AMG: Can you handle the power?
The engine howls as my instructor shouts to apply more throttle. The C63 AMG engine pours 600Nm to rear wheels that spin water spray as I drift the car sideways around the skid pan. A twitch of...
View ArticleHonda Civic: Hatch best-dressed in town
Honda has suffered the sharp end of recession and natural disaster and is now pinning its hopes on new arrivals. It opened the year with the CRZ, now the stylish Civic to fill a hatch slot vacated five...
View ArticleHyundai: Clear skies ahead for i30
No wonder Hyundai planned an extensive drive for its new i30, with everything from Hawke's Bay back roads to the Rimutakas and Wellington's business district. This model makes up a third of its...
View ArticleCan-Am Spyder: Happily stuck in the web
Legally it's a car, but it delivers that motorcycle experience. These sparkling-bright winter days are made to get out on the road on a motorbike - the winter sun on your back and a whiff of impending...
View ArticleHyundai i30: Got the looks and the build
Hyundai's i30 is the Korean brand's biggest seller, and key to consolidating a podium position on NZ's sales charts. What's new Most obviously a handsome new design, it stops the right side of the OTT...
View ArticlePrius C: Hybrid enters mainstream
Toyota's early Prius minimised the compromises made by the first generations of hybrid cars to go on sale. Luggage room was relatively good and you could fold the second row seats to carry more. The...
View ArticleLexus LX570 puts you in lap of luxury
What is it? Does the facelifted Lexus LX570 deliver the ultimate in climb-every-mountain luxury? It's certainly over-the-top. The 5.7-litre V8 petrol engine averaged 17.8l/100km for the 400km I drove...
View ArticleNuda 900R: Stripped off Husky hits the road
The neighbours will love the 900R's riotous soundtrack. Forget chainsaws and sewing machines - there's only one Husqvarna in my book, and it's the one with two wheels and a numberplate. For the naughty...
View ArticleHarley Davidson: Bad-ass Slim all about ride
Latest Harley delivers punch and classic style. Talk about Slim Shady, this low, stripped bare matte-black Harley-Davidson Softail Slim oozes bad-ass naughtiness from every pore. It's a deliberate...
View ArticleMercs take on snow and ice
Accelerate across the snowfield. Hurl it sideways through those cones. Flick into sinuous drifts through the slalom, then powerslide round the last cone and return. Put your foot down; get those rear...
View ArticleMotorsport: Stoner's MotoGP bike on Kiwi visit
As the cover slides off the bright-orange paintwork it's obvious this is no ordinary race bike. Bruce Nielsen's hands all but flutter as he tells me about the hand-built RC212V that took Casey Stoner...
View ArticleBMW: A Fashion Week makeover
BMW got more than it bargained for when it supplied four X1 cars for Fashion Week - each got a makeover by one new-generation designer. DanielK's Vanessa Kim had a headstart in penning a new skin for...
View ArticleToyota 86: Seat-of-your-pants drive
Toyota may have racing heritage but in New Zealand it's been better known for reliable if uninspiring everyday runabouts. This sexy 86 coupe could rejuvenate that image. What's new There are facts...
View ArticleToyota '86 coupe: A seat-of-your-pants drive
Toyota may have racing heritage but in New Zealand it's been better known for reliable if uninspiring everyday runabouts. This sexy 86 coupe could rejuvenate that image. What's new There are facts...
View ArticleBMW's Fashion Week makeover
BMW got more than it bargained for when it supplied four X1 cars for Fashion Week - each got a makeover by one new-generation designer. DanielK's Vanessa Kim had a headstart in penning a new skin for...
View ArticleHonda Crossrunner: Born to be wild where it counts
Anyone tempted to diss a parts bin special should ride on Honda's Crossrunner, for it proves a bike indeed can be better than the sum of its parts, even when some of those parts are long in the tooth....
View ArticleHonda 2WD SUV: Expectations surpassed
When the first CR-V launched back in the mid 1990s, soft-roaders were still a new concept. Honda sold the four-wheel-drive wagon as the ideal family conveyance, complete with picnic table in the boot...
View ArticleMazda CX-5: Hard yet stylish worker
What is it? Mazda's CX-5 diesel is arguably the best of this very good breed. Certainly it proved the perfect mount for a five-hour after-work jaunt to Russell loaded to the gunwales with goods and...
View ArticleSuzuki Swift: Punished for thriftiness
Drivers seeking a car that drank the least fuel were once forced to take the diesel route and live with the compromises - smoky exhausts, an idle that resembled a tractor's and sluggish performance....
View ArticleVW Passat Alltrack: High-rider wagon ready for rough
What is it? VW's Passat Alltrack, a high-riding four-wheel-drive wagon competing with Subaru's Outback and Skoda's Scout. With 165mm ground clearance, changes to the bumpers to improve approach and...
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