Can I fit a swivel seat to a Honda CR-V?
Please advise if a swivel passenger seat can be fitted to a Honda CR-V.
Thanks
Joe
Joe Mungovan (Ennis)Jun 2019 Filed under: miscellaneous
Expert answer
Hi Joe,
We sent this one on to Honda Ireland and here was the response:
"Yes a swivel passenger seat can fit in a Honda CR-V. However we would ask the customer to speak to their mobility solutions provider too, as it depends on the design and the size of the seat."
Looking for a new estate car...
Hi,
I am looking for a new estate car and would like to hear your opinion. I have been driving an Octavia Combi (1.6-litre TDI diesel, Ambition) for the past six years. I do approx. 25,000km per year, not many of those on the motorway. I really like the Skoda but would prefer something with a little more power and spec. I am thinking a 2.0-litre diesel in a high spec and have my eye on a one-to -two-year-old Superb or Passat. Any advice when choosing between those two? Also, I see if I go maybe one year older I could get an Audi A4 Avant. Would the A4 be a better option for comfort/spec over the other two?
Interested to hear your opinion.
Thanks.
M Lowe (Carrick On Shannon)May 2019 Filed under: choosing new car
Expert answer
Hi there,
The A4 would be a little better in terms of comfort, but not in terms of space or practicality, and to be honest the benefits are pretty marginal. Either the Passat or the Superb make fantastic estate cars. The Superb has an edge on luggage capacity (around 60 litres extra), but the Passat is a little sharper to drive, and has arguably a nicer interior. A marginal decision then, but we’d probably go for the Superb on balance. Or, just to throw a spanner in the works, have a look at the excellent Mazda6 Tourer before deciding…
A few reviews to help you decide:
Help me out with some import answers...
Hi,
I'm currently living in London. I've bought a passenger vehicle to beat the VRT when I return to Ireland. It's registered to me, but the wife will be taking it when we get back to Ireland. I plan to buy a Land Rover Discovery Commercial. Will I get away with €200 VRT (as it's an N1 category vehicle) when I return and re-register it, as I plan to use it as a private van? I don't really need the space but could do with a 4x4 for helping out on the farm at home, hence why I'm thinking a commercial would be cheaper.
Thanks a million.
#ConfusedPaddy
Rob Hoban (London)May 2019 Filed under: VRT
Expert answer
Hi Rob,
Yes, if you have registered the car to your London address, and can show proof of continuous tax and insurance for six months prior to your move, then you’ll be able to avoid VRT when you import it here. On the Discovery Commercial, you’ll be looking at rather more than €200 VRT to import it, I’m afraid. N1 and Cat B commercial vehicles don’t pay a flat rate any more, they pay 13.3 per cent of the Open Market Selling Price, or the Irish market price as defined by Revenue. The same will go for a crew-cab, and 13.3 per cent is the lowest possible rate of VRT.
Which new hybrid SUV to go for?
I am a disabled driver and use hand controls for the brake and accelerator. For the last 12 years I have driven a Honda Accord 2.0 petrol automatic. It has been a fantastic car and now has 260k km on the clock. I am looking for a higher vehicle, an SUV, and am looking at the Honda CR-V Hybrid, Toyota RAV4 Hybrid and the Volkswagen Tiguan (I could wait for the hybrid later in the year). I live in rural Ireland and handling on twisty roads is important and accelerating to pass slower moving cars on those all too few straight stretches of road. Is this a good shortlist, and if so, which would you recommend?
Robert Joyce (Clifden)Mar 2019 Filed under: hybrid
Expert answer
Hi Robert,
Yes, it’s a very solid shortlist, although obviously we can’t comment either way on the Tiguan plug-in hybrid as we’ve not driven one yet. As for the Honda and the Toyota, the Honda is roomier and rather more engaging to drive (better for all those twisty roads) so is probably the one we’d go for. The new RAV4 is well worth looking at, though, and it has impressive performance, so it’s good for all that overtaking. Links to our reviews below:
Used Passat or Skoda Octavia diesel?
I'm debating between a 152 VW Passat Trendline BlueMotion Technology with 133,000km and a 2016 Skoda Octavia 1.6 TDI Ambition DSG model with 80,000km on the clock. Any feeback would be great.
Thanks
Shane
Shane Egan (Galway)Mar 2019 Filed under: choosing used car
Expert answer
Hi Shane,
Both are excellent, but in general we’d lean towards the Skoda. Although a slightly smaller car overall, you’re not sacrificing much rear seat space, and you are gaining a bigger and more versatile boot. Our only concern would be to get a very careful history check done, as the Octavia is popular as a taxi, and that’s something to be avoided.
LED lights on the Hyundai Kona?
Hi,
Does the Hyundai Kona 1.6 diesel have LED headlights with high beam assist? I am a disabled driver and find this would be a great asset as I have this on my VW Passat. Thank you for your time.
Noel, County Roscommon
Noel Mc Hugh (Carrick On Shannon, Co Roscommon)Feb 2019 Filed under: lighting
Expert answer
Hi Noel,
No, it does not appear so. The daytime running lights are LED and the headlights are a projector design. There is automatic turning on of the lights when it is dark, but not of the high beam. It does not appear to be on the options list from Hyundai Ireland, either.
Considering a Japanese import Passat...
Hi, I'm considering changing my 2011 VW Passat 1.4 saloon to a 2012 VW Passat 1.4 Estate, as I need the space. The one I'm considering is a very well equipped Highline model, but it's a Japanese import. Is there anything in particular I should know about buying a used Japanese car?
Thanks, Brendan
Brendan Cullen (Knocklyon)Feb 2019 Filed under: importing
Expert answer
Hi Brendan,
A couple of things. Obviously, any of the car’s on-board systems will be setup for Japanese language, so you will need to get those changed, and the radio may not be set to receive European FM frequencies, so the car’s entire audio system may need to be replaced. Generally speaking, a Japanese Passat will be mechanical similar to a European one, but there will inevitably be some detail differences in specification and equipment, so you may run into trouble further down the line with parts availability.
I’d suggest that you’d be better off looking at the UK market than the Japanese one — the Passat is hardly a rare car, so there may be an easier option out there for you.
Have you a list of all the hybrids in Ireland?
Do you have a list of hybrids?
Thanks
Tony O'Brien (Shankill, Dublin 18)Feb 2019 Filed under: hybrid
Expert answer
Hi Tony,
Currently you can buy the following hybrids on the Irish market: Toyota Corolla, CH-R, RAV4, Prius, Yaris, and there are probably a few run-out examples of the Auris Hybrid out there still in dealerships. There’s also the Kia Niro and the Hyundai Ioniq. There’s the full Lexus range — CT, IS, RC, GS, ES, LS, NX, RX and LC. There’s the Ford Mondeo Hybrid, too. There’s the new Honda CR-V Hybrid, some Mercedes diesel-hybrids and petrol plug-in hybrids, oh and the new AMG 53 six-cylinder mild hybrids.
Suzuki does mild hybrids too — for the Baleno, Swift and Ignis. Then there are the plug-in hybrids — Kia Niro and Hyundai Ioniq again, plus the Volvo XC90 and XC60 T8 models, along with the S90 and V90; the BMW i8, 330e, 530e, X5 40e, 225xe, and the MINI Countryman S E; there’s also the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport plug-ins, the Mitsubishi Outlander, the Volkswagen Golf and Passat GTE, the Audi Q7 e-tron and the Porsche Panamera and Cayenne.
I bet I've forgotten some...
Should I buy a new electric car now?
Hello,
I am holding my breath before taking the EV plunge. The choice so far is between the Nissan Leaf e plus, the Kia e-Niro 64kW and the Hyundai Kona Electric. I know two of these will be 192-reg, but so far I have taken a test drive in the Kona and the current Leaf. Sorry to report that the Kona got the thumbs down on a few fronts.
Sadly the nit pickers have decided that they can throw the scraps to "poor Paddy". Smaller touch screen, standard cruise control and no spare. No height adjustment for front passenger seat. Just compare the UK offerings. Also quite a lot of road noise. To add insult the dealer padded his price to a ridiculous €40,000 after all rebates.
The test in the Leaf, albeit not the desired version, was a pleasure. It even had a slim spare wheel slung outside under the boot. Your review of the e-Niro doesn't mention the spare wheel, which is essential outside the cities. And as some drivers will want to carry one and the tools to fit it a lot of that space will be gone.
The Kona actually has a well under the boot floor, which houses the charging cable. How ridiculous is that! Imagine a young family going on an overnight trip. Pull everything out to find the cable... So finally, the question: should I go for the Leaf when it arrives or wait for the 2020 Volkswagen I.D.?
Peter
Peter Browne (Cavan)Feb 2019 Filed under: electric cars
Expert answer
Hi Peter,
You make a good point about the spare wheel, and it’s something we should look at more often. Actually, it’s a serious issue — a great many cars now come with no spare at all, as car makers trim them to save weight for emissions and economy tests.
Try the Kia e-Niro before you take the leap — it’s mechanically the same as the Kona but roomier inside, and should come with a slightly better standard spec. The Leaf is an excellent car, but we can’t comment on the longer range version as we’ve not driven it yet. Likewise the Volkswagen I.D., which looks set to be a game changer, but obviously as we’ve not driven one it’s hard to tell. Basically, the best advice is if you can hang on for a few months, that might be worth doing.
A few reviews to help you decide:
Hyundai Kona Electric review
Kia e-Niro review
Nissan Leaf reviews
How much VRT on this VW Transporter?
How much would it cost to clear a 2014 Volkswagen Transporter Kombi with 180hp, 65000 miles and a DSG transmission?
Darren Reynolds (Ballymote)Feb 2019 Filed under: VRT
Expert answer
Hi Darren,
It depends what you mean when you say ‘Kombi.’ If, by that, you mean a Transporter with windows and more than three, but fewer than ten seats, then that actually gets taxed as an M1 passenger car, and so you’re looking at CO2 emissions of between 169- and 174g/km, and so VRT of 28 per cent or 31 per cent of the Irish Open Market Selling Price (OMSP). That means, at a very, very rough guess, a VRT bill of around €4-5,000.
If it has three seats or fewer, or is a crew-cab (which means that the load area must be physically separated from the seating area), then it’s 13.3 per cent of the OMSP, which would be around €2,000 to €2,500 (again, that’s a very rough guess).