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Hi Mary,

You wouldn't go wrong with a Skoda Yeti 2.0 TDI DSG. Cracking car, great gearbox.

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Hi Patrick,

The Stepway gains some SUV-like styling and a 4cm higher ride height over the conventional Sandero, so it's a little bit more bouncy on rougher roads as a result, and it will roll a bit more in bends over its relation. That's a hyper critical road tester's view though, as the soft, comfort-biased suspension is fine at nornal speeds.

The SUV-look suits it, really smartens it up and makes it stand out, though the trade off for this - thanks largely to the addition of those roof bars - is an appreciable increase in wind noise at speed. That's fine unless you're doing lots of motorway miles in it.

Rear legroom isn't overly generous, while the trim and materials are all fairly uninspiring, though robust. The diesel isn't very refined, but should return excellent economy, the petrol three-cylinder engine is more willing and more refined, but less economical.

All in I rather liked it though, good honest transport.

You can read my colleague Neil's Irish road test of the Dacia Sandero Stepway here.

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Hi Gabriel,

Dacias are fine, to be honest, you just have to make sure you know what you're getting into. They're not sophisticated, nor are they especially modern, but they're cheap and genuinely quite cheerful. Best of the bunch is the Sandero supermini, which combines decent build quality with surprising refinement and a  emptingly low price.

The Duster SUV is also pretty good, albeit it's quite an old design now and lacks things like electronic stability control as standard. Still, it's rugged, tough and refreshingly simple. The newer Logan estate and Stepway crossover are just variations on the Sandero theme and are there for those who need either an enormous boot (Logan) or a bit of 4x4-esque style (Stepway).

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Hi Mark,

In simple terms, the Skoda Yeti.

Hope that helps

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Hi Jimmy,

Really good car - no surprise it's one of the top-selling SUVs. Much better to drive than is the norm for such cars and with decent economy too. No major reliability scares either, just make sure that the recall that saw 800,000 Tiguans worldwide brought back in last year to have a headlight fuse issue fix has been completed. Oh, and the boot is a little on the small side for a car this size, but otherwise it's a good 'un.

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Hi Noel,

'OK' just about sums it up. The Captiva was never up to much to be honest - it's spacious and rugged and that's about where it begins and ends. Acceptable to drive, plain grey cabin and that 2.4 petrol engine will prove ridiculously thirsty.

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Hi Paxton,

Well, it depends what you mean by SUV. Large? Small? Proper 4x4 or front-wheel drive? Our favourites run the gamut from Peugeot 2008 to Skoda Yeti to Honda CR-V to Kia Sorento to BMW X5, but it just depends what you’re looking for.

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Hi Morgan,

There's no doubt that the Land Cruiser will be the more reliable of the two. Toyota's quality has dipped in some areas of late, but the Land Cruiser is still something of a halo model for the whole range. There is a good reason why Land Cruisers are the vehicle of choice in sub-Saharan Africa and other harsh environments and that's because they're built tough. The current model lacks a little in terms of its cabin appointments (certainly, the Audi feels far plusher) and it does roll a lot through the corners (again, the Audi is much better to drive), but it's superbly comfy, very spacious and you'll be giving it to your grandkids in your will. 

Mind you, the Audi is no shabby player when it comes to reliability, and only really excessive front tyre wear (it's been known to get through a set in as little as 8,000km) and some electrical niggles (watch for powered tailgate problems) seem to count against it.

Our instinct would still be to go for the Toyota though. The Q7 has an unfortunate whiff of the trendy, socialite, school-run SUV about it whereas the Land Cruiser is more appealingly rugged.

Hope that helps

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Hi Feena,

If you need actual space for seven full-sized adults (as opposed to jump seats for occasional use by small kids) then pretty much all of the medium-sized SUVs, such as the Opel Zafira, Peugeot 5008, Citroen C4 Picasso and Ford C-Max are out of the question. They're simply not big enough. You'll need, therefore, to trade up to a proper, full-size SUV and in that category there's simply nothing better than a Ford Galaxy. There's real space in the third row even for big people and while the 2.0-litre 140hp diesel engine is a bit juicy on tax (Band C) it's pretty good on overall fuel economy .

They're robustly made too, and while the Galaxy isn't on Ford's official Irish price list any more, a quick ring around the dealer network should easily turn up either a dealer demo model or a very young used car.

Let us know how you get on

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Hi Pamela,

There's a few: Renault Scenic. Toyota Verso. Peugeot 5008. Citroen C4 Picasso. Land Rover Discovery. Chrysler Voyager. Ford Galaxy & S-Max. SEAT Alhambra. Volkswage Sharan. Renault Espace.

That list isn't it either!