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Hi David,

That's a little strange. The only tax band that costs €330 per year is the 1,101- to 1,200cc range for pre-2008 cars. Could your car have been classified incorrectly? 

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Hi Ian,

If it's space you're looking for, go for the Superb, as it's massive inside. No reported electrical problems, but watch for high front tyre wear, paint peeling away from bumpers and flimsy fuel filler caps. There are some reports knocking around of clutches and flywheels failing, but these seem to be very isolated and not a recurrent problem. The Superb's a great car though - smooth and comfy, very spacious and one of the best cars on the market. Go for the Combi estate for even more boot space and nicer exterior styling (in our opinions!).

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Hi Francis,

Can I suggest then chopping it in for another Hyundai, this time an i40 Tourer? It's massively spacious so you won't (aside from the seat height) feel like you're trading down. It's also very comfy and, with your long-haul runs and high-ish mileage in mind, hugely economical. Drive the 1.7 115hp CRDi version gently and you should top 60mpg. 

If you don't fancy another Hyundai, then picking a similar estate from the Ford Mondeo, Opel Insignia, Volkswagen Passat or Peugeot 508 ranges should do the job just as well.

Let us know what you end up doing

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Hi Ciaran,

Keeping your insurance affordable is mostly a matter of shopping around, although at 24 you may well be shopping for a size of car that most insurers will baulk at. You may get a better deal in that respect if you dropped down to a Golf/Focus/Astra-sized car. But if you must have the bigger machine then I'd go for the Mazda. It's sweeter to drive than the other two, vastly more reliable and spacious and practical too.

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Hi Martin,

I'd say around €18-19,000.

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Hi Pat,

I would unhesitatingly recommend the Hyundai - it's a cracking car and very economical too. If you're looking to shop around a little, then I'd say have a look at the Ford Mondeo - it's ageing, but still a very impressive machine. The Volkswagen Passat is also worth a look.

Come back to us if you need more assistance.

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Hi Alan,

By 2006 that 1.9 TDI engine was nearing the end of its life, and so had most if not all of its earlier issues (injector problems, air sensor failures) ironed out. As for the flywheel, yes there does seem to be an issue with it occasionally, but the way to tell is to listen to the engine, getting your head as close as safely possible to where the gearbox is located. If you hear a rattle, or feel an obvious vibration, it's probably the flywheel.

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Hi Martina,

Both cars you've chosen there are pretty much neck and neck in every area, bar one. The Passat is arguably a little more 'premium' in its feel, the Mondeo is better to drive and we'd say a touch better looking (though obviously that's subjective!).

Both are impressively well built and have excellent reliability credentials. The area that separates them is quite simply fuel consumption. The Mondoe's 2.0 TDCi engine will be a bit more usefully grunty than that Passat's 105hp 1.6 TDI unit, but the Volkswagen's engine will prove to be a lot more economical. You should be able to average close to 60mpg in the Passat, which should be around 5-10mpg better than the Mondeo will manage. To illustrate it, we once managed to drive from Galway to Glasgow, back to Galway and up to Dublin on one tank in a Passat 1.6 TDI.

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Hi Ronan,

The officially quoted fuel consumption figure for the Passat B6 model with the 1.4 TSI 122hp engine was 7.5 litres per 100km (or 39mpg) combined, with the urban and extra urban figures working out at 10 litres/100km (28mpg) and 6.1 litres/100km (46mpg).

Hope that helps.

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Hi Paul,

For maintenance cost questions, I'd ask your friendly local Volkswagen dealer - they'll be able to give you much more accurate information than we would. 

As for the engine, it's perfectly up to the task of pulling the car because although it's a 'mere' 1.4, it also has a turbo and produces 120hp - about what you'd have expected from an old-school 2.0-litre naturally aspirated engine. It's also pretty frugal, so if you're not planning lots of long motorway journeys, it might work out better value than a diesel.