Expert answer

Hi Fintan,

At the moment we don’t have a set date for when the Model 3 will arrive in Ireland, as the first European deliveries are all left-hand-drive cars. We expect that it will be early 2020 before the first Irish deliveries are due to start. If you’re keen to get one early on we recommend contacting Tesla (in Sandyford, Dublin) to discus order placement. You can currently reserve a Model 3 through Tesla’s own website, too. Initially, all-wheel-drive, long range versions will be offered, which we expect to cost between €60,000 and €70,000 depending on specification, but in time the cheaper standard range car should become available in Europe. 

In the meantime, check out our review of the Model 3 here.

Expert answer

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.

Expert answer

Hi Marc,

The only 1.6 Kuga we know if is the 2013-2015 Ford Kuga 1.6 EcoBoost petrol. It uses a timing belt - change it at least every 200,000 kilometres or every 10 years, whichever comes first.

Expert answer

Hi Beth,

Stop-start systems from all car makers do indeed have a long list of situations in which they won't work. We get so many queries about it that we wrote a guide called Why won't my car's stop-start system work?

It's certainly preferable to have the stop-start system not working rather than the car cutting out when you don't want it to.

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Hi Anne,

Our information shows that the recommended change interval is 140,000 kilometres (about 87,000 miles) or every 10 years, whichever comes first.

Expert answer

Hi Kieran,

I'm afraid there's no onus on a dealer to do a timing belt before selling a car. 

Saying that, your Kuga doesn't need a timing belt change until it has done 200,000 kilometres or it is 10 years old, so it's not due yet anyway.

Expert answer

Hi David,

Right, I’m going to make a couple of assumptions here — one is that this is the 140hp 2.0-litre TDCI diesel that we’re talking about, and that it’s the post-2010 facelift model. If so, then CO₂ emissions for the automatic model are 149g/km, and that means you’re in Band C for motor tax, which is €390 a year.

Expert answer

Hi Tony,

Currently you can buy the following hybrids on the Irish market: Toyota Corolla, CH-R, RAV4, Prius, Yaris, and there are probably a few run-out  examples of the Auris Hybrid out there still in dealerships. There’s also the Kia Niro and the Hyundai Ioniq. There’s the full Lexus range — CT, IS, RC, GS, ES, LS, NX, RX and LC. There’s the Ford Mondeo Hybrid, too. There’s the new Honda CR-V Hybrid, some Mercedes diesel-hybrids and petrol plug-in hybrids, oh and the new AMG 53 six-cylinder mild hybrids.

Suzuki does mild hybrids too — for the Baleno, Swift and Ignis. Then there are the plug-in hybrids — Kia Niro and Hyundai Ioniq again, plus the Volvo XC90 and XC60 T8 models, along with the S90 and V90; the BMW i8, 330e, 530e, X5 40e, 225xe, and the MINI Countryman S E; there’s also the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport plug-ins, the Mitsubishi Outlander, the Volkswagen Golf and Passat GTE, the Audi Q7 e-tron and the Porsche Panamera and Cayenne.

I bet I've forgotten some...

Expert answer

Hi Peter,

Titanium and Zetec are just trim level names and have nothing to do with the engine.

Assuming you're asking about the first-gen Ford S-Max (2006-2015), then here's the lay of the land:

1.6 TDCi diesel: timing belt

1.6 EcoBoost petrol: timing belt

1.8 TDCi diesel: timing belt

2.0 TDCi diesel: timing belt

2.0 petrol (all versions including EcoBoost): timing chain

2.2 TDCi diesel: timing belt

2.3 petrol: timing chain

2.5 petrol: timing belt

Expert answer

Hi Tunde,

Titanium is just a trim level name and has nothing to do with the engine.

Assuming you're asking about the first-gen Ford S-Max (2006-2015), then here's the lay of the land:

1.6 TDCi diesel: timing belt

1.6 EcoBoost petrol: timing belt

1.8 TDCi diesel: timing belt

2.0 TDCi diesel: timing belt

2.0 petrol (all versions including EcoBoost): timing chain

2.2 TDCi diesel: timing belt

2.3 petrol: timing chain

2.5 petrol: timing belt