Expert answer

Hi Paul,

Of the two cars mentioned the Kia cee'd SW is undoubtedly the better looking car and it does come with the famous seven-year Kia warranty, but when it comes to taxis we would probably take the consensus of other taxi drivers.

While the Toyota Avensis is top dog in the segment at the moment it is being pushed by the Skoda Octavia with the 1.6 TDI being the engine of choice for its fuel efficiency. When Global Taxis took delivery of 110 Octavias it reckoned each car would offer a fuel saving of €1,400 a year over the old fleet, money that will go into your pocket instead.

As well as that the Octavia offers a huge a mount of space (both passenger and boot wise) for the money, important considerations when you are moving up from The Kesh to pick up a fare at Dublin Airport.

Hope that all helps

Expert answer

Hi Ben,

The only way to look at this like-for-like at the moment is the compare the Superb (pre-facelift that goes on sale next month) and the new Octavia, both with 2.0 TDI 140 engines. The DSG option costs €4,865 in the Superb and just €2,300 in the Octavia and it should be the same six-speed unit in each.

However, adding a DSG transmission to that Superb moves it from tax Band B1 to Band C, or, more pertinently, from a situation where the car is subject to 18 per cent VRT to one where it attracts 23 per cent VRT. In comparison, the Octavia moves from Band A3 to A4, adding a single per cent increase in VRT (rising from 17- to 18 per cent).

Nonetheless, we did a quick calculation to get the prices before VRT of each car and subtract the manual price from the DSG and it still works out that Skoda charges considerably more for the DSG transmission.

We contacted Skoda Ireland and it agreed and has changed this in the new Superb. Here's the official response:

"The Superb DSG premium on average was €4,300; this will be reduced to €3,000 with the introduction of the Superb facelift in July. This represents a customer saving of €1,300 compared to the outgoing model. This is a slightly higher premium than the Octavia model; however, it is not as simple as pricing the transmission as a single unit and then applying it to the various models. There are many factors taken into consideration when pricing vehicles as a whole. Previously the Superb DSG was a big seller for Skoda. With improved prices we are confident we will see even more customer moving to DSG from manual transmission."

Expert answer

Hi Celsus,

As an overview, Skoda's cars are all reliable, quite comfortable and generally economical. Bigger wheels reduce comfort and the Yeti is less 'soft' on the road than say the Octavia and Superb. Most people stick with the diesel engines, which are very efficient.

If you'd like us to comment on something specific please come back to us.

Expert answer

Hi Aidan,

The only concern here really is the value of your old Clio. As someone who recently traded in an early 2000s Renault, I feel your pain, but the sad fact is that it ain't going to be worth much. Even so, the best thing you can do is to start searching for a Volkswagen Golf. If you've got a family on the way, and you need something safe, solid and with a decent bit of space, then you won't go wrong, although it is of course worth looking for those evergreen Golf spinoffs, the Skoda Octavia and SEAT Leon. All three are equally good and the Octavia is particularly spacious.

Come back to us if you need more assistance.

Expert answer

Hi Tony,

No, no such car exists. They all, when a problem occurs, need a trip to a diagnostic rig. Of the three you’ve mentioned though, the Octavia is by far the best, and yes even better than the Jetta with which it shares its mechanical bits and pieces.

Expert answer

Hi, it's a little difficult to come up with a solid value for the vRS model as there just aren't that many on the ground here, but a reasonable valuation seem to be between €14,000 and 16,000 and you can knock off about €1,000 to get what you'll be offered as a trade-in from a dealer. Sorry we can't be more precise than that.

Let us know how you get on

Expert answer

Hi Kevin,

The first piece of advice we'd give is that, if you're not experienced in changing many different types of oil filters, don't do it. There are several things that could go wrong and cause engine damage.

Many oil filters are best accessed from under the car. Be prepared for oil dripping down from it once you loosen it, even if you have already drained the engine oil...

Expert answer

Hi Geoff,

First thing we'd look at is the air flow meter. Try to get a known good one to swap and re-test.

Let us know how you get on.

Expert answer

Hi Paul,

Yes, it's just been revealed (see our full news story here). There's a subtle bit of restyling going on, with new grille and lights at the front and new lights at the back. There aren't a huge number of mechanical changes on offer, but the 1.6 TDI Greenline model has seen its emissions drop to a very competitive 109g/km, so that will save a little on annual road tax. Inside, the range-topping Columbus infotainment system now comes with a 30GB hard drive for storing your music and podcasts. It goes on sale in Ireland in July, though we drive it next month (May).

As to which is better, Superb or Octavia? Phew, that's a toughie. The new Octavia is very, very impressive and well priced too, but I personally have a bit of a soft spot for the Superb, with its huge boot and rear seat space. To be honest, you wouldn't go wrong choosing either, but it's worth bearing in mind that we're only a couple of years away from an all-new Superb, which Skoda reckons is going to be competitive with the BMW 5 Series...

Hope that helps somewhat

Expert answer

Hi John,

The Skoda Superb or Octavia would have been our first suggestions. The Octavia hasn't quite as much rear legroom as the Superb, but it's still better than the Golf's - and the boot is huge. High mileages on diesel Skodas are nothing to worry about so long as it has a proper service history and is in good order. Taxi drivers regularly do hundreds of thousands of kilometres. Avoid high mileage DSG automatic gearboxes, but otherwise they are really robust. So long as the history and price are good I'd not worry about buying one with over 150,000 kilometres on the clock.

One last thing to consider: if you do less than 20,000 kilometres a year a petrol car may suit you better. They're generally cheaper to buy and better suited to low mileage use. They're also quieter!

Hope that helps, but do come back to us if you need more assistance and have a budget in mind so we can narrow down the search for you.