Announcements
11th June, 2010 Mazda BT-50 Ute is the winner!
In a comparative review between the Mazda BT-50 Double Cab SDX 4WD and competitors Ford Ranger, Holden Colorado, Mitsubishi Triton, Nissan Navara and Toyota Hilux which featured in both Company Vehicle and NZ 4WD Magazine the Mazda BT-50 was 1st on the on-road test , 2nd equal on the off-road test and first overall by the test team. CHECK OUT THE FULL ARTICLE ON OUR SPECIALS PAGE
15 April 2010
Palmfeild Motors Mazda
Awarded North Island Provincial Mazda Dealer
Thank you to all our loyal clients
15 April 2010
PALMFEILD MOTORS MAZDA
WINS EXCELLENCE IN SERVICE AWARD
Service Department
Congratulations to John White & his team in the Service Department
14 April 2010
Subaru STI adds winged sedan
Subaru’s performance icon, the Impreza WRX STI, will add the choice of a sedan body with a large rear wing for the 2011 Model Year.
The car has been revealed at the New York International Auto Show and will arrive in New Zealand late this year.
Until now, current generation Impreza WRX STI has been available only as a hatch. The hatch STI will continue in the model range for 2011.
“We can confirm a four-door Impreza WRX STI will join our model line-up later in the year,” said Graeme Woodlands, the Managing Director of Subaru of New Zealand.
He said further specification and pricing will be announced at launch time.
Subaru’s latest developments follow recent news that the wide body sedan and hatch versions of the Impreza WRX are also being launched later this year.
The symmetrical All Wheel Drive Impreza WRX STI featuring a 221 kilowatt turbocharged Boxer engine will also have revised suspension, spring and damper rates with a 5 mm lower vehicle ride height.
Mudguard flares emphasise the wider body design and there are new bumpers, grille and rear diffuser.
The wide body design further distinguishes Subaru’s turbocharged Impreza variants from the normally aspirated models.
17 FEBRUARY 2010
Outback’s SuV of the year award
The Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) has named the new generation Subaru Outback as Canada's best new utility vehicle.
The announcement was made at the Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto.
After winning the title of Canada's best new Sports Utility Vehicle/ Crossover Utility Vehicle in the under $ Canadian 35,000 category, Outback went on to compete against the Volkswagen Touareg TDI and the Lexus R450h for the title of best overall new utility vehicle in Canada.
"Subaru had an outstanding year in 2009, in spite of the challenges of the global economy and the hardships experienced by some other manufacturers," said Katsuhiro Yokoyama, president and CEO of Subaru Canada, Inc.
"This award from the members of AJAC is a wonderful tribute, and an excellent indication of why in the past year Subaru sold a record number of vehicles, achieved its highest market share ever, and won important accolades for safety, product quality, performance, innovation, and residual value from some of the world's most respected critics and consumer watchdog organizations. We definitely look forward to more of the same in 2010."
AJAC's rigorous testing program includes real-world driving on public roads - exactly where consumers drive - so the test data and vote results are highly relevant to potential buyers. The journalists evaluate every detail, from safety features to cargo capacity, to select the best new vehicles in various categories, and then rate them by secret ballot.
In addition to being AJAC's best new CUV/SUV of the year, Outback has been recognized by some of the industry's toughest critics:
auto123.com named the 2010 Outback its Best New Wagon of the year. Le Guide de l’ auto named Outback the year's best utility. Motor Trend named the 2010 Outback its Sport Utility of the Year.
The U.S. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety gave its coveted Top Safety Pick designation to the 2010 Outback, Legacy, Impreza, Forester, and Tribeca, making Subaru the only manufacturer with Top Safety Picks for all models.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration gave every Subaru model five stars for occupant protection.
In Europe the 2010 Outback Diesel has received a five star occupant safety rating for all models.
Closer to home the new Outback has a 5-star occupant safety rating for all petrol models from the Australian crash testing programme. And in New Zealand the Outback was named joint car of the year alongside the Subaru Legacy by Driver magazine.
JANUARY 2010
CONGRATULATIONS TO GRAEME BONESS WHO WAS THE WINNER OF OUR DECEMBER BT-50 COMPETITION - HE WON A FANTASTIC DESIGNER OUTDOOR BAR LEANER & STOOLS
20 January, 2010.
Outback – best wagon in USA
The new generation Subaru Outback has received a Platinum Award from American website www.cars.com, which named it the Best New Wagon of 2010.
The Subaru Forester was also named Best Car for Small Families.
The Cars.com Platinum Awards recognize the best vehicles of the model year. Based on that list, reviewers picked the six cars that are most representative of the best work by automakers for the 2010 model year.
To choose the Best of 2010, Cars.com expert reviewers drove and tested all of the newly introduced and redesigned models for 2010.
From that pool of about 70 cars, they chose their favourites based on features, driving quality, mileage and overall value.
"We are proud to have won the Cars.com Platinum Award for the 2010 Outback for Best New Wagon and Lifestyle Award for the 2010 Forester for Best Car for Small Families,” said Thomas J. Doll, EVP and COO, Subaru of America, Inc.
"Our engineers worked hard on these vehicles during the redesign process and I think it has paid off for us in terms of record-breaking sales and recognition."
"Our Platinum Awards represent the best work by automakers for the 2010 model year. These vehicles excel on all levels," said Patrick Olsen, editor in chief atCars.com.
"The 2010 Subaru Outback and Forester really stood out as top choices for Best New Wagon and Best Car for Small Families."
4 December 2009
We are very pleased to advise that the new generation All Wheel Drive Subaru Legacy has won the 2010 Medium/Large Car of the Year category at the awards last night at an awards ceremony in Auckland.
Quotes from NZ Autocar Magazine include:
"When it comes to New Zealand roads, no car handles as well as the Legacy." - Shaun Summerfield, NZ Autocar
"Bigger, safer, more economical, still great to drive. The Legacy was everyone's choice for Medium/Large Car of the Year." - NZ Autocar Car of the Year Feature
"It's spacious, quick enough, and easy on gas. The CVT rocks, the dynamics rule and it rides well too." - NZ Autocar October 2009, Roadtest
"Frugality has been added to the usual Legacy virtues of high levels of safety, reliability and driver enjoyment." - NZ Autocar September 2009, Just Landed
This is the third time that Legacy has won this prestigious award - with the third generation Legacy winning in 2000, the fourth generation winning in 2004 and now the fifth generation winning for 2010.
2 December 2009
Subaru – top safety pick Every Subaru in the North American range has been rated a “Top Safety Pick” By the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The IIHS is a respected consumer watchdog organisation that independently assesses current vehicles for effective occupant protection. It gave the coveted Top Safety Pick rating to the new generation Legacy and Outback and the current, Forester, Impreza and Tribeca models, all of which are sold in New Zealand. It makes Subaru the only company with an IIHS winner in all four vehicle classes in which it competes in. And the IIHS made it considerably more difficult this year, introducing a new roll over test for the first time. Last year it awarded 94 different models top safety pick status. This year the accolade was only handed out to 27 models. Top Safety Pick recognises vehicles that do the best job of protecting people in front, side, rear, and now rollover crashes based on good ratings in Institute tests. Winners must have electronic stability control, which research shows significantly reduces crash risk. "With the addition of our new roof strength evaluation, our crash test results now cover all four of the most common kinds of crashes," says Institute President Adrian Lund. "Consumers can use this list to zero in on the vehicles that are on the top rung for safety." In all Subaru models, the foundation for outstanding occupant protection is the advanced ring-shaped reinforcement frame body structure that disperses collision energy around and away from occupants. This design forms a series of rings around the passenger compartment, providing protection in a variety of collision types. High-tension steel side-impact door beams and impact-absorbing foam materials enhance side-impact safety performance. Standard passive safety technology includes the Subaru advanced frontal air bag system (SRS), driver and front passenger seat-mounted side-impact air bags, and standard side curtain air bags. Meanwhile, the IIHS has named new Legacy as one of only two cars tested that received a rating of "acceptable" in recent tests to assess how well bumpers resist expensive damage in minor collisions. The IIHS evaluated 17 midsize cars and rated 15 of them as marginal or poor for bumper protection. According to IIHS findings, a design improvement to the Legacy bumper makes the cost of repairing minor bumper damage less than half of that expected with the previous model. The 2010 Legacy's front reinforcement bar is a little taller, more than 15 cm wider and more than 3.8cm higher off the ground. This kept the Legacy's bumper engaged with the barrier during the test, preventing it from sliding underneath. In addition, the bumper bar extends to the corners to help protect headlights and fenders. "The Legacy's performance shows what automakers can do when they pay attention to damage prevention in the low-speed crashes that happen every day," said Institute Senior Vice President Joe Nolan. "The Legacy leapfrogs the competition for bumper protection. These common sense bumper changes will help keep repair costs down in low-speed crashes." Legacy is only the fifth car ever to earn an acceptable rating for its bumpers from the IIHS. Legacy is also the first car the Institute has tested that limits damage to the bumper system in all four tests, and the first car with all four damage estimates under $1,000 USD. The Institute rates bumpers good, acceptable, marginal, or poor based on performance in four tests-front and rear full-width impacts at approximately 10 km/h, and front and rear corner impacts at approximately 5 km/h. Each vehicle is run into a steel barrier that mimics the design of a car bumper, with the barrier's plastic absorber and flexible cover simulating typical cars' energy absorbers and plastic bumper covers. These tests are designed to drive bumper improvements that lead to better damage resistance in real-world crashes. For more information about IIHS safety testing, and test results for the full line of Subaru vehicles, visit the IIHS website atwww.iihs.org. Outback – SUV of the year 21 October 2009 Subaru’s new generation Outback has been named Sport Utility of the Year by influential United States automotive magazine, MOTOR TREND. The title makes Subaru the first brand to win consecutive Sport Utility titles, following last year’s success with Forester. MOTOR TREND editor-in-chief, Angus MacKenzie, said “The 2010 Subaru Outback offers a unique combination of comfort, efficiency, versatility and value. It boasts car-like refinement, drivability and gas mileage on the road, yet is as capable in the rough stuff as all but the most off-road focused sport utilities. Thoughtfully engineered, cleverly detailed and competitively priced, the Subaru Outback is a terrific all-rounder with broad appeal.” Thomas J. Doll, executive vice president and chief operating officer, Subaru of America Inc. said: “We are doubly proud and honored to receive the MOTOR TREND 2010 Sport/Utility of the Year award for the second consecutive year. “To win the 2009 award for the Forester was wonderful enough, but to have won for the 2010 Outback this year is truly an outstanding achievement. The Subaru Outback is an icon of performance and capability and was the original SUV alternative. Now with its improved power, economy and increased dimensions it is the complete package.” Living up to Subaru’s legendary safety record, the Outback offers cutting-edge safety technology, including Subaru’s ring reinforcement safety system, front, seat-mounted side, and side-curtain airbags and ABS. Subaru Vehicle Dynamics Control (VDC) system, which incorporates stability and traction control systems with a roll-over sensor, is also standard equipment. The Subaru Outback was recently named a Top Safety Pick by the U.S. Insurance Institute of Highway Safety (IIHS). To judge contenders for the award, MOTOR TREND’s editorial staff conducted an exhaustive three-phase testing process. Phase one of the process includes a full tech check and weigh-in, then full track testing to establish baseline data for acceleration, braking, and handling. Phase two involves three days of road loops offering a range of road surfaces and traffic conditions to evaluate ride and handling, engine and transmission smoothness and responsiveness, wind and road noise, and ergonomics. A dirt-track section tests traction, stability, and braking control systems. In phase three the judges debate and deliberate. This year, the editors updated and expanded the judging criteria to six new categories: Design Advancement, Engineering Excellence, Intended Function, Efficiency, Safety and Value. MOTOR TREND’s Sport/Utility of the Year is not a comparison test and is only open to all-new or substantially upgraded vehicles that have gone on sale in the 12 months from November 1 of the previous year.
Speaking of Subaru of America’s sales success in 2009, Doll noted: “The success of our business is founded not only on our outstanding products, but also on the commitment and dedication of our retail sales network and great sales and marketing programs. We are absolutely thrilled that MOTOR TREND has added their validation to the Subaru brand.”
