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Baraza JM

Try a tiptronic before you die

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You cannot have your cake and eat it too. Says who? In the world of motor vehicle transmissions lately, there have been several attempts at both possessing and munching one’s gateau by having the lazy convenience of a full automatic and the option of performance-enhancing, DIY gearshifts when the need arises. This type of transmission … Read more

How to drive a 4WD monster

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Given that you now know how your 4WD works, how, then, do you drive it? A typical SUV should drive just like any other car on the road. But what happens when the going gets sticky, quite literally, and the unbeaten path you chose to follow becomes intractable — and you are forced to use … Read more

Under the big 4WD’s bonnet

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Once upon a time, off-road driving was a favourite and much respected pastime for Kenyans. Lovingly referred to as “bundu-bashing” by pundits, a good number dismissed it as the preserve of the well-to-do — which it was — but that did not make it any less fascinating. Over time, economic complications and crowded lifestyles have … Read more

Yes, that myth is a fact: Petrol engines run better than diesels

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A story on the Internet explains how a man had to spend US$14,000 (approximately Sh1 million) fixing his Porsche Cayenne after his wife accidentally filled it up with diesel at the fuel dispenser instead of petrol.

The story got me thinking: what is the big deal about whether a car runs on petrol or diesel? Does the car still not require periodic filling up? Aren’t they all started with a key (at least for motor vehicles)?

Don’t the controls work the same for both types of cars? What is the difference anyway?

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Driving an automatic is as easy as ABCD… not so for a manual

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In last week’s article, we differentiated between manual and automatic transmissions.

Sadly, we had no clear winner on which is best (because everyone has their opinion and taste), but, irrespective of your preference, how well do you know how to work whatever gearbox your car is equipped with?

Drivers of manual cars might claim to be the “real” drivers, but do they know of double-declutching, heel-and-toe shifting, engine braking, left-foot braking, power-shifting or “crash” shifting? Power peaks? Torque peaks? Shift points?

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Manual vs automatic: What’s the best deal?

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Much has been said about which is the more superior transmission in a car: manual or automatic. Just to confuse things, there has been an infusion of fence-sitting pretenders, like semi-automatic, Tiptronic, sequential manual and the weird CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission), which fall in the wide gap between fully manual and fully automatic power trains.

While it might seem difficult to place the call on which outranks the other, it is easier to break the argument into four separate sections from which judgment can be made: mode of operation, driveability/usability, performance and economy.

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The first-generation X-Trail is Nissan’s best motor coup yet

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The X-Trail is built by the company formerly known as Prince. No, that is not a lame joke. Nissan was once called the Prince Motor Company, but that is beside the point.

Towards the close of the 20th Century, Nissan faced engineering problems that were more acutely felt as financial difficulties. Before merging with Renault (a move necessary for it to regain its feet), its daily bread came from a few niche models of which the X-Trail was one.

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The Vista is Toyota’s answer to luxurious Cadillac saloon

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At first glance, the Vista saloon looks like a hurried design job, with its short bonnet and stubby boot flanking a passenger cell gift-wrapped in an acre of glass and sheet metal, but the looks tend to grow on you.

The navy blue that our unwitting test vehicle came in does justice to its lines, and coupled with that chrome nose, it lends the car a regal appearance.

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