Electrically charged: this little electric BMW is all powered up and ready to go
In 2011 BMW introduced its ‘i’ brand to incorporate all of its electric plug-in vehicles or hybrids. Last year I was fortunate enough to drive the exceptional i8. This month I was introduced to its zippy little cousin, the unique BMW i3. The base model of the i-range, the i3 also has a bigger […]
Chevrolet’s wild child: The Stingray
The man at the Rangiora Caltex was in awe. “Wow beautiful car mate! It’s a Stingray aye?” One could not fault him on his observation skills, for the car in my care for the day was a Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, one of the true giants of automotive Americana. The Corvette is the definitive all-American sports […]
Resurrecting a classic: Mitsubishi brings back the Eclipse and our writer Ben Selby has given us the run-down on it
The last time we saw a Mitsubishi ‘Eclipse’ it was during early noughties and it was a soft, wallowy coupe built for the American market. Now though, like it did with the Mirage, Mitsubishi has resurrected the Eclipse brand to showcase its latest sports soft roader, the Eclipse Cross. For those after something smaller than […]
A clever automotive combo: Cars and Coffee
Let’s be honest, the closest most of us get to experiencing a million-dollar member of supercar royalty is when saying “On the way to work this morning, a brand-new Lamborghini went past me”. However, on 13 May, the inaugural Christchurch Cars and Coffee event took place at Garden City Helicopters’ new state of the art […]
Automotive eye candy: Driving the Ford Endura through the Crown Range to Wanaka
The chance to drive the new Ford Endura range around Queenstown earlier this month was a great opportunity to put the five-seater, twin turbo, 2 L performance diesel through its paces on some great terrain. Winding through the Crown Range to Wanaka, I got a real feel for how smooth the new generation platform will […]
Elegantly exceptional: our writer Nick Henare reviews the new BMW X3 xdrive30i
From the outside, the new BMW X3 xdrive30i is a good-looking BMW X3, but on the inside… spectacular! I opened the door to a combination of black and cream leather and trim with great lines and elegant features. The centre dashboard incorporates Apple Car play with an interactive media system which was easy to use […]
An automotive overview: change and challengers in the modern motoring world
When it comes to the automobile, the road to success has been paved with innovation and, although one could argue the automotive vehicle’s modern incarnation works in much the same way as its early predecessors, there’s no denying that it is an industry which continues to push the bounds of technology. At its heart, the […]
In the driver’s seat: Armstrong Prestige where great customer service drives them
Strong customer relationships are one of the pillars of commercial success, but Armstrong Prestige has taken this concept to the next level. The company recently flew some of its best customers down to Warbirds Over Wanaka, cooked up a storm with celebrity chef Annabel Langbein and got the ladies out on the track to experience […]
Return to form: Ben Selby reviews the 2018 Citroen C3
Ever since the 2CV, Citroen’s resume is filled to the brim with fun compact cars full of character. Being a former Citroen AX GT owner, I am happy to supply a reference for this. However in recent times, Citroen’s small C3 range, which began in 2002, began to slowly lose that ‘joie de vivre’ which […]
A luxurious launch: First European adds prestigious MV Agusta to it’s collection
First European has welcomed an Italian racing legend into its Sydenham showroom and it offers all the luxury, speed and good looks one could expect from the Italians. With an illustrious past, MV Agusta first rose to prominence in the early twentieth century when it belonged to a pioneer of the fledgling aeronautics industry, count […]