Road Test Archive

After a week with the Lexus LS600hL, David Thomson reckons he has found a solution to a long-running family dilemma.

 Upgrades reduce Sorento's off-road appeal A major upgrade has boosted the Kia Sorento's everyday appeal, though at the expense of some of its off-road versatility, as David Thomson discovers.

Before arrowing straight in on the bottom line, Hyundai hopes potential Santa Fe customers will give the new rig a careful once-over to gain an appreciation of what they are getting, and why some models are so much more expensive than those they replace.

BMW has a new high-performance car to show, and Central Otago has a brand-new race track on which to show it. David Thomson heads to Highlands Motorsport Park to sample the M135i.

BMW has come late to the party of large four-door coupes, but the 6-series Gran Coupe is here now. David Thomson gets behind the wheel to see if it has been worth the wait.

With the daily work commute, school and children's sport drop-offs, and general running around, it's amazing how much driving a family manages in the course of a week. Typically 250km to 350km in my case.

Mazda has updated its timeless MX-5 Roadster, and David Thomson has been taking advantage of some superb recent weather to use it in the manner intended.

Premium quality and a reputation for being the global hatchback template have long kept the Volkswagen Golf on a global pedestal and nothing changes with the latest generation - save, that is, the admission price.

The Subaru Forester's DNA goes back to 1997 and some 16 years later it has left its boxy awkwardness behind to emerge as a fully fledged all-wheel-drive SUV.

Volvo's determined bid to raise global sales has gathered momentum with the launch of the new V40. David Thomson puts the D4 turbo-diesel to the test.

Toyota's expansion of its Prius nameplate has continued with the new Prius V. David Thomson surprises himself with his verdict after a week behind the wheel.

Now firmly entrenched as the fourth most popular new-car brand in New Zealand, Hyundai is a company whose confidence - both locally and globally - is growing in leaps and bounds.

It's been the most eagerly awaited new car of 2012 and David Thomson has finally managed a road test. Here's his verdict on the new Toyota 86.

The Peugeot 205 and 306 were two of the most charismatic hatchbacks of the past 25 years.

If we could fast-forward into the automotive future of five to 10 years hence, what a different world we would find: hybrids left, right and centre; plug-in electrics in reasonable numbers, even on Dunedin city streets; stop-start and collision-avoidance systems on every new car sold; and last but not least, a significant number of those new cars coming from China.

The new Mini has already spawned a sports utility variant in the Mini Countryman. Now there's an out-and-out sports car derivative, the Mini Coupe, too. David Thomson has been putting it to the test.

The teenage son of a friend calls it "a toaster on wheels", but I've held the Nissan X-Trail in high regard since it first graced the SUV scene back in 2007.

After more than 20 years of rivalling the established European premium brands for luxury appeal, Lexus is increasingly turning its attention to matching them for sporting appeal, too.

In early 2010, Nissan displaced Mitsubishi from pole position in the race for ute power and torque supremacy by launching the 140kW/450Nm 2.5-litre turbo-diesel Navara ST-X 450.

The big boy of Toyota's extensive 4WD line, the VX Landcruiser, has been the subject of a recent mid-life makeover which includes styling, specification and mechanical enhancements.