Ashburton Guardian | Motoring | May 3, 2019

Motoring May 3, 2019

The award winning

Santa Fe

DETAILS

P22

HIGH COUNTRY EDITION D-MAX - AVAILABLE TO ORDER NOW! Opening hours: Mon–Fri 8am–5pm Saturday 9am–12noon for WOF's

91 Archibald Street, Tinwald, Ashburton (03) 307 2415

MID CANTERBURY

22 2

Farming Motoring

Friday, May 3, 2019

www.guardianonline.co.nz

Like a professor’s tweed blazer T his year, Hyundai has won its eighth Wards 10 Best Interiors trophy, this time for the all-new Santa Fe. The midsize SUV is loaded with standard driver-assistance technology, handsome materials, great utility, easy-tograb knobs and a fetching dark grey/light brown colour scheme, set off with orange contrast stitching.

The all-new Santa Fe is top-of-the-range with ultimate trim, all-wheel drive, heated second-row seats, wireless device charging, second-row privacy shades and the kind of brushed-aluminium sillplates usually found in luxury cars twice the price.

Fit-and-finish is impeccable, as the matte-finish wood-like trim carves a halfmoon along the passenger side of the instrument panel, then sweeps precisely into the upper part of the door, visually connecting the entire front row.

Truly unique are the door-mounted mocha-brown speaker grilles, which have a raised, textured appearance, resembling pebbles in a stream. For another Santa Fe notable, just look up, the headliner is uniquely woven, blending grey and ivory threads like a professor’s tweed blazer.

The new Santa Fe comes in either 2.4 petrol or 2.2 diesel with three variants (Entry, Elite and Limited).

Prices range between $59,990 and $82,990 plus on-road costs.

The Hyundai brand has won seven Wards 10 Best Interiors trophies over the past eight years, including one for the previous-generation Santa Fe in 2013.

Dragsters hit Sydney

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JUST ANOTHER REASON TO UPGRADE… Only at Hyundai Mid Canterbury 91 Archibald Street, Tinwald | 03 307 2415

iwi drag racers are on record breaking pace as they prepare for a major meeting at Sydney Dragway this weekend.

Aucklanders Rod Harvey and Barry Plumpton could potentially line-up against each other – in their very different cars – at some point during this weekend’s Nitro Thunder meet.

They are competing in the Pro Extreme class which is on the same programme as the penultimate round of Australia’s 400 Thunder Pro Series.

Harvey has campaigned his six-cylinder turbocharged Toyotas on Australian tracks for the last decade while Plumpton only shipped his ‘68 Chevrolet Camaro doorslammer – powered by a 15.7-litre nitrous oxide boosted V8 – across the Tasman in recent weeks.

And both have shown the Australian fans that Kiwis can fly with Harvey recent-

ly improving his own benchmark as the quickest Import racer in Australasia while Plumpton lowered the best elapsed time for any nitrous boosted car in Australia first time out at Sydney Dragway.

Harvey debuted a new Toyota Camry with his turbocharged Toyota 2JZ six-cylinder engine almost a year ago.

He raced the car twice in Orlando, Florida at the end of 2018 and returned to Australian competition at the end of March for the Sydney Jamboree. ‘‘At the test and tune before the Jamboree we basically rolled the car straight out of the container from Orlando and ran a 5.818secs personal best,’’ said Harvey. ‘‘I’m really keen to get back to Sydney this weekend because the track prep is killer at the moment,’’ he said.’’ ‘‘If I can put the first half of the 5.82 run together with the back half of the 5.81 test run then we should be really moving.’’

www.guardianonline.co.nz

Friday, May 3, 2019

23

Options abounding

I

t doesn’t matter at all which new Tucson you are driving, whether its the $39,990 entry level model or the top of the range Limited, because they are all sharp lookers!

As well they come with the option of a variety of engines, automatics and array of fittings, driver assist and safety systems to suit differing driver requirements, conditions and needs.

The two front-wheel-drive models have a 2-litre petrol engine producing 121kW and 203Nm of torque. This is mated to a 6-speed auto.

They are priced at $39,990 or $44,990 for the Elite as driven.

The rest of the range come with a smart on-demand H-Trac all-wheel-drive system with differential lock, of which there’s three versions including Elite and Limiteds with both petrol or diesel power.

The petrols come with a 1.6-litre turbo engine producing 136kW and 265Nm of torque and a 7-speed dual-clutch auto.

They’re priced from $47,990 to $59,990.

The 2-litre turbo diesel versions with 136kW and 400Nm have an 8-speed automatic, and cost from $51,990 to $63,990.

Of this comprehensive range I have recently spent time with a 2-litre petrol Elite followed by the range-topping diesel Limited.

It so happened that five of us were travelling from Auckland Airport to north of Whangarei by rental.

This was arranged with Go Rentals (they were great to deal with) who by chance gave us a new 2-litre petrol Elite for the journey.

So how did it work for five adults on tour?

Firstly – while we were theoretically travelling ‘light’ there was still a fair amount of luggage, which fitted nicely into the luggage space (Hyundai says its 488 litres) via the smart tailgate and without needing to be piled above window level.

As well it was reassuring to know that a full size spare wheel was sitting below.

With the others deciding who was to be

Roger Hart ROAD TEST

first to experience sitting in the centre rear seat of the leather appointed cabin, I got set up behind the wheel.

The redesigned instruments and centre consoles as part of Tucson’s facelift include the touchscreen for the infotainment system.

This and everything else present a neat, nicely set out dash, both easy to identify with and use.

Certainly deserving mention is the quality feel of the cabin, with its abundance of soft-touch materials on the dash and door trims.

We in front had plenty of comfort, seat adjustability and space, without encroaching on the leg space of the rear occupants, who also had comfortable space for heads and arms.

Those who took turns at sitting in the middle said it was comfortable enough and that the space taken up by the centre tunnel wasn’t too intrusive.

While the 2-litre petrol Elite comes with heated seats front and rear, it does not get dedicated sat-nav (there’s Apple CarPlay and Android Auto) or smart cruise control.

Both of the latter which would have been appreciated for our trip.

In that respect the all-wheel-drive Elite and Limited models, as well as having smart cruise control also have additional driver assist/safety systems and other features.

So how did the 2-litre four cylinder petrol engines 121kW of power and 203Nm of torque stack up?

And was the load of five people and their gear noticeable or a challenge?

Well, noticeable really only when quick overtaking was desired, especially on the likes of up-hill passing lanes and general hill work, where the six-speed auto was quick to change down and the engine, which was nicely quiet at cruise, keen then to rather noisily deliver.

Circumstances where the 400Nm torque (from 1750 to 2750rpm) of the 2.0-litre turbo-diesel and its 8-speed auto that swaps gears early and often to keep the engine in its maximum torque band, would have been ideal.

Through having to brim-fill the tank for the return to GO Rentals an accurate fuel use calculation was possible, which was just under Hyundai’s stated figure of 7.9L/100km – very impressive given the load carried and roads driven.

Like most of the Hyundai range, the Tucson has been tuned for Anzac driving conditions.

The result, even loaded up as we were, the ride comfort was excellent with Northland’s bumps, potholes and road imperfections hardly ever noticed.

Well, except for the frequently driven, steep, deeply-rutted shingle access road to where we were staying, which would have also suited the H-Trac all-wheel-drive system very well.

Handling-wise, I liked the well-weighted steering, and the Tucson showed itself to be suitably nimble through even tighter corners, with the expected, given the comfortable ride amounts of body lean.

All models have standard safety equipment including six airbags (dual front, side and curtain), electronic brake-force distribution, brake assist, and the usual electronic stability and traction control systems and 5-Star ANCAP ratings.

But as mentioned, autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian detection, lane-keep assist, adaptive cruise control with stop and go functionality, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, highbeam assist, and driver attention warning are currently reserved for the upper range models.

HYUNDAI TUCSON ■■ Hyundai Tucson 2WD petrol Elite and AWD diesel Limited ■■ Pricing - 2litre Elite $44,990. Limited diesel $63,990. Other Tuscon from $39,990. All + ORCs. ■■ Engine: 2.0-litre petrol 121kW @ 6200rpm and 203Nm @ 4700rpm.

2.0 litre turbo-diesel, 136kW @ 4000rpm and 400Nm from 1750 to 2750rpm ■■ Transmission: 6-speed auto/frontwheel-drive/diesel - 8-speed auto, on-demand all-wheel-drive.

■■ Quoted Economy: 7.9L/100km and diesel - 6.4L/100km ■■ Safety: 5 star NCAP, driver assist and safety systems.

■■ Length: 4480mm.

■■ Turning Circle: 10.6 metres ■■ Tows: petrols 1600kg, diesels 1900kg - braked.

■■ Warranty: 3-year/100,000km (also for roadside assistance).

FINALE Starting with their looks, decent interior space and smooth ride, then the option of a variety of engines/ transmissions and array of fittings, driver assist and safety systems, the Tucson models spans a rather wide range so to suit differing driver requirements and conditions.

Hyundai Tucson.

24 2

Farming Motoring

Friday, May 3, 2019

N

ot only will the Tesla Roadster be one of the fastest electric vehicles on the planet when it releases, but it could also have the longest range.

We haven’t heard a lot about the insanely-fast Roadster since it was revealed around 18 months ago, but Tesla CEO Elon Musk broke that silence just last week – revealing the Roadster’s range.

When a Twitter user asked if the Roadster’s range is “still going to be 998 km” Elon responded by saying that it is now going to be over that estimate.

The CEO put the answer in reasonably plain terms – “Range will be above 1000km”.

An extremely impressive range combined with incredible performance will make the EV an automotive wonder.

When the car was first unveiled, it could shoot from 0-96km/h in just 1.9 seconds, and carry on to a whopping 162km/h in just 4.2 seconds.

It can manage a standing quarter mile in 8.8 seconds, and the top speed exceeds 402km/h.

With stats like this, hypercar manufacturers like Koenigsegg and Bugatti will have to watch their backs.

Performance, range, and economy like this won’t come cheap, but considering the prices of similar performing hypercars – the Roadster is a bargain.

Starting at US$200,000 (NZ$299,000) the base model should feature everything that you’d need, but if you want to go one step above that, the Founder Series will be limited to 1000 units and cost about NZ$75,000 more.

www.guardianonline.co.nz

HYPERCARS ON ALERT Top speed: 402km/h. Range: 1000km.

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235,000kms, 3.0L Turbo Diesel, Towbar, Cruise Control, Rear Parking Sensors, Reversing Camera, Diff Lock, Keyless Entry & Start, Hill Decent System, 7 Seater

122,750km, 4WD, auto, 2.4 petrol, towbar, cruise control, traction control, stability control, CD stacker, Bluetooth, roof rails, 17” alloys, NZ new

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2018 TOYOTA HILUX SR5 AUTO 10,650kms, 2.8L turbo diesel, hard lid, deck liner, towbar, Bonnet protector, cruise control, sat nav, 17” alloys balance of 3 yr/100,000km warranty

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2017 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER LIMITED 41,500km, 3.5L V6 petrol, AWD, 7 seater, sunroof, side steps,leather seating, powered rear door, rear entertainment system,towbar, 20” alloys, radar cruise control, pre-crash safely system

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1993 TOYOTA HIACE SUPER CUSTOM 2.4D

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2009 TOYOTA VITZ 1.3P 61,925kms, CVT Auto, Reversing Camera, 14” Alloys, Keyless Entry, Keyless Start, Heated Drivers Seat, 1 Year Warranty, 1 Years AA Roadside Assist

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2015 TOYOTA YARIS ZR 27,365kms, 1.5L petrol, auto, reversing camera, bluetooth, cruise control, 18” TRD alloy wheels, leather steering wheel, sport style front seats

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OPEN MON-FRI 8AM-5PM SAT 9AM-1PM OR BY APPOINTMENT PHONE 0800 286 9682 | Cnr East St & Walnut Ave, Ashburton

WAS $17,995

$16,995

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T

25

Friday, May 3, 2019

his V8-swapped 1987 Holden Barina may not actually be a Holden.

Technically it isn’t a Pontiac either – but there is no question that it is absolutely insane.

Starting off life as a Suzuki, the Cultus had quite a few different rebadging options depending on where it went in the world.

We got the Holden Barina, Japan got the Izuzu Geminett II, and the US got the Pontiac Firefly.

It can be argued that there is almost nothing Suzuki left on this particular example, with a transplanted Chevrolet heart, and a Pontiac driveline, this car is as just about American as they come.

Recently listed on auction site Bring a Trailer, the current owner reveals that this little Pontiac has had its fair share of ups and downs in its life.

The secondary school engineering teacher-owner talks about how he “Frankensteined” this car back from the dead, and turned it into a vehicle that has absolutely no problem at all tackling the hills that surround his house.

Once a tame, mild-mannered little three-cylinder car, the Firefly has undergone a full overhaul where the owner has swapped both the engine and the whole driveline.

Now, a Chevy 350 cubic-inch engine is mated to a TH350 automatic transmission which sends power to the rear wheels through a rear axle sourced from a Firebird.

As the old saying goes; “with great power, comes great responsibility”, a roll cage has been installed in the car as well as a battery shut off switch.

Sports seats now take pride of place in the cabin, and are one of the only luxuries offered.

No radio, no ventilation system.

Complete with 264,000 kilometres on the body, this isn’t your usual immaculate barn find, but it makes up for the bumps and bruises with personality and brute force.

But because personality doesn’t always mean value, the car has been listed without a reserve, and bidding is currently at $US3500.

INSANITY

on four wheels

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