First Drives New Cars

FIRST DRIVE: Maserati Quattroporte

Sometimes car companies don’t put much thought into their car names. Take, for example, the Maserati Quattroporte. The name translates literally into “Four Door” in English. This may be a revelation to anyone who hasn’t actually noticed that the car has four doors, but to the rest of us it is blindingly obvious. But Maserati […]

Continue Reading...

New Cars Road Tests

ROAD TEST: Holden Trax LTZ

Holden is one of the early entrants into the new “Baby SUV” segment that will shortly become more populated as other manufacturer’s clamour to turn their compact cars into jacked-up faux off roaders (usually with virtually no off road ability) and the Trax is that entrant. Based on the Barina, the Trax is small but […]

Continue Reading...

New Cars Road Tests

ROAD TEST: Skoda Octavia RS wagon

Quite frankly, ever since Skoda New Zealand launched the new Octavia here, this is the version we have been hanging out for. The Octavia RS has always been a brilliant steer and we had no doubt this one would continue that tradition, especially when we found out it would have the same engine as the […]

Continue Reading...

New Cars Road Tests

Holden Volt: the final update

We have now finished our time with the Holden Volt, so it is time for a wrap up of our final thoughts on it. The first thing you notice when you hop back into an “ordinary” car after just driving a Volt for almost a month is how smooth the Volt actually is. With no […]

Continue Reading...

New Cars Road Tests

ROAD TEST: Jeep Grand Cherokee CRD Limited

The Grand Cherokee has always been one of those vehicles that was just plain likeable, even when it was a poorly built, soggy, big American cruiser. Now it is much more than that. Much, much more. One of our favourites – aside from the monstrous SRT8 version – has always been the brawny diesel-engined variants. […]

Continue Reading...

New Cars

A few thoughts on the Volt as bit of fun

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 […]

Continue Reading...

New Cars Quick Drives

QUICK DRIVE: Subaru Legacy 2.5X

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 […]

Continue Reading...

New Cars

Audi RS6 teaser

Well, it has taken WAY longer than we originally thought it would – and is turning into something of an epic – but our video Road Test of the Audi RS6 is taking shape! Here is the intro, just to get you interested…

Continue Reading...

New Cars Quick Drives

QUICK DRIVE: Lexus ES300h Limited

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 […]

Continue Reading...

New Cars Road Tests

ROAD TEST: Lexus ES350 Limited

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 […]

Continue Reading...