Which new Audi A6 e-tron to buy?
I was living in the North when I bought my last new Audi A7. I saved a considerable sum by shopping around dealers. In RoI, do all Audi dealers stick to the website price or is it worth shopping around?
Audi Ireland only seems to offer a three-year general warranty. Is it possible to buy an extended warranty?
Yours was the best review I have read about the A6 Sportback e-tron. I live on top of a hill two miles from a main road and they do not grit here. I prefer quattro but also want max range - any advice as to how to choose between the quattro and the advance?
Sorry for the three questions!
Michael Duffy (Donegal)Jun 2025 Filed under: choosing new car
Expert answer
Hi Michael,
New Audi prices may be the same across all its dealers, but each and every one of them will do deals differently, especially when there's a trade-in involved. No harm shopping around.
We know that Audi has an extended warranty, and it's briefly mentioned on Audi Ireland's website, but there's no further information about its cost that we can see. We've sent a message to our contact there to get an answer on that one for you. We'd certainly advocate for extended warranties on high-end cars.
Finally, only you can decide on which of the A6 Sportback e-trons you like, but do you need to absolutely max out the range you can get from the car? Enough to live without the reassurance of quattro four-wheel drive? If so, then perhaps invest in a set of winter tyres and wheels to use when you need them.
I'd just go for the quattro and accept it won't be quite as efficient.
Price of a 4x4 Dacia Duster?
What would the cost be of a Dacia Duster 4x4 Hybrid fitted with a towbar? What weight could the above tow?
Vincent Hennelly (Claremorris)Jun 2025 Filed under: towing
Expert answer
Hi Vincent,
I'm afraid it's not possible to get the Duster with both the hybrid powertrain and four-wheel drive. If you need 4x4 then you'll have to go for the petrol engine called "TCe 130", which costs from €33,390 as a 4x4 against €32,090 for the entry-level (front-wheel-drive) Duster Hybrid - called "HEV 140" by Dacia.
The 4x4 model can tow up to 1,500kg of braked trailer, while the front-wheel-drive hybrid version is limited to 750kg.
Does my Toyota RAV4 have four-wheel drive?
I have a 2011 RAV4 D4D and I'm not sure now whether it's 2wd or 4wd. It has a fuse in the 4wd option but no propshaft only wires to the rear wheels. I find I am only getting front-wheel drive when I get stuck on a slippery surface.
Steve (London)Jun 2025 Filed under: winter driving
Expert answer
Hi Steve,
If there is no propshaft from the gearbox at the front to the rear axle then your RAV4 does not have four-wheel drive. The four-wheel-drive models also have a button on the dashboard to lock the system into an even 50:50 split for very slippery conditions.
Any four-wheel-drive MGs on sale?
Hi,
Can you tell me do the MG cars come as four-wheel drive?
Paddy (Kildare)May 2025 Filed under: choosing new car
Expert answer
Hi Paddy,
The only new MGs on sale in Ireland right now that have four-wheel drive are the high-performance cars, i.e. the dual-motor MG Cyberster GT and the MG4 XPower. All the SUVs are two-wheel drive.
Thinking of buying a Volvo hybrid...
Hi.
I'm thinking of changing my Volvo. Can I ask how the XC40 and the XC60 plug-in hybrid models are set up? Am I correct in understanding that the electric motor and the petrol engine in the PHEV XC40 both drive the front wheels whereas in the XC60 the electric motor drives the rear wheels, so that four-wheel drive would be available when the electric and petrol engines are used in combination? Also, can I ask a separate question about "self driving". In the modern Volvos, they just talk of a lane keeping aid. Does this function in the same way as what was labelled Pilot Assist in models of a couple of years ago?
Thank you
Philip
Philip Donegan (Ballina)Oct 2020 Filed under: choosing new car
Expert answer
Hi Philip,
The T5 hybrid version of the Volvo XC40 (read our review of it here) is front-wheel drive only, as you said, while the XC60 T8 hybrid (here's our review of that) has an electric motor on the rear axle, giving the car all-wheel drive at times.
As to your second question, lane-keeping aid/assist technology is quite different to what Volvo calls Pilot Assist. The former can warn a driver if they're wandering out of lane and assist with a small steering correction if needs be, while Pilot Assist is an advanced for of active cruise control that also helps with steering inputs.
Can the BMW X1 hybrid charge its battery?
Reading your review of the BMW X1 plug-in hybrid, can you advise if the engine can charge the drive battery as that battery is the only source of power for the four-wheel drive?
Barry Matthews (Wicklow)Sep 2020 Filed under: hybrid
Expert answer
Hi Barry,
Yes it can. You can toggle through various modes with the eDrive button on the centre console to the Save Battery setting and then the engine combines with regenerative braking to charge up the battery.
Is this tax right for a 2016 Ford Kuga?
Hi there.
I have a 162 Ford Kuga and my tax per year is €710. This seems very high for a 2016 car. Am I missing something?
Thanks
Niall O Driscoll (Cahersiveen )May 2020 Filed under: taxation
Expert answer
HI Niall,
Yeah, that sounds wrong to us. The highest emissions figure we can find for a 2016 Kuga is 140g/km, which would result in tax of €280, and that would be for the range-topping 180hp version with four-wheel drive and an automatic gearbox. However, €710 is EXACTLY the motor tax you’d pay on a 2.0-litre engine if the car was previously registered as a commercial vehicle and then taxed as a private car. Maybe check and see if that’s the case?
Will there be a new BMW X5 '25d'?
Hi,
Do you know if BMW will introduce a 25d version of the new X5? The last generation had one and it was usefully cheaper than the 30d version.
Thanks
Bill O Donnell (Cork)Mar 2019 Filed under: future engines
Expert answer
Hi Bill,
We've had to change our original answer as BMW has now revealed an X5 xDrive25d version after all, powered by a twin-turbo diesel 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine. It thankfully retains four-wheel drive, but should help reduce the entry cost for the X5.
Hyundai Santa Fe vs. Skoda Kodiaq 4x4?
Hi.
Could I ask you to do a comparison between the Skoda Kodiaq and new Hyundai Santa Fe in 4x4 format, please?
Thanks
Philip
Philip Donegan (Ballina)Feb 2019 Filed under: choosing new car
Expert answer
Hi Philip,
Well, the first thing to note is that with four-wheel drive, both models will be quite a bit thirstier on fuel than if you went for the more basic front-wheel-drive models. In terms of making a direct comparison of the Kodiaq and Santa Fe, that’s actually kind of tricky as they sit at very different price points. You can pick up a basic Kodiaq for €32,495 while a new Santa Fe starts at €42,745. The Skoda is a really nice car — handsome, roomy and good to drive, but its cabin can feel a little bit plain at times, unless you spend a lot of money on optional extras. The Hyundai looks and feels rather more luxurious, as befits its price, and it feels more of a premium product. Both, in seven-seat form, suffer from the usual SUV problem of the third row seats not really being big enough, either for adults or for small kids in bulky safety seats. If it’s value you’re after, then the Skoda is the obvious choice, but if you fancy something that can take on the German premium brands, at a slightly lower price, then it’s worth looking at the Hyundai. Both should be very reliable in the long term, incidentally.
Which seven-seat SUV won't break the bank?
Am looking for a seven-seater that has three ISOFIX points in the middle seats and has either four-wheel drive or assist. And that won't break the bank. Am coming up short on anything that's not mega expensive.
Nial Tully (Co. Roscommon)Aug 2018 Filed under: choosing new car
Expert answer
Hi Niall,
Have you tried a new-shape Peugeot 5008? That has three ISOFIX points across the middle row of seats, and while there’s not a four-wheel-drive option, you can get them with Peugeot’s clever adjustable traction control system. Prices start at under €30,000 for a new one, and used models are obviously a good bit less than that.