New Cars Road Tests

ROAD TEST: Holden Colorado 7

OVERSTEER ROAD TEST: Holden Colorado 7 Okay, so the Colorado ute missed the target somewhat, but how about the seven-seat SUV version? It’s got a more sophisticated rear suspensions set up for a start, so it shouldn’t be as crap, right? Turns out that actually IS right! We take the Holden Colorado 7 for a […]

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Classic

Blast From The Past: Ferrari F355

OVERSTEER ROAD TEST: Ferrari F355 There is only one way to say this; the Ferrari F355 is an exquisite piece of machinery. It has received much praise from the motoring press over the years and for good reason; it is a properly good car! Built as a replacement for the 348TB, it was more than […]

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New Cars Quick Drives Road Tests

QUICK DRIVE: Jaguar XF 2.0i4

OVERSTEER ROAD TEST: Jaguar XF 2.0i4 It’s an XF, Jim, but not as we know it… The XF gets a boost from Ford. An EcoBoost, that is, as the XF becomes the latest car to appear on our shores with Ford’s fantastic 2.0-litre four-cylinder giant killer under its bonnet. Although Jaguar would prefer it if […]

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Quick Drives

QUICK DRIVE: Volkswagen Polo R-Line

OVERSTEER ROAD TEST: Volkswagen Polo R-Line We here at OVERSTEER are unashamed fans of Volkswagen’s littlest local offering, the Polo. It has all the charm of cheerful puppy, but can turn savage when pointed at a corner. Savage in a good way, that is, not in “a Kia Rio on Eco-tyres in the wet” kind […]

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First Drives New Cars

FIRST DRIVE: Volkswagen Golf

The Volkswagen Golf  has long been the five-door hatch benchmark and, as such, played in the upper-levels of the price range for the segment. But now the  Golf goes on the attack with drastically reduced prices and increased spec. We spend a day thrashing a couple of them at the Golf 7 launch. What is […]

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First Drives New Cars

FIRST DRIVE: A pair of Land Rovers

New engines, improved interiors and a transmission we have been waiting for (in a Land Rover, at least) were the big news from a low-key Land Rover launch today. The Freelander gets a brilliant petrol engine that will seem strangely familiar and the Discovery gets a brilliant 8-speed auto transmission. We spent a day sampling […]

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New Cars Road Tests

ROAD TEST: Volkswagen Beetle

OVERSTEER ROAD TEST: Volkswagen Beetle The second incarnation of the new version of a car originally conceived by a genocidal maniac and “designed” by a bloke who actually nicked the design off a another company is finally here. That’s right – the original Nazi fun-wagon is back! We take a Beetle for a blast! While […]

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First Drives New Cars

FIRST DRIVE: Subaru Forester

“Smarter, Safer, Further” is the way Subaru NZ are describing the new Forester in their marketing, even going as far to say “It can if you can”. We travel to a summery (but still rather breezy) Queenstown to see if it can… What is it? An SUV, okay? It’s DEFINITELY an SUV and if you […]

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New Cars Road Tests

ROAD TEST: BMW M6

OVERSTEER ROAD TEST: BMW M6 BMW’s M cars are, as a rule, rather special. Despite the company’s slightly confused attempt to add SUVs to the M line up, the ‘proper’ M cars (the ones with a single number after the M… or in the case of the 1M, before…) are still very much the heroes […]

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Classic

Blast From The Past: Subaru SVX

OVERSTEER ROAD TEST: Subaru SVX It’s always quite interesting when established car makers go out on a branch and try to penetrate niche market segments. So when a popular Japanese manufacturer with a rally history unveiled a prototype luxury sporting GT at the 1989 Tokyo Motor Show, more than a few eyebrows were raised. The […]

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