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Hi John,

OK, that’s a slightly tough set of criteria, but I think we’ve found some winners. How about a Honda Insight Hybrid? Ultra-low CO₂ means ultra-low tax, it’s auto, Hondas run for ever, it’ll do 50mpg easy and there’s just about enough space for a family of three. Your budget gets you a 2010 model.

If you need something smaller, there are automatic Nissan Micras around for that sort of money, but you might find them a bit small for the wee one. Fancy something posh? You could try a 2010 Mercedes C 180 Estate, which we found, but the tax on that will be a bit higher. Something newer? A Skoda Fabia Combi estate from 2012? Reliable and tonnes of space in the boot. Cracking car.

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Hi Sean,

The short answer is that we don’t know yet — the XCeed is only going to be first shown to the public at the Frankfurt Motor Show next month, and so that means we’re a long way from Irish prices and specs just yet. However, we can make an educated guess. Kia in Ireland tends to offer a single specification for its niche models, such as the Proceed sports estate and the e-Soul electric car, so it’s possible that the XCeed will follow suit. In fact, and I must emphasise that is is a guess, I’d expect that the XCeed and the Proceed will probably be closely aligned on price and spec, with the XCeed coming in just a little cheaper than the Proceed’s €28,946. The Proceed comes, as standard, with an eight-inch touchscreen with navigation, wireless smartphone charging, 17-inch alloy wheels, lane keeping assistance and auto-dip high-beam lights (among other items).

We do know that items such as connected services and a new 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster will be available as options, but we’ll just have to wait and see what Kia Ireland comes up with when the car is launched here.

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Hi Leo,

It kind of depends on how big your kids are and what kind of car seats they need. If you need three individual seats in the back, I’d recommend something like a VW Golf SV or a similar mid-size MPV. Or you could go for another Alhambra of course — it’s a great car. 

I’m assuming you want a change from the Alhambra though, and, MPVs in general, so how about a medium-sized estate? Lots of space, roomy back seat, but smoother and more agile to drive, with better fuel economy. How about a Skoda Superb Combi? Vast boot, massive back seat for packing the kids in and one of the nicest cars on the road. 

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Hi Nick,

Theoretically yes, it is possible to convert an estate into a van. Obviously you’d have to remove the back seats and weld a plate in place over the floor. There are also some minimum dimensions that must be adhered to for the vehicle to qualify as an N1 commercial. Sadly (and oddly) the requisite page on the National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI) website is returning a 404 'not found' right now. The good news is that your local motor tax office (MTO) will have all the relevant details that you’ll need to be sure that the car you’re thinking of converting qualifies. The conversion work will have to be carried out by someone with the appropriate qualifications and standards (again, the MTO can help there) and you’ll have to bring it for a CVRT test every year, not the usual NCT.

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Hi Anshul,

Ok, let’s take those one by one. As far as a fair price is concerned, you haven’t given us a year for the car, but I’m going to assume it’s a 2016 model. That would put a fair price, in Ireland, if about €15,000 give or take. There’s no issue buying a UK car that has already been registered in Ireland.

Fuel economy should be fine — you can expect to get around 45-50mpg from a 1.7 Optima. 

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Hi there,

The A4 would be a little better in terms of comfort, but not in terms of space or practicality, and to be honest the benefits are pretty marginal. Either the Passat or the Superb make fantastic estate cars. The Superb has an edge on luggage capacity (around 60 litres extra), but the Passat is a little sharper to drive, and has arguably a nicer interior. A marginal decision then, but we’d probably go for the Superb on balance. Or, just to throw a spanner in the works, have a look at the excellent Mazda6 Tourer before deciding…

A few reviews to help you decide:

Audi A4 Avant review

Skoda Superb Combi review

Volkswagen Passat reviews

Mazda6 Tourer review

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Hi Chris,

The answer here is Skoda Superb. Nothing else, at least nothing else affordable, has the sort of rear legroom to truly allow a very tall driver to get comfy in front of a rear-facing infant seat, and the Superb has the kind of massive boot that every parent of two growing kids will truly need. They’re not expensive, either — go for the second-generation or later model (which first launched in 2009, although the current version, launched in 2015 is nicer still) and you’ll be onto a winner, just make sure to get one with a full and comprehensive history and make sure that it’s not been previously used as a taxi (many have). Even better — get the Combi estate for maximum practicality. 

Read our Skoda Superb reviews for more

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Hi Orla,

Get the Skoda. Trust me, as the father of two growing boys a Qashqai is just not big enough inside. The Octavia, on the other hand, has lots of rear legroom (crucial for people in rear-facing child seats or boosters) and a massive boot, especially if you go for the very practical Combi estate version. If you’re looking for other alternatives, stick within the mid-size estate market — they’re much more practical for families than a compact SUV, and usually cheaper too run too. Oh, and they’re not much bigger than the hatchbacks they’re based on, so parking etc. is still a doddle.

Good alternatives to the Skoda are the Ford Focus Estate, the Kia Ceed Sportswagon, the Hyundai i30 Tourer and the Toyota Corolla Touring Sports. Click on those links to read our reviews of each.

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Hi Brendan,

A couple of things. Obviously, any of the car’s on-board systems will be setup for Japanese language, so you will need to get those changed, and the radio may not be set to receive European FM frequencies, so the car’s entire audio system may need to be replaced. Generally speaking, a Japanese Passat will be mechanical similar to a European one, but there will inevitably be some detail differences in specification and equipment, so you may run into trouble further down the line with parts availability.

I’d suggest that you’d be better off looking at the UK market than the Japanese one — the Passat is hardly a rare car, so there may be an easier option out there for you.

Expert answer

Hi Mumtaz,

That engine uses a timing chain.