GET THE TAILS WAGON

My husband and I are after a new car. We are finding it hard to get in and out of our 2011 Honda Accord Euro. We are tossing up between the Honda HR-V VTi-L or maybe waiting for the Skoda Karoq coming out in July. I’m not interested in diesel as I will be driving it mostly. I need a lot of boot space as I have two large dogs. If I go for the Honda I need to make my mind up within a couple of weeks to get the run out deal. Annette If cargo space is the major consideration the Karoq wins on paper. Keep in mind that total volume doesn’t necessarily equate to head/tail height so I’d be taking the dogs with me when evaluating all of these vehicles. It’s better to have the dealership deal with a bit of hair in the back than sign up and then realise the pooches don’t fit as well as you’d hoped. I suspect you’ll want a cargo barrier to stop them from jumping into the rear (or front) seats, so factor that in. The HR-V needs to be bought in top-spec trim — “VTi-L + ADAS” — to include active driving aids such as blind-spot monitoring, lane-keep assist and autonomous cruise control. The 437L cargo space expands to 1462L with the rear seats folded. If you buy now the deal is sweetened with a seven-year warranty. The Honda‘s 1.8-litre (105kW/172Nm) uses Boot capacity of 430L-1598L puts the Qashqai into the picture. As with the others, in this guise it comes with the latest safety software but the warranty is a handicap, at three years. There are plenty of features and the car is a benign and predictable drive. The N-Tec is powered by a 2.0-litre engine (110kW/200Nm) and, paired with a CVT, it claims 6.9L/100km. Servicing occurs every 12 months/10,000km and the first four capped-price visits will set you back $1150. If the extra length of the Forester (it’s 4610mm) isn’t an issue, then the boxy shape should suit the canines. A new model is due soon, so haggle hard on the price. Space isn’t huge at 422L/1481L but the height may well be a winner. Again, take the dogs to confirm. The 2.5-litre (126kW/235Nm) powers all-wheel drive but that in turn pushes claimed fuel use to 8.1L/100km. Subaru has active safety covered and if you buy in June there’s a five-year warranty. Servicing is frequent and expensive — six months/12,500km and the first six will come to $2283.25.

PO BOX 2808 GPO SYDNEY, NSW, 2001, CARS@NEWS.COM.AU Craig Duff