The Pik Up Karoo has the attitude of a Lesotho horse

The world is changing at rapid speed right before our eyes. The motor industry is no exception.

For some of us who grew up during apartheid South Africa, we were only accustomed to very few car brands. For those of us who were to have had cars in the family, they were either Japanese or German. Anything else it would not get the “approval” of the extended family nor the community at large.

So much has changed since then. After the demise of apartheid in 1994 more and more car makers saw the potential that was SA car market and jumped. Some were returnees while some were coming in for the first time. Nonetheless, the consumers were spoilt for choice. Today, the likes of Mahindra have a share in the market. Our test Mahindra S11 Pik Up Karoo has been with us for a little over two months and oh boy it is proving its worth. The first month got off to a slow start as myself and team XploreZA were still putting through its paces to figure out if it were worth it. Every task we threw at the Karoo it accepted with grace and performed. Our first unit was fitted with a tow-bar which meant we could tow a trailer and load all sorts of goodies, from livestock, grass bales to horses. The S11 Pik Up Karoo handled all of those tasks with incredible ease. Apart from towing sometimes one needs a decent bakkie to move light agriculture goodies such as vegetables. The Karoo came in handy when I needed it, delivering vegetables at the market in Klerksdorp and green maize to the Bara taxi rank. For a bakkie under R450 000 you get a lot of car and more. We all know how expensive bakkies are.

Being it a double cab, our test unit also doubles as family car when necessary. My colleague both in farming and media Angie Khumalo took the Karoo on a longer journey to KwaZulu/Natal came back happy. Under the bonnet lies the 2.2-litre 4-cylinder turbodiesel producing 103kW of power and 320Nm of torque, the S11 Pik Up Karoo is not a sprinter but can definitely hold its own, thanks to the torque that’s available on all revs.

What I’ve realised is that the Pik Up Karoo is not pretentious to be anything other than itself, a good old workhorse carrying some good old rugged charm. The thing about the Karoo is that it stands out from the crowd, it makes a statement without trying too hard, thanks to the incredibly stylish rugged design.

Not the easiest of cars to park due to its big turning circle but you can slot into your parking bay after two or three attempts (lol). Having said that, the S11 Karoo feels at home on and offroad, for the most part it was driven on farm gravel roads. I’m not a big technological fan, so there are a few things that I personally require a car to have. I am what you may call easy going. Give me aircon, USB slot, functional sound system and electronic adjustable seats then we are good to go, the Karoo ticked all those boxes.

At the end and when all is said and done, the Karoo is a bakkie for work, the type of convenience features offered are sufficient for the type of vehicle it is.