THE FIRST of the State's new inter-urban motorways, the 194km M4/M6 route from Dublin to Galway, has been completed six months ahead of deadline and is on schedule to open before the end of the year.

FIRSTDRIVE VOLKSWAGEN BLUEMOTION MODELS: SELLING THE virtues of clean, green technology is not easy at the best of times. Conjure up frugal, economical driving and people might just doze off. Economical motoring is the beige corduroy of the car world. So marketing minds come up with exotic names to make us feel as if we should be excited about frugality, such as Efficient Dynamics, Bluetec and BlueMotion.

SecondHandSense: SALES OF ALL cars are pretty much determined by motor tax, which makes it tricky for those looking for a bigger second-hand diesel in particular.

Alternatives to the Skoda Yeti 2.0 TDI

In the first of a two-part series on a motorbike jaunt in France,PETER MURTAGH writes about how he and his companion stumble on an important ceremony

GREAT DRIVES : In the last in this year’s series of Ireland’s greatest routes, we uncover a gem on the shores of Lough Brin in Co Kerry