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Hi Mike,

Yes, yes, yes and oh, yes. Basically, it’s almost exactly like an A4 (same engines, same platform, same buttons, switches and touch-screen), but much more roomy (space for three child car seats abreast on the back seat and a massive 600-litre boot) and a lot cheaper to buy. Perhaps a touch noisier than the Audi, and maybe a little less precise to the steering, but you won’t feel short-changed.

Read our Skoda Superb Combi review here

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Hi Pat,

This is a question we get asked so often and there's no easy answer. Well, actually there is, but it's an answer that many people don't like - an MPV such as the Volkswagen Touran, Toyota Verso, Citroen C4 Picasso or similar.

There are very, very few (if any) conventional hatchbacks or saloons that will these days take three child car seats across the back. There are some conversion kits available that will allow as many as four child seats to be fitted to a 'normal' saloon, but these tend to be designed around the big rear-facing infant seats and won't take your own seats.

The best I can suggest, if you don't fancy an MPV, is to test drive the biggest, widest saloons you can find and make sure you bring the kids with you to actually try the seating properly so that you know for definite before you buy.

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Hi Pauline,

You're absolutely 100 per cent dead right - diesel is not for everyone and especially not for those with overall low mileages and short commutes. And as the recent emissions scandal has shown us, diesel exhaust can be staggeringly bad for your health. 

As for finding a diesel without a DPF filter, I'm not sure you'll be able to. In order to meet the particulate emissions legislation under EuroV and EuroVI regulations you pretty much had to have one. Some people have, of course, removed the DPF to avoid maintenance issues, but then you're just spewing out a plume of highly carcinogenic soot particles as you drive...

So, I think your best bet is to go for a compact turbocharged petrol engine or, just maybe, a hybrid. The Toyota Prius would potentially be ideal for your daily drive, but could be a bit of an over-thirsty pain on that six-time-a-year longer journey. Try instead a car fitted with the Volkswagen Group's excellent 1.2-litre TSI turbo petrol engine (Golf or Skoda Octavia are the best ones), a Ford Focus with the 1.0 EcoBoost engine or maybe an Opel Astra 1.4 Turbo. Here are a few relevant reviews for you to consult:

Ford Focus 1.0 EcoBoost review

Skoda Octavia 1.2 TSI review

Opel Astra GTC 1.4 Turbo review

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Hi John,

The BMW 330e is, I have to say, a hugely impressive car and based on a recent drive you can squeeze as much as 65mpg from it. You can charge it from a domestic socket if that's any help, but if you're put off by the charging thing then the Lexus IS a great choice. Aside from the occasionally irritating CVT gearbox it's delightful to drive and, with a bit of practice, you can get decent economy from it. It should be staggeringly reliable too. Here are our reviews to help you choose:

BMW 330e Saloon review

Lexus IS 300h review

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Hi Tom,

OK, you've got a couple of choices here. You could trade it in under one of the current 'scrappage' schemes and make potentially as much as €4,500 on it, depending on what car you're trading in against. 

Or you could junk it or sell it for parts and grab another Bangernomics special. 

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Hi F D,

Sadly, not. There used to be a Volkswagen saloon smaller than the Jetta but that was the Polo saloon and it hasn't been in production for years. So why not just go for a Jetta? Really nice car, actually. Kind of underrated and not all that big. It's is just a Golf with a boot, after all...

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Hi Tom,

Totally different cars so it's quite hard to compare them directly. The ix35 is one of the better crossover SUVs - it's roomy and very nice to drive and hugely reliable too.

The Mondeo was always one of the best large saloons around, and that fourth generation model was a good one - solidly built (although you need to keep an eye out for niggling electrical problems) and really great to drive. Plus, both the cabin and boot are massively spacious, even more so than those of the ix35.

So it depends what your priorities are. Like a high-riding car and fancy something with 4x4 styling? Get the ix35. Not bothered about SUVs but want something truly rewarding to drive? Get the Mondeo.

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Hi Howard,

About €6-7k trade in for the Octavia, and about €4-5k for the Fabia, I'd say.

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Hi Gokul,

It's not massively cheap, maybe a couple of grand below the average asking price, but with just 10,000km on it, it does look a touch suspicious. Independent dealers can be, shall we say, very variable in their quality of sales and service, but maybe ask around and see if others in the area have had any experience. 

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Hi Joe,

They're both pretty similar to be honest, although at the moment the Corolla is only available as a four-door saloon and the Pulsar as a five-door hatch.

Both are solid, reliable, unremarkable workhorses. If you're looking for excitement, sexy styling or dynamism, you've come to the wrong place - but both major on space (the Pulsar in particular has massive space in the back seats), comfort and simplicity.

The Corolla's diesel engine lags a bit behind the Nissan's in terms of performance, but other than that, they're pretty closely matched and seeing as both will probably be endlessly reliable you can safely choose according to your taste.

New, Corolla prices start at €20,995 and Pulsar prices start at €19,995.

Relevant reviews:

Nissan Pulsar review

Toyota Corolla review