Six new rides for a road trip

The Opel Crossland has just had a facelift and now boasts a new front end called the Opel Visor. The Opel Visor is an opaque plastic panel that replaces the standard grille. Behind this screen, there’s space for sensors and cameras and, in some Opels, even the headlights. The Opel Crossland’s price ranges from R324 900 for the 1.2 Crossland Edition (60 kW) with a five-speed manual transmission to R399 900 for the 1.2 Crossland Elegance (81 kW) with its sixspeed automatic transmission. Anew Peugeot 2008 was recently launched, and according to this manufacturer, the 2008 will “turn a remarkable new leaf in the history of Peugeot sports utility vehicles”. The 2008 will get a 1,2 ℓ three-cylinder petrol engine and will be available in three versions: Active, Allure and the flagship model, the GT. The 2008 Active base model delivers 74 kW, is available with a six-speed manual gearbox and costs R359 900. A 2008 Active with a six-speed automatic gearbox is available at R399 900 – its engine delivers 96 kW. The Allure and GT models – at R429 900 and R479 900 respectively – also in automatic. The arrival of a brand new Nissan Qashqai has just been announced and it is expected to come to South Africa in the second half of this year. The new Qashqai gets mild hybrid technology that consists of a second lithium-ion battery that boosts torque by 6 Nm for 20 seconds, though its real purpose is to save fuel. The Qashqai has a 1,3 ℓ petrol engine with a six-speed manual gearbox (102 kW) and a six-speed automatic gearbox (116 ℓ kW). Gadgets include USB-C sockets, a 9” touchscreen and a 12” digital dash. Prices are not yet known. The Audi SQ7 gets the brand’s most powerful diesel engine yet: a 4 ℓ V8 TDI that delivers a mighty 310 kW of power and 900 Nm of torque. Audi says it accelerates from 0-100 k/h in 4,8 seconds and on to a top speed of 250 km/h. What’s more, the manufacturer says the SQ7’s fuel consumption is around 8,7 ℓ/100 km under normal use. The SQ7 uses an eight-speed automatic transmission that sends power in a 40:60 ratio to the front and rear wheels (22” alloy wheels). The Audi SQ7 TDI Quattro can be yours for R1 679 500. The new Toyota Corolla Cross slots in between the smaller CH-R and larger RAV4. It is already on sale in Thailand where there are two versions. A 1,8 ℓ four-cylinder petrol engine delivers 103 kW and 177 Nm, and power is sent to the front axle via a continuously variable transmission. A hybrid version with the same engine delivers 90 kW. The Corolla Cross is built in Durban, and Toyota SA Motors has confirmed that both versions will be available locally. Prices were not yet available at the time of going to press. The 2022 Mitsubishi Outlander has just landed in America and is the fourth generation of this top seller. It has the same Dynamic Shield front end as its stablemates, including the Pajero Sport (see page 66) and the Triton. The American model gets 20” wheel rims, a large 12,3” digital instrument panel, a cordless cellphone charger, USB-C sockets and Mitsubishi’s own Super All-Wheel Control5 system that was originally developed for their rally cars. Mitsubishi South Africa had not yet announced an ETA or its price at the time of going to print.