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Hi Anthony,

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Hi Mumtaz,

That engine uses a timing chain.

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Hi John,

The Qashqai is a decent choice, and that 1.6 dCi diesel engine is a superior unit to the older 1.5-litre model. The four-wheel-drive system is useful too, especially if you’re living out in the sticks, but if most of your mileage is in town, then it might be a bit redundant, and doesn’t do any favours to the fuel consumption. The only concern would be that, long-term, the Qashqai does seem to develop its fair share of reliability issues, with electrics being the primary culprits, so make sure you get one with a full service history and check every switch and system.

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Hi Eimear,

It’s a tricky one and it kind of depends on what age of car you’re looking at. I think with your driving profile and the fact that, as you say, you don’t drive much in town, hybrid may not be right for you. Emphasis on the ‘may.’

If you’re buying a new hybrid, that equation changes a little. The current Toyota Prius, for example, gets an easy 65mpg on the motorway, which is better than I’ve ever got out of any diesel. Ditto the Kia Niro plugin-hybrid. It’s not just new cars either. A few years back I squeezed better economy out of a Lexus GS 300h on a run from Dublin to West Cork and back than I did on the same route, in the same week, with a Ford Mondeo Vignale diesel.

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Hi Patrick,

I think if you’re buying new then diesel is still a safe enough bet for the moment. Yes, doubtless, there will be some future restrictions on diesel, either through tax, or tolls, or city centre usage restriction, but as long as the diesel engine in question is the most modern type possible, conforming to the latest Euro6d Temp regulations (as does that of the Mazda6) then it should be fine. If you’re a low-miles driver, and someone who mostly drives in town, then obviously it’s well worth considering a hybrid alternative or, for that matter, Mazda’s rather excellent 2.0-litre petrol engine.

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Hi Marlene,

In terms of reliability, I wouldn’t have any worries — Hyundai’s reliability reputation is iron-clad, and besides; if you did have any trouble with it, there’s that five-year, unlimited mileage warranty backing it up. One word of caution though. The Kona’s best engine is the 1.0-litre T-GDi petrol version, which is a sweet engine with good economy and might be a better ownership bet unless you’re doing big miles every year. Alternatively, it’s well worth checking out the new all-electric Kona, which has a really long one-charge range. 

Read all our Hyundai Kona reviews here

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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.

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Hi Jay,

I'm assuming you have a 2.0 TDCi diesel engine, not one of the 2.0-litre petrol units of that year (they all use timing chains, not belts). If so, then the recommended change interval is at least every 200,000 kilometres or 10 years, whichever comes first.

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Hi Tom,

It kind of depends on what price range you’re looking at. The more expensive you go, the more available such options are. The likes of a BMW 5 Series or an Audi A6 would be the easiest to find with all of these options on the one car, but it becomes much more problematic if you’re shopping lower down the price lists. Come back to us and let us know your budget for more useful assistance.

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Hi Patrick,

Well, sadly, it’s just not that simple. The one per cent surcharge for Vehicle Registration Tax applies only to diesel-engined vehicles, and it’s not a flat-rate rise from ten per cent to 11 per cent, but a one per cent rise across all the VRT bands. VRT has always been something of an iniquitous tax. The thing is that, potentially, you’re right; a VRT increase could possibly dissuade buyers from shopping in the UK, and send them back to Irish forecourts, but only if it were applied to private imports, rather than new registrations through a dealer. That’s problematic too, though, as many dealers actually shop for second hand stock in the UK, given the tendency of Irish cars to be low in spec and small in number. Would such a new tax apply to those imports? Should it? If not, is that unfair to those private individuals who are merely ’shopping around’ for the best value? And given that, technically, every car brought into the state is an import, where does one draw the line when it comes to manufacturer imports versus private imports? VRT is many things, both right and wrong, but one thing it’s sure not is simple.