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Hi Gearoid,

We believe you have to remove the rear seats to access the boot and the back of the lock. Not a quick job...

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Hi Amanda,

Pretty good, but all Mercedes models of that era suffered major problems with the electrical systems (especially the instrument displays) and some braking issues too. It's a complex car so perhaps get in touch with the Mercedes Club of Ireland to get a better handle and some friendly advice.

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Hi Igor,

There was a changeover of Santa Fe models in 2006, when the first seven-seat model was introduced. Go for that, not the older model which was pretty crude, if reliable. 

The 2006 on version is much better - smooth and comfy and with lots of space. Astonishingly, there seem to be no common reported problems. Hyundai builds its cars pretty tough and only the occasional wobble from a stereo seems to surface. An excellent choice.

Best of luck

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Hi Jim,

Well, the rule is never buy on mileage or even age, but only on condition and history. If the higher mileage car has been better cared for, and has a fully-stamped up service history, then it could well be just as good as the older but lower mileage one. Basically, take both for a thorough test drive and see which one 'feels younger.' If one has had a hard life, and the other an easy one, it should be pretty apparent which is the better purchase. 

Same goes for the 5 Series, but try not to get the less desirable manual. You may pay more for an auto now but it will be worth it come resale time.

Let us know how you get on

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Hi Patrick,

With that kind of criteria, and if you’ve driven your wife’s Prius and liked it, I’m minded to recommend the Lexus. The hybrid systems are related (although of course the Lexus is considerably more powerful and sporty), it’s well-equipped (most of what you want is on the standard equipment list) and with mileage of 10,000km a year, it should be just about ideal. Plus, it’s unbreakably reliable.

Here are a few reviews that might interest you:

Lexus IS 300h review

BMW 3 Series Gran Turismo review

Volvo V40 review

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Hi Colette,

We'll work from official figures here. Mazda quotes 4.3 litres/100km (65.7mpg) for the Mazda3 fitted with its 115hp 1.6 diesel engine. That applies to all versions of the five-door hatchback and four-door saloon the diesel engine can be had in.

Hyundai, meanwhile, quotes 4.1 litres/100km (68.9mpg) for its 110hp 1.6-litre diesel engine - in manual guise - so that car wins by a nose.

We wouldn't expect there to be much in it for the average driver though, as the Mazda has a little more performance (specifically torque), which means that the driver has to try a little harder in the Hyundai to achieve the same speeds.

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Hi Ben,

The only way to look at this like-for-like at the moment is the compare the Superb (pre-facelift that goes on sale next month) and the new Octavia, both with 2.0 TDI 140 engines. The DSG option costs €4,865 in the Superb and just €2,300 in the Octavia and it should be the same six-speed unit in each.

However, adding a DSG transmission to that Superb moves it from tax Band B1 to Band C, or, more pertinently, from a situation where the car is subject to 18 per cent VRT to one where it attracts 23 per cent VRT. In comparison, the Octavia moves from Band A3 to A4, adding a single per cent increase in VRT (rising from 17- to 18 per cent).

Nonetheless, we did a quick calculation to get the prices before VRT of each car and subtract the manual price from the DSG and it still works out that Skoda charges considerably more for the DSG transmission.

We contacted Skoda Ireland and it agreed and has changed this in the new Superb. Here's the official response:

"The Superb DSG premium on average was €4,300; this will be reduced to €3,000 with the introduction of the Superb facelift in July. This represents a customer saving of €1,300 compared to the outgoing model. This is a slightly higher premium than the Octavia model; however, it is not as simple as pricing the transmission as a single unit and then applying it to the various models. There are many factors taken into consideration when pricing vehicles as a whole. Previously the Superb DSG was a big seller for Skoda. With improved prices we are confident we will see even more customer moving to DSG from manual transmission."

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Hi Patsy,

BMW offers three different diesel engines with xDrive four-wheel drive in the X3, the xDrive20d, xDrive30d and xDrive35d. The xDrive20d can be had with a manual or automatic gearbox and the official figure is 50.4mpg (5.6 litres/100km) no matter which transmission is fitted. The xDrive30d and xDrive35d are only available with automatic gearboxes and the official fuel economy figures are 47.1mpg and 46.3mpg respectively (6.0- and 6.1 litres/100km).

Those figures won't be obtainable in the real-world, obviously! We spent time with the xDrive20d during snowy conditions a few years back (read the full review here) and averaged 34mpg (8.3 litres/100km), though in normal conditions it should do a lot better than that. We also tested the xDrive30d (read that full review here), though apologies, but I didn't record the average fuel consumption figure at the time...

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Hi Norman,

Your best bet is your local Audi dealer. Manuals aren't usually too expensive. If it is too expensive perhaps search for it on eBay or similar.

Let us know how you get on.

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Hi Rachel,

There only seems to be one specific problem with the Note and that's with the air conditioning system, which can spring a leak and drop water into the foot well. Unnoticed and left alone that can lead to mould forming in the car and a distinctly smelly cabin.

Other than that, the Note is built in the same Sunderland factory (in the UK) that makes the Qashqai and Juke - and used to make the Micra - so quality is of a very high level.