Matt’s top 10 cars of 2020
What new vehicle in 2020 joined Matt’s other cars in the barn? Photos: Liz Dobson
As we start 2021, we’re reflecting on the best vehicles that arrived at Parihoa for AutoMuse to test drive.
AutoMuse co-founder, Matt Chapman, says: “In my voting system, all achieved close or at the 9/10 score that makes me seriously think about wanting to have them at Parihoa. One did end up in the garage!”
10 Audi RS Q3
I admired the tightly sculptured package of the Audi RS Q3 when it arrived at the farm. It was during a time when I had a succession of RS Audis to drive.
I remarked at the time, how similar the RS cars all felt, and perhaps at times, whether they were exciting or relevant enough. However the more of them I drove, the more I admired the “Audi RS feel” in terms of the refinement and unflappable poise on good roads.
I didn’t find them particularly comfortable on the 2km of dirt road down to Parihoa, so I described them as more city cars versus what I would need in my ordinary day life. The Audi RS Q3 we got was in bright green; an unusual colour that quickly grew on Liz and me and looked very much like a junior Lamborghini Urus.
9 BMW 8 convertible
The 8 Convertible was a surprise packet and one I wasn’t expecting to be so enamoured with. It turned out to be the consummate grand tourer in so many ways. It was comfortable, very fast and had a beautiful sounding engine, especially in sports mode.
I can find BMW styling a little benign sometimes but the blue exterior colour matched with the orange trim, of the test example, made it look more striking. I felt the 8 convertible compared favourably with the Bentley Continental GT Convertible, at more than $200,000 cheaper.
8 Audi E-tron
I missed Liz bringing out the Audi e-tron 55 so I made do with the lesser specced 50 e-tron. I really liked it. You can’t beat Audi refinement and I felt the 50 had sufficient power. It looked good in white. It felt futuristic and I liked the normality of it versus other electric cars trying to make too much of a statement.
It went to 100km/h in a perfectly respectable 7.0 seconds. Admittedly it did feel heavy on the road, but I liked this solid feel. My only nervousness would be whether the 50 (and indeed the 55), with their 300km (under normal driving) ranges may end up being superseded quickly by models with far longer ranges.
7 Mazda MX-5
I always have a sweet spot for Mazda MX-5s, having owned two throughout my driving history. I had a 2002 one in Melbourne and a 2008 example in Singapore.
We had the centennial version (above) that I absolutely loved, and I took it for a Sunday afternoon drive around Muriwai. There is something intimate and cosseting about an MX-5. It feels simple and all that’s needed in life.
I love the cute front lights and even the rear round lights didn’t put me off. The six-speed manual box is as much of a joy as I always remembered in my previous MX-5s. #nostalgia
6 Toyota Hilux
OK don’t laugh at one of my top 10 cars of the year; the all-new Toyota Hilux. Liz was astonished at my reaction but I think the 2.8-litre diesel Hilux just released, and with its $58,990 price ticket, is the ultimate good value farm vehicle.
The previous owners of Parihoa had a Hilux and I always enjoyed driving that when I first brought the farm in 2013. However, I’ve always felt Hiluxs are expensive and does a $70,000 plus farm vehicle make sense?
I liked the sound of the diesel in this new one and it is well specced with most of the tricks that are needed. I may usher one of these into Parihoa for farm duties in the future. I’ve always missed my 2013 VW Amarok I once had and this would be a suitable spiritual replacement.
5 Rolls-Royce Phantom
Rolls-Royces have graced Parihoa en masse in the past, especially when we hosted the Cullinan launch in 2019. That week I remember not just two Cullinans that had been air freighted in for the event, but six other models from Rolls-Royce, including the Phantom. I also nervously remember the farm team being left with eight Rolls-Royce key fobs for three nights as all the vehicles sat, securely, out under the stars.
The facelifted Phantom graced Parihoa for five days so Liz and I had a good chance to test it thoroughly. At $943,000, it was the most expensive vehicle I’d been in, and money no object, I’m happy to say I’d own one.
There was a rare quality of it just being “absolutely the ultimate''. I described it as the sort of car I’d want to just lie back into the plush back seats, turn up the stereo and watch a good movie in the back, whilst being chauffeured to something of importance. The majestic ride quality has to be experienced to be believed.
4 Bentley Continental GT convertible
As a lucky owner of a 2019 GT coupe (above right), I’m well accustomed to the delights of the Bentley. I was naturally impatient to get my hands on the GT Continental convertible and wasn’t disappointed. The First Edition example we got was one of AutoMuse’s first cars ever to be tested and had a list price of $550,000.
As a lover of convertibles it immediately placed me in a conundrum of whether I should keep my coupe or switch into a convertible. The impending arrival of Covid put a stop to that, due to the then-unknown about the impact of the pandemic.
The ride and sound quality of the convertible GT is exceptional and it's the perfect amalgamation of senses to remind you this is probably the world’s top convertible.
3 Bentley Flying Spur
The Flying Spur marks the second Bentley to appear in the top 10. I was blown away by how impressive this car was. It felt like an elongated version of the GT Continental Coupe, which was an incredible achievement as here it was as a long-wheelbase four-door sedan that actually felt sporty.
Really no one does an interior better than Bentley and I could barely fault the Flying Spur. Its W12 engine is effortless and it very much felt like the ultimate car to not only be driven in but to drive. This is a car I one day aspire to own and I felt a big attachment to this one, so much so I didn’t want to give it back.
2 Porsche Taycan Turbo
I missed the Porsche Taycan Turbo (above) coming to Parihoa the first time and Liz had mentioned she was so impressed with it. In early November 2020 I got my hands on a Turbo, and boy was I impressed. It was a car that grew on me that I sent it back quickly in case I put an order in!
The way the Taycan blends the dual personality of a 911 and a Panamera with a dash of electric, is a real feat. The fact that Porsche has got this car to the market in 2020 is also way ahead of its time.
And I guess that’s why you would buy it, as you know you are driving something that is perhaps five years ahead of its time. I loved the understated nature of the car. The Taycan Turbo is wickedly fast but also effortlessly serene. An amazing combination.
1 Land Rover Defender … Matt’s winner!
I’d been following the Land Rover Defender from scoop pictures to launch to its arrival in New Zealand. A nasty migraine saw me miss the official launch. Not to worry, the Defender soon graced us with its presence at the farm. It stayed longer than we expected as its arrival coincided with the second lockdown kicking off. That was long enough for me to play around with it on the farm and decide I wanted one.
In mid-September, I traded my Range Rover Vogue SE Supercharged and welcomed in a P400SE Defender in Santorini Black (above). I matt wrapped it in black and haven’t looked back.
It's an incredible vehicle, loved by all, and has proved to be extremely easy to live with and works incredibly well on the farm, thanks to its four-wheel-drive system.
I miss my Range Rover as the Defender isn’t a luxury car. But that’s part of the Defender psychology – do you need to be cosseted or is it time to feel real? An unbelievable vehicle and an icon of the 2020’s I expect.
