Overdrive TV

I’m stunned. This video, from Australia, pretty much cements the Land Cruiser as an icon. I don’t want to spoil it for you, just take two minutes and watch this. Crikey.

I have just just spent nine minutes of my life watching a video on Youtube. 9 minutes is a long time, it’s risky, you might reach the end and decide that you have, in fact, wasted 9 minutes of your life. Rest assured this is not one of those cases. This is genius.

It’s a bit annoying when Australians are this funny. Craig Turner, hilarious chap and sometimes mangineer, had a problem. His home was being invaded by an army of urinating machines -- the neighbourhood cats. The final straw was cat urine in his air vents. Something needed to be done.

Using ordinary bits and pieces found around the home, he developed “a satisfying and humane way” of deterring the feline army, and filmed the results. If this doesn’t make you laugh out loud, I honestly don’t know what will.

Sit back and relax, and tell the boss you need 9 minutes quiet time. This is totally worth it.

Here at Overdrive we’re generally fascinated with anything that moves without us having to pedal/row/push/run. And we do love a bit of tech, especially when that tech involves something called a “Quadrocopter”. Slow down! We’re only mere men, sheesh.

Some maths genius and his compatriots from the University of Pennsylvania dreamed up this Youtube-killer idea, play the bond theme using a squadron of pre-programmed Quadrocopters. It’s bordering on magic in my opinion.

Modifying a keyboard, and using a snare drum, a cymbal and a custom xylophone-type device, 8 little choppers fly perfectly in sequence to play the iconic theme song, that obviously everyone accross the globe would recognise.

Q would be proud.

Ciro De Siena

Car journalists are often forced to endure fully paid for stays at beautiful hotels, and then face the punishing task of driving a brand new car over the country’s best roads, followed by a painful lunch in Franschoek. After surviving these nightmare scenarios, we managed to put together a few opinions about the Mercedes CLS 63 AMG and the Alfa Romeo Giulietta.

Gavin actually owns the old Subaru Legacy, so this week’s review was close to home. The new Outback (not a legacy any more sadly) is not a bad car by any means, but its changed character so much that we can’t help but feel it’s lost some of the older model’s magic.

Mini has continued to expand and the next Mini to arrive in SA will be the new Coupe. We feel Mini are trying hard to move away from being a “handbag car” – ie, just an accessory to attracting buyers who want to drive them for their driving dynamics, which have always been very, very good indeed.

Gav’s been driving the GrandDaddy Range Rover, the one footballer’s like. It’s quirky but quite spectactular all in all. And lastly would you like to know what a former Spice Girl and the latest Range Rover have in common? Well look no further.

This week we have a go in and at the new Nissan Micra, a good car which pales in comparison to the model it replaces. We also have a chat about South Africa’s car of the year, the BMW 530d. What a sensible luxury car; if only we could get our politicians driving these.

I think if you told a mielie farmer in the 80s that one day he could buy a bakkie that looks this good, drives this well, has a reverse camera, satellite navigation and a sound system worthy of a U2 concert, he would have laughed very loudly and then chased you off of his farm. We review the new Nissan Navara V9X.