With the wonderfully low centre of gravity courtesy of the large central battery pack and the instant torque courtesy of the electric motor, the Volt is actually quite a thing of fun on a winding back road. While the steering isn’t exactly alive with feel, it is responsive and relatively sharp. The chassis has a […]
Author: Damien O'Carroll
While we initially questioned the need for a Subaru Legacy sedan with the jacked-up ride height of the Outback, we did fall for the Legacy 3.6X when we road tested it just over a year ago. It was a car that didn’t seem to serve a logical purpose, but worked remarkably well anyway. It was […]
As we have mentioned previously the Volt is a supremely good open road distance eater. On electricity it is smooth and quiet (although road and wind noise seem more noticeable due to the lack of engine noise to mask them), although on petrol it does get a bit noisier. The engine noise is often unsettlingly […]
Where the Lexus ES350 is the powerhouse of the newly re-introduced ES range, the ES300h is its smoother, quieter and far more economical hybrid brother. And, we have to say, probably more in keeping with the wonderfully serene – and traditionally Lexus – atmosphere created by the company’s newest mid-size luxo-machine. As we mentioned in […]
With the new IS going all wild and aggressive, Lexus needed something that would still appeal to the, erm, more conservative buyer in that particular price range. Enter the ES. Or rather, re-enter the ES. The ES has been here before, but was largely squeezed out of this market by the increasing size of the […]
The Volt is not a particularly large car, but it will carry four people in relative comfort. But only four. The Volt is a dedicated four-seater, with the central battery pack running through the middle of the two separate rear seats. You could probably jam a couple of smaller passengers in the boot, but the […]
When Chrysler first launched the 300C in New Zealand, they said they were only bringing in 26 SRT8s. And they were all sold. A change of local distributor saw a change of mind and we now have not one, but two SRT8 models to choose from: the full-fat, luxury-packed model and a new, stripped-out model […]
In heavy traffic the Volt is, rather obviously, a dream to live with. Super smooth, instantaneous throttle response and with no clutch to worry about it is happy to glide smoothly and silently along at whatever speed the traffic is flowing at. It is a monster away from the traffic lights too, with all that […]
Here is an interesting video describing how the Volt’s drive system actually works. If the main video is too technical, then here is a simpler explanation! It is interesting to note that the first official video subtly avoids mentioning the point during “high speed” driving where two of the clutches lock up, essentially creating a […]
The GSR badge on the back of a Mitsubishi Lancer used to mean something rather special. Increased power and a lot more performance than a standard Lancer for a start. The latest Mitsubishi Lancer GSR has neither of those things. It is, in fact, a bog-standard Lancer dressed up with some sporty body bits to […]
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