One beautiful road trip, 13 compact SUVs and a reminder of the wonder of the Overberg. Oliver Keohane reflects on a few days spent driving and staying in Stanford.
The sun is waking up behind the Palmiet Mountains, saying good morning to Kleinmond. My face is pointed east in an effort to start defrosting. It feels like summer never says goodbye in Cape Town, and Winter’s greeting is as frosty as its dark mornings.
We left the city at 5:30 in the morning, stopped briefly in Gordon’s Bay, before winding around Clarence Drive as dawn broke, to make it to a small harbour in Kleinmond. While my face was searching for warmth, our photographer had his camera pointed in the other direction, ready for the sunrise shot. 13 competitors lined up against the backdrop of the bay, for the first scene of the 2025 Car Magazine SUV Shootout.
For over a decade, the oldest motoring publication in South Africa has pitted performance cars against each other in an annual Performance Shootout. Taking the shape of a road trip, with certain days spent on a racing track, the Shootouts examine which vehicle delivers the most comprehensive package for its category. This year’s Shootout was different, though. The budget was R500,000, and instead of lap times and maximum power outputs, the aim was to explore the practicality and value for money in one of South Africa’s most popular segments: The Compact SUV. Sponsored by Continental Tyre South Africa, we hit the road.
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A pram was put into each vehicle to test for boot space, a baby seat strapped into the back and a device representative of a 1.80m adult was used to test the leg room in each back row of seats. Ride quality and creature comforts were among the other important components to consider as we set off on our route.
The compact SUV has quickly grown into a leading motoring segment in South Africa, aimed at families seeking practicality and comfort, and a vehicle that can go from city runaround to weekend road-tripper. Our route for the week represented the type of trip many families, at least in the Western Cape, would appreciate.
We made our way from Kleinmond, through Hermanus, to our home base at the AfriCamps in Stanford Hills, Stanford. Hermanus seems to get bigger every time I drive through it, but its beauty and allure remain the same. It’s a town that balances a quiet bustle with a distinct sense of calm, and in early May, the crisp, sunny conditions make for a wonderful coastal cruise.
Just 20 minutes from Hermanus, Stanford Hills rests at the foot of the striking Kleinrivier Mountains. 10 luxury AfriCamps glamping tents are dotted around the wine and protea farm, with views of the rolling hills that from late August through to November become a sea of proteas and pincushions.
The Stanford Hills site is one of 19 AfriCamp locations around the country and offers an awesome taste of the Overberg. The drive is just over two hours from Cape Town, it’s scenic and calm, and once you have arrived you have equal access to coastal and mountain activities. Trail running and hiking, swimming and fishing in the farm dam and food and wine tasting at the Tasting Room Restaurant are some of the activities that one can enjoy from Stanford Hills.
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A short drive down the gravel path and back onto the road, and you find yourself in Stanford itself. A little further along the coast is Gaansbaai, famous for shark cage diving, or you can double back for a day in Hermanus, and visit either Grotto or Voelklip Beach. The Walker Bay Nature Reserve is nearby and a must-do for hikers, cyclists, and horse-riders. Come August, as a sea of proteas emerges at Stanford Hills, the Hermanus seas are filled with hundreds of southern right whales through to November. Best to visit Walkert Bay during this period.
While our time for activities in and around the area was limited, we spent a lot of the week driving up and down, soaking in the serenity of a town where mountain meets sea in a beautiful union of blue and green. We also had the pleasure of braaiing every night on the extensive stoep of the AfriCamp, watching the green hills turn golden before night set in.
My affection for motoring lies largely in the access it gives us to the world, and while the winner for the 2025 Compact SUV Shootout will only be announced in the July issue of CAR Magazine, I was the beneficiary of experiencing a small part of our beautiful country on four wheels, again. My time in the Overberg has often been further down the N2, at a family home in Arniston. This past week was a reminder of the pockets of beauty like Stanford and Hermanus that lie closer to home, accessed via some of the country’s best coastal land, against the backdrop of magnificent mountains.
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