Page 66 - Car South Africa (February 2020)

test
behind a low-sited steering wheel
and subsequently obscured instru-
mentation. Sure, this is something
an owner would grow accustomed
to but it’s the weakest point in an
otherwise superb cabin. Another
anomaly sees the controls for
the electric front windows sited
behind the transmission lever.
While hard plastics obviously
abound – including on the sur-
faces of various storage bins – it Well-considered standard ABS brakes. Standard added previously. Not as Weighing 68 kg more than the
is difficult to fault the levels of fit specification adds allure, infotainment system stable as the Atos on the Atoz tested in June 1999, the new
and finish in the cabin relative to
its cheaper-feeling rivals. Standard
air-conditioning and front electric
windows aside, the fitment of a
seven-inch touchscreen info-
tainment system with steering
wheel-mounted controls that
feature both Bluetooth and smart-
phone mirroring functionality is
a welcome inclusion. The latter
is accessed via a USB port and
includes a 12 V power socket.
However, some owners may feel
a little short-changed with a return
to the traditional key-in-the-slot
central-locking system and the
01
02
64 CAR FEBRUARY 2020 CARmag.co.za
MATCH-UP
need to manually lock the doors
1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 once on the move. The absence
of a rear window wiper or even
the option of a demist function is
arguably more jarring, though.
If the wider stance of the car
means more shoulderroom for
Hyundai Atos Datsun Go Renault Kwid occupants, unlike the relatively
1,1 Motion 1,2 Mid 1,0 Dynamique
small (184 litres) luggage compart-
Fresh styling, upmar- Coinciding with a 2019 Facelifted, the Kwid range ment, headroom has never been a
ket packaging and facelift was the inclusion now includes a second
an appealing engine. of a second airbag and airbag to complement ABS weak point of the Atos package.
including safety. rivals Hyundai’s. open road.
car’s sub-one-tonne frame is pow-
price: R159 900 price: R159 100 price: R154 900 ered by the brand’s Epsilon G4HG
four-cylinder engine mated with a
cyl/capac: 4/1 086 cm 3 cyl/capac: 3/1 198 cm 3 cyl/capac: 3/999 cm 3
five-speed manual transmission.
power: 50 kW/5 500 r/min power: 50 kW/5 000 r/min power: 50 kW/5 500 r/min
Keen to rev, this 50 kW/99 N.m
torque: 99 N.m/2 800 r/min torque: 104 N.m/4 000 r/min torque: 91 N.m/4 250 r/min s-o-h-c engine offers impressive
gears/drive: 5/F gears/drive: 5/F gears/drive: 5/F spirit, especially round town. With
easy-to-operate gearing perfectly
0-100 km/h: 14,50 sec 0-100 km/h: 13,30 sec 0-100 km/h: 13,67 sec
set to cope with the tight confines
top speed: 155 km/h top speed: 161 km/h top speed: 152 km/h
of a hustle-and-bustle urban en-
fuel index: 6,84 L/100 km fuel index: 6,20 L/100 km fuel index: 5,60 L/100 km vironment, the trade-off is a more
luggage capac: 184/792 L luggage capac: 200/760 L luggage capac: 224/840 L frantic execution on the open road.
In the absence of a sixth ratio, it’s
serv/maint plan: S1/15 000 km serv/maint plan: optional serv/maint plan: S2/30 000 km
best to maintain 100 km/h cruising
USED OPTION (<2yrs)
speeds to keep the revs from near-
Mazda2 1,5 Dynamic The underrated, refined Mazda2 offers better standard spec and ing the 4 000 r/min mark.
a far superior safety rating. Stronger 1,5-litre engine is only slightly thirstier. Even without this optimal
extra gear and despite the likeli-
hood of more regular downshifts
to maintain momentum at
performance-sapping altitudes,
the Hyundai should match the
brand’s claimed sub-6,0 L/100 km
average fuel consumption.
The brand says it focused on
torsional rigidity in the Atos and,
as such, despite its relatively tall
stance, the new car feels suitably
stable on the road. The combi-
nation of featherlight steering
and soft suspension means the
Atos can prove lively when driven
enthusiastically. Yet, in real-world
terms, this Hyundai is easy to ma-
noeuvre and copes admirably with
most road imperfections.
A hot topic in this budget-con-
scious segment is safety. Both
Datsun and Renault have
03 04 recently upgraded their respec-
tive offerings and the decidedly
01 Neat interior includes touchscreen infotain-
ment. 02 Trip computer incorporates handy
distance-to-empty readout. 03 Four-cylinder
engine more refined than rivals’. 04 Standard
14-inch steel wheels with plastic covers.