When the Lexus RC F first burst on to the stage with its thumping old-school 5-litre V8 as a Japanese alternative to the likes of the BMW M4, Mercedes-AMG C63 Coupe, and Audi RS5 it was always seen as a left-field choice. Reviewers said it was a bit of a blunt compared to its Teutonic rivals with its weight being the biggest...
Let’s play an automotive word association game. If I say ‘EV’ what car comes to mind? You probably said Tesla or Leaf. Alright next one, what if I said ‘sports car’? A Porsche 911 perhaps, Mazda MX-5? Easy enough. Right, last one. What about ‘hybrid’? I’m sure 9/10 of you would’ve said Prius and for good reason. Ever...
The V12 Aston Martin DB11 is dead. If you want a DB11 you’re stuck wit the AMG-sourced 4-litre twin-turbo V8. That’s not the worst thing in the world, it’s still a wonderful engine and Aston’s exhaust tuning still makes it sound quintessentially Aston. Except, that’s not entirely true because the DB11 AMR exists....
Another year, another Tokyo Auto Salon done and dusted. This year was pretty much like every other year, lots of wide body kits, plenty of slammed and stance cars, and a plethora of new Toyota Supras. Suffice to say TAS2020 was the year of the Supra.However, while most of the coverage from TAS was on the glitz and glamour of the...
Five Things I Liked About the 2019 Porsche Macan S Before Porsche Italy very kindly gave me the Panamera Turbo S e-Hybrid Sport Turismo to drive across Italy for 10 days, they lent me a new 2019 Macan S to use for a day to drive around Milan and Lake Como while the Panamera was getting ready. While I didn’t have enough time...
Three electric vehicles are among the 10 finalists for New Zealand's most prestigious automotive award.Candidates to secure this year's New Zealand Car of the Year are, in alphabetical order:Audi e-tronFord FocusHolden AcadiaHyundai Santa FeJaguar I-PaceMazda 3Mercedes GLEPeugeot 508Tesla Model 3Toyota RAV4The e-tron, I-Pace...
Recently I spent some time with the 2019 Mazda CX-3 SkyActiv D. It’s the diesel version of Mazda’s popular small crossover. Powered by a 1.8-litre four-cylinder turbocharged diesel engine, with 85kW and 270NM of torque. Mazda claim a combined 5L/100km of fuel economy and the 1.8 diesel only weights 50kg more than the 2.0-litre...
It seems McLaren just can’t stop releasing new cars. When the MP4-12C first came out in 2011, who would’ve guessed that 8 years on McLaren would have a lineup of 9 road cars and a couple of track-only specials with more models on the way. The all-new McLaren GT landed in Japan this week and represents a whole new type of...
The Honda Civic Type R remains my favourite of the current crop of hot hatches. I loved going through its 6-speed manual gearbox, styling that makes it stand out from the crowd, and its brilliant performance and handling. It’s a very likeable car and a worthy alternative to the typically restrained and sombre styled rivals. If the Type...
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