Sutherland and the Tankwa Karoo: Lost in space

By  Martin Pretorius

With winter slowly receding, some of our readers are probably already thinking about their summer holidays. This year, instead of heading to the coast like you always do, why not take a different course and explore the desert for a change? It's like visiting a different planet! Our steed for this expedition? The Toyota RAV4 2.2 D-4D AWD GX.

During its mid-life facelift at the end of 2015, the RAV4 received new light clusters (including LED headlamps) and bumpers, slightly different interior trim and added sound insulation. Our test car was the lower-spec GX variant, in this case equipped with a 2.2-litre turbodiesel, 6-speed manual gearbox and AWD. In fact, this RAV-4 represented the least-expensive way to get into a diesel, and the only way to get that engine paired to a manual transmission.

RAV4 Diesel Performance and Economy

Unchanged during the update, it still delivers 110 kW and 340 Nm, with a claimed average fuel consumption of 5.6 ℓ/100 km. The reality looked somewhat different, and our consumption during the road trip of nearly 4000 km averaged 7.4 ℓ/100 km. Still not a disappointing figure at all, seeing as the air-con was running full-time and no particular effort was made to save diesel apart from sticking to the speed limits. Performance was a bit indifferent, because the RAV4 suffered from noticeable boost lag upon take-off and a rather narrow power band.  The performance on tap never quite reflected that hefty torque output, but overtaking was nonetheless effortless, and it maintained speed in top gear up hills and down dales with minimal fuss.

New Features

Two of the RAV4's facelift upgrades certainly made their presence felt: the LED headlights gave an excellent spread of pure white light on both low- and high beams, and the extra sound insulation really paid off in the refinement stakes. The diesel engine was a bit clattery at idle, a fact which is especially noticeable outside the vehicle, but with the doors and windows closed, it wasn't intrusive at all. This relates to the low noise levels when cruising as well, and with the comfortable ride afforded by the relatively high-profile tyres and compliant suspension, the RAV4 proved to be a first-class kilometre-eater.

It's a smooth cruiser

In fact, the only reason to take a break when cruising for long distances involves the surprisingly small fuel tank and an overly-cautious fuel guage. A 60-litre tank is fine in theory, especially given the RAV4's decent economy, but the fuel warning light came on when there was still about 10 litres left in the tank. It was probably wise to pay heed to such warning lights when traversing the Karoo, because we were never quite sure if we'd be able to find 50 ppm diesel in the next dorpie – so we ended up refuelling more often than was strictly necessary.

But it's not perfect

There's another foible hidden in the RAV4's design, and they involve the armrests, which were positioned too low on the doors to enable really comfortable cruising, an effect emphasised by their thin padding. This was however the only area where the RAV4 scored a less than stellar comfort rating, because the spacious cabin and superb seats created an otherwise extremely pleasant place to spend time. The last criticism involves the specification sheet of the GX variants, which make do without cruise control. This is a strange oversight in a vehicle which shines at long distance cruising, and should really be standard in a vehicle with a list price of R 463,600.

Verdict: More than competent as a touring car

The RAV4 doesn't pretend to be at all sporty. Rather, it embraces its role as a spacious, practical and refined family vehicle. It doesn't pretend to be a serious off-roader either, yet it managed to soak up the worst roads the Karoo could throw at it without complaint, rattle or squeak. There are newer contenders out there (Honda's CR-V, Nissan X-Trail and the Sportage/Tucson twins come to mind), but the RAV4 still has its own appeal. It might not be terribly exciting, but it's really good at its main job: carting people to strange places in comfort.

Where we went

Sutherland is a really hot destination

As soon as winter's first cold front hits South Africa, Sutherland's name is guaranteed to pop up in the weather report as one of the coldest places in the country. The height of summer is clearly a different story however, for our RAV4's outside temperature display showed a hearty 38 degrees as we drove down the little Karoo hamlet's main street just after 3 in the afternoon. The few people who dared venture onto the street were huddling in whatever shade they can find.

A land of extremes

At first, Sutherland seemed to be a typical platteland town. There are a few small stores (most of them housed in converted residences, and all closed on that Sunday afternoon), a police station and boarding school, and a number of churches. You know you're in a small town when the locals refer to the nearest major settlement (Worcester in the Western Cape) as “die stad”, and when getting to the doctor involves a 160 km drive, 140 of which is on dirt. Short of packing your overland rig and setting course for the Kgalagadi, this is about as far from civilisation as you can get.

Visitors from all over

This remoteness didn't deter what seems to be dozens of guest houses from springing up all over town. The South African Astronomical Observatory's (SAAO) main site is located just outside the town, and it draws a multitude of local and international visitors. Scientists from all over the globe use these facilities for their research, and bring some revenue into the town by staying and eating at the numerous hospitality providers.

It's not just stargazers visiting the area though – there were a surprising number of Gauteng, Western Cape and Mpumalanga number plates in evidence on the 4x4s trundling around town, and while a few of them (ours included) were parked outside various guest houses, many were stationed at the various caravan parks and campsites surrounding the town.

The need for a 4x4 in the Tankwa

Most local vehicles are indeed 4x4s, or at least SUVs with enough ground clearance, suspension travel and tyre sidewall height to handle the punishing dirt roads in this area. While the main access route (turning off the N1 about 30 km south of Laingsburg) is a good-quality tar road, leading to Sutherland by way of the Verlatenkloof Pass, almost all further destinations are surfaced in gravel and of variable quality. Cattle grids abound, severe corrugations do their best to dislocate your spine, and hidden rocks pose a constant threat to your tyres.

While this sounds unreasonably punishing, a competent soft-roader will be able to handle everything just fine (apart from the real off-road trails cutting through the mountains), provided the driver conducts the vehicle with due care and consideration. Besides, it's worth venturing onto the dirt roads, because you'll be able to explore quaint places such as Middelpos (exactly halfway between Sutherland and Calvinia), pass the Gannaga Lodge, and crawl down the Gannaga Pass into the Tankwa-Karoo National Park.

Land of desolation

This is a national park unlike any other you've experienced before, with their main focus not on the wildlife of the area, but on conserving the rare and endangered plant species unique to this region. Driving through the park brings a sense of awe at the magnitude of this landscape: apart from a few mountains on the horison, it's absolutely flat and motionless. Photo opportunities present the chance to absorb the absolute silence, a quiet so dense that your heartbeat becomes the loudest sound in your ears. All this, while surrounded by the cleanest air you've ever tasted under a sky coloured a shade of blue you won't see anywhere else.

There's more to do

Other activities in the area revolve around local characters and their entrepreneurial visions. As you might infer from the name, Jurg Wagener's Sterland capitalises heavily on an association with the observatory, and offers star-gazing to their visitors via five telescopes of their own, as well as numerous hiking routes through town and driving tours through the greater Tanqua area up to a distance of 145 km. About 20 km further down the road at the Verlatenkloof Guest Farm, the van Loggerenbergs has a neat little curio shop, hosts another camp site and self-catering cottages, while their 4x4 trail should keep serious off-roaders busy for a good few hours as they head out into the mountains – something I decided not to subject our brand new RAV4 to. If you're into horseback riding or quad-bike adventures, that angle is covered by a few other farms near the town.

Observing the stars

Heading out of town, in the opposite direction from the national park, the only other tar road within 100 kilometres (apart from the main street) leads to the observatory, where you'll find a host of smaller telescopes in addition to the big daddy: SALT (South African Large Telescope) is the largest optical telescope in the southern hemisphere, and forms part of an integrated sky-tracking network spread around the globe.

Its location on a mountain in the literal middle of nowhere was chosen for the region's geological stability (the only volcano in the area last erupted about 66 million years ago), the thin atmosphere due to its elevation, and the absolute absence of light- and air pollution (both factors detrimental to galactic observations). You can view a comprehensive exhibition at the visitors' centre before going on a guided tour of the telescopes themselves. Booking is essential because tour groups are by necessity limited in size.

Let's have a braai

And then there's the Karoo lamb. It really tastes incredible when fresh from a local butchery, having never been exposed to freezer burn, and prepared with wild rosemary over hardwood coals. We ended up donating the contents of our cooler box to the cleaning staff when we left, just to clear space for about 6 kilogram of choice chops and leg of lamb, and strongly recommend any other visitors to do the same.

How do you get there?

All good things demand some sort of sacrifice, and that comes with the journey to and from this unusual, under-appreciated destination. If you're not prepared to travel a considerable distance (as in 140+ km) on dirt just to get to Sutherland, you'll have to deal with at least some stretch of N1 freeway with its reckless drivers and obstructive trucks. The alternative route from Gauteng runs via Kimberley, and might be preferable to travellers with a bit more time their hands than we had. Coming from Cape Town's side, you have the alternatives of going via either Ceres or Calvinia, but be aware that they both entail long distances on gravel. But however you get there, make sure you visit at least once in your lifetime – just don't go there with a sports car.