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Hi Frances,

If you mean a 320d diesel then yes, it's excellent. You should expect to get at least 45mpg in daily driving, a little more if you're careful.

If it's a petrol 318i or 320i then it'll be a little more thirsty but 35mpg on average should still be do-able.

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Hi Hugh,

OK, first off - well done. You obviously have sensitive driving senses. Most people probably wouldn't have noticed. Secondly, BMW's steering has gotten noticeably heavier over the years - basically as a way of adding more "sporty feeling" (inverted commas author's own) to the car as less and less real road feel is transmitted. So it's partially built in to the design of the car.

As for changing the tyres. It might help - changing the tyre, especially if you change the brand of the tyre, can have an effect on steering effort and it's possible that a switch to low rolling resistance tyres may lighten the steering a bit. But it won't make an enormous difference, and I'd seriously advise you not to change from runflats to conventional tyres - the car was designed around runflats and you could be setting yourself up for an evening on a wet hard shoulder, with no spare wheel, if you swap out the runflats.

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Hi Simon,

The only potential fly in the ointment here might be resale value, but we honestly don't think it'll be as big a factor on the 2 Series Coupé as it would on a 'normal' car, such as a 3 Series Saloon or a Ford Focus, for example. There is an element of risk on that, though not if the buyer is going for finance with a guaranteed future minimum value...

All that aside, we'd wholeheartedly recommend the 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine. It's astoundingly good in the MINI, marrying ok economy and low runnings costs with cracking performance and bags of personality. Admittedly, we've not had a chance to drive the 218i for ourselves and though the rear-drive chassis should be a hoot with that engine, it's worth noting that the 218i M Sport is about 300kg heavier than a MINI Cooper. In an ideal world your friend would get to try it out first to make sure they're happy with the performance.

As an aside, with such low mileage, and most of it in the city, a petrol car would be best in the long run for your friend to prevent DPF clog-ups and the like.

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Hi Frank,

A little bit, yes. It depends on where you're driving it. If you're mostly in and around town, then actually it's fine. It's on motorways and main roads that it starts to struggle for power a little.

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Hi Barry,

The Insignia's really nice and I do have something of a soft spot for it. A car that feels more sophisticated and more engaging the more you drive it. The Passat and Mondeo are nice choices too, but to be honest, the one I'd go for out of all of them would be the Accord. Comfy, smooth, frugal, nice to drive and above all it will almost certainly never break down. There's nothing quite so nice as the feeling you get from driving an utterly indestructible car.

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Hi Simon,

Go for a Volkswagen up!, Skoda Citigo or SEAT Mii. They all seem to do 50mpg no matter how or where you drive them.

Relevant reviews:

Skoda Citigo review

SEAT Mii review

Volkswagen up! review

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Hi John,

Do you mean for driving off-road, most of the time? Your best bet is to track down a Suzuki Jimny - they're cheap, cheerful, rugged and amazingly good in the mud. 

If you want to make regular on-road journeys in a bit of comfort, but still want to have something that'll deal with muddy fields, have a look for a Mk1 Subaru Forester. Great on road, great off road and you can't kill them with a stick.

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Hi John,

If you're buying an Irish car then you'll be very limited in terms of choice. The vast majority of 2010 Ford Focus on the roads in Ireland are powered by the 1.6-litre TDCi diesel engine, in either 90- or 110hp states of tune). It's not a bad engine with a great performance-to-economy ratio and low road tax. Be aware though, like many engines of this type, it's only really suited to average annual mileage of 20,000km and above - or the majority of its time on a fast-flowing road/motorway. The reason is that its diesel particulate filter (DPF) can clog up and it can be expensive to remedy. There are other components in the engine itself that also gum up if the car is used predominantly for low-speed driving.

Other engines in the 2010 Focus are the 1.8 TDCi diesel and, for low-mileage drivers, the 1.4- and 1.6-litre petrol units. All of these are much rarer. The 1.8 isn't quite as susceptible as the 1.6 diesel to issues, but it's less economical. If you're sure that diesel suits your needs then seek out a 1.6.

Hope that helps

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Hi Irene,

Engine size means less than it used to, especially when comparing a petrol engine to a diesel one. That Hyundai will be more economical and cheaper to tax than the 1.4 petrol Golf from 2008. Saying that, if most of your driving is in town there won't be a big advantage for the diesel, but it should still use less fuel overall.

A larger car such as the i40 is likely to be a bit heavier on things like tyres, but it's newer than your Golf so shouldn't need tyres for a while. 

Hope that all helps 

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Hi Noel,

I'm actually one of the (few) motoring writers who kind of likes the Pulsar - it's not in the slightest bit exciting but it's comfy, spacious, economical and OK to drive.

The Leaf is different - it's far more of a ground-breaking car and genuinely high-tech, plus of course there's the whole concept of it being entirely free from pollution and emissions at the local level. Buying one though does mean making sure that your driving pattern and lifestyle fit the Leaf's capabilities. With between 160- and 200km on a single charge being the absolute best you can get from it, it's still really only a car for those covering short journeys and mostly city mileage. Do you regularly take long journeys or spend a lot of time on the motorway? Then the Leaf, as yet, is not for you.

Read our review of the Nissan Pulsar here