ZIMBABWE INDEPENDENT

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20 Zimbabwe independent august 1 to 7, 2014 motoring New Navara finally matches rivals Enhanced ... Keyless entry, push-start ignition, acoustic reversing sensors, Bluetooth and USB audio/phone connectivity, and dual-zone climate-control are also available on certain models, while there are “spinal support” front seats and contoured outboard rear seating on dual-cab variants. With dual front, front-side and front/rear curtain airbags fitted along with a driver’s knee airbag, the new Navara should also net a five-star safety rating for the first time. Unlike most of its rivals, the current Navara has a four-star ANCAP rating, leaving it off the shopping lists of major fleet buyers that require the maximum safety score. NissaN’s next-generation Navara ute (utility vehicle) will be offered with seven airbags, sUV-style five-link rear coil suspension and a host of other passenger-friendly features when it arrives in australia in early 2015. The all-new D23 Navara will also come with two new high-tech diesel engines and a hefty 3,5-tonne towing capacity, as well as new technology including a seven-inch touch-screen and rear-view camera on some models. However, top-shelf versions of the popular Navara workhorse, which was australia’s second biggest selling ute last year behind Toyota’s HiLux but currently languishes at fifth, will no longer be fitted with the grunty V6 diesel that allowed Nissan to claim “australia’s most powerful tradie” bragging rights. instead, two more efficient 2,3-litre turbo-diesel engines will debut in the new Navara: a 118kW/403Nm four-cylinder unit with single turbocharger and higher-output 140kW/450Nm twin-turbo version. also used in Renault’s Master van, Nissan says the newly developed Ys23 engine has the same power and torque as the current 2,5-litre Navara, but promises improved drivability, with peak torque arriving at a lower 1 500rpm. Both new downsized diesel engines are also more efficient than the outgoing 2,5, with the lowoutput 2,3 claimed to reduce fuel consumption by 11% and the highoutput twin-turbo version said to use 19% less fuel. Thailand and other markets with less stringent emissions rules will still get updated versions of the current YD25 2,5-litre turbodiesel engine. Meantime, a 2,5-litre fourcylinder petrol engine delivering 118kW/231Nm will be offered in australia in 4x2 models. although Nissan has dropped the current Navara’s Renaultsourced 170kW/550Nm 3,0-litre V6, it says it is considering the introduction of a more powerful four-cylinder diesel engine in the future to replace it. as it stands, the departure of the Navara V6 means the 2,8-litre four-cylinder diesel in Holden’s Colorado will deliver the most torque (500Nm), followed by the 470Nm 3,2-litre five-cylinder diesel engine in the Ford Ranger and Mazda BT-50. The Navara is currently the heaviest vehicle in its class, but the new ute is 70kg lighter thanks to weight reductions in the body and suspension. Nissan also claims improved aerodynamics with a 0,37Cd drag co-efficient. The seven-speed automatic transmission from the outgoing Navara sT-X 550 replaces the fivespeed auto across the range, and there’s also a six-speed manual “box”. set to deliver a smoother ride, Nissan says the five-link rear suspension will be available on selected models, providing the same one-tonne payload as other variants offered with a more traditional leaf-sprung rear-end. To be built at a new Nissan plant in Thailand, the new Navara replaces the 17-year-old D22 and decade-old D40 Navara utes, and will be available in 4x2 and 4x4 configurations, in single, extra (king) and dual-cab configuration with cab-chassis or pick-up bodies. While the Navara’s ladder frame chassis is largely unchanged, allnew sheet-metal and a redesigned interior serve to give the new Navara a “sporting, agile and dynamic appearance”. Exterior highlights on some models include Led projector headlights with daytime running lights, chromed side mirrors with Led repeater lamps, a Mitsubishi Triton-like sliding rear window and an ute-first sunroof. — Cars Guide. Good iF you’re well off, love fast cars, but still want to go green-ish, this is the supercar for you. BMW’s i8 electric hybrid has just gone on sale. it takes smugness to a new level, but also makes electric cars look and feel supercool. Batteries and a plug are included. as a boyish fan of the early 1970s Gerry anderson TV sci-fi series UFO, i wanted to drive around in futuristic gull-winged cars. Now i’ve fulfilled that ambition. Even a neighbour who spotted it called it “space-age”. Boy, does it get you noticed. Even white van man is impressed, judging by all the smartphones hanging out of passenger windows. Fantastic, streamlined, styling with cutting-edge technology inside a lightweight carbon-fibre and aluminium body on 20-inch alloy wheels. Beautifully put together. Plenty of cupholders and cubbyholes. The push-up, gullwinged doors look fantastic. Getting in and out is good exercise, though the less lean or athletic — or anyone in a skirt — may require some deportment tips. Easy to drive. Press the start button. slot it into six-speed automatic “drive” mode on the central gear toggle, and off you go. You can drive manually using the stick or F1-style paddles. Performance to match the looks. Goes from rest to 62mph (100km/h) in 4,4 seconds. Top speed limited to 155mph. Power comes from a frugal 1,5 BMW i8 electric hybrid supercar goes on sale Sleek ... BMW i8 hybrid is easy to drive — just press the start button, slot it into six-speed automatic “drive” mode on the central gear toggle and off you go. litre, three-cylinder, 231bhp, twin-turbo, petrol engine over the rear axle linked to a 131bhp electric unit over the front axle. it’s a “plug-in” hybrid you can charge at home or at a charging station. it also generates electric power on the move from braking and deceleration. Pure electric mode gives you about 23 miles with a top speed of 75mph. The “comfort” setting sees the petrol engine kick in at 37mph. sport mode gives top performance with the full engine growl, plus the faint, but discernable high-pitched whine of the electric motor. average fuel consumption of 134,5mpg and CO2 emissions of 49g/km claimed by BMW. But it depends how you drive it. i tended to go for zero-emissions electric power in town, city and village, then open it up in more gas-guzzling sport mode on the open road. The petrol engine “range extender” means you don’t suffer the range anxiety of an all-electric vehicle. Brilliant bird’s eye camera view of your car — as if from above — when negotiating a tight squeeze or through parked cars. Futuristic interior illuminated blue piping. Nice air conditioning, too. Bad Not for shrinking violets. You’ll be photographed behind the wheel more often than simon Cowell. Long wait: the first year run of 750 is sold out. silent running. it is so quiet that in the depths of the countryside i slowed down and crept up on two people chatting. i was feet away before they noticed. Could lead to accidents. it stalled at some lights. Mild panic as i hit a few buttons to fire it up again. Forget the back seats for anything except luggage or emergencies. Hard suspension. Fine driving solo. More noticeable with passengers. — Mail Online.
Zimbabwe independent aUGUSt 1 tO 7, 2014 21 sports news Kallis a standard-bearer for a nation There is always a certain sadness when exceptional sportsmen call time on their career. Our interest in them lies not just in the aesthetics but in both character and personality; in physical and mental strength; in the ability to win. Few are given every gift. In cricket, Sir Garfield Sobers has been the stand out. roger Federer, Diego Maradona and Severiano Ballesteros are three from other sports so blessed. Jacques Kallis wanted to play in the World Cup next year but he has run out of time. The reason for his retirement from Test cricket was simple enough; he didn’t have the mental energy for it anymore. The brain had rebelled against the demands of the contest. Test match innings are a triumph of the mind. Bowling is a talent wholly attached to discipline. Catching at slip is a matter of concentration. Kallis still had the legs but the heart and head had wandered elsewhere. he broke the news to Graeme Smith while the pair of them stood at slip during the series against India last Christmas. Smith was eager for him to hang on for the Australians but he said there was nothing left to give. Friends suggested he drop down the order and barely bowl. he told them they were missing the point. either you are up for it or you are not. hanging on is a betrayal. he thought he had a World Cup left in him. It grates, not just with Kallis but with every South African who has touched upon bat and ball, that World Cup failures are associated with the C word. Courage and commitment Some sportsmen lose, others choke. Or, as a well know golfer once said about a putt that went astray, “I threw up on myself.” It appears that the South Africa cricket team does much the same, which is odd given that South African people have both courage and commitment in the many challenges they face. Kallis is furious that his team should be the subject of such opinion and remains certain that the talent and attitude exists to win the tournament in Australia. Initially, he felt his experience and all-round skills would add value to the sum of the parts. But he has found out that being a part-time cricketer is a mug’s game. Thus, the career of an exceptional player has finally come to an end. After making 13,289 runs and taking 292 wickets in Test match cricket along with 11,579 runs and 273 wickets in one-day cricket, they will have to go and win the cup without him. The Kallis statistics broke no argument. They are exquisite. And remember that batting on South African pitches provides a sterner test than those in most other countries. In the early 1990’s, that shrewd old fox robin Jackman said that the next great South African batsmen was about to make his debut for Western Province. Unusual distinction Jackman was coaching in Cape Town and Jacques Kallis had first seen “the little oke” at Wynberg Boys high, alma mater of one Allan lamb. Jackman was struck by a pure technique and commanding presence, aspects of his game that were to remain at the core of his longevity and success. If figures are the go-to, only Sobers can compare. Sir Walter hammond shares with both of them the unusual distinction of a Test match batting average above 55 that exceeds a bowling average by 20 or better. Only two men have batting averages above 40 and bowling averages below 33. Kallis is one but neither Sobers nor hammond are with him. (I’ll let you work out the other. It’s a good’un.) In an age of extravagance, Kallis played the game pragmatically. he preserved his wicket in the way of the great defenders and yet had a range of strokes that allowed him control of pretty much any attack. his hugely strong upper body brought immense physical strength to his bowling, as batsmen uniformly spoke of a “heavy ball” and the relentless application of a tactic. he possessed two of the jewels of the great game, a beautiful cover-drive from either foot and a perfect late outswinger. he held 200 Test match catches, most at slip. A quirky but revealing stat is that only Adam Gilchrist, with 107, has hit more Test match sixes. All this hardly seems fair. What he lacked was Sobers’ flair. There were times when Kallis appeared lost in his own world, strangely unable to alter the pattern of play through inspiration. he operated within a risk-averse strategy, while Sobers regarded a gamble as part of the daily routine. Highly regarded Because of this, Sobers was greatly loved while Kallis was highly regarded. Sobers emptied bars, Kallis guaranteed no change should you happen to drift off. Sobers had a fluent, animal grace; Kallis a latent power and foreboding sense of permanence. There have been five more unarguably great allrounders. each caught the eye for different reasons. Sir richard hadlee applied a surgical precision; Sir Ian Botham paraded an absence of self-doubt that won many an unpromising situation; Kapil Dev played with an athletically free spirit, Imran Khan with a lion’s sense of occasion and Keith Miller brought an unbridled pleasure to those lucky enough to witness either the man or his talent at first hand. Mike Procter may well have been among them had fate not turned against him. Kallis retires as another one of those truly great cricketers. Whether or not he is the finest all-round player ever is irrelevant and, anyway, comparisons can be odious and lead to contempt. What we know is that he adorned the game we love. he made South Africans proud and he made the rest of the world stand up and take notice. he played at the highest level for 18 years, which is a testament to desire and fitness every bit as much as it is to the skills that make him irreplaceable. he was the beating heart of many fine teams, the reference point for many an opponent and a standard-bearer for a sports loving nation through its period of extraordinary reconciliation and change. Bravo Jacques, the game will be poorer without you. — cricinfo. Nadal a doubt for US Open rAFAel Nadal’s US Open participation has been called into question by an injury that will force him to wear a cast on his right wrist for up to three weeks. The world No2 won the event in 2013, beating Novak Djokovic in the final for his 13th major title, to which he has since added this year’s French Open. While Nadal’s injury is to his right wrist, not his dominant hand, his two-handed backhand could still be badly affected. he faces a tight schedule to be fit for the tournament, which starts on August 25, after suffering an injury that will prevent him defending his rogers Cup and Western and Southern Open titles. A statement issued on behalf of Nadal said: “rafa won’t be able to compete and defend his titles in Canada and Cincinnati. The player felt some pain during practice in Mallorca. After some tests the doctors found a minor detachment of the posterior cubital tunnel of his right wrist. “The cubital tunnel houses the ulnar nerve, which runs from the elbow to the fingers and is colloquially known as the ‘funny bone’. “The player must remain for two or three weeks with an immobilisation cast on his right wrist. Depending on the evolution of the injury… it will be decided when to return to competition.” Wrist injuries have been common in tennis this season, with the world No8 Juan Martín del Potro undergoing surgery and laura robson falling to fourth in the British women’s rankings after a similar issue. — Guardian. Spain’s Rafael Nadal has had to pull out of two upcoming US tournaments after damaging his wrist in practice.
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