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Hi Fintan,

OK, well you’re kind of cutting across class boundaries there — a Focus and a Mondeo are really quite different cars, with the Focus being smaller, cheaper and arguably more fun to drive, and the Mondeo being more expensive, but bigger, comfier and more refined. That goes pretty much the same for the Opel Astra and Insignia, or the Volkswagen Golf or Passat. So the first thing you need to work out is what you want, and what you need, and whether or not you need the bigger car, or if something more compact will do.

Of the brands you’ve mentioned, the VWs will probably do the best in reliability terms, with Ford being the most enjoyable to drive, and Opel falling somewhere in the middle, but you should also be considering the likes of the Toyota Auris and Avensis (best for reliability), the Peugeot 308 and 508 (stylish, good to drive) and the Mazda3 and Mazda6 (reliable and both very good to drive). 

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Hi Ollie,

Generally speaking, you should be OK, as that 30-min run each day should be enough to keep a DPF hot enough to clean it out, but that’s if and only if that 30 mins is all run at high-ish speeds, say above 80km/h most of the time and in a lower gear. If you’re spending a lot of time in stop-start traffic, I think a petrol option might still be the better one. Mazda’s 2.0-litre petrol engine can be a bit thirsty, but the 1.4 TSI option in the Passat and A4 is a very frugal engine, and still has peppy performance.

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Hi Danny,

Extra load tyres are not usually needed on regular cars - they're usually found on people carriers etc. However, some tyre sizes are only available in 'XL' format so they're found on cars where that part of the tyre's specification is not strictly required. They tend to have stiffer sidewalls and are hence often used on low profile tyres. A car manufacturer may also specify this as part of how they want the car to drive on the road.

If that doesn't clear up your query please do come back to us.

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Hi Dermot,

This doesn't appear to be very good value to us. Even though your Passat is probably only worth €1,000 or so to the dealer, the mileage of the Santa Fe is above average and the price is therefore quite optimistic - though clearly the service, tyres and NCT make it considerable more appealing.

Hope that helps

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Hi Justin,

I'm sure you don't need me to tell you that the lower mileage car you can find, the better. All three models mentioned are suitable for the job, though there's a reason so many taxis are the Toyota Avensis. It's the one we'd veer towards. The BMW would be a nicer car than either the Passat or the Toyota, but once you start racking up high mileage its maintenance could get expensive.

Hope that helps.

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Hi Roger,

We put this one to Volkswagen Ireland. It was confirmed that Park Distance Control is available for the 2005 Passat saloon (B6), with part number "3C0 054 630". It includes a control unit, four sensors, a sound generator and connecting wires. Best bet is to contact your local Volkswagen dealer for a price. We believe the sensors can even be painted to match the colour of your car.

Hope that helps

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Hi Michael,

It sounds like this choice is down to personal opinion. The Passat has a better reputation for reliability, though the Insignia is not too shabby on that front. The creaking interiors affected early cars and you should be able to quickly check for it on a test drive.

We agree that the Insignia is a better looking car, though the Passat Highline has a great specification. Countering all that the Insignia's 2.0-litre engine is more powerful, if louder and less refined.

In summary, we'd probably go for the Passat, but regret it every time we see a good Insignia!

Best of luck - let us know how you get on.

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Hi Mick,

The 1.6-litre TDI engine has 105hp, which doesn't sound like much, but it's the engine's torque that matters more in the real world, and this Passat has 250Nm from just 1,500rpm. It's more than enough for the Passat in most circumstances and as all the performance is low down in the rev range you don't really change down to overtake.

Saying all that, if you plan on towing or you drive with a full car regularly you'll appreciate the extra power of the 2.0 TDI engines, but most people will find the 1.6 perfectly acceptable.

Hope that helps.

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Hi Sherif,

The newer 1.4-litre TSI engine is superior in every way. It produces a little more power, but way more torque across the rev range, making it faster and actually more efficient too so it emits less and uses less fuel.

Hope that helps.

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Hi Richard,

Lots of potential reasons for this. Very first thing I'd look at is tyre pressures. Are they all even and to spec? Are there any other issues with the tyres you can see? Uneven wearing, etc. If no problems with pressures I'd suggest getting the alignment checked. If it gets knocked out (relatively easy to do with a pothole or kerb) then there could be more friction causing heavier fuel consumption.

Come back to us when you've checked that.