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Hi Ruth,

Not a word of a lie: I picked one up this morning from Honda to test for the week. Paddy has driven it for longer so he'll give you his opinion too, but my first impressions are better than expected. Until recently, hybrids were designed first and foremost for the American market and they were quite different to drive to conventional cars. Most of that is still true, but both the Toyota Prius and Honda Insight are more normal than what has gone before and even more efficient.

The official fuel economy and emissions figures of the Insight are pretty impressive though, at 4.4 - 4.6 litres/100km and 101 - 105g/km of CO₂ depending on which version you choose. The Toyota Prius boasts even better numbers, though it's a few grand more expensive.

So far I've averaged about 5.4 litres / 100km in mixed driving and I'd expect that to be pretty representative unless you're on a long motorway run, where the average might improve further.

I prefer the interior of the Insight to the Prius', even if Honda has used too much hard plastic for my liking. The Honda is more conventional, despite the presence of strange plant graphics in the dashboard to tell you how economically you are driving. You sit low down and there's loads of space for five adults and a fair amount of luggage.

The steering wheel on our test car is really shiny and a bit slippery, but I'm sure that'll change with use. Its controls for the stereo are nice and tactile though. Shame I can't say the same for the spindly gear lever, but there you go.

Overall it's easy to drive and while it's no performance car it keeps up with traffic easily enough. That aside, the Insight's engine is commendably quiet, unless you really put your foot down. However, I noticed that road noise is quite prominent in return.

I'd personally prefer a regular car to either the Prius or Insight hybrids. If fuel economy were the most important factor I'd opt for a good turbodiesel model. There is a lot of choice on the market for the €22,000 - €23,000 asking price of the Honda.

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Hi Marie/Constantine,

Neither of the two vehicles you mention is currently on sale in Ireland. Saying that, I have driven the Patrol and it's a huge, rugged 4x4 that may well be suited to life in your part of the world. I'm not sure how often you plan to go sand dune driving, but either of those would cope well with that, along with having plenty of space for your growing family.

Here in Ireland large petrol 4x4s are not very popular, whereas I guess it's quite different in Dubai.

Other vehicles to consider are the excellent Volvo XC90, or, if you want to stick with BMW, the new X5. Both come with a good range of petrol and diesel engine too.

Let us know how you get on.

Expert answer

Hi Julia. Well firstly, congratulations on your new arrivals. With two new babies in your family your car needs will have definitely changed. A friend of mine recently was in the same situation as you and asked me the very same question. They couldn't really cope with a standard five-seater car anymore but by the same token, dreaded the thoughts of getting into an MPV. They felt that by buying one that they had given up on driving something 'exciting and cool' and you can understand that. Even the most modern MPVs can be a little van-like. So, we would steer you in the direction of the Nissan Qashqai+2, which is the 7-seater version of the Qashqai. A 1.5-litre diesel version with 2-wheel drive will cost you €30,450, or if you prefer you could get into a good used version for about €25,000 (2009).

This car will be cheap to run, with low road tax of €156 per year and evidence suggests they are reliable and holding their value too. Please come back to us if you need any more help, but we think this is the right choice for your needs.