Car / Travel Archive

A BUSY BEE - VW POLO

Posted on 02 February 2010 , under Car / Travel

The latest generation Volkswagen Polo is one of VW's worker bees as opposed to the flashy haloed queens like the Beetle, Scirocco or Eos. Along with the Golf, and the Passat, it busily helps to build up the brand's honey-pot cash pile. It has gently grown up in its latest version, this Polo. Indeed, it can be easily mistaken for one of the previous generation

AUTO NEWS 15/01

Posted on 15 January 2010 , under Car / Travel

NEW VENGA FROM KIA The new Kia Venga MPV will go on sale in Ireland before Christmas with prices starting from €18,395. It comes in two specification levels with just one engine, a 90hp 1.4 diesel. The CO2 emissions of 117g/km place in it Band A for tax rating. Fuel consumption is 4.5L/100k or 61mpg. Low rolling resistance tyres are part of the Ecodynamic package,

MITO MISFIRES

Posted on 16 December 2009 , under Car / Travel

I like the Alfa Romeo MiTo. I also like the 1.3 diesel which was developed by the old GM / Fiat Powertrain partnership some years ago, and which has appeared in a number of Fiat and GM products since. But, like some people who just don’t have the right chemistry and who should never attempt any kind of meaningful relationship, they just don’t work

AUTO NEWS 04/12

Posted on 04 December 2009 , under Car / Travel

POLO WINS EUROPEAN COTY The Volkswagen Polo has been voted European Car of the Year 2010 by a jury of 50 members from 23 European countries. The last time a VW won was in 1992 with the new third generation Golf. The new Polo won from the Toyota iQ, Opel Astra, Skoda Yeti, Mercedes-Benz E-Class, Peugeot 3008, and Citroen C3 Picasso. VW’s Golf won the

MAZDA 3

Posted on 01 December 2009 , under Car / Travel

MAZDA'S NEW 3 IS SIMPLY THE BEST.... I have to say that the new Mazda3 is one of this year's best cars, especially in the compact family segment. It is a car that I'd have no hesitation in recommending, or in buying for myself. So where, in review terms, can I go from there? Well, no car is perfect. And though I've driven it mostly in

Auto News 26/11

Posted on 26 November 2009 , under Car / Travel

NEW 5-SERIES BMW has revealed details of its sixth generation of the 5 Series, which will launch in the spring in RHD form and will come with the highest ever levels of specification in the model, including the option of an eight-speed automatic transmission. MORE SAFER CARS The most recent round of ENCAP crash tests has resulted in ten out of a dozen cars getting five stars,

Auto News 18/11

Posted on 18 November 2009 , under Car / Travel

NISSAN’S NEW BABY DRIVES IN Nissan has filled out its small car portfolio with the arrival of the new Pixo in Ireland at a starting price of €9,895. The price point makes it the cheapest car in the segment here, though a more highly-specified version will be available. Power comes from a 1.0 three-cylinder petrol engine with CO2 emissions of 103g/km. The car is built

SKO'PERB...!

Posted on 10 November 2009 , under Car / Travel

When you look at the sales figures for cars in Ireland today, most are showing the equivalent of serious negative equity. Among the few which are not is Skoda's Superb. In fact, with nearly 500 units sold to date in 2009, the performance represents an 80 percent increase on last year, admittedly one where for much of the year they were waiting for the new

VW SCIROCCO

Posted on 30 October 2009 , under Car / Travel

When I first drove the VW Scirocco about a year ago, I wondered if it would cannibalise the GTI offering from the same company. From the perspective of now, it didn’t. Scirocco is aimed at those who want a sporty VW with a full complement of seats. The same market as the GTI, but the Scirocco is different in a key respect. It looks

REPAIRING AGAIN

Posted on 17 September 2009 , under Car / Travel

I recently left my car in to be repaired. I was told they had fixed the problem. The same problem has reoccurred two weeks later. The garage says it’s not their problem. What can I do? Firstly, it is important to ensure you received a full report of the repair work completed at the time of repair. If you have noticed the same problem recurring,