Drive

Speedbumps. Believe it or not, they do come in handy, providing the context is relatively sound. Ben Selby reports. For example, if you have a quiet and long suburban street and there has been a history of excessive speed by some lead-footed motorists down it, no doubt a handful of evenly spaced speed […]

Have you ever seen the film Ronin? Superb acting and plot aside, the highlights for me are the raw car chase scenes, one of which features a BMW M5 E34’s daring getaway through crowded Parisian streets. It’s a great film and if it was re-made, I’d wager the BMW used would be the […]

Something really quirky and fun shines through in the French attitude to making cars. Rather than just adhere to simplistic form and function, the French ethos behind creating a vehicle ensures character, eccentric style, plus a sense of enjoyment. Ben Selby reports. This brings us to the new Peugeot 2008 GT, which certainly […]

The thousands who use them have welcomed the Government’s about-turn on road user charges (RUCs) for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). In March, after rigorous complaints about the rates, Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced a reduced road user charge of $38 per 1000km, which is half the full RUC rate. Pending regulations had […]

Back in 2007, four-time World Rally Champion, the original “Flying Finn” Juha Kankkunen attempted to break the World Ice Speed record in his privately owned, stock-standard, Bentley Continental GT on the frozen waters of the Baltic Sea. He succeeded with a blistering 1km average of 321kph, an astonishing result from a road-legal vehicle […]

The benefits of going hybrid for your daily transport these days couldn’t be more obvious. Ben Selby reports. Having a petrol engine working in harmony with a battery pack only significantly lessens the trips you make to the pump, and also leaves a much smaller carbon footprint with each drive. Plus, conventional hybrids […]

As hybrid technology in high-end supercars becomes more commonplace, the new Artura is McLaren’s way to show the word “hybrid” should be embraced in the supercar world. Ben Selby reports. Powered by an all-new mid-mounted 120-degree twin-turbo 3.0L V6 engine with 8-speed dual clutch transmission, the Artura also gets a plug-in 7.4kWh battery […]

The Jaguar F-Pace has been a firm favourite in the immensely competitive market that is the luxury SUV segment. While late to the party compared to its competitors from Porsche and Audi, the F-Pace has held its own over the years, but is it still a proper Jag? Ben Selby reports. The Jaguar […]

It seems like New Zealand is getting rather spoilt. So many new car brands have entered our market within the last few years. The latest of these is Omoda, which has joined the stable of Blackwell Motors. Ben Selby reports. Omoda, pronounced “Oh-Mo-Dah” is already grabbing attention in New Zealand with the brand’s […]

So, it’s finally happened. From April 1st, owners of light EVs and Plug in Hybrids (PHEVs) will have to pay Road User Chargers as part of the Government’s RUC for electric vehicles legislation. That means that if you plug your car, van, or SUV, into the mains or fast charger, you will have […]