Leisure Wheels travels to Eisenstadt, Austria, to test the new General Tire Grabber Cross A/S — a crossover tyre designed for South Africa’s growing SUV and gravel-road lifestyle.
Eisenstadt is unexpectedly picturesque. Despite its name – German for “Iron City” – the town is characterised by pastel buildings, green spaces and open horizons. With only a handful of higher-end hotels, it sits slightly off the main tourist trail, though music lovers often make the journey to see Esterházy Palace and explore the Schlosspark that stretches behind it.
Two nights are enough to take in Eisenstadt’s calm atmosphere. In the single afternoon of free time during my stay, I walked the city’s streets and parks, trying to understand the origins of this small court city that developed under the patronage of the Esterházy family rather than imperial rule.
My visit, however, was not motivated by the history contained in the baroque buildings and quiet streets. Instead, it was the launch of a new all-terrain tyre that brought me to Austria.
That is one of the advantages of covering the motoring industry: product launches often take you to places that might otherwise never appear on your radar.
The tyre in question was General Tire’s Grabber Cross All-Season (A/S), developed specifically for the growing crossover SUV segment. South Africa’s passenger vehicle market has changed significantly over the past decade. According to NAAMSA data, SUVs and crossovers now account for 58% of all new passenger vehicle sales, up from 25% in 2010. Within that category, crossover SUVs represent more than 66% of total SUV volumes.
That shift has changed how vehicles are used. Many buyers now choose compact and medium crossovers that spend most of their time on tar but still need to handle gravel roads, poor surfaces and occasional off-road driving.
Ryan Visagie, Product Communications Manager at Continental Tyre South Africa, says the Grabber Cross A/S was developed for exactly that type of customer.
“Take a vehicle like a Corolla Cross or a Haval Jolion,” he explains. “If a customer drives entirely on tar and wants the lowest noise levels, maximum wet braking and the best fuel efficiency, then we have several premium road-biased Continental products suited to that application.
“But if the customer says they occasionally explore on weekends, want confidence on gravel roads, and still expect strong performance on tar, then that’s a Grabber Cross customer.”
In other words, tyre choice is increasingly determined by lifestyle rather than vehicle type.
Rather than adapting an existing highway-terrain tyre, General Tire developed the Grabber Cross A/S as a dedicated crossover product. Its new crossover compound is designed to balance wet and dry braking performance on tar with durability and traction on gravel surfaces.
The tread pattern reflects this mixed-use approach. Supporting elements between the tread blocks improve stiffness for better steering response and stability on road, while hexagonal tread blocks with multiple gripping edges provide traction on loose surfaces without creating excessive road noise.
Durability is supported by General Tire’s DuraGen technology, which strengthens the belt package for improved stability and protection against cuts and chips. Comfort Balance technology focuses on reducing vibration and noise – an important consideration for crossover buyers who spend most of their time commuting on tar. The tyre is also compatible with electric vehicles.
The international launch took place near Eisenstadt, with testing conducted both on track and at the Off-Road Zentrum in Stotzing, a 33-hectare facility featuring mud, wet grass, gravel and steep ascents.
Ryan Visagie and I were the only South Africans attending the launch, joining a group of international media and European company representatives.
Our first drive took us from the Teesdorf test facility to the off-road centre, with all vehicles fitted with the new tyres. The test vehicles were Volkswagen Tiguan 4Motions – crossovers rather than traditional 4x4s, which made them appropriate for the tyre’s intended market.
The off-road facility includes nearly 400 ascents and descents, allowing us to test the tyres across muddy tracks, wet grass and dry gravel surfaces. Despite the challenging terrain, the vehicles handled the conditions comfortably.
“We drove through far more mud than I expected, without needing to build momentum,” Visagie said after the drive. “Even on very wet grass and steep slopes, the tyres performed well.”
A key point was that all testing was done at normal road pressures.
“You could drive straight off the highway, do everything we did here, and continue your journey without deflating or reinflating the tyres,” Visagie added. “That kind of flexibility is important for South African drivers.”
On-road testing took place at the Teesdorf track. The tyres were brake-tested on a wet section of the circuit before we completed several laps that included water crossings and obstacle manoeuvres designed to evaluate aquaplaning resistance and high-speed stability.
With sizes ranging from 16 to 20 inches and specifications suited to modern crossovers, the Grabber Cross A/S fits directly into the fastest-growing segment of South Africa’s vehicle market.
It is not designed to replace a hardcore all-terrain tyre. Instead, it reflects the reality of how most SUVs are used today – primarily on tar, but expected to handle gravel roads and occasional off-road conditions safely and comfortably.
As crossover SUVs continue to dominate new vehicle sales in South Africa, products designed for that mixed-use environment are likely to become increasingly common on local roads.
Images: Oliver Keohane
