road test |
by Howard Keeg
Passing the Back Test
Last month I covered the launch of the Peugeot 2008, and I gave it the two oooh oooh eight thumbs up. But,
whilst a vehicle launch does enable one to give a reasonably accurate assessment, the shortness of duration
does not allow one to really put the car through the wringer, and thus a one week road test tends to confirm
your first impression, or raise some concerns that did not come up during the appetiser.
I
do have a relatively unique test that
I put cars through. I call it the back
test. And it requires a significant
time behind the wheel, in one go. So
when I was offered the Peugeot 2008
for a week long road test, I grabbed the
opportunity, because my team and I had
to go Kuruman to attend an automotive
function, and 533 kilometres qualifies for
the back test. Roughly six hours behind
the wheel (the first hour and a half just
to get out of Johannesburg!) is indeed
a test for my back. And it has to be my
back.
An explanation about the back test
is necessary. In the 60’s and 70’s
I foolishly played rugby. Twelve
years of physical abuse resulted in
a reconstructed shoulder, decidedly
dicey knees, and a lower back pain that
has got progressively worse over the
years.
It has now got to the stage that an
overseas flight in economy class leaves
me in extreme discomfort for weeks.
And car seats and aircraft seats are not
dissimilar, except that with a car you can
stop and stretch your legs every couple
of hours, whereas the sardine run better
known as economy air travel does not
allow this luxury.
My back problems came directly from
being a human shock absorber in the
scrum. I was a hooker – not the one that
stands on street corners, but I did spend
a lot of time in close proximity to large
sweaty men, all holding each other tight,
and at times collapsing in a heap, with
my back sometimes taking close to a ton
of weight on its shoulders, figuratively
speaking.
This back now tells me after a few hours
behind the wheel whether the designers
of the seats knew their ergonomic stuff,
and on a scale of one to ten I give the
Peugeot seat designers a nine, which
is the highest I have yet to give a car.
The lowest I ever gave was a one.
I will not name the brand, suffice to say
that it was a 1400 bakkie from the 1970’s
and because of the nature of its bench
seat, very little adjustment to the sitting
position was possible, which resulted
in me sitting bolt upright and in the
space of half an hour screaming for the
Grandpas. But with the Peugeot 2008,
even after six hours straight, I was not
even in the mild discomfort zone and
metaphorically high fiving those Gallic
designers of posterior support.
And if you read my review in the May
2014 issue of aBr, you will see that the
rest of the car is pretty hot stuff. Its
thrifty fuel consumption was confirmed
in the Kuruman run, and all round it ticks
all the boxes, except one.
You may think I am being
picky, but because of my
extensive collection of
CD’s I would still like a
CD player (yes, I know,
I could transfer these to a
flashcard, but please look
at my age). If the truth
be told, my vast collection
of LP’s would even require
a turntable, but that
would be pushing things
a bit too far!
➲ The Peugeot 2008 allows me to get the
perfect driving position, and to get my back at
the right angle
| Wheels in Action
76
june 2014