Find the right car to suit your budget
ALFA ROMEO
The all-new Giulia is Alfa Romeo to its core, a gorgeous piece of automotive sculpture that looks especially dazzling in classic Alfa red. Pricing starts at €39,995, and you can upgrade from Super trim to Super Sport or Super Lux for just €171. If you feel like really splashing the cash, the top-of-the-range 2.9-litre V6 510hp Quadrifoglio model is on offer for a tidy €99,945.
AUDI
I’ve always loved the A5 (it was my personal car of the year when it was launched in 2007), and the latest model of the compact coupé (from €53,650), while not as striking in the looks department, offers genuine driving pleasure and a host of safety aids guaranteed to keep you out of trouble. From the ‘powerdome’ hood to the lovely taillights, there’s a great deal of swagger about this car,
The 2.0-litre, 190hp diesel is a fine car, but the superstar is the 3.0-litre TFSI petrol S5, with 354hp on tap and a 0-100km/h sprint of just 4.4 seconds. An almost fully retractable sunroof also is available as an option, as is traffic jam assist, which effectively makes the car self-driving when you’re inching along at rush hour.
Audi broke sales records here and worldwide last year, and it’s not surprising given the new product coming on stream. The Q2 crossover has been added to the Q model line-up, and it’s also a fine car, with pricing from €30,100.
BMW
The new 7 Series is far from cheap at an entry-level price of €94,520, but it really is an astonishing car, maybe the most refined luxury saloon on the market today. I drove the 740Le xDrive (€115,240) and was knocked out by it. Less a car and more a limo, it had a tablet computer inset between the two rear seats, a touchscreen you don’t even have to touch (you just wave a finger at it), and a remote keypad that allows you to park the car when you’re not even in it. The 320hp 3.0-litre diesel engine propels it from 0-100km/h in just 5.3 seconds.
There is a special promotion at the moment, called BMW Economics, with savings across the range. You’ll get €3,500 off all 1 Series models; €4,000 off all 2, 3 and 5 Series; €5,000 off all 4 Series, as well as the X1 and X3; and €6,000 off the X4. The offer is available for all cars registered before March 31. You can buy a 1 Series from €306 a month.
CITROEN
The all-new C3 is a finalist in the European Car of the Year awards, with the winner to be announced at the Geneva Motor Show in March. It’s a terrific supermini, priced from €15,490, and comes with multiple customisable options in contrasting or complementary exterior and interior colours. You also can get it with Cactus-style airbumps on the side panels, to avoid scratches.
At under four metres, this is a small car, but there is a lot of space in it, especially up front, and a generous boot. The 1.2-litre, three-cylinder 82hp petrol engine is anxious to please, even if it doesn’t always attain its ambition, because the 0-100km/h of 13.7 seconds isn’t exactly sparkling. As a city car, though, it has a lot to offer, and has buckets of appeal for a younger, design-savvy audience.
Citroën is offering low finance right now (just 3% on the C3, 4.9% on everything else) and also scrappage deals. If you buy a C3 before the end of January, you also will get a free Style Pack and a €500 Dunnes Stores voucher. On the C4 cactus, you’ll get €1,450 worth of extras for free, including a panoramic roof and leather upholstery. There also are reduced price three-year service plans that could save you up to €210.
Sister brand DS offers a range that’s all a little bit too bling for my tastes, though I did enjoy a week in the DS3 from €21,345.
DACIA
Despite concerns over its three-star EuroNCAP safety rating, the Duster has proved a huge hit in Ireland, mostly because, with prices starting at €16,690, it’s the cheapest SUV/crossover on the market. Of course, you can move up the range, and the best model is the 4x4 Prestige version, with a 1.5-litre 109hp diesel engine. The cabin has been upgraded with better plastics, and there is a lot of space, including a 465-litre boot that increases to 1,636 litres with the rear seats folded.
The ride and handling have been improved too, and there’s a lot of spec on offer. If you opt for this over the base model, you’re still going to pay less than the entry-level price for many rival crossovers, so it’s definitely worth considering.
The other Dacia I like is the Sandero. It’s not exactly swoonsome in the looks department, but it’s comfortable and dirt cheap at just €10,490 – and it also comes with an extra star in the safety rating. There’s a special offer at the moment of 0% deposit across the range and 36 monthly payments at 4.9%APR, meaning you can buy a Sandero from as little as €196.80 a month, and a Duster for €304.02 per month, though there are final lump sum payments to be made at the end of the three-year term.
FIAT
THE 500X never took off in quite the way I expected it to, and I have no idea why because it’s a cracking car, bulbous to look at, roomy and funky inside, and with terrific on-the-road verve. Sturdy without being squat and cheeky without being insolent, it ticks a lot of boxes.
Depending on the spec, you also can get a large touchscreen infotainment centre that runs your phone, radio, mp3 player, satnav and apps. You can check your Twitter and Facebook feeds, and access over 100,000 internet radio stations. I drove the 140bhp 1.4-litre turbocharged Multiair model, which is a nice powerplant; in Lounge trim, it costs €26,150, though the entry-level 1.6 Etorque is on offer from €19,900. There is a special offer at the moment on the Pop Star 1.6 Etorque, with €1,175 off the usual price of €22,250, for a net price of €21,075.
FORD
Logic says that you probably should buy a Fiesta, Focus or Mondeo, but for anyone who has the money, there’s only one Ford in town, and that’s the awesome Mustang. The 5.0-litre V8 fastback is a belter of a car, with a massive throaty roar that terrifies pedestrians, and 416hp under the bonnet, but for me, the convertible option is the better of the two.
With the same V8 engine, it will cost you €79,500, which is why the 2.3-litre EcoBoost version is a better bet at €61,500, and still offers an impressive 313hp. That’s still an awful lot of money, but it really is a smashing car.
The most fun I had last year was driving it with the roof down during a week of lovely sunshine in August. Be prepared to feel like a goldfish in a bowl, though – everyone stares at you, but at least 99% of them smile!
Back in the real world, Ford’s 171 Real Deal Event has been extended to the end of January, so if you have your eye on a new Fiesta, B-Max, EcoSport, Kuga, Focus, C-Max, Mondeo, S-Max or Galaxy, savings of between €3,000 and €4,250 are on offer, depending on the model. For example, the new Ford Kuga Titanium+, which comes with partial leather trim, SYNC 3 with eight-inch touchscreen, hands-free tailgate, rear parking sensors and more, is on offer for €29,955, a saving of €4,250.
All Fords now also come with a seven-year warranty.
HONDA
Three are so many crossovers on the market today, it’s startling to realise that the Honda HR-V was one of the first when it made its debut as recently as 1999. It was discontinued in 2006, unfortunate timing given that the Nissan Qashqai launched that very year and instantly became almost ubiquitous. Honda finally resurrected the HR-V in 2015 and got it right – it is surefooted in every situation, offering taut suspension, great handling and a driving feel that exceeds what’s on offer from most of the cars in the segment. The 1.5-litre 128bhp petrol engine is a shimmering little gem that shoots the car to 100km/h in 10.2 seconds, but the star is the 1.6 diesel, familiar from the Civic and the bigger CR-V. It’s a wonderful engine, refined and quiet, and here it delivers 118bhp and a 0-100km/h sprint of 10 seconds flat.
Designed to look like a coupé, with a tapering rear and recessed passenger door handles, it also can be ordered with an optional panoramic sunroof. It’s one of my favourite cars in the segment, and good value too, with the petrol version starting from €23,995 and the diesel from €25,995.
Under the Simple Logic programme available until the end of January, you’re guaranteed a minimum €4,000 trade-in on your old car (or €3,000 against a new Honda Jazz), or 3.9% APR on some grades of CR-V and Jazz, and 4.9% on higher grades of those cars and on all HR-V models.
HYUNDAI
Talking of resurrected SUV/crossovers, the Hyundai Tucson – for a few years branded as the ix35 before reverting to the original nomenclature – was Ireland’s best-selling individual car last year, with 7,425 driving off the forecourts. It wasn’t hard to see why. The car looks fantastic: it’s tall, and has an arresting grille that gives it real kerb presence. It drives well, too. The 1.6-litre petrol starts at €26,245, and the 1.7 diesel at €27,995. I drove the 1.7 114hp in Premium trim, at €32,995, and liked it a lot. The car also is available as a full 4x4, but only with the 2.0-litre diesel engine, for €36,496 (manual) and €38,995 (automatic).
Premium spec added a panoramic sunroof, electrochromatic rearview mirror and rain sensor to a long list of standard features, including cruise control on all models.
Hyundai’s trade and upgrade promotion has been extended to the end of January (though you probably know that, since the ad seems to be on radio every five minutes!). You can choose between scrappage of up to €5,000, five years’ free servicing, or a year’s free insurance, up to €800 (if your premium is less than that, you will get a cheque for the exact amount, and a voucher for the balance that can be used to pay for servicing).
Also new to Hyundai is the IONIQ, which I have yet to drive. It is available in three different fuel-efficient variants – a petrol/electric hybrid; an all-electric version; and a plug-in hybrid due later this year. Pricing starts at €31,995.
JAGUAR
For me, it’s all about the F-PACE when it comes to Jaguar. More aggressivelooking than its Range Rover Evoque cousin, the high bonnet and large grille and air intakes give it a genuine presence, though the looks become just a little more generic towards the rear. The front lights are very smart, and feature the J Blade daytime running LEDs. The glasshouse is nice too, tapering gently from front to back.
It is also bigger than I expected, with rear, leg and knee room among the best in class, and a classleading boot with 650 litres storage capacity. The rear seat 40:20:40 split means that you can create extra space in a variety of ways; with the entire rear bench folded, you get a stonking 1,740 litres.
I drove the car in the 2.0-litre all-wheel-drive, automatic version in Prestige spec. The engine puts out 178hp and propels the car to 100km/h in a lively 8.7 seconds. That version costs €56,210, though the entry-level two-wheel-drive model is a reasonable €44,100. Mind you, the sky also is the limit, and you can pay €103,300 for the 3.0-litre petrol V6 that delivers a stonking 377hp.
Meanwhile, on XE and XF Jaguars, you will get unlimited free servicing for three years, with no mileage limit.
JEEP
The Grand Cherokee has won more awards that any SUV in history and it’s not hard to see why – it is the most covetable of all Jeeps, monolithic, sturdy and brimming with confidence. The good news is that the 2017 model now is on offer with up to €14,000 in savings.
The latest Grand Cherokee now comes with Start&Stop function and electric power steering, which help to reduce emissions to 184g/km. Inside, a new, more substantial premium gear lever replaces the previous aircraft-style e-shift, and a new, revised centre stack includes Sport and Stop&Start buttons. The electric power steering with selectable drive modes (Sport, Comfort or Normal) is introduced along with safety features such as a ‘Stop’ function up to 7mph on the Rear Park Assist.
The Grand Cherokee starts at €70,950 for the Limited 3.0-litre diesel V6 250hp, a reduction of over €9,000, while the Summit version clocks in at €82,450, a saving of over €14,000. It features Natura Plus leather trimmed upholstery with ventilated front seats, Harmon Kardon premium audio system and safety features such as forward collision warning and blind spot and cross path detection.
KIA
The all-new KIA Rio is having its European launch this week, so in the meantime the model I would opt for is the Niro hybrid, even if it is just a little on the generic side in the looks department. I drove the 1.6-litre petrol (from €30,495, or €28,995 net after the SEAI hybrid grant) that combines with an electric motor to deliver 140bhp, but with emissions of just 88g/km, for annual motor tax of just €180. That won’t break the bank.
The interior is welcoming, with soft plastics, a neat dash layout and an infotainment screen with reversing camera. The key sales point, though, is the space – there is excellent head, elbow and shoulder room up front, and great legroom in the rear seats. The cabin also is really well insulated, and there is little or no intrusion of engine or wind noise.
KIA says the Niro is the first in a range of planned hybrids and electric vehicles coming down the tubes, part of its strategy to reduce fuel consumption and emissions across its range by half, between 2014 and 2020.
KIA has a 171 offer of 0% APR finance on the Rio, Cee’d Range, Soul and Sportage, and 3.9% APR on the Niro, Optima, Picanto, Venga, Sorento and Carens.
LAND ROVER
The Discovery Sport is a superb SUV, lively, well-balanced, and a delight to look at it, even if it does have strong echoes of its Range Rover Evoque cousin. Everything about the Disco Sport feels luxurious and well made, and in the 2.0-litre diesel SE version I drove, it’s all on offer for €50,765 (the2.0-litre petrol in S trim is the cheapest in the range at €38,050). It’s a 5+2 seater, with the rear seats really designed only for children; an adult would find it a bit cramped back there. With all but the front two seats folded, you get a whopping 1,698 litres of cargo space.
For a limited time, Discovery Sport and Range Rover Evoque are available with either Land Rover PCP Finance at 2.9% APR or a €4,000 purchase contribution, with repayments respectively of €370 and €410 per month.
LEXUS
Lexus has progressed from making fairly boring-looking but incredibly refined cars in the last century to a transition period in the Noughties, when the styling became much more European, to what we see in the present day: nimble, agile cars with the massive scooped ‘spindle’ grille, sharp lines and a much more youthful, maybe even brash, appearance. It doesn’t always work on the bigger cars, but on the CT 200h (from €29,995), a compact petrol/electric hybrid, it’s something of a triumph, bringing genuine swagger to the segment.
It may not be for everyone, but I love it. There’s a real connection between driver and car, which wasn’t always the case with Lexus, especially the bigger ones. Here, you get a real sense of sportiness. Depending on the trim level, you’ll still get a lot of the goodies Lexus is famous for, like a 13-speaker Mark Levinson stereo system and the Premium navigation system, and all with very low emissions of just 82g/ km. The model to go for is the CT 200h F Sport, from €36,995, which comes with an even more accentuated grille in L-mesh design, aerodynamically enhanced front bumper, and privacy glass. By turns, depending on how you look at it, a thing of beauty or an aggressive little demon, it’s never less than great fun.
MAZDA
Mazda is on a roll, with its latest model launch just this week, when the MX-5 RF sports car was rolled out in Europe. In the real world, the Mazda3 compact car makes a little more sense, and just two years after the latest full redesign, it already has had a makeover for 2017. There’s a revised grille, new fog light bezel, LED headlights and taillights, and a new design for the 18-inch wheels. Inside, there’s a new infotainment system, and an electromagnetic parking brake to replace the old manual one.
The SKYACTIV 1.5-litre 98hp is the entry-level model at €23,295, but for a bit of fun, move up to the 2.0-litre 118hp, from €28,165. I drove the six-speed manual transmission model, with all sorts of goodies on board, and found it as refined as all Mazdas, with terrific cabin insulation, a willingness to do exactly what is asked of it, and a high level of interior comfort. If you buy before the end of this month, you will receive €1,600 worth of extras on the car for free.
MERCEDES-BENZ
The new E-Class was voted Ireland’s Car of the Year for 2017 by my friends in the motoring writers’ organisations (I’m not a member of either – I’ve never been wild about clubs!) and it wasn’t hard to see why – because the car is so clever, luxurious and refined it would be hard not to love it.
The car comes with all sorts of safety features, including Intelligent Drive, remote parking, and pre-safe collision protection, and a spectacularly comfortable cabin.
It’s not the only beautiful Merc, though – I also liked the GLC Coupé and the C-Class. After a few years in
the doldrums, Mercedes is fighting back, and sales at the moment are being driven by price reductions of 10% across the board, which means you could be driving away in the entry-level diesel €200 for an astonishingly cheap €45,930. That might very well be the best value on the market at the moment.
MITSUBISHI
The Outlander is my favourite Mitsubishi, a generously proportioned SUV available in five- and seven-seat versions, and also in a plug-in hybrid model. I drove the seven-seater 2.2-litre 148hp model in Instyle trim, and liked the mid-life makeover that felt more like a completely new version of the car, with the so-called Dynamic Shield visual identity just one of more than 100 changes. The chromed streaks on either side of the grille, and slim wraparound LED lights, are designed to give a 3D look to the front of the car, and it works. The new Outlander has more presence, more style, more personality.
The previously quite nasty interior plastics were softened, and there’s 1,608 litres of cargo space with all but the two front seats folded.
Prices start at €31,500 (€49,900 for the PHEV hybrid). Special offers include accessory packs – Active, Tech or Style – worth €1,500 for just €150, and a PCP offer of 3.9% APR across all Outlander, Outlander PHEV and ASX models.
NISSAN
It’s all about the new Micra, one of the loveliest superminis on the market and a radical reworking of one Nissan’s most popular cars. I drove it earlier this month at the European launch in Croatia, in advance of its arrival on these shores in April. Everything about the car is dazzling, from drop-dead gorgeous looks to a brilliantly well-designed cabin, lots of interior space and more oomph from the turbo petrol engine, a 0.9-litre three-cylinder unit, than you might expect. Also available with a 1.0-litre naturally aspirated engine and a 1.5-litre diesel (hard to see the point for most buyers, given the €2,000 premium over the 1.0-litre petrol – you’d want to be doing an awful lot of mileage to claw that back), the car comes in four grades, XE, SV, SV Premium and SVE, and in ten colours with lots of customisation available. Prices will range from €16,650 to €22,650.
OPEL
Estate cars have fallen out of favour here, with crossover bodystyles picking up the slack, but in Europe, they’re still popular, with up to 80% of sales of some models actually the estate version, pretty much the entirely inverse proportion to Ireland. Personally, I see a lot of advantages in estates, even smaller ones, which is why I loved the Astra Sports Tourer. My personal car of the year in 2015 was the Opel Astra, and the Sports Tourer (from €21,950) proved maybe even better, given the extra space it offers with no compromise in performance and handling. The 134hp 1.6-litre diesel is the one to go for – it’s pumped but frugal, returning fuel economy of just 3.9 litres per 100km and emission of just 104g/km, and it comes with the OnStar personal assistant in some trim levels.
This will be a busy year for Opel, with the updated Insignia and the new Crossland X SUV on the way, but for now, my pick is the Astra Sports Tourer.
Right now, Opel is offering 0% APR PCP finance on Corsa five-door, Astra SRi, Mokka X SC and Insignia SRi models, and savings of 25% on servicing plans.
PEUGEOT
Offering best-in-class handling, perfectly weighted steering, a plethora of safety features and a level of luxury new to Peugeot, the 3008 SUV was an easy choice for my car of the year for 2017, and may yet take the European award, too, as it is one of the seven finalists in the poll of journalists across the continent.
I had a test drive in the 2.0-litre Blue HDi diesel 150hp six-speed automatic model (€33,605), from Bologna in Italy to the tiny mountaintop republic of San Marino, and found the car incredibly responsive in all conditions, with frugal fuel economy of 4.4 litres per 100km, and emissions of just 114g/km. I also drove the three-cylinder 1.2-litre 130hp petrol (from €25,995) and, while it lacks a little of the finesse of the bigger engine, it’s still a fine powerplant. On certain trim levels, the i-Cockpit is a virtual display that allows you to change the instrument panel view to offer as much or as little information as you choose.
On higher spec models, you also will get a brilliant sound system from French company FOCAL. The exterior models with two-tone paint jobs look a little gimmicky, but everything else – from the aggressively vertical chequerboard grille to the three-slash lion’s claw taillights, makes the car a genuinely beautiful piece of automotive sculpture.
Peugeot’s Sensation Days 171 offers still are running until the end of the month, with scrappage of up to €4,500, a €1,000 deposit contribution if you don’t qualify for scrappage, and PCP finance rates of as little as 2.9% depending on the model and grade.
RENAULT
The Mégane Grand Coupé is the latest model from the French car giant and, as the name suggests, it’s a bigger version of the Mégane, but with many of the features that have made the most recent version of that bestseller so popular, not least the fantastic 8.7-inch portrait (ie, vertically mounted) touchscreen on some trim levels. The car comes with a choice of diesel engines, a 1.5-litre putting out 110hp and a 1.6 putting out 130hp, with a choice of manual and automatic transmissions, and emissions of as little as 95g/km.
I drove the car in Poland and while the test route wasn’t terribly exacting, I got a definite vibe that this would be a very comfortable car for those who put in a lot of mileage. At 4.63m long and 1.81m wide (excluding mirrors), it is very spacious, especially in the 550-litre cargo area.
Pricing starts at €21,990 for the entry-level Expression trim, rising to € 28,490 for the top-of-the-range Signature spec.
Renault’s 171 offer applies to orders taken on all-new Mégane Grand Coupés – 3% APR, three years free servicing, five years warranty and roadside assistance. PCP offers include the Clio from €125 a month, Captur from €165, and Kadjar from €199. A deposit is required and there are terms and conditions.
SEAT
The Spanish arm of the Volkswagen family is back in profit after a few slack years, and the all-new Ateca, its first compact SUV, seems set to continue the trend. The entry-level price, for the 1.0-litre TSI petrol model, is €24,750, but I drove the powerful 4WD 190hp 2.0-litre diesel with DSG transmission (€38,320) that offers a 0-100km/h in a sprightly 7.5 seconds.
Autobest, which is made up of motoring writer jurors from 31 countries, voted the Ateca Best Buy Car of Europe for 2017, based on design, comfort, easy driving, value for money, and commercial and service network, which is quite the endorsement, and this year also will see a new Leon, the fifth generation of the Ibiza, and an all-new crossover, the Arona.
The Ateca comes in a choice of 1.0-litre and 1.4-litre petrol versions, and 1.6-litre and 2.0-litre diesels, with outputs between 115 and 190hp, and three trim levels – S, SE and Xcellence. That’s a lot of choice.
SEAT has a host of special offers running – 0% finance on Ibiza and Leon in FR and Cupra versions; 1.9% on Ibiza and Leon in Sport and Select grades; 2.9% on Ateca Xcellence; 3.9% on all SE grades; and 4.9% on S grade, making moving up the trim levels actually quite attractive. There is scrappage of €2,500 on Ibiza and €4,000 on Leon, a three-year service plan for €299, and three years warranty and roadside assistance.
SKODA
Octavia and Fabia might account for the vast bulk of sales, but it’s the Skoda Superb that does it for me. It’s a fantastic D-segment saloon (a segment that has fallen into disfavour in Ireland, but still very practical for anyone with three kids who does a lot of mileage, because the roominess is the main selling point), with pricing from €27,500 for the 1.4-litre 125hp petrol model.
If you need even more space, the Combi (or estate) version of the car is a quality offering. Entry-level costs €28,750, but I drove the 2.0-litre 150hp TDI DSG diesel (from €37,495), with a 0-100km/h of nine seconds, and fuel consumption of just 4.7 litres per kilometre.
It’s the class leader in cargo space, comes with sturdy and well-balanced suspension, and a very smooth DSG twin gearbox. The cabin is as good as it gets in the mass market, with deep, comfortable seats in leather/Alcantara, a sleek dashboard arrangement and, best of all, ambient lighting strips in the doors, changeable between white, green and blue, very calming in night driving. My test car came in Style trim (€41,195), and standard features included bi-xenon headlamps with washer jets, three-zone air-conditioning for front and rear seats, eight-inch infotainment touchscreen, reversing camera and front and rear parking sensors, Smartlink mirroring of the apps on your phone on the infotainment screen, and the Superb’s legendary umbrellas, both of which tuck neatly away in storage compartments in the front doors.
Skoda has a host of special offers, including discounted upgrade packs (leather upholstery and heated front seats in the Yeti, for example, for €600 instead of €2,395); and 0% APR finance on selected models, or up to €4,000 scrappage.
New this year will be the Kodiaq, available in fiveand seven-seat versions.
SSANGYONG
The South Korean carmaker has struggled to gain a significant foothold in the Irish market; its 217 sales in 2016 contrast sharply with the combined 22,152 sales of its KIA/Hyundai rivals. It has suffered in the past from poor design – the odious Rodius being the prime example – but that has changed a lot with the Tivoli (from €19,995) and Korando (from €19,546), and the latest version of the Rexton full-size SUV (from €49,995).
As it happens, I liked the old Rexton, because it was pretty honest about exactly what it was, a non-nonsense piece of kit. It has been prettified, with much cleaner lines that are more attractive in the European market, and comes with a five-year unlimited warranty and five years roadside assistance. The biggest improvement is in the cabin, previously just a little tacky – it now looks a hell of a lot smarter.
The Rexton comes with a 2.2-litre 176hp diesel engine, but emissions are still high at 178g/km.
At the moment, if you buy a SsangYong, you can choose between 4.9% APR finance, scrappage of up to €4,500, or five years free servicing.
SUBARU
You never know when you’re going to fall in love with a car – or why. To some eyes the Subaru Levorg might seem just a little ungainly, but I fell for it in a big way. I drove the 1.6-litre Boxer engine petrol 168hp model with continuous variable transmission (€44,995), and it lived up to the Subaru reputation for no-nonsense individuality. It comes with all-wheel drive, and a vehicle dynamics control system that judiciously adjusts torque distribution, engine output and brake force to each wheel to keep you safe. Best of all, though, is the cabin. The driver’s seat is among the most comfortable I’ve sat in, offering support in all the right places, and there’s good legroom in the back as well. There’s a large boot with a floor that, when lifted, reveals another 40 litres of space in a sub-trunk for those things you want to keep out of sight such as your laptop. It’s heavy on juice, though (8.5 litres per 100km around town). Motor tax is €570 a year.
SUZUKI
The old Ignis, discontinued eight years ago, was an anonymous hatchback. Now, it is reborn as a lightweight, very compact crossover. Short overhangs make it seem robust, even though it is a very light car, at under just 810kg if you opt for the standard model, and still under 900kg in the hybrid and all-grip versions. The cabin materials are neither luxurious nor as brittle and cheap as was the case in a previous generation of Suzukis. Realistically, this is a four-seater car, and the rear seats slide forward individually to increase cargo space. Up front, there is good shoulder room for driver and passenger, though I would have liked greater adjustability in the height of the driver seat.
There are good safety features, too, including dual-camera brake support. Two cameras scan for the distance between you and an obstacle in front, and the shape; on the instrument panel, it then flashes up a graphic of either a car or a truck. You also get hill descent control, electronic stability programme, tyre pressure monitoring and six airbags. The engine is the classy 90hp 1.2-litre four cylinder Dualjet, a sparky affair that seems anxious to please. On hills or the straight, side roads or motorway, it never felt wheezy, even though the official 0-100km/h time is 13.5 seconds. Prices start from a very reasonable €12,995 for the 1.2 petrol, rising to €17,995 for the 4x4 hybrid.
TOYOTA
This year, it’s all about the fantastic C-HR, Toyota’s epic new crossover that brings a new level of design flair to the brand. It really is a beauty, with an aggressively raked rear window that bestows genuine coupé good looks in a segment that usually seems a lot more utilitarian.
Up front, the grille and meshed air intake are starkly reminiscent of a more upmarket cousin, the Lexus NX. Most remarkably, the rear looks just as good as the front. The cabin is a triumph, the best ever in a mid-size Toyota. The exterior colour is brought into the dashboard trim and wraps around the high-mounted, eight-inch infotainment screen. The steering wheel is covered in soft Nappa leather. In the Sol grade, you also get part-leather seats. Rear legroom is generous, and while the boot size is a casualty of the styling, the low-load floor means you still can fit quite a lot in.
The C-HR comes in two variants: a 1.8-litre 122hp petrol/electric hybrid (from €29,350), and a 1.2-litre 116hp petrol only (from €26,895). I wasn’t wild about the CVT gear set-up in the hybrid, so I’d opt for the standard 1.2 petrol with manual transmission. There’s still a lot of pep under the bonnet, and the gear-throw is fluid and tactile; it’s very easy to feel connected to the car. It was my runner-up as car of the year for 2017.
Toyota 171 offers include up to €3,500 scrappage, up to five years free servicing, free tech and style packs, lifetime roadside help and PCP finance from 2.9% APR.
VOLKSWAGEN
As you would expect, VW is no slouch in the crowded crossover/SUV market, and the new Tiguan is a fine addition. It’s not the cheapest (the 1.4-litre petrol entry level is €29,860, and the 2.0-litre 150hp diesel Highline trim model I drove was €37,645), but it is impressive. Previously bland styling has been improved with a Passat-like grille that runs flush, horizontally and vertically, with the headlamps, making the car appear much wider than it is. To the sides, there are bulging wheel arches and the tailgate opens to reveal a generous 615 litres of cargo space. The suspension is well set up, and the seats are firm but cosy, making for a very comfortable drive. Excellent safety features and top-class connectivity, including Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, make it a very relevant car for the modern world.
The VW Open Event runs until next Saturday and includes a host of offers, including 0% PCP finance, deposit contributions of up to €1,500, free add-on packs, free insurance and discounted servicing contracts. Offers depend on the model chosen. Details are available at your local VW dealership.
VOLVO
I still haven’t managed to get behind the wheel of the Volvo S90, but I’ve heard great things about the executive saloon. Certainly, if it’s as good as the latest XC90 model then I’m looking forward to a treat when I finally drive it in March.
As far as promotions go, Volvo is offering 0% finance across the S and V ranges until the end of March. As examples, the V40 comes from €249 per month, the S60 €335, and the S90 from €399. On the XC60, which starts at €39,995, you get a free style pack worth €2,000, and there is three years free servicing on the S60 and V60.
The latest XC60 will be revealed at the Geneva Motorshow in March and first cars will be available in Ireland in time for the 172 registration period, with prices starting in the mid-€40s.