The poll, commissioned by globally acclaimed performance fuels range, BP Ultimate showed that most men and women would prefer driving with their partner or spouse than with a celebrity of their choice.
In comparison to a similar study carried out in the UK, some 37% of men said their partner was their preferred driving companion, but only about a quarter of women felt the same way... Clearly SA men are doing something right!
It also revealed that 30% of SA motorists see drive time as down time and would rather be in the car by themselves than having any form of company, no matter whether it is a lover, friend, celebrity or even family pet.
A drive along the sea was the most popular setting for the 'perfect drive', getting over 50% of the votes, closely followed by a lazy drive through the countryside, while the other 20% preferred a route along a scenic mountain pass.
Other findings included that most motorists thought that people who drive black cars tend to be sexier than those who drive other colours – particularly drivers polled in Gauteng. The colour black was closely contested by red, usually linked to sex-appeal. However, motorists rated this season's favourite fashion colour, green, as the least appealing when it comes to cars.
Also interesting to note, in previous studies motorists tended to rate petrol performance much higher in terms of importance than the environment, but in the recent BP Ultimate poll, it was just the opposite. The environment was rated the most important, followed by value for money and only third up was performance.
SA drivers also tend to choose a brand of fuel based on quality, efficiency and how well it cleans their car engines.
Commenting on the findings Zandile Mposelwa, Fuels Specialist at BP says "South African motorists enjoy driving and want the best for their cars which goes beyond having a nice looking car. BP Ultimate has been specially formulated to clean cars' engines as they drive, allowing them to run more smoothly and efficiently.
"It also delivers a unique combination of enhanced engine performance, while providing greater fuel economy with reduced exhaust emissions through its powerful engine cleaning action", says Mposelwa.
BP Ultimate is available in both diesel and unleaded at selected BP service stations throughout the country.
For more information on BP Ultimate visit www.bp.co.za