Expert answer

Hello Eamonn,

I am a little unsure of what you mean. Do you want a seven-seat car that has four-wheel drive but one that isn't an SUV?

There aren't all that many four-wheel drive seven-seaters around. Obviously the BMW X5, which you mentioned, the Volvo XC90, the Land Rover Discovery, the Hyundai Santa Fe, Audi Q7, Mitsubishi Outlander, Kia Sorento, Chevrolet Captiva, Nissan Pathfinder and Toyota LandCruiser. 

A four-wheel drive seven-seat car is something that is harder to come by. The Mercedes-Benz R-Class seats seven and can be had with four-wheel drive.

Let us know if that's the sort of thing you're looking for.

Expert answer

Hi William,

We'd be only too happy to help you choose a new car if that's the route you want to go down, but one suggestion we'd have that could save you the cost of changing cars is to change the tyres on your Santa Fe to winter tyres.

Many people think that winter tyres are only of use in snow and ice, but that's far from the case. Regular tyres begin to go hard (and hence lose grip) at just seven degrees Celsius. That's regardless of how wet or dry the road surface is. Winter tyres, however, do not go hard at these temperatures and hence retain much higher levels of grip.

It's often said that a two-wheel drive car on winter tyres is better in slippery conditions than a four-wheel drive car on regular tyres.

I have first-hand experience of using winter tyres over the past week and I can confirm that they really make a huge difference. Bear in mind that they help with braking and turning, as well as traction.

You may have heard people say that winter tyres wear out quicker, but actually that's not the case at this time of year. When the temperatures are low, regular tyres wear quicker than winter tyres.

Admittedly, winter tyres wear quicker and their braking performance isn't as impressive as a regular tyre's in warm weather.

There's no doubt that winter tyres are more expensive to buy, but it'd be cheaper than changing your car.

If, however, you want to change your car regardless, come back to us and we'll help you through it.

Expert answer

Hi Noel

There is quite a small amount of money between the Classic and the Deluxe model (€1,500) and as well as the fog lights that you mention, you get things like Climate Control over manual air conditioning, a leather steering wheel and gear knob and cruise control. 

These are all pretty necessary things in the Santa Fe, so I would do my best if I were you to strike a deal up on the Deluxe model. I don't know if you are restricted budget-wise but you would be surprised how much you could get off if you negotiate. 

In relation to the front fog lights, they aren't hugely essential, but are 'handy' when the weather is really bad. Once you have them on the rear, which you will, then other cars will at least see you. I wouldn't not buy the car because they weren't there but do your best to shop around for the Deluxe model. I would be confident you could get that Deluxe for the right price. 

Expert answer

The next Santa Fe will be called the ix45 as far as we know, with the ix55 being a larger seven-seater above that model at the top of the range. These will be European-spec models and will be different to what you get in the US. It is possible that the ix45 will be unveiled at the Paris Motor Show, which is at the end of next month, but we haven't seen images as yet. 

Expert answer

Hi Damien,

Mitsubishi Ireland has confirmed that the new-look Outlander will be here in November in two- and four-wheel drive formats.

Hyundai confims that a revised Santa Fe will arrive in October boasting a new 2.0-litre turbodiesel engine that drops the car from Band E to Band D emissions yet keeps the same power level.

Hope that information is of help

Expert answer

Hello Raymond,

One word: tax. The United States and our near neighbours the UK aren't subject to anything like the taxation that we are when it comes to cars. The base price of our cars before you add VAT and Vehicle Registration Tax (VRT) have always been among the lowest in Europe. But when you add the taxes obviously the cars start becoming expensive. 

But also, because these taxes are also on optional extras (including safety features) then car distributors often have to bring in very basic versions so that the ordinary buyer can afford them. Hence, items that you would normally see as standard in other markets have often been taken out, even if this is something like ESP, which is a life-saving safety device. 

Those selling the cars have to do this because of how much of the car's value is going to the Government coffers. It has long been an issue in Ireland and one that the EU have taken a strong interest in too, because it sees it as double taxation on an item, which is against EU law. 

There are also other issues in relation to strengths of currencies at any given time and also that the USA has a manufacturing supply, so specific US-built cars are sold there and aren't treated as imported vehicles. Of course the US is a massive market and hence economies of scale come into play, where as Ireland is a tiny market in comparison.

Prices have come down here because at least now cars are taxed on their CO₂ emissions and not their engine size, which was the case until July 2008 and made little sense. It meant that nobody bought diesel cars but instead bought small, underpowered petrol ones instead. 

With petrol (or should I say 'gas') much cheaper in the US, it has always been easier to buy V6, V8 or even V12 petrol cars there too.

Obviously it isn't ideal for us here in Ireland, but in Europe there are many countries just like us, including Denmark, Norway and Portugal so we are not alone. Just count yourself lucky that you are buying in the US!

I hope this answers your question.

Expert answer

Hi John,

We contacted Hyundai direct and the cost of the parts required - assuming nothing else needs to be done of course - is €250 plus VAT of course. Hyundai quotes about nine hours of labour. The actual hourly rate will vary from garage to garage so try to get a fixed quote before you get the work done. With head gaskets there's always the possibility of other work required too, such as skimming the head.

Hope that helps,