Car Reviews

Browse the latest car reviews from our team of motoring writers at Drivesouth. Everything you need to know about the next car you buy is here.

Ford delivers with new Kuga

Ford delivers with new Kuga

''Every journalist I meet tells me this transmission needs paddleshifters ... and every customer I meet tells me they don't care. So who am I supposed to listen to?''

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Audi SQ5 an outstanding diesel

Audi SQ5 an outstanding diesel

Feral family wagons (RS4 and RS6); bonkers boulevarde cruiser (TT-RS): Yup, Audi has the ability to throw spinballs into the sporting sphere.

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New Holden Cruze Sportwagon let down by engine

New Holden Cruze Sportwagon let down by engine

The mid-sized Cruze has been a quiet success story for Holden, selling strongly in both sedan and hatch guise as rising fuel prices force the once Commodore-centric company to look to new models.

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Plenty to like in Toyota's new RAV4

Plenty to like in Toyota's new RAV4

The original RAV4 that came along in the mid-1990s headed into unexplored territory; the only other genuine rival of the day out of Japan was the Suzuki Vitara.

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BMW expands 3-Series Touring range

BMW expands 3-Series Touring range

Station wagons occupy a small sector that becomes much teensier still if just premium models are considered, so seven editions of the new 3-Series Touring might seem excessive.

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Refined new Mazda 6 diesels not making up the numbers

Refined new Mazda 6 diesels not making up the numbers

Spot a new-generation Mazda6 in the street and odds on it will be a 2.5-litre petrol GSX sedan; no less that 60% of the predicted 1350 sales for this year is expected to be accounted for by just this model.

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Frugality to fore in new Mitsubishi Mirage

Frugality to fore in new Mitsubishi Mirage

If ever a car lived up to a name, perhaps it's the new Mirage - there's definitely an optical phenomenon going on here, in the sense that this is a car that cannot be judged on looks alone.

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Czech influence shows in Hyundai wagon

Czech influence shows in Hyundai wagon

What's better than a Korean car that was designed and engineered in a German automotive design hub, Russelsheim, but assembled in South Korea?

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Suzuki update makes gentle Splash

Suzuki update makes gentle Splash

A bolder new nose and changes to interior trims and standard equipment specifications have been provided as part of a gentle update of the Suzuki Splash.

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Lightweight Range Rover heavy in achievement

Lightweight Range Rover heavy in achievement

Even great solutions sometimes deliver unexpected fresh challenges.

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Subaru BRZ no poor second cousin

Subaru BRZ no poor second cousin

''We [Subaru] are the second cab off the rank. . .but it's also our car.''

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Old-school design brings old-school tough

Old-school design brings old-school tough

Likely to encounter serious sludge on your school run? Perhaps a river crossing or mountain climb? Here's your vehicle - the newest of the ''old-school'' sports utilities available.

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BMW on top form with 328i

BMW on top form with 328i

Each new version of the BMW 3-Series aspires to be nothing less than the best car in the medium-sized luxury class. David Thomson slips behind the wheel of the latest, sixth-generation model, to see if it delivers.

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V8 Audi wagon will continue to thrill

V8 Audi wagon will continue to thrill

The higher they fly, the harder they fall - crushing depreciation is so often the elephant in the room in regard to extravagant cars; some really do take a heck of a pasting, often from the moment they leave the showroom.

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V200 ute: Price helps close performance gap

V200 ute: Price helps close performance gap

Spot something familiar about the look of Great Wall's V200 ute, beyond the fact that - with more than 600 registrations so far this year - it is becoming an increasingly common sight on New Zealand roads?

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Sorento facelift more than skin-deep

Sorento facelift more than skin-deep

The plan? Start off in the pre-facelift Sorento then swap to the much-enhanced replacement after lunch, to provide a full insight in the level of change.

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Welcome surprises in new Toyota Corolla

Welcome surprises in new Toyota Corolla

As loath as I am to suggest the phrase ''One born every minute'' bears any accurate representation of a Corolla buyer, it does give an inkling of the incredible production rate of this Toyota mainstay.

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Styling - Volvo hits the mark with new V40

Styling - Volvo hits the mark with new V40

Posh hatchbacks are all the rage in Europe at the moment, and Kiwis are picking up on the trend, with prestige European five-doors moving up the sales charts.

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ISG a classy touch to Kia's Rio

ISG a classy touch to Kia's Rio

A few months back, Drivesouth enjoyed its first taste of Kia's ISG (Idle-Stop-Go) technology, behind the wheel of the company's Picanto supermini.

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Load to like in new Toyota Avensis

Load to like in new Toyota Avensis

Toyota has moved with the times in giving its Avensis Tourer a midlife upgrade which, among other enhancements, shows off a new nose with design cues that will appear on other Toyota products and adds a user-friendly Bluetooth interface for phone and audio devices.

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