BMW’s ultimate touring machine – M340i xDrive Touring review
It’s not often that ‘performance’ and ‘comfort’ can be uttered in the same sentence, but that’s exactly what comes to mind when, thanks to BMW New Zealand, you get behind the wheel of their new M340i xDrive Touring. First taking to the road in 1987 with the E30, the Touring (or Estate, or Station Wagon) […]
Born NOT to be mild – Mercedes-AMG A45 S review
Aside from those in the ‘supercar’ area, on the whole, vehicle manufacturers create models to appeal to some sort of mass-market, especially when it comes to Hatchbacks. After all, in New Zealand, the ‘hatch’ segment itself is losing ground to all manner of SUVs so why wouldn’t they. Then, to make them ‘hotter’ they hand […]
One Spicy Meatball – Abarth 595 Competizione Review
To make the perfect Italian dish takes a mixture of loving ingredients, traditional cooking and a family recipe that’s been handed down through the ages, in many ways much the same as what has gone into creating the NZ new Abarth 595 Competizione. Sure there’s no sun-dried tomatoes or extra virgin olive oil that’s been […]
Sophisticated Thug – Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 S review
Admittedly, there are a fair number of vehicles I’m looking forward to getting behind the wheel of this year, however, the 2020 Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 S ranked very high up in the list. So when Mercedes-Benz New Zealand asked if I had some room in my calendar, you can be damned sure I said yes. […]
And. All. That… Jazz – Honda Jazz RS review
It’s probably very cliched, however, from the moment Honda New Zealand called to see if I would be interested in taking the new Jazz RS for a spin, all I could think about was the song from the 1975 musical Chicago. Now, I’m not exactly what you’d call ‘a musical type of guy’ but I […]
Coupe with a Sportier Seoul – new 2020 Hyundai Veloster
From EVs to SUVs, Sports cars to Compacts, Hyundai New Zealand’s list of vehicles is as broad as it is long, but somewhere between their N-performance vehicles and hot hatch’s lies the Hyundai Veloster, a vehicle that’s been created to stand out, even from themselves. And now there’s a new version. Originally launched in 2011, […]
The Darkside Difference – VW Amarok Darkside Edition review
Launched in 2010, the VW Amarok burst into the Ute/truck scene to critical acclaim. VW group build quality, Euro styling and (the now overused) car-like interior. It was, and still is, a ute that is tough enough to do the grunt work during the day, yet doesn’t look out of place when pulling up at […]
Fastback flashback – Hyundai i30N Fastback review
I am lucky enough to be of an age that when I learnt to drive in the UK a manual gearbox was the primary option. Sure there were auto boxes but on the whole, they were clunky, un-reliable and slower to change than by hand. On top of that, the car I learnt in (I […]
Sport’s BACK – 2021 Audi Q3 Sportback review NZ
Audi Q3 Sportback review – Last weekend saw NZ take a huge step on its road to post COVID recovery, with sport (and in particular, the nation’s favourite sport Rugby), allowing fans to attend live games. And support they did. The Blues vs the Hurricanes boasted record attendance at the Eden Park game while similar […]
Making sense of the Mercedes-AMG GLE 53 4MATIC+
Mercedes-AMG GLE 53 4MATIC+ review NZ There are, of course, many reasons why large performance SUVs are pointless. I mean, why would a carmaker want to create something that’s designed to carry multiple passengers (often in luxury), ride high (and therefore feel safe), tow boats, go off-road (softroad) and usually weighs over 2-tonnes, race off […]