Kia preparing to build Rio hot hatch
Who doesn’t like hot hatches? Not many people, especially not in Europe where cars like the Volkswagen Golf GTI and Ford Focus ST/RS are hot property and the hot hatch segment is still growing. Not...
View ArticleSkoda Fabia vRS 2011 Review
Why is Skoda’s Fabia vRS hot hatch so angry? Is it because the ‘v’ in its name is lower case, or perhaps because it’s overheard too many Skoda jokes. Who really knows, but one thing’s Read More
View ArticleRenault Megane RS250 hot hatch goes on sale in NZ
Renault’s hot hatch, the Megane RS250 has just touched down in New Zealand. It’s full name is the Renault Megane Renault Sport 250 and this French speedster is set to give Kiwi high performance hatch...
View ArticleRenault and Williams destined for Clio hot hatch glory
Back in the early ’90s Renault and Williams were dominating Formula One, and their success led to the creation of one of the best known hot hatches of all time. Now, with news that the Read More
View ArticleOpel Astra OPC hot hatch debuts in Europe
Opel has unveiled its new Astra OPC known as the Vauxhall VXR in some markets. OPC stands for Opel Performance Centre and is the Euro brand’s in-house tuning division so this is the hottest Astra Read...
View ArticleBring The Hot Hatch Back
There has been an ever-so-slight outpouring of media brouhaha this week over a survey which revealed that buying a house in New Zealand – particularly Auckland – is a tough ask. Because our earning...
View ArticleMazda3 MPS 2012 Review
It’s interesting driving the cars that you know are going to be coveted by the future generation of performance-hungry young drivers. Because of our fairly cheap insurance in New Zealand, people under...
View ArticleHyundai Veloster Turbo Elite 2012 Review
We took a look at the naturally aspirated Veloster Elite a few months ago. If you read the article you’ll see that I said that the turbo version will be awesome. Let’s find out whether Read More
View ArticleFord Focus Trend Hatchback 2013 Review
There’s a theory that is used to explain why people can sometimes be extremely productive late at night. The fact is that the majority of tasks we have to perform are often mundane and don’t Read More
View ArticleFord Focus ST 2013 Review
There is no point in buying the Ford Focus ST if you don’t like excitement. You will also want to give it a very wide berth if you look at manufacturer-supplied fuel economy figures and Read More
View ArticleNissan Pulsar SSS 2013 Review
Bringing back a historic name is fraught with danger. Our memories tend to be dulled over time and we just remember what we want to. If the strongest emotions we experienced with a car were Read More
View ArticleVolkswagen Golf GTI 2013 Review
Looking slightly more chiselled than its predecessor, the Golf GTI tempts you with a strong engine and handling setup to use those angles to slice through the wind at high speed. The six-speed DSG...
View ArticleHolden: Barina RS 2014 review
You could be forgiven for thinking that the new Barina RS is a track searing hot hatchback thanks to the current television ad that sees Greg Murphy revving the engine and screeching the tyres Read More
View ArticleKia: 2014 Pro_c’eed GT review
The Germans have a fantastic array of compound words. In German you can keep adding descriptive words together to form a word that’s a bit like a train with multiple carriages. One such word is Read More
View ArticleAudi: 2015 S1 Sportback review
The term pocket rocket has been applied to many small hot hatches, but none have been more deserving of the title than the new Audi S1 Sportback. Here is a compact turbocharged four-cylinder 2-litre...
View ArticleRenault: 2015 Clio R.S. Cup
When the locally-owned Renault distributor brought back the Clio Authentique and Expression light hatchbacks back to the New Zealand market, we knew that it wouldn’t be long before the more sporting...
View ArticleAlfa Romeo: 2015 Giulietta Distinctive TCT QV Line review
The Giulietta name was first seen on an Alfa Romeo in 1954 which is also the year that Elvis Presley began his recording career. Owning an Alfa Romeo is a good talking point, but the Read More
View ArticleHolden: 2015 Astra VXR review
With the V8 Commodore being phased out and Ford bringing a very capable hot hatch (the Focus ST) to the market, Holden needed to launch a car that gives you a temporary facelift when mashing Read More
View ArticlePeugoet 308 GTi set to challenge Golf dominance
In terms of performance hatchbacks Peugoet have had some promising moments, the 205 GTi was a great machine and when the 206 was dominating the WRC things were looking good. But in the last ten Read More
View ArticleKia preparing to build Rio hot hatch
Who doesn’t like hot hatches? Not many people, especially not in Europe where cars like the Volkswagen Golf GTI and Ford Focus ST/RS are hot property and the hot hatch segment is still growing. Not...
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