Weekend drive

THE CAR

Have we stalled? I feel the rise of colour in my cheeks. I am in a very white, very swanky SUV — this is high- vis humiliation potential. We stop at the traffic lights, idle, and the car just turns off. Fortunately the panic passes and the minute I release the brake pedal — we’re off again. This is smart fuel- saving technology not just standard in hybrids. Ford’s SUV is lovely to behold and also saves on fuel. My only gripe is that in reverse, it sounds as though R2- D2 is trapped inside and having a meltdown. The beeping is distracting rather than helpful. “It’s like being on a plane”, says a small voice from the back. “There are foldaway trays!” Please stow away your tray table, make sure your seat backs are upright and secure all belongings. We are about to take off. I sync the phone, queue up Spotify and get ready to rock our ride. I count nine speakers.

THE DRIVE

We really feel like an adventure beyond the city. A walk on a long beach followed by food. So we head for Pakiri Beach, to be followed by pizza at the Leigh Sawmill. Travelling on the northern motorway is a reliably dreadful experience pretty much any time. But clad in this stylish beast, with the warm rays pouring in the sunroof, we feel buffered from the stop- start aggravation and congestion. The road to Pakiri Beach is closed for slips, so we head back to Ti Point and take an epic walk through the bush. The next day we head to Parakai. The roads are better — quieter — and this is such a nice ride. And after two fairly epic road trips, one taking three hours return and the other two, we’d used just over a half a tank of diesel. Phenomenal. Visit: fordhq. co. nz