It has been Shooting Brake-tastic here at OVERSTEER just recently, with the small CLA 45 AMG a few weeks back and now the big daddy of Merc Shooting Brakes, the CLS 500, this week! Sadly, a full-fat AMG version of the Shooting Brake isn’t offered here in New Zealand, but the CLS 500 still packs a […]
Author: Damien O'Carroll
Once upon a time Jaguar made a mid-size car. It was called the X-Type and it was crap. It wasn’t crap because it was based on the Ford Mondeo – which it was – and neither was it crap because it was FWD – which it also was, although 4WD models were available – rather […]
Quite how AMG manages to get a blistering 265kW out of a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine without it exploding into shrapnel after about ten minutes is staggering. How the also get it to be not only useable, but also relatively docile and tractable around town has, quite frankly, got us buggered. Needless to say, however, […]
The BMW 1 Series has always been a fantastic little car. Okay, so the first generation was a bit crook looking, but facelifts (or “Life Cycle Impulses” in BMW-speak) and an all-new second generation car have taken care of the worst visual offences. But if you want a small five-door hatch with fantastic RWD handling characteristics, […]
Once upon a time, back when the Mini really was mini, having the Cooper name attached to it meant it was the serious go-fast version. But eventually it became essentially a trim level, a rather sad standing that was only reinforced when BMW took things over and made the Mini less mini, but also far, […]
“I don’t think there has ever been a more important vehicle in Volvo’s history,” That is how Volvo’s New Zealand boss, Steve Kenchington, described the XC90 at its recent media launch. In fact, he thinks the big SUV is so important to Volvo in New Zealand that he saw the launch as not just a […]
The new Skoda Fabia landed in New Zealand a month or so back and instantly impressed us with its looks, quality and eager engines. Now we get to spend a week in the top-of-the-range 81kW DSG car. At $24,990 the top Fabia gets uncomfortably close to the VW Polo (the GTi variant we had justlast week…), […]
What’s the difference between a Land Rover and a Range Rover? That is a question that used to be remarkably simple to answer – a Range Rover is a luxurious, big SUV that is remarkably capable off the road, while a Land Rover is a tried and tested design that is utterly incredible off the […]
Anyone who truly loves driving can appreciate a good Hot Hatch – a small car with big power (relatively speaking, of course) that is built with “enjoyment” being its sole purpose in life. So, of course, we here at OVERSTEER love them… While the current breed of traditional Hot Hatches have all grown in size, […]
The current generation of Subaru Forester has become a familiar sight on New Zealand roads, but the one thing that was missing from it was a diesel-powered automatic option. But now that has changed with the release of a diesel-powered automatic option! Powered by Subaru’s brilliant 108kW/350Nm 2.0-litre horizontally opposed 4-cylinder engine, the Forester diesel […]
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