New Cars Road Tests

ROAD TEST: Holden Volt

Is the Holden Volt the way of the future or a technological dead-end that will be quickly made obsolete? Hell, we don’t know! What we DO know though, is that the Volt is here now and it represents a major change in the way we are going to have to look at our cars in […]

Continue Reading...

New Cars Road Tests

ROAD TEST: Mitsubishi Mirage LS

In terms of simple, basic transport, they don’t come much more simple and basic than the Mitsubishi Mirage LS. That is not meant as an insult though, as the Mirage is actually quite endearing for all its basic simplicity. It has a wonderfully growly little three-cylinder engine that is as frugal as it is characterful […]

Continue Reading...

New Cars Road Tests

OAD TEST: BMW 116i Edition 30

The second-generation BMW 1 Series is a fantastic little car. Addressing the criticisms of the first car, the new 1 also adds a higher level of sophistication and polish to the smallest BMW. The addition of a lower-powered version of the turbo 1.6-litre petrol engine that features in the 118i in the newly-available 116i lowers […]

Continue Reading...

New Cars Road Tests

ROAD TEST: BMW 318d Touring

OVERSTEER ROAD TEST: BMW 318d Touring The BMW 3 series is a fine car, managing to offer all round niceness across the range. Now the latest wagon variant has hit our shores, so naturally we had to see if the 3 Series can take on the dominant might of Audi in the premium wagon segment… […]

Continue Reading...

New Cars Quick Drives

QUICK DRIVE: Hyundai i45 Elite

The i45 has become something of a middle management favorite here in New Zealand. The so-called “User Chooser” set of drivers – who have progressed to a level where they are allowed to choose their own company car – like the i45 for its blend of specification, roominess and chrome. Never underestimate the power of […]

Continue Reading...

First Drives New Cars

FIRST DRIVE: Audi A3 Sportback

The A3 is an important model for Audi both internationally and here in New Zealand where it has accounted for around 20 percent of Audi sales each year since its launch in 1997. Audi pretty much invented the “Premium Hatch” segment with the A3 and dominated it for some time, but now BMW and Mercedes […]

Continue Reading...

First Drives New Cars

FIRST DRIVE: Mini Paceman

The Mini Paceman is the eighth addition to the ever-increasing/increasingly-confusing Mini family. Now, try and stay with me here; the Paceman is the smaller, three-door version of the Countryman. Which essentially makes it the smaller, three-door version of the larger five-door version of the original smaller three-door Mini hatch. Dunno about you, but it makes […]

Continue Reading...

First Drives New Cars

FIRST DRIVE: Audi SQ5

Once upon a time, the idea of a “sporty” SUV would have been laughable. The concept of a sports car and a SUV were about as diametrically opposed as it was possible to get in the world of cars, so the idea of combining the properties of the two would have simply been ridiculous and […]

Continue Reading...

News

The winners on their Ultimate Drive!

Congratulations to Stephen Gyde and Ben Keng on winning our BMW Ultimate Drive Day competition. Stephen and Ben (plus their guests, Stephen’s father Murray and Ben’s wife Audrey) enjoyed an afternoon of driving a wide range of BMWs across three modules – track, road and off-road. The weather was kind and a good day was […]

Continue Reading...