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Hi Martin,

There are certainly no concrete plans that we’ve heard of. There was some discussion of the subject, back in 2014 when the UK did away with paper tax discs, that Ireland might move to a similar system, and the abolition of being able to carry over unused vehicle tax from one owner to another is kind of the first step on that road. Dublin City Council this year suggested that we should start moving towards paperless tax but plans haven’t gone any farther than that for now.

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Hi Philip,

Volkswagen and its associated brands are currently working their way through the lists of cars to be recalled and modified to enable them to reach the required standards for emissions at all times, and not just on the official test, as was revealed by the ‘Dieselgate’ scandal. The original plan was to have all cars recalled and modified by the end of this year, but that schedule has slipped significantly.

If your car is one of those due for work, you will get a letter in the post in due course advising you to book an appointment at your nearest Skoda dealer.

As for compensation? Unlike American Volkswagen owners, European owners as yet are not being offered any, primarily because the laws are rather different on this side of the Atlantic, but owners (via the courts), national governments and the EU are all pressing Volkswagen on the issue of compensation payments so there may yet be something in the offing.

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Hi there, 

Assuming that’s the 2.4-litre petrol engined version of the Honda RE4 (better known to us as the third-generation CR-V), you’re looking at around 32mpg overall. We can’t give you more accurate data than that as the model was never homologated for European sales, so that number is extrapolated from the figure given for Australian market cars.

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Hi Clare,

Well, if I gave the impression that I wasn’t too impressed, then that’s not quite right as we haven’t yet driven a new Citroen model equipped with the new Advanced Comfort suspension system. It won’t go into production until next year (2017). We have just driven the new Citroen C3, which has a very impressive ride quality on standard springs and dampers, so the omens for the new system are good.

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Hi Fergal,

In a purely objective sense? No, there’s nothing. Will you get an interior that looks and feels a bit classier? Yes. Will you get a badge that has a bit more appeal? Yes. Do these things really matter? Not to everyone. If you’ve got a Mondeo then you already have a well-made, comfortable car that’s good to drive. So upgrading to an Audi or BMW will get you… a shinier badge. If you want something that feels as good as the premium stuff but costs less, have a look at a Volkswagen Passat or Mazda6 as a potential replacement. The only area in which the German cars are quantifiably better is in resale value.

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Hi Anthony,

It depends on the year of your current A6, but while there's not a huge jump in emissions by going for the V6 TDI, there is a big jump in price so it's certainly not going to be cheap. Others well worth considering are the incoming new BMW 5 Series with the 530d engine (or consider arguing yourself a good deal on a runout current shape model), the excellent new-shape Mercedes-Benz E 350 d or the Jaguar XF 3.0 V6 D. Test drives below to tease you further...

Audi A6 3.0 TDI review

2017 BMW 5 Series review

Mercedes-Benz E 350 d review

Jaguar XF S review

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Hi Michael,

I’d suggest that a Passat GTE or 330e would be about perfect with that kind of mileage and usage. It will help, of course, if you have a driveway where you can fit a charging point, but once the batteries have drained and you’re running on normal hybrid power, both of those cars will average better than 40mpg. Here are our reviews:

BMW 330e review

Volkswagen Passat GTE review

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Hi Des,

It depends on just how big a car you need, and if you need a full seven-seater. The Volkswagen Golf SV, for instance, has the space for three seats across the back, but doesn't have the folding seats in the boot of the bigger Touran. Both are excellent cars, but you'll save a considerable amount of money by going for the SV. Others worth considering are the Toyota Verso (available in both five- and seven-seat forms), Citroen C4 Picasso (ditto) and the Kia Carens (only a seven-seater).

Peugeot's 5008 and Ford's C-Max are also worth a look, but if you need something bigger, if basically boils down to two choices - Ford S-Max or SEAT Alhambra. 

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Hi Patrick,

Classic cars are, currently, an exceptionally good investment, but I would exercise a touch of caution – back in the eighties, the same was true and values seemed to quadruple every week, but then came a massive crash in classic prices, which saw more than a few investors get their fingers (and in some cases hands, wrists and elbows) burned.

There are a few specific models and makes to focus on, but first off don’t assume that you can buy an old wreck, restore it and make a profit. Sometimes you can, but proper restorations cost enormous amounts of time and money and many restored cars are actually sold at a loss.

There are some cars that are pretty safe bets though (albeit that comes with the caveat that values can fall as well as rise). The best car for investments seems to be the Mercedes-Benz SL, of pretty much any generation. Mid-sixties ‘Pagoda Roof’ SLs are probably at the peak of their values now, but the later ‘Bobby Ewing’ models still have some viable investment room. The better bet, though, could be to get in on the ground floor of the R129 SL model, built from 1989 to 2002. They’re still relatively affordable, and if the values of their predecessors are anything to go buy, you could be looking at a serious rise in values in the next few years.

Obviously almost any Ferrari is a viable investment tool, although you will need to seek out specialist advice on that one, and it’s getting harder to find affordable ones that have a chance of a good rise in value. Porsches, especially early-model 911s, are a good bet too, with original RS and RSR versions being a solid investment.

Beyond that, anything rare, interesting or, better still, with a celebrity name on the logbook, is worth a look, but as with all investments I’d engage the services of a professional financial advisor before committing to anything.

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Hi John,

No, it’s not just another cost to the consumer. Stop-start systems are designed to prevent the car from running the engine unnecessarily at standstill when doing so would be at its most wasteful of fuel. After all, if you’re not moving then what is the point in having the engine on? Stop-start systems are specially designed with either a beefed-up alternator or an integrated starter/generator so that it can handle multiple stops and restarts in rapid succession, and it’s estimated that on an average car, stop-start can save as much as ten per cent of overall fuel consumption – not to be sniffed at, never mind the benefits to city-centre air quality.

Admittedly, the car makers have brought in stop-start to bring their cars' official CO₂ and fuel consumption figures down, and the benefits are only really felt if you are stopping and starting regularly. If you spend all your driving time on the motorway then you won't use the system at all.