics, seat shape and massage settings, audio profiles, the sunroof, the blinds, and a significant combination of other things you will struggle to recall. It’s an impressive, novel, and entertaining feature but the effort required to familiarize and customize the setups could be overwhelming. Another niggle for the driver is that some of the modes, as well as dropping the screen, close the rear blind leaving no option but use the rear camera and potentially set a new mode all over the dashboard.

Technology with a dash of car

In-cabin options are the tip of the iceberg. BMW can rightfully claim one of the most intuitive in-car interfaces, letting the majority of innovations work for you behind the scenes. The reality is that even the distilled list of visible options is mindboggling – in a good way. Then come the engines.

The BMW i7’s electric motor and high-capacity battery not only negates the 500kgs of added weight, but the constant availability of torque makes one of the biggest sedans on the road feel spry and punchy. Coupled with vastly improved steering, suspension and drive control it’s staggering how 2.5 tons can feel like a racing car even when throwing it around corners. Put all the driving assists back on and the car is as close to an autonomous lounge as regional regulations will allow.

BMW’s 740i version is powered by a 3.0-litre turbocharged inline-six powerplant bonded to an eight-speed automatic gearbox. Even though it’s lighter than the i7, it’s heavier in the front and with the lack of instant torque the 740i is slightly prone to understeer when pushed hard. When drag racing the pair, the i7’s nose lifts very satisfyingly as it leaves the 740i behind.

BMW 7-Series and i7 verdict

The BMW 740i hovers at around R2.2 million and the i7 roughly R900 000 on top of that. The entire experience of both cars, especially as a passenger, is not that disparate so the choice will come down to whether or not you really want an EV and have the infrastructure to charge it.

The BMW i7 is likely the most advanced EV to date, superseding even the iX. It boasts an exceptionally high-capacity battery pack which takes around 45 minutes to fully charge using a DC charger, hours on a level 2 charger and longer still via wall plug. With decent driving, regenerative braking and eco mode you will squeak 600km out of a charge.