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Hi Karen,

The official claimed figures (and I'm assuming you mean the two-wheel-drive variants here) are 35mpg for the petrol model and 40mpg for the diesel. That sounds like a close run thing, but it depends on your driving. If you're doing mostly short, around-town hops, then the petrol will do better. For lots of long journeys, get the diesel.

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Hi Joseph,

It's impossible to diagnose such a thing from afar I'm afraid. Any decent mechanic should be able to try several things without having to resort to diagnostics. I'd suggest you take it to another if your current one is giving up...

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Hi Tony,

There should be either a zip-off seat cover or a pull-out panel on the upholstery that will allow you to get into the body of the seat and get at the cushion. It might mean unbolting the seat from its mounts to do it though, so you may need to seek some professional help.

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Hi Ashleigh,

How about a Mazda3 1.6 diesel? Sharp looking, sharp to drive, impressively economical and given Mazda's reputation it should stand up to years of family rough and tumble. We found on on Carzone.ie for under €5k from a dealer in Carlow as well.

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Hi Sunil,

I'd say the Audi Q5. The GLK is still left-hand drive only (or did you mean the smaller GLA?) and pretty ugly. While the BMW X3 has evolved into a really nice car, for my money, the latest round of updates to the Q5 have just nudged it in front. Slick to look at, slick to drive and very comfy inside. It's a belter.

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Hi Ragnar,

Several things can cause that, so you need to take the car to an auto-electrician to ascertain which. Possibilities:

1) The battery itself needs to be replaced, but don't do that until you're sure it's none of these other things.

2) The alternator isn't charging the battery properly. Check for loose leads and/or the alternator belt itself before paying an auto-electrician to check it.

3) Something may be staying on to drain the battery when you turn the car off. It could be a light in the boot or glovebox or the alarm or stereo or something else entirely. Will need a little investigation.

Best of luck with it - let us know how you get on.

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Hi Stephen,

Well, according to the official figures, you should be getting 55mpg on average. If you're not getting that, or something near it, then you need to consider a few possibilities:

Are your tyres up to the correct pressures? Has the car been serviced lately, and given an oil and filters change? Are you carrying around lots of extra weight in the car or have you got a roof rack or roof box on top?

If none of these helps, maybe you need to take a look at your own driving style. Lighter throttle openings, earlier gearshifts, a bit more anticipation - that sort of thing.

Hope that's of some help

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Hi Stephen,

Yup, it's brilliant and if you get one younger than five years old, it'll still be under its original factory warranty. Cracking car.

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Hi Laurie,

Well, I'm assuming that, as you have a Rio, you won't want to see your price tag or running costs rise by too much, so how about a Skoda Fabia Combi estate? Similar in size and running costs to the Rio, but with a massive boot that should easily take your golf clubs (although you should bring them on the test drive to make sure they slot in OK - better safe than sorry). 

If the Fabia is still too small and you want to stay within the Kia family, then what about a cee'd SW estate? Masses of space, frugal 1.6 diesel engine and you should get a decent deal on a one- to two-year old example, still with lots of that nice full-sized Kia warranty to run.

Let us know how you get on

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Hi Jay,

I'd say you should track down a nice, well-cared for BMW 520d Touring. Make sure the turbo is giving proper power and don't accept anything without a full and complete service history. Might be worth a trip to the UK to find one as Tourings are thin on the ground here.