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Hi John,

For the moment, it seems it’s status quo ante at Mercedes for 191. The nine per cent discount on prices, which as you point out was introduced some time ago, basically carries over to the new price lists. Those lists were slightly late in being published, owing to delays in getting cars through the new WLTP-based fuel economy and emissions tests, but they are available now, so dealers should at least be a little more clued up. There are no specific 191 offers available as yet, but we’ll keep an eye out for any that show up.

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Hi Gerard,

Theoretically yes, but the trade-in bonuses are not that straightforward. They’re not a blanket ‘we’ll give you an extra €4,000 on top of what your car is actually worth.’ Rather, they’re usually intended as a sweetener to get owners of older cars, who might not usually be shopping for a new model or with a main dealer, in through the door with the chance for a half-decent trade-in. I’d check the fine print of any deal on offer, and have a good chat with the dealer in question, before committing to anything. If you’re in negative equity with your car loan, I’d also sit down for a chat with either your own accountant (if you have one) or with a financial adviser at your bank before proceeding.

They may have some helpful advice.

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Hi John,

It’s not to do with wheel sizes, but engines and trim grades. The A 250 always comes with multilink rear suspension, while the A 180 d always gets a torsion beam. It’s the A 200 in the middle that has the variance – the Sport models have a torsion beam, the AMG Line cars gain the multilink set-up. We don’t know exactly what the A 180 petrol will do as yet, but we’d guess it will follow the A 200’s pattern, rather than the A 180 d’s formula.

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Hi Pádraig,

It kind of depends on what car you’re driving, and how well serviced and maintained it is. The general rule of thumb is that steady, constant speed is the best for economy, but the slower the better. If you want the ultimate in economy set the cruise control for 80-90km/h but be prepared to live on the inside lane with the trucks if you’re doing that. That said, most cars run pretty efficiently at 110-120km/h, so as long as you accelerate gently, and don’t keep braking hard then speeding up, you should do fine. 

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Hi Silvester,

We have got so many questions from readers about non-functioning stop-start systems (from all makes and models) that we put together this guide to help you get to the bottom of it:

Why won't my car's stop-start system work?

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Hi John,

In theory, yes, that's right; timing chains are supposed to last the life of the engine in all cars. They don't always, of course, due to design faults or poor maintenance for the most part, but the assumption is that they will.

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Hi Stephen,

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Hi Anthony,

You should be fine, actually. Your 3 Series should (emphasis on SHOULD) be worth around €22-25,000 as a trade-in, and a 171 4 Series Gran Coupe starts at around €30,000-ish, so adding €10k of change-up budget should put you in the right ballpark. Ditto the A5 Sportback, although you will find examples of both on a 171 starting with a €4 rather than a €3… Shopping around a bit should do the trick, though. Both cars are excellent choices, and go for the Audi if you want maximum reliability.  

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Hi Philip,

There will be some such cars around, but probably not that many. Dealers and car makers we’ve spoken to about this say that they were carefully managing stock levels in the run-up to the WLTP introduction, so there’s not a lot of un-sold stock in the system. Worth having a look around for, as there are one or two bargains to be had, but they’re not hugely prevalent.

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Hi Rory,

Generally speaking, the places that offer to buy your car for cash will be offering a very much lower value than you might achieve selling the car yourself, or trading in with a dealer. That said, it is a route to a quick sale if you’re struggling to get shot of the car, but make sure that the firm you use is reputable.