CompleteCar
Search Ask Us Anything
Showing 111 - 120 results (out of a total of 700) found for "Volkswagen" in Ask Us Anything

Which new hybrid SUV to go for?

I am a disabled driver and use hand controls for the brake and accelerator. For the last 12 years I have driven a Honda Accord 2.0 petrol automatic. It has been a fantastic car and now has 260k km on the clock. I am looking for a higher vehicle, an SUV, and am looking at the Honda CR-V Hybrid, Toyota RAV4 Hybrid and the Volkswagen Tiguan (I could wait for the hybrid later in the year). I live in rural Ireland and handling on twisty roads is important and accelerating to pass slower moving cars on those all too few straight stretches of road. Is this a good shortlist, and if so, which would you recommend?

Robert Joyce (Clifden)

Mar 2019 Filed under: hybrid

Expert answer

Hi Robert,

Yes, it’s a very solid shortlist, although obviously we can’t comment either way on the Tiguan plug-in hybrid as we’ve not driven one yet. As for the Honda and the Toyota, the Honda is roomier and rather more engaging to drive (better for all those twisty roads) so is probably the one we’d go for. The new RAV4 is well worth looking at, though, and it has impressive performance, so it’s good for all that overtaking. Links to our reviews below:

Honda CR-V Hybrid review

Toyota RAV4 Hybrid review


What's up with this Polo's handbrake?

Asking for a parent: they have a new 191 VW Polo and the car is still moving when just the handbrake is on (a traditional manual handbrake, not an electronic one);, is this something that is a known issue with new Volkswagen Polos? Cure from manufacturer garage is a nut to prevent it from slipping?!

Simon Mac Mahon (Dublin)

Mar 2019 Filed under: brakes

Expert answer

Hi Simon,

We don't know of any common issue with these, but to be honest it sounds like the issue is one of two things.

1 - The handbrake lever is not being pulled up enough (I doubt that is the case, but you never know!)

2 - The handbrake cable needs to be adjusted. As this is a new car, then the garage that sold it really should sort it out for no fee. If it's out of adjustment under the car near the lever then they may need to check the mechanism within the rear hubs to see if something has gone wrong with the adjusters. 

Hope you get it sorted out.


Have you a list of all the hybrids in Ireland?

Do you have a list of hybrids?

Thanks

Tony O'Brien (Shankill, Dublin 18)

Feb 2019 Filed under: hybrid

Expert answer

Hi Tony,

Currently you can buy the following hybrids on the Irish market: Toyota Corolla, CH-R, RAV4, Prius, Yaris, and there are probably a few run-out  examples of the Auris Hybrid out there still in dealerships. There’s also the Kia Niro and the Hyundai Ioniq. There’s the full Lexus range — CT, IS, RC, GS, ES, LS, NX, RX and LC. There’s the Ford Mondeo Hybrid, too. There’s the new Honda CR-V Hybrid, some Mercedes diesel-hybrids and petrol plug-in hybrids, oh and the new AMG 53 six-cylinder mild hybrids.

Suzuki does mild hybrids too — for the Baleno, Swift and Ignis. Then there are the plug-in hybrids — Kia Niro and Hyundai Ioniq again, plus the Volvo XC90 and XC60 T8 models, along with the S90 and V90; the BMW i8, 330e, 530e, X5 40e, 225xe, and the MINI Countryman S E; there’s also the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport plug-ins, the Mitsubishi Outlander, the Volkswagen Golf and Passat GTE, the Audi Q7 e-tron and the Porsche Panamera and Cayenne.

I bet I've forgotten some...


Can I retrofit a better wheel to my VW Golf?

Hi,

I have a quick question: does any company in Dublin do retrofiting of steering wheels on Volkswagen Golfs? I have a standard wheel on my car but I want to put a multifunction one on.

Thanks

Mateo Starcevic (Dublin)

Feb 2019 Filed under: aftermarket

Expert answer

Hi Mateo,

I think the best thing to do is to go and have a word with your nearest Volkswagen dealer. I suspect that it may not be as simple as whipping off your wheel and hooking the new one on — there are complex systems and a lot of wiring to work out, so I’d say that a word with the experts would be the best place to start.


Should I buy a new electric car now?

Hello,

I am holding my breath before taking the EV plunge. The choice so far is between the Nissan Leaf e plus, the Kia e-Niro 64kW and the Hyundai Kona Electric. I know two of these will be 192-reg, but so far I have taken a test drive in the Kona and the current Leaf. Sorry to report that the Kona got the thumbs down on a few fronts.

Sadly the nit pickers have decided that they can throw the scraps to "poor Paddy". Smaller touch screen, standard cruise control and no spare. No height adjustment for front passenger seat. Just compare the UK offerings. Also quite a lot of road noise. To add insult the dealer padded his price to a ridiculous €40,000 after all rebates.

The test in the Leaf, albeit not the desired version, was a pleasure. It even had a slim spare wheel slung outside under the boot. Your review of the e-Niro doesn't mention the spare wheel, which is essential outside the cities. And as some drivers will want to carry one and the tools to fit it a lot of that space will be gone.

The Kona actually has a well under the boot floor, which houses the charging cable. How ridiculous is that! Imagine a young family going on an overnight trip. Pull everything out to find the cable... So finally, the question: should I go for the Leaf when it arrives or wait for the 2020 Volkswagen I.D.?

Peter

Peter Browne (Cavan)

Feb 2019 Filed under: electric cars

Expert answer

Hi Peter,

You make a good point about the spare wheel, and it’s something we should look at more often. Actually, it’s a serious issue — a great many cars now come with no spare at all, as car makers trim them to save weight for emissions and economy tests.

Try the Kia e-Niro before you take the leap — it’s mechanically the same as the Kona but roomier inside, and should come with a slightly better standard spec. The Leaf is an excellent car, but we can’t comment on the longer range version as we’ve not driven it yet. Likewise the Volkswagen I.D., which looks set to be a game changer, but obviously as we’ve not driven one it’s hard to tell. Basically, the best advice is if you can hang on for a few months, that might be worth doing.

A few reviews to help you decide:

Hyundai Kona Electric review

Kia e-Niro review

Nissan Leaf reviews


How much VRT on this VW Transporter?

How much would it cost to clear a 2014 Volkswagen Transporter Kombi with 180hp, 65000 miles and a DSG transmission?

Darren Reynolds (Ballymote)

Feb 2019 Filed under: VRT

Expert answer

Hi Darren,

It depends what you mean when you say ‘Kombi.’ If, by that, you mean a Transporter with windows and more than three, but fewer than ten seats, then that actually gets taxed as an M1 passenger car, and so you’re looking at CO2 emissions of between 169- and 174g/km, and so VRT of 28 per cent or 31 per cent of the Irish Open Market Selling Price (OMSP). That means, at a very, very rough guess, a VRT bill of around €4-5,000.

If it has three seats or fewer, or is a crew-cab (which means that the load area must be physically separated from the seating area), then it’s 13.3 per cent of the OMSP, which would be around €2,000 to €2,500 (again, that’s a very rough guess). 


What full-size MPVs are left on sale?

We’ve been driving SEAT Alhambras for quite some time. Don’t want an SUV, want to move up a few years, but alas, SEAT is discontinuing the Alhambra.. The Sharan seems on the way out too. We don’t want to compromise on thrid-row seating, so the Kodiaq etc don’t get a look in either. The Touran would be too small. And we don’t want to get near eight-seaters or “van” territory. What options for us dinosaurs?

Kevin O, Callaghan (Cork)

Jan 2019 Filed under: family car

Expert answer

Hi Kevin,

Well, Ford still has the Galaxy and S-Max on sale, and both of those are very strong bets, with the Galaxy obviously being a better bet if you really need maximum possible space in the rear seats. Other than that… Erm… Yeah, it’s suddenly looking very thin on the ground for full-size MPVs. You could consider importing a new-shape Renault Espace from France, but then you’d be stuck with left-hand drive. Or you could have a ring-round SEAT and Volkswagen dealers to see if they still have any Sharans or Alhambras in stock. There is bound to be a a few still lurking around the back of someone’s forecourt. 


Need room in a 2016 car for my three kids...

Looking for a car that would fit three car seats in back... don't want a seven-seater... for a five-year old, two-year old and new born. Will be changing to a 2016 at the most - any info would be great.

Aoife Flynn (Co Waterford)

Jan 2019 Filed under: child or baby seats

Expert answer

Hi Aoife,

If your five-year old is big/heavy enough to get by on a booster cushion, that would be a big help, as the narrowest cushions will generally fit into the middle seat of just about any car of Golf-Focus-Corolla size or bigger. If you’re still using a high-backed seat, then it becomes a little trickier, and you basically need to go for the biggest car you can with the widest back seat possible. Would you consider a Volvo S80? That has one of the widest rear seats known to human-kind, and if you get the 1.6 diesel version, they’re impressively economical too. If you need something smaller on the outside, consider a five-seat MPV such as a Volkswagen Golf SV.

Before you commit to any car, though, make sure you physically try out your car seats in it.


VRT and tax implications for imported Kombi?

Hi,

I am a teacher as well as part-time farmer. I am looking at changing my car and buying a Volkswagen Transporter Kombi to access outfarm, feedstuff etc. I am looking at sourcing in the UK, but not sure of VRT and then taxing the van. It would be used for farm as we have another family car. The van would be 2016 approx €25,000 euro. Can you advise to VRT rates and tax implications?

James McLoughlin (Sligo)

Jan 2019 Filed under: VRT

Expert answer

Hi James,

It depends on exactly what Kombi version it is. You see, under the recently changed rules for N1 commercial vehicle VRT and tax, if the van has fewer than ten seats, and the seats and cargo area are all in the one section, then it technically counts as a passenger car and you’ll be paying VRT at either 28 per cent or 31 per cent of the OMSP, and then passenger car motor tax too in Bands D or E.

If it has three or fewer seats, or if the cargo area is physically separated from the seating area, then it counts as a crew-van and you’ll pay 13.3 per cent of the OMSP, but to tax it as a private vehicle you’ll have to put it on the old engine capacity rating (why this is still in use we’re not sure, but it is) and that’ll be €710 a year assuming it has the 2.0-litre TDI engine. 


What's the best hybrid SUV?

Hi,

I’m currently driving a 2017 Nissan Qashqai SVE and looking to trade to a 17 or 18-reg plug-in hybrid of a similar size and spec level. Budget of about €30k including my car's trade value. What would you recommend? I do mainly city driving so hoping the hybrid would offer some savings.

Thanks

Dara Weston (Dublin)

Jan 2019 Filed under: hybrid

Expert answer

Hi Dara,

The best plug-in hybrids around at the moment are the Kia Niro PHEV, the Toyota Prius PHEV and the Volkswagen Golf GTE (assuming you can find a GTE in stock...). Now, these are smaller than your Qashqai inside, so you may need to make that compromise in order to get the plug-in hybrid efficiency. The revised Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV is massive inside, and rather nice, but thirsty if you’re not plugging it in all the time and making maximum use of the electric part of the powertrain.

A conventional hybrid might also be worth a look, especially given that you’re driving mostly in town. Honda is just about to launch a hybrid version of the hugely impressive new CR-V, and the new Toyota RAV4 is arriving in dealerships around now. Both are well worth considering if you can stretch the budget out to something brand-new.

Here are some relevant reviews:

Kia Niro PHEV review

Toyota Prius PHEV review

Volkswagen Golf GTE review

Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV review

Honda CR-V Hybrid review


-->