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Hi Jason,

Perhaps predictably, the DS5 has been a slow seller for Citroen, primarily because as soon as you put the words 'French' and 'premium' into the same sentence, most buyers tend to look for the exit. We are very, very wedded to our German premium cars in this country. 

The DS5 isn't a bad car at all, but to be honest, neither is it a very good one. It looks absolutely stunning, inside and out and as a piece of automotive sculpture, it's hard to beat. It comes with some excellent diesel engines too and generally its build quality and reliability seems to be up with the best.

The problem comes when you actually drive it and realise that it has steel girders for suspension. It rides terribly, clonking and clattering over bumps in a way that should be utterly alien to any French luxury car. A BMW 5 Series on 20-inch wheels rides better than this... Then there's the problem that the cabin is actually quite cramped, even in the front. It's a car we want to love, but there are just too many fundamental issues with it for us to do so.

Read our full road test of the Citroen DS5 here

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Hi Peter,

A brilliant car, albeit one with a couple of shortcomings relative to its German rivals. It's probably the best-looking car in the class, and the 500-litre boot is a match for the BMW 5 Series Touring and Audi A6 Avant (though much smaller than that of the Mercedes-Benz E-Class). It's utterly delightful to drive too, better even than the much-praised BMW, with brilliant steering and a comfy ride.

On the downside, the interior is a step behind the Germans (not enough space, old-fashioned touch-screen infotainment system, narrow front seats) and the fuel tank is on the small side, limiting your touring range and making the car feel thirstier than it actually is. The 2.2-litre diesel engine in 190hp form is the best all-round to go for, but the lower power 163hp is a bit cheaper to buy and you'll hardly ever notice the difference in day-to-day driving. Or, you could get the best version; the 272hp 3.0 D V6 diesel – a properly quick, practical car that.

Here's our road test of the XF Sportbrake

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Hi Colm,

Taking the C 200 CDI as a baseline, the official figures are 58mpg for the manual, 55mpg for the automatic. Did you read our road test of the car?

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Hi Patrick,

The Stepway gains some SUV-like styling and a 4cm higher ride height over the conventional Sandero, so it's a little bit more bouncy on rougher roads as a result, and it will roll a bit more in bends over its relation. That's a hyper critical road tester's view though, as the soft, comfort-biased suspension is fine at nornal speeds.

The SUV-look suits it, really smartens it up and makes it stand out, though the trade off for this - thanks largely to the addition of those roof bars - is an appreciable increase in wind noise at speed. That's fine unless you're doing lots of motorway miles in it.

Rear legroom isn't overly generous, while the trim and materials are all fairly uninspiring, though robust. The diesel isn't very refined, but should return excellent economy, the petrol three-cylinder engine is more willing and more refined, but less economical.

All in I rather liked it though, good honest transport.

You can read my colleague Neil's Irish road test of the Dacia Sandero Stepway here.

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Hi Brian,

Well, when you say 'super car' that would suggest that money is no object so...

Your choice is slightly limited as there aren't yet any full-on mid-engined diesel supercars, but there are three German powerhouses in the shape of the BMW 640d Gran Coupé, the Audi A7 3.0 TDI Bi-Turbo and the Porsche Panamera Diesel. (There's also the new Maserati Quattroporte diesel, but it pales in the power and torque race a bit.)

Of those the BMW is the best - frugal and well under the 225g/km limit but damn near as quick point to point as an M5. 

If budget is an issue, just grab yourself an E60 BMW 535d. Wheelspin in third gear in that one...

Come back to us if you'd like help narrowing it down a little

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Hi Helen,

While there is no direct replacement for the Grandis, the Mitsubishi Outlander comes as a seven seater, with the choice of manual or automatic gearboxes. It's also got selectable four-wheel drive. From a pricing perspective, the Outlander seven-seat manual is in the same price bracket as the old Grandis.

Here's our recent road test of the Outlander for your information

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Hi Rory,

In some ways it's a great car, in others less so. Some drivers will love it, some will hate it. That sounds like I'm sititng on the fence, doesn't it? Read my full report from driving the car on Irish roads here.

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Hi Tricia,

The new Mazda6 is a fantastic car and definitely comparable to the Audi A4 of equivalent value. The Mazda comes with a powerful and economical 2.2-litre diesel engine, which is refined and decently fast when needed. The car itself is more spacious than the Audi inside, plus of just as good quality. It's also comfortable and good to drive. In all, we thoroughly recommend it.

Here's our Irish test of the Mazda6 Tourer for reference.

Let us know how you get on.

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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 Jimmy,

As we've just launched the site it doesn't yet have the full range of road tests. It will in time.

Paddy drove the new Peugeot RCZ last month.

Do you have a particular model in mind? It's highly likely that we've driven it. Post a comment in the box below to let us know and we'll reply with our views.

Thank you.