Five Things: cars we don't get here, but wish we did
Monday, 20 July 2020
Being a tiny country right at the bottom of the planet can have its advantages, one of the disadvantages is the fact that we miss out on some brilliant cars.
Today we take a look at five cars we don’t get here – but would dearly love to – whether it be because they are only made in left-hand drive or just a general lack of interest from buyers…
Ford Bronco
The just-revealed Ford Bronco is everything we would want in a retro-inspired off-roader (sorry Jeep… the Wrangler is cool, but just look at that Bronco!), but it will have to remain a dream…
**READ MORE:
* Can Ford's Bronco take on Jeep's Wrangler?
* Five Japanese Kei cars we need here
* World Car of the Year finalists announced
**
Ford is sticking with the “it’s only being made in left-hand drive” line, counting out New Zealand and Australia, which is a slap in the face considering the Bronco sits on a shortened version of the Ford Ranger’s platform. You know, the one that was developed by Ford Australia?
We’ll just add that to the list of Fords they won’t let us have that also includes the Ranger powered by the brilliant 2.3-litre EcoBoost turbo petrol engine and the…
Ford Mustang Shelby GT350
Thanks again, Ford – despite the fact that the Mustang was engineered for right-hand drive and is sold here, Ford has made no secret of its lack of interest in throwing us a right-hook version of the magnificent Shelby GT350.
Okay, so it’s largely a track-day special with little regard for on-road niceties, but that screaming 5.2-litre “Voodoo” flat-plane V8 is raved about by anyone who has driven it and sounds utterly majestic…
We also miss out on the supercharged Shelby GT500, but the breathtaking noise the GT350 produces makes that a harder pill to swallow.
Of course, both would be monstrously expensive to do a small RHD run of, but still…
Genesis G80
With Hyundai New Zealand’s uncertainty of what exactly to do with Genesis here, the gorgeous G80 looks like a distant dream for us at this stage.
While saw the previous G80 here as the Hyundai Genesis, but the new model transforms that attractive, but conservative car into a stunningly avant-garde luxury car that packs styling cues from its larger siblings, the G90 and GV80 SUV.
The last car was a superb luxury car constrained by its conservative, old-fashioned looks. The new one certainly doesn’t suffer from that constraint and, by all accounts, is an even more superb luxury car.
Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro
While the fact it is closely related to the Hilux means we will probably never see the Tacoma here, we can at least hope some of that American brashness that the Tacoma packs can rub off onto its local cousin.
Specifically, we are talking about the Ford Ranger Raptor-baiting properties of the Tacoma TRD Pro, with its Fox Racing internal-bypass shocks, rorty exhaust and beefy V6 engine.
Okay, sure, even the standard Tacoma packs a pathetic-by-our-standards 500-odd kg payload and can only tow 2,700kg, but much like the Ranger Raptor, the TRD Pro would get a pass in that regard simply because it is a massive toy.
Suzuki Alto Works
Okay, so the Alto Works might not be the most powerful thing around, but while it only develops 47kW, it does it just below its 7,000rpm redline, making it an angry little 660cc Kei-car screamer. The sort that punters just aren’t interested in buying here…
Being in the tiny Japanese Kei class means that Alto Works is fantastically light as well, so that tiny power output from the three-cylinder turbo engine is more than enough for serious fun to be had.
Suzuki was actually quite serious about the Works Alto, giving it a revised chassis, tweaked suspension with KYB shocks, improved throttle response, sharper steering and a short-throw five-speed manual.