My top five drives of 2024

Rounding up my favourite cars from the past year is easy as more cars turn anodyne. The offerings were notably humdrum at most, with Chinese price wars being the gripping drama above new and exciting technical wizardry.

Luminary experiences were a drive in a future model and another from the past, but these are the five cars from 2024 that I'd buy using my own cash. 

Ford Mustang Dark Horse

The new, higher-performance pony car stirred the soul while charging up and down the A5 road to Semonkong village in Lesotho, the Thaba Putsoa Mountain ranges ringing with angry V8 cacophonies as a quartet of the American coupes cut through its sharp twists and turns.

The 334kW and 540Nm output may not be much by modern performance coupe standards, but the weaponising of the chassis and other driveline items has transformed the new Mustang's handling so it can now hold its own against the sport coupe/GT establishment. What a change, what a car!

Volkswagen Polo Vivo Life

Volkswagen’s Polo Vivo got new updates this year with impressive innovations of a digital screen and mobile device connectivity. Within the uptick in specification, aesthetics and driving refinement, the Polo Vivo Life automatic I drove happily consumed just 5.4l/100km The combination of its size and other design aspects continue to justify why it's a popular and sensible buy. It's a local hero.

Volkswagen ID.4

Teleportation to a great future took place when driving the Volkswagen ID.4, the full electric SUV the German company plans to sell here in SA from 2026. The early drive revealed an impressive car with a drivetrain that mimics the driving characteristics of a conventional car, with a linear and responsive power delivery, poised handling and zero fuel bills. It’s also a handsome, digitally sophisticated and proper family EV.

Opel Kadett 200i CD 16V

I was fortunate to get a drive in a mint example of the 32-year-old, SA-built Opel Kadett 200i CD 16V, the more premium cousin of the legendary Super Boss. The sensations of analogue performances dished out by its 115kW, naturally-aspirated four cylinder engine and five-speed manual transmission were epic. The lightweight projectile served as a much needed tonic to the heavy, anodyne mobility that defines latter day cars. It showed why the range terrorised rivals of the day. 

Ford Ranger Tremor

This list would be amiss if it didn’t include our long-term test Ford Ranger Tremor. With its 2.0l biturbo engine, 10-speed automatic transmission and adjustable 4x4 system driveline, it's a good value fit for any family adventurist. The standard amenities, safety and assistance systems are not only impressive in the niche but generous, too. It cruises comfortably with sufficient power for highways and mountaineering, and it’s quite frugal by hefty double-cab standards.