DRIVE TALKING

What’s hot on the road

CROSSBACK ON SALE

THE all-new DS 7 Crossback, a crossover from Citroën’s sister brand, has gone on sale at the DS Airside showroom in Swords, Co. Dublin. Pricing starts at €36,000 for the 130hp petrol manual version, and rises to the top-of-the-range Ultra-Prestige 180hp diesel automatic at €60,245. It is available in four interior trims, poetically named Bastille, Rivoli, and Opéra and, not so poetically, Performance Line.

AUDI POWERS AHEAD

AUDI’S first fully electric vehicle, the etron SUV, also has arrived on these shores for test driving, with rather a hefty price tag. The entry-level model costs €101,750 on the road, and deliver- ies will start in April. What you get for your cash is power and performance – 402hp and a 0-100km/h sprint of under six seconds. The 95kWh battery delivers a range of 391km, according to the German carmaker’s own figures.

NEW HOME FOR POPE’S SKODA

THE Skoda Rapid used by Pope Francis on his visit to Ireland last year has been donated to the Foyle Search and Rescue charity based in Derry, and it will be used to patrol the banks of the river at identified peak times to assist in suicide prevention in the city. That’s a generous gesture, and a fitting and practical use for a car that for two days was the most famous in Ireland.