Expert answer

Hi Peter,

That us a very tough choice to have to make. Both are excellent - the Qashqai won the Association of Professional Motoring Press (APMP) Car of the Year award last year and trust me, we're a tough bunch to please. It's very good to drive, frugal and very comfy. Practical too, of course.

The Passat would probably be the better choice if you are doing lots of long motorway miles though - that 1.6 TDI engine is astonishing economical (I once did Galway-Dublin-Belfast-Glasgow-Dublin-Galway on one tank in one) and they're very comfy for long journeys. Both are about equally reliable, which means they're both pretty solid but don't accept anything that hasn't a full service history.

On the safety front, the 2014 Qashqai (that's the current shape model) got five stars on the EuroNCAP crash test, with an 88 per cent score for adult occupant protection, 83 per cent for child occupant, 69 per cent for pedestrian protection and 79 per cent for safety assist (which is a measure of how many electronic driver aids are fitted as standard).

The Passat achieved similar scores - five stars overall, 91 per cent adult occupant, 77 per cent child occupant, 54 per cent pedestrian protection, and 71 per cent safety assist.

Further reading:

2014 Nissan Qashqai 1.5 dCi review (on Irish roads)

2010-2014 Volkswagen Passat EuroNCAP safety results

2014 Nissan Qashqai EuroNCAP safety results

Expert answer

Hi Roman,

The Insignia is a thoroughly good car, and one that feels especially slick and pleasant to drive. The only common problems seem to be small electrical glitches (alarm systems especially) and leaky boot seals that let rain in.

We've never experienced any suspension problems with any Insignia we've driven, nor does it seem to be an issue amongst owners. Could you elaborate on your Passat problems? Could be a useful bit of info for our database...

Expert answer

Hi Conor,

Hmmm. Tough one. I'd always be tempted by the younger car, and if it's the 1.6-litre diesel Passat then there's a good chance you'll never have to refill the tank - I once did Galway-Dublin-Glasgow-Dublin-Galway-Dublin on a single tank of juice in one.

That said, the Audi would be hugely tempting and while there's really no fundamental difference between the too (you are paying extra for the badge and not much else really) there's no denying the extra feel good factor of the A6.

All things being equal then, and assuming both cars come with and equally full service history, I'd be minded to treat yourself and go for the Audi. 

Further reading:

First Irish drive of the new Volkswagen Passat

Expert answer

Hi John,

The only other brand with a comparable warranty back in 2010 or 2011 would be Hyundai, which has (and had) a five-year, unlimited mileage warranty. Of the cars you've mentioned, in descending order of preference, we'd go for Octavia, Passat, Sportage and Qashqai. If it's out of warranty, you can always get an aftermarket one. 

What do you think?

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Hi Diarmuid,

It's a close run thing, but I'd go for the Passat. I reckon it'll work out just a little more economical than the Mondeo, and it has a nicer, comfier, more 'premium' edition. Mind you, I'm basing that on the assumption that you're going to be on the motorway a lot. If it's twisty roads, then it's Mondeo all the way...

Expert answer

Hi William,

It's very, very tempting to go for the Merc – that badge on the bonnet is a major draw all by itself. Being sensible though, even with the extra cost up front, the Passat may actually offer better value. Given that both cars will be generally pretty reliable, the differences come down to things like running costs (is the Passat the 1.6 TDI? If so it's incredibly economical), equipment levels (the Passat is likely to be better equipped than the Merc, but do a proper comparison yourself between both cars to see) and what the dealer is offering you. Which one, for example, is offering the better warranty? A two-year warranty compared to a one- year one may not sound like much, for instance, but if something big goes wrong in year two it could save you an absolute packet.

Expert answer

Hi Mary,

Through a Volkswagen dealer you're looking at about €400 for a front door and nearly €350 for a rear door, not including VAT. We'd recommend with a car of that age to go through a scrap yard instead - you may even find one of the right colour.

Hope that helps

Expert answer

Hi Fiona,

Depends; are you doing lots of long motorway miles? In which case get the 1.9 TDI. If you're doing mostly short hops, especially urban, then get the 1.4 TSI. 

Unless of course you're talking about two specific cars, rather than in general. In which case go for the one in the best condition with the fullest service history.

Does that help?

Expert answer

Hi Stephen,

I agree it can be a little annoying on an automatic car, as you can't decide when you do and don't want it to happen at any given moment. I'm sure you're aware that there is a button on the dashboard to disable it at any time, but it sounds like you'd rather disable it completely. Sadly, there's no legitimate way to do this. The car's official CO₂ emissions and fuel economy figures rely on this feature, so even if you find a fuse or relay to remove for the system there will at the very least be a warning light on in the dashboard - and it may even go into 'limp home' mode.

By way of explanation, the 'combined cycle' is a relatively low-speed and short duration (standardised) test cycle all the car makers adhere to for their CO₂ and fuel consumption figures. Stop-start makes a big difference for this as the car is idle for considerable amounts of time. In the real world, this tends to happen only in slow traffic or in town with lots of traffic lights. You would see a saving in those situations, but in reality it'll be small.

Sorry not to be of more assistance.

Expert answer

Hi Peter,

As I guess you already know, Shane, Dave, Paul and myself from CompleteCar.ie are all on the APMP voting jury for Car of the Year, so we'll take this point by point if that's OK.

The Audi A3 Saloon was the model specifically being looked at, and while it's certainly at the pricey end of things for many families, more and more family buyers are being tempted in by the attractive repayments and resale figures offered by the German 'Big Three' premium brands. As for cabin and boot space, the A3 sits roughly between, for instance, a Golf and a Passat in this instance, and isn't far off the cabin space of  the current Audi A4. As a father of two, I've had my family out and about in various A3 models and can confirm that they're perfectly acceptably spacious.

It's a similar case for the Mercedes-Benz C-Class. Size-wise, it's pretty much spot on a rival for the Passat or Mondeo. Perhaps it's a little tighter inside, but not by much, and that's the price paid for a less space-efficient rear-wheel drive platform. Again, while it's at the expensive end of things for a family purchase, there are plenty out there defecting from the more traditional 'mass-market' brands such as Ford, Opel and Toyota to get themselves a slice of the premium action. Once again, it's often down to the tempting finance packages on offer.

As for the Outlander, it is, strictly in size terms, somewhat in-between things. Taking the BMW X5 as an example, it's slightly shorter (200mm) overall, but has a similar wheelbase measurement and it's slightly larger than the next BMW down, the X3. We judged that, given its overall exterior dimensions, its large boot space and the availability of a seven-seat version when specified with the diesel engine, that Large SUV was the best fit. A perfect fit? Perhaps not, but given the continual fracturing of the car market into ever smaller and more narrowly defined niches, it is close to impossible to find a perfect market segment for every car on sale without having an award 'for everyone on the audience'. We put the Outlander PHEV into the Large SUV category because we felt it would compete strongly there. Seeing as it took two awards home on the night (its PHEV drivetrain took the APMP Innovation Award) it looks like we were right.

The categorisation was discussed long and hard by the membership and somebody somewhere will always disagree.