Bruce Fraser
Bruce Fraser
When ANC Youth League president Julius Malema's matric results were exposed recently a number of people - including the media - had a good snigger.
Cartoons were drawn, opinion pieces written, radio talkshows had a field day.
Now I really felt for young Julius at the time as, just as he received an "F" for woodwork, I scored a similar mark in computer classes. In fact, as far as I remember, the teacher said I was lucky to have done that well!
So when I got behind the wheel of Audi's new Avant 2,0 TDI Ambition I can only imagine I had the same feeling as Julius would experience if asked to quickly assemble some kitchen cupboards . totally lost!
You see my first car - a 1965 VW Beetle - had an instrumentation panel that consisted of three knobs and switches - one of which didn't even work.
The Avant on the other hand has more than 70 - I know, I counted every one of them! There is no doubt that this is a highly technically advanced car . the only problem is that I'm not.
"Consult the handbook if you're not sure of something," commented some smart alec. That sounds fine, except for one thing - the size of the book makes War and Peace look like a paperback.
The car we had on test came with a six-speed manual gearbox coupled with an engine that produces a reasonable 105kW.
The ride itself is typically Audi - smooth and, coupled with the advanced suspension mechanism, bumps are easily soaked up.
Comfort features are too many to list but the ones that I managed to utilise were the retractable glass sun roof, a dual air-conditioning system that thankfully takes away little from the engine's performance, and a CD system that accommodates up to 6 discs at a time.
When driving this vehicle you definitely have a feeling of solidness and safety which, though a niche vehicle, should appeal to those in the market for larger than normal family vehicles.
Top speed is a slightly disappointing 215kmh but shines in its fuel consumption - a miserly 5,5litres per 100km
Priced at R339500, the Avant finds competition in the BMW's 320i Touring Steptronic (R322000) and the Honda Accord Executive Tourer (R321900).
whatta machine!
Bruce Fraser
Bruce Fraser
When ANC Youth League president Julius Malema's matric results were exposed recently a number of people - including the media - had a good snigger.
Cartoons were drawn, opinion pieces written, radio talkshows had a field day.
Now I really felt for young Julius at the time as, just as he received an "F" for woodwork, I scored a similar mark in computer classes. In fact, as far as I remember, the teacher said I was lucky to have done that well!
So when I got behind the wheel of Audi's new Avant 2,0 TDI Ambition I can only imagine I had the same feeling as Julius would experience if asked to quickly assemble some kitchen cupboards . totally lost!
You see my first car - a 1965 VW Beetle - had an instrumentation panel that consisted of three knobs and switches - one of which didn't even work.
The Avant on the other hand has more than 70 - I know, I counted every one of them! There is no doubt that this is a highly technically advanced car . the only problem is that I'm not.
"Consult the handbook if you're not sure of something," commented some smart alec. That sounds fine, except for one thing - the size of the book makes War and Peace look like a paperback.
The car we had on test came with a six-speed manual gearbox coupled with an engine that produces a reasonable 105kW.
The ride itself is typically Audi - smooth and, coupled with the advanced suspension mechanism, bumps are easily soaked up.
Comfort features are too many to list but the ones that I managed to utilise were the retractable glass sun roof, a dual air-conditioning system that thankfully takes away little from the engine's performance, and a CD system that accommodates up to 6 discs at a time.
When driving this vehicle you definitely have a feeling of solidness and safety which, though a niche vehicle, should appeal to those in the market for larger than normal family vehicles.
Top speed is a slightly disappointing 215kmh but shines in its fuel consumption - a miserly 5,5litres per 100km
Priced at R339500, the Avant finds competition in the BMW's 320i Touring Steptronic (R322000) and the Honda Accord Executive Tourer (R321900).