Last year was a shocker when it came to paying for fuel. With the Brent Crude oil price at its highest levels in more than a decade, for many of us, visiting the pumps became a dread-filled experience.

While there has been a sliver of relief in January, with petrol and diesel coming down by about 87 cents and R1.40, respectively; now, more than ever, fuel consumption has become a major consideration when buying a car.

Over December I knew I’d be doing a lot of driving and unlike previous years, where I was more concerned with high-performance revs and sporty curves, I chose three cars to test-drive that I hoped would yield as much mileage as possible, without needing too many grudge visits to the fuel station.

The Renault Duster

The latest Renault Duster is also offered in 4×4 guise . (Photo: Renault SA)

When it comes to being a frugal prince, the 1.5-litre turbocharged Renault Duster 4×2 diesel has got to take the crown. I started off with a pretty decent range of 720km. After taking this compact SUV out on an initial 300km drive, the fuel gauge hadn’t moved a millimetre. Perhaps there was something faulty with the reading? For much of my drive, I was managing to achieve just under 5l/100km. And it wasn’t as if I was snail driving.

With its turbocharged engine, producing just 66 kilowatts of power, the Duster is surprisingly capable of leaving some higher-powered cars in the dust. After three weeks, on doing my final calculations, I’d managed to bring her in at 5.5l/100km and had extended the range to just over 1,000km.

The Renault Duster’s 8-inch touchscreen. (Photo: Renault SA)

While it might not have the most snazzy interior — there are some hard plastics on the dash and pedestrian finishes like cheapish fabric on the flooring — what the 4×2 diesel Duster lacks in luxury, it more than makes up for with its punchy engine, frugal consumption and great gravel road capability. The tech, via an 8-inch touch screen, is also easy to configure.

For more serious off-roaders, there’s the highly capable 4×4 1.5-litre turbo diesel derivative with just as impressive consumption. It’s got lekker off-road stuff like a compass, an altimeter and a 4×4 monitor. One can even check the pitch and roll angles when off the beaten track. It is, however, only available with a manual gearbox.

Over the past few years, Renault SA has been performing particularly well locally, often managing to feature in SA’s top five sellers in the passenger car segment, helped along by strong sales of the Duster.

This year, the manufacturer intends to increase its local market share by launching no fewer than six new products. In Q1, the new Captur hits the showrooms and between May and December, we’ll hopefully see the new Oroch, a compact bakkie (based on the Duster), a 2023 Koleos, as well as an updated Duster.

Petrolheads will be sad to hear that the legendary Megane RS hot hatch is being sent to the car cemetery, but not without some fanfare. It is rumoured the special edition Megane R.S.300 Ultimé will make a noisy appearance in 2023. And while the exact launch date still needs to be confirmed, the Arkana, a stylish coupé crossover, is also pencilled in to appear before the year-end.

The Volkswagen Polo Sedan

The all-new Volkswagen Polo Sedan. (Photo: VW SA)

While I’m a big fan of speedy hatchbacks like the Golf GTI and R, the Hyundai i30N and the legendary Honda Type R — and would probably buy a Polo GTI if I was looking for a small, somewhat more affordable performer — I’m not usually enamoured with cheaper sedans in what’s known as the AO segment — cars like the old Toyota Etios, the Kia Pegas and Suzuki DZire. So when I got offered a new Polo Sedan to test-drive over December, I graciously accepted, but had few expectations.

Well, I was in for a surprise. First, the new Polo is a looker, reminding me a bit of the old Passat, with tinges of the striking Arteon that’s sadly no longer on sale as a new car locally.

When you’re considering cars in this segment, which usually appeal to drivers who need to transport passengers, safety has to be considered as a priority. Along with its vital-to-have Electronic Stability Control (ESC), the new Polo Sedan has six airbags, a multi-collision braking system, LED headlights, Park Distance Control in the rear, and a rear-view camera (although only in the Life derivatives).

The cabin of the new Polo Sedan. (Photo: VW SA)

The sedan comes standard with good tech by way of a 7-inch touchscreen radio and an easy-to-operate 10-inch touchscreen infotainment system. Certain derivatives have cool stuff like ambient lighting and Climatronic air conditioning. However, all its bells and whistles aside, it’s the Polo’s overall solid drive and frugal fuel consumption of around 6.4l/100km that most impressed me.

Volkswagen SA, which regularly tops the charts as the best-selling passenger car manufacturer in the country, will have a busy first quarter launching the all-new Amarok that I reviewed late last year, the much-anticipated Golf 8 R that I had the great pleasure of driving in late November, as well as a new Tiguan TDI. The updated Polo Vivo GT is expected to strengthen VW’s dominance in the second quarter.

The Honda Civic RS

The all-new Honda Civic RS. (Photo: Honda SA)

With about 70% of the car market belonging to light commercial vehicles and SUVs, it’s easy to overlook an elegant, well-priced sedan. The Honda Civic RS reminds me of the bygone era when Elantras, Sentras, Jettas and Camrys were aplenty on our roads. They’ve all been discontinued.

Not to be confused with the hot-hatch renegade Type R, the Civic RS (which stands for “Road Sailing”, alluding to its smooth drive) is pretty faultless as an all-round, great classic sedan. From its low-slung sporty looks to its uncluttered cabin, replete with a blend of high-quality suede and leather, heated front seats, sunroof and banging 12-speaker Bose SurroundStage audio system, it oozes Japanese quality.

The Civic RS’s premium cabin. (Photo: Honda SA)

But the Civic’s real party trick is its 1.5-litre turbo VTEC engine with outputs of 131kW and 240Nm and excellent petrol consumption coming in at around 6.2 l/100km. I’ve been so impressed with the new Civic, that as a juror for this year’s SA Car of the Year competition, it’s up there on my finalist shortlist.

While Honda does brilliantly globally, it’s become somewhat of a niche brand in South Africa. This year, Honda SA hopes to increase its small market share by launching a larger, more stylish new CR-V which will host a 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine as well as an all-new 2.0-litre dual motor hybrid-electric engine to rival Toyota’s RAV4 Hybrid.

There’s also a brand new model, the WR-V, to add even more choice in the packed compact SUV segment, which has competitors like the Kia Sonet, Renault Kiger, Toyota Urban Cruiser and the Suzuki Vitara Brezza. I’m particularly excited at the thought of finally getting behind the wheel of the all-new sixth-generation Honda Civic Type R in the first quarter, which threatens to be anything but frugal.

Pricing 

Renault Duster 1.5 dCi Zen 4×2 manual:  R352,999

Renault Duster 1.5 dCi Zen EDC 4×2:        R396,999

Renault Duster 1.5 dCi Zen 4×4 manual:  R396,999

Renault Duster 1.5 dCi Intens EDC 4×2:  R404,999

VW Polo Sedan 1.6 81kW Manual:  R318,300

VW Polo Sedan Life 1.6 81kW Manual:     R345,600

VW Polo Sedan Life 1.6 81kW Tiptronic: R365,500

Honda Civic RS: R669,000

DM