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Hi Tom,

Yes, it is. Renault has really gotten on top of the quality issues that plagued the brand in the early 2000s and the fact that the engine (and pretty much all the bits you can’t see) are shared with Nissan should tell you a lot about their potential reliability.

We have heard of that 1.5 engine blowing turbos, but it seems to be a relatively rare issue. Nonetheless, as it ages you should definitely keep an eye on the various electrical and electronic systems as they can throw up niggling problems. That said, if you stick to the service schedule, it should be fine.

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Hi Colin,

The 2.0D X-Trail will be coming to Ireland, but it's not on sale until next November. By then I would expect that we would see an extensive facelift along the lines of what's on sale in Australia. 

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Hi Colin,

We’ve checked with Nissan on this and have been told that the 2.0-litre diesel X-Trail will be coming here, but not until October 2017. With that much of a time gap, we’d expect the X-Trail to have had its mid-life facelift by then, as you suggest, and it will more than likely follow the Australian and US update pretty closely in terms of styling and interior upgrades. As for how it will compare to the new Skoda Kodiaq, well – that sounds like a twin test to us...

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Hi Mike,

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Hi Conor,

The two best SUVs of similar elevation to the Freelander would be the Honda CR-V and the Nissan X-Trail. Both are excellent choices (and the X-Trail can be had with seven seats), but the Honda’s more spirited driving experience nudges it for us. Also worth looking at a Land Rover Discovery Sport (effectively the third-generation Freelander), although they’re pricier than the Honda or Nissan.

As for choosing a buying time, yes, if you wait until the end of January, depending on how new car sales go, there should be a few more trade-ins and the like cluttering up dealer lots so you might get a sharper deal. Any of the big car rental companies will set you up with a good deal on a long-term rent, and Enterprise is probably the best place to start.

Here are a few of our reviews to help you choose:

Honda CR-V review

Nissan X-Trail review

Land Rover Discovery Sport review

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Hi Kenneth,

Yes, but it will depend on the condition of the engine. Basically, as long as all of the wiring and electrics are in good condition and are properly covered up with their original panels and cable armour etc, then it should be fine.

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Hi Paul,

I’m assuming you’re looking at about a 2005 model year? If so, the official combined fuel economy figure was 42.2mpg, or 6.7 litres per 100km, but the actual fuel consumption will depend significantly on both the condition of the vehicle and your own driving style.

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Hi Daniel,

Yes, it certainly would. The Tucson hasn’t become Ireland’s best selling new car this year for nothing. It’s handsome, roomy, well-made, well-equipped and well-priced. On the flip side, it’s not especially inspiring to drive and it’s worth considering an upgrade to the 2.0-litre diesel engine as the 1.7 CRDi unit is quite underpowered. Oh, and also consider a Kia Sportage as it’s basically the same as the Hyundai, mechanically, but comes with the longer seven-year warranty. Here are a few reviews to give you more information:

Hyundai Tucson 1.7 CRDi review

Hyundai Tucson 2.0 CRDi 4WD review

Kia Sportage review

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Hi Dana,

No, not yet – it won’t be fully revealed to the public until 1st of September, and it will be some time after that before Irish prices and specs are worked out. However, we can infer from some of its rivals how expensive it might be. The primary cars that it will be going up against will be the Kia Sorento and Hyundai Santa Fe, both of which have prices that start at €38-39k, and also the Nissan X-Trail, which, in seven-seat form, starts at €37k. So around the €37k mark might be a sensible bet.

That said, the new Volkswagen Tiguan, on which the Kodiaq is based, mechanically, starts at just under €30k, and there will be a seven-seat version of that soon too, so Skoda will have to carefully balance its prices to make sure that it’s a little, but not too much, cheaper than the seven-seat Tiguan. Complicated, isn’t it? I reckon somewhere between the €35,000 and €37,000 marks would be a reasonable guess as to the Kodiaq’s starting price.

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Hi Eoin,

A knocking noise is indeed how you'd usually describe a CV joint when it's worn, but it's usually only turning in one direction - unless both are gone, which would be unusual in such a young car in our experience. Either way, it's not easy to trouble shoot noises from afar so I suggest you drop into a local garage and get them to analyse it for you. They'll know in seconds if it is a CV joint.

Best of luck.