Ford Ranger Wolftrak Review – Hungry like the Wolf
Forgive the Duran Duran headline, but I liked the band, the tune and enjoyed the Ranger version too. The Ford Ranger Wolftrak occupies an interesting sweet spot in the market. It doesn’t have the outright swagger of the Raptor, the luxury aspirations of the Platinum, or the orange-trimmed bling of the Wildtrak V6. Instead, this […]
Ford Everest Wildtrak Review – Big, Bold and Bright Orange
There are some cars that try desperately hard to convince you they’re adventurous. They have plastic cladding, chunky-looking tyres and enough black trim to make a coal mine look underdressed. Then there’s the Ford Everest Wildtrak. It doesn’t really need to shout about its capabilities, it looks like it could happily spend Monday morning dropping […]
Smart #5 BRABUS Review – Real Wild Child
For years, Smart was the automotive equivalent of a Jack Russell. Tiny, energetic, occasionally hilarious and happiest darting around city streets where parking spaces were measured in millimetres rather than metres. But rather than sticking its lane, someone evidently looked at the sales charts, shrugged, and said, “Let’s build a high-performance electric SUV with enough […]
Forthing Taikon Exclusive Review – Under the Radar But Overdelivers
Let’s be honest, if you mention Forthing at a barbecue and you’ll probably be met with blank stares, followed by someone asking if it’s a new type of fishing lure. But for me, its current anonymity is exactly what makes the Forthing Taikon Exclusive interesting. While many Chinese manufacturers have spent the last few years […]
The Flash of Light – Subaru WRX Senko Review
Whenever I’m starting the write up for a car review, I try to put myself in the shoes of the person that’s likely to buy it. Sometimes, this is incredibly hard, as I can only LARP so much about the life of someone cross shopping 250k luxury vehicles, but some other times, I feel like […]
Honda Super-One First Drive – Small Car, Big Personality
There’s a certain magic to the ‘Kei car’ philosophy. It’s a uniquely Japanese approach to motoring that merges clever, compact packaging, urban agility, and, above all, personality. For over 60 years, Honda has been the master of this craft, turning the humble compact car into a canvas for world-class engineering and (heaven-forbid) genuine fun. Now, […]
Loadsa Qash – 2026 Nissan Qashqai Review
The Nissan Qashqai has long been a cornerstone of the crossover segment since its inception in 2007, and the 2026 model year refresh proves why this Japanese warrior continues to lavish driveways across the globe. With a midcycle update that’s given it “more of everything,” according to Nissan’s philosophy, the new Qashqai arrives as a […]
The EV Dillema – Lexus RZ500e and RZ550e F Sport Review
When the Lexus RZ first arrived, it found itself carrying more baggage than most new EVs. Not because of anything it had done wrong, but because of the controversy surrounding the Toyota bZ4X that came before it. Fast forward to 2026, and with this revised model year for the RZ, and it’s clear that Toyota […]
The Kia PV5 All-Electric Cargo Van – launch and First Drive
Let’s face it, when compared to the plethora of SUVs out there, the commercial van segment is somewhat utilitarian. It’s a world of white paint, spartan interiors, and “get the job done” functionality. Some would say that’s the nature of the beast, but Kia has a different point of view on the matter – Enter […]
All-new Foton Tunland V Series ute – NZ Launch and First Drive
When a nine-person development team arrived in New Zealand from Foton back in 2018, they had a deceptively simple mission, and that was to understand what the local market wanted in a ute. Eight years later, that homework has apparently paid off – big time. We were invited to Foton NZ Hamilton HQ to find […]