How to have it all
Hi, and welcome to the first issue of NZSUV magazine. With it we want to celebrate all things recreational, adventurous and versatile about the popular SUV in New Zealand.
Humans have a tendency to want it all. It’s always been this way. If we could we’d have a super oven that did the dishes, put the kids to bed, streamed Game of Thrones, made a cuppa and folded the washing while earning enough to pay off the mortgage.
So when something comes along that does do it all, we should take note – because your average car can’t take you comfortably to work in the morning and then get you up to the ski slopes in a blizzard or launch a two-tonne boat into the surf in the afternoon.
But an SUV can, especially one with the added advantage of four-wheel drive capability.
You’ll see from our road tests that these are the vehicles that fulfil pretty much all the needs of the modern motorist. They’re selling in big numbers and have been for quite a while, so we thought it was about time we started comprehensively testing and comparing them in one place.
The teams that bring you Company Vehicle and NZ4WD magazines got together with me, a past editor of the latter title, to kick things off. I’ve been reviewing SUVS since 2005 and I can tell you that the current vehicles represent some exceptional motoring and are a great way to get out and explore this wonderful country of ours. We’ve tried to do a bit of that while scrutinising a few of the latest offerings, clocking up hundreds of road miles and taking in many and varied off-road environments along the way.
Because in an SUV you’re not restricted to the suburban streets, the motorway or the supermarket car park.
With the exception of the high end, executive SUVS, we’ve covered the spectrum of the SUV market in our tests, from the compacts to the large – it’s our firm belief that there is an SUV out there to suit everyone’s needs. Each of them has its strengths and weaknesses, and I hope this magazine helps you decide which vehicle might work best for you and your friends and family.