One of the consequences of recent rapid urbanisation has been the explosion of heavy traffic congestion in bigger towns and cities. If you live in one of the large metros, including
Johannesburg,
Cape Town,
Durban and
Tshwane, you will know what this means. Motorists have now tended to turn towards
automatic cars, because they are easier to drive in heavy traffic. Well,
Datsun now has an offer in this growing sub-segment.
Previously only bigger, more expensive cars were offered as
automatics, but over the past few years this genre has grown downwards towards the entry-level segment. The new
Datsun Go was launched over a year ago, but only as a
manual. Now the brand has launched a continuously
variable transmission or
CVT option to attract those buyers whose left feet simply cannot endure
clutch control anymore.
But what exactly is
CVT?
CVT is a
vehicle transmission system with a
variable gear for different driving situations. It allows for
seamless gear shifting, according to
Datsun. Those who have experience with this sort of
transmission will tell you that it basically makes the car feel like it is stuck in
first gear, even as it changes through the
infinite gears. It certainly takes some getting used to, but is a breeze to drive once you do. The
gear lever itself is placed just below the
dashboard for ease of access.
Datsun has not really changed the car’s other
powertrain features, such as the
engine and
drivetrain. Therefore the
Go CVT is still powered by the same naturally aspirated (
no turbo)
1.2-litre engine, but now
power is up to
57kW, while
maximum torque remains at
104Nm.
Datsun reckons you will be able to get, on
average, 5 litres per 100km of driving from the
Go CVT. Its
0 – 100km/h sprint time will be
over 14 seconds, which really should not matter to a buyer in this segment.
What this buyer really cares about is that they are getting a modern, spunky vehicle for good value for money. In this regard they can then be assured of items like a
17.8cm touch screen for the
infotainment system that comes with
radio,
Android Auto, Apple Carplay,
USB port and
Bluetooth connectivity. There are now
six exterior paint colours, including the striking new
Vivid Blue.
Safety is also quite a big thing in this segment and so
Datsun has installed things like
LED daytime running lights,
follow me home lights,
ABS with
EBD and
brake assist,
Vehicle Dynamic Control, Electronic Stability Control, a
rear parking sensor and
two front airbags.
When the
Datsun Go was first launched in
Mzansi, some motoring media complained about its lack of safety features. With the new car those have been addressed adequately for this level of car. And as far as over 32 500
South Africans are concerned, the
Go is the car to have. Just add
CVT for convenience.
