News Podcast

Finally! A new Podcast episode!

Yes, we realise it has been quite a while, but the 11th and latest episode of the NZ Motoring Podcast is available now! In it Damien and David discuss the Top Ten cars eligible for the NZ Motoring Writers’ Guild/AA Car of the Year award and 12-cylinder cars – all from inside a Bentley Continental GT […]

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First Drives New Cars

FIRST DRIVE: BMW X1

Redesigned to look far more like a member of the X family, the smallest BMW SUV is now sitting on a new platform. It is the same platform that sits under the 2 Series Active Tourer and the new Mini three- and five-door models. In other words, the X1 is now also front-wheel drive. Well, […]

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First Drives New Cars

FIRST DRIVE: BMW 3 Series

  The revamped 3 Series range starts with the $72,000 320i sedan and the $75,000 Touring (wagon), both of which get the same 135kW/270Nm 2-litre petrol turbo engine and come standard with 18-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights, front fog lights and taillights, front and rear parking sensors with Park Assist, satellite navigation, a backing camera, […]

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First Drives New Cars

FIRST DRIVE: Skoda Superb

The Skoda Superb has always been car that – to use an over-used cliche – has earned its name. And when you think about it, it really does take some balls to call your car “superb” no matter how old a nameplate it actually is. I mean, you are really not making life easy for […]

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New Cars Road Tests

ROAD TEST: Mazda MX-5

Colin Chapman is famous for a number of things. There’s the Lotus marque, and the spinoff Formula One team that won seven drivers’ championships and six constructors’ championships. On the downside, though he may have been an engineering genius, he was not the best businessman. Remember the tie-up with John Z. DeLorean that cost the […]

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First Drives New Cars

FIRST DRIVE: Maserati Quattroporte 330hp

When you think of a brand such as Maserati, your mind doesn’t immediately head towards fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. Instead you think of power, noise and looks. But Maserati wants to stay relevant in a world increasingly concerned about fuel economy, so has introduced a new version of the Quattroporte into the local market, […]

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First Drives New Cars

FIRST DRIVE: Holden Commodore VFII

Fear is a funny thing. It’s defined as “an unpleasant, often strong, emotion caused by anticipation or awareness of perceived danger. It causes a change in brain and organ function and in humans and animals is regulated by the process of cognition and learning.” So the narrow strip of asphalt that winds through a grassy […]

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First Drives New Cars

FIRST DRIVE: Mercedes-Benz GLE

For a while now Mercedes-Benz has lagged behind obvious rivals BMW and Audi in one key area — SUVs, particularly those in the fast-growing small and medium segments. But Mercedes are determined to fix that particular weak spot in the most German way possible — to jam as many different variants into as many segments […]

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