Hyundai i20, Opel Astra or Ford EcoSport?
At same lending cost... what to buy and why? Hyundai i20, Opel Astra or Ford EcoSport Titanium Plus?
Jitu Mehta (Rajkot.)Jul 2017 Filed under: choosing new car
Expert answer
Hi Jitu,
Of those three, we’d go for the Astra every time. The i20 is fine, but a little dull. The EcoSport is an awful car so don’t go near it. The Astra, though, is well made, engaging to drive, roomy and economical. Go for the 1.0-litre turbo petrol and you won’t go wrong. Here are our reviews of each:
Which small car meets my needs?
I would like a small car with the following: automatic gearbox, leather seats, glass roof and four or five doors. What makes or models are available?
Thanks, Kathleen
Kathleen Barry (Dublin)Jul 2017 Filed under: choosing new car
Expert answer
Hi Kathleen,
I think your best bet would be a MINI Cooper. Have a shop around and you’ll definitely find one with the auto gearbox, the panoramic roof and the leather seats option and you can, of course, now buy a MINI with five doors if you fancy. Not cheap, but they’re well made, reliable and fun to drive too. Here's a relevant review:
How does the Skoda Octavia 1.0 perform?
I have just ordered the Skoda Octavia Combi 1.0-litre petrol. How does the one-litre engine perform with a fully loaded car?
Mark Conway (Dublin)Jul 2017 Filed under: performance
Expert answer
Hi Mark,
While we haven’t loaded an Octavia 1.0 to its total maximum GVW capacity, we have driven it with four passengers and a boot full of luggage and it performs very well indeed. Not the fastest car around, no doubt, but we found no lack of performance and fuel economy remained at an impressive 50mpg.
Have you a new Mazda CX-5 review?
Have you done a review of the new Mazda CX-5 yet?
Mark Foley (Dundalk)Jul 2017 Filed under: choosing new car
Expert answer
Hi Mark,
We certainly have. Read Neil's first drive of the 2.2-litre diesel AWD version here.
We're looking for a good seven-seater.
Hi, we're looking for a seven-seater where we could potentially fit three car seats across the back seat. We currently have a Nissan Qashqai, which we love. A friend recommended a Volkswagen Touran, but says it feels a bit boxy to drive - but that might be the case with all seven-seaters? Our budget is €30k net of trade in (04 Ford Fiesta).
Happy to buy new or consider up to two years' old.
Thanks
Rosalind O'Brien (Dublin)Jul 2017 Filed under: choosing new car
Expert answer
Hi Rosalind,
If you go for the current Touran (which launched two years ago) then no, it's not boxy to drive at all. Rather good in fact. The new Renault Scenic is also quite nice to drive, and if you go up a size, the Ford S-Max is actually slightly nicer to drive than the Mondeo that it's based on. Here are a few reviews for your interest:
Which new seven-seat SUV for 2018?
Hi,
I currently drive a Land Rover Discovery Sport, five-seater diesel and I am thinking about changing in 2018. We would ideally like to stay in the SUV market, but our new car will need to have seven seats. The Discovery Sport does come as a seven-seater, but wondering what other options are out there for a total budget of €50k approx either in or out of the SUV bracket?
Thanks
Enda Daly (Galway)Jul 2017 Filed under: choosing new car
Expert answer
Hi Enda,
There's a growing number of options for seven-seat SUVs. The new Skoda Kodiaq is excellent and €50k would buy you one with a lot of toys. The Kia Sorento is also in that price bracket and is big, roomy and hugely comfortable. Ditto the Hyundai Santa Fe. Peugeot's incoming new 5008 is worth a look too. Here are our reviews of them all to help you out:
Should I go for a new Alfa Romeo Giulia?
Hi,
I am contemplating buying an Alfa Romeo Giulia and was hoping to get thoughts from a local motoring journalist. Would you recommend it? I've done a fair bit of homework comparing it against the likes of a BMW 3 Series or Jaguar XE and it really seems to stand up well. While the others offer lower hp engines etc, when you actually compare like for like (e.g. auto 150hp/180hp/200hp), the price difference/levels of standard spec seem worlds apart.
I'm looking at the Super Sport trim and when I spec up an equivalent M Sport, the price difference works out at around €5k.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Donal (Dublin)
Donal Dennehy (Dublin)Jun 2017 Filed under: choosing new car
Expert answer
Hi Donal,
Yup, Alfa is definitely offering some very sharp value deals on the Giulia at the moment, especially when you consider that you can effectively get a mid-spec car for the same price as a basic model. It’s a car we really like — it’s gorgeous, terrific to drive, practical and Alfa seems at last to have gotten on top of its quality issues. Two caveats, really — the infotainment system is not as sophisticated as you’d find in rival models, and to see the Giulia at its best, you really need to avoid the 2.2 diesel and go instead for the 200hp turbo petrol, although obviously that may not suit your needs.
Thoughts on the Jeep Renegade diesel?
I am wondering about the Jeep Renegade Limited Edition model 1.6 diesel: how good on mpg and handling mainly? What out of 100 marks would you rate it compared to other SUVs of the same size?
Amylee Curran Curran (Dublin)Jun 2017 Filed under: choosing new car
Expert answer
Hi Amylee,
We really like the Renegade - true, the looks won't please all, but it's decent to drive, that 1.6 diesel is frugal and has good power (bit noisy though) and there's decent space in the cabin. Quality levels seem good too, although the boot could be bigger. Out of 100? 65-70 I'd say.
Is the Skoda Octavia 1.0 a good one?
Is the Skoda Octavia 1.0 TSI good (in terms of fuel economy and reliability) for long drives? E.g. travelling from Copenhagen to Prague (approx 1,000km) in one day?
Sharad Maroo (Ringsted)Jun 2017 Filed under: choosing new car
Expert answer
Hi Sharad,
Skoda reliability is hard to beat; in fact Skoda often does better in reliability surveys than its Volkswagen overlord, so knocking off a regular 1,000km journey will be no bother to it.
As for economy, we recently tested the 1.0 Octavia and got close to 50mpg out of it in daily driving, so it's pretty frugal, really.
Five best estate cars in Ireland?
Hi,
Hope you're well, Have you done a '5 best estate cars in Ireland?' I did search but couldn't see anything.
Martin Smith (Ringsted)Jun 2017 Filed under: choosing new car
Expert answer
Hi Martin,
We haven’t actually done that, as yet, but here’s a quick rundown of our favourites:
1. Skoda Superb Combi: massive, roomy, cavernous, spacious, replete with space — whatever way you want to put it, the Superb is the best estate around simply because you can fit the most amount of stuff into one. Looks good too, and is exceptionally comfortable. Not the sharpest thing to drive, but you won’t really care.
2. Mercedes-Benz E-Class Estate: really good looking, massive boot, staggeringly high quality cabin, comfortable, smooth 2.0-litre diesel and surprisingly good to drive.
3. Volvo V90: another one that’s surprisingly good to drive, with sharper steering than you’d expect. Gorgeous interior, exceptionally comfy seats and the only problem is that the boot isn’t quite as big as it should be. Exterior styling does kind of make up for that, a little.
4. Volkswagen Golf Estate: not the obvious choice perhaps, but adds extra space (lots of it — a 605-litre boot) to the Golf’s usual other qualities of quality and classiness. An ideal family car and more affordable to buy and run than an average SUV.