Cars are getting safer and more advanced, but have road trips become more boring as a result? Jon Minster remembers some of the cars he’s owned over the years, and the holiday adventures tied up in those memories.
My wife Jess and I recently bought a low-mileage, second-hand Subaru Outback at a strangely low price. We needed more space for the children and their paraphernalia and we wanted something safe and powerful for the open road.
We got all of that and more. The Outback has all-wheel-drive and sticks to the road like a lion on an impala. It has cruise control and a punchy engine that allows you to sail past everyone else when the highway opens up to two lanes. It has more safety features than a kids’ playground in Sydney and it even has heated seats. Do you know how nice a heated seat is when it’s 5° C outside?
All of this is great, don’t get me wrong, but it does take some of the drama out of a road trip. More expensive cars than the Outback already have adaptive cruise control, hybrid engines, lane-departure warning systems, blind-spot cameras, pre-impact braking and a host of other features. Soon you’ll be able to unplug your SUV, climb in, tilt the seat and have a nap on the way to Plett. Where’s the fun in that?
My first car was my mom’s old Golf and I got my driving licence exactly two days before I set off with friends on matric holiday.
(Disclaimer: The cars might be safer but there’s no way I’d let my own son drive from Joburg to Ballito two days after he got his licence. Or even worse, let him be a passenger in a car with some punk teenager in his mom’s old Golf!)
But anyway, back to that Golf. Being a Volkswagen, it was reliable if a little underpowered. The first thing I did was cut two holes in the parcel shelf for a pair of Pioneer 6x9 speakers – all the better to pump Prodigy on the N3 and further distract the wildly inexperienced driver.
Esta historia es de la edición December 2017 de go! - South Africa.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición December 2017 de go! - South Africa.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
Rolling out the big guns
If you're still scanning the horizon for a Chinese automotive invasion you're looking the wrong way. It's already happening, and the new GWM Tank is the off-road spearhead into the highly lucrative and hotly contested lifestyle market.
TAKE A HIKE
The beautiful agony of Tienuurkop
Time out in Dullies
A long weekend in Dullstroom is just long enough to make you realise you need to spend several more weekends here! There's food, drink, art and action in abundance. Here's your guide.
Gallivanting in the Galápagos!
The Galápagos Islands are on many a traveller's wish list. They were on Hanlie and Vivian Gericke's too, even though the price of visiting made their eyes water. Was it worth it? Read on...
BURCHELL AND THE COUNTRY OF THE BUSHMEN
How many times have you driven through a landscape and wished you could have seen it centuries ago? In 1811, the English artist and explorer, William John Burchell, travelled through South Africa. Join us as we follow in his footsteps.
Long live the Hibiscus Coast
The KZN South Coast is a national treasure. It's still the place to go if you want a classic seaside holiday complete with warm waves, cold beer, soft serve and good vibes. Here's your guide.
The island at the end of the earth
Imagine adlace-with the cleanest air arid:the clearest seawater, where_no human.oranimabwants to:harm you: A placewhere the climates balmy. year-round:-with a sekrhistory ahd wwild scenery. A place like this:exist8” and it’s called St Helena.
A day on the road
You never know what the road will bring. Toast Coetzer heads south on the N1 and discovers South Africa.
The wilder shore
The final leg of a 30-day trek across East Africa sees lan Tyrer and the Africa - Wild & Untamed crew explore both shores of Lake Malawi. Get ready for an overloaded ferry, a croc attack and being surrounded by elephants...
A river runs through it
Sabie is onthe Drakensberg escaromentialongMpumalanga’s famous Panorama Route. Want a weekend away surrounded by forests and waterfalls? Here's wnat you need to know.