The Irish Times

BMW i3: Like the current crop of hybrids on the road, it recycles resistant energy from braking and the like.

The distinct allure of the BMW i3

Merc’s sober-suited hot-rod laps up the road – and the praise

Behind the wheel of McLaren’s Senna supercar

VW Touareg: can the luxury SUV stop its tribe from shrinking?

Minor changes keep the Mazda 6 feeling fresh

Honda’s diesel-free SUV still hits the practical heights

Hyundai’s come a long, long way and the i30N is the pinnacle of its achievements

Is the i30N the second coming of Hyundai?

BMW’s new X4 is less SUV and more high-rise GTi

Honda’s diesel-free SUV still hits the practical heights

Hyundai Santa Fe 2.2D 4WD Premium Plus Auto

Could the new Santa Fe test Ireland’s faith in the Hyundai crossover?

Subtle update keeps Merc’s C-Class in the hunt

New C4 Cactus has some original traits, even if it has lost some of its distinctive identity by abandoning the plastic “air bumps” that used to blister out from the bodywork.

Citroën plays comfort card in new C4 Cactus

Lexus ES could be the car that tempts executives back to the brand

This is a complete premium package but with the performance of a thuggish hot hatch

Feel the power: Audi puts Quattro back in the race

It is one of those cars that seems almost mystically dialled-in to Irish conditions

The race is not always to the Swift

Volvo creates a box on wheels that’s not boxy

Volkswagen limits new Touareg SUV’s chances of success in Ireland

The Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross is good looking but underdeveloped underneath and less than satisfying to drive

Mitsubishi’s new crossover eclipsed by rivals

BMW M5: don’t fight the power of this big family supercar

Volkswagen Polo GTI

Can VW’s pocket rocket Polo GTi leave the Golf lagging behind?

We reckon that in mixed driving 200-250km should be easily achieved in the new Nissan Leaf

Is Nissan’s new Leaf a turning point in Ireland’s electric car journey?

A premium pick-up, but could havebeen so much better if built on G-Wagen pedigree

Mercedes picks up the pace

Maserati Levante: the Range Rover rival has started racking up significant sales, and now accounts for around half of all Maserati-badged sales worldwide

How do you solve a problem like Maserati?

2017 Honda Civic Type R (FK8)

Honda Civic Type-R: A road warrior that’s fit for the kiddies

Ford’s Mustang gets a mid-life makeover but it’s still pricey

Based on the same chassis as the E-Class saloon and coupe, the CLS gets an all-new engine lineup which, for now, comprises Merc’s new 3.0-litre straight-sixes in petrol and diesel forms, and all of the petrol models are now mild hybrids

New Mercedes-Benz CLS piles on the tech, but loses some of its style

Citroen plays the comfort card reinventing its hatchback offering

The grille, lights, and rear haunches are all a touch more sculpted

Subaru’s XV continues in its iconoclastic, but likeable, way

Opel Grandland X

Has Opel come too late – and with too little – to the crossover party?

Can Skoda storm the SUV market with a 1.0-litre engine?

Megane RS a reminder that Renault’s sport division has few peers

Smooth ride: the Lexus LS doesn’t drive so much as waft along on gilded wings

New Lexus LS offers incredible luxury and refinement as it takes on German elite

If the Jaguar E-Pace had come out two years ago we’d be hailing it as the best-handling new small crossover on the market

This particular cat feels a little declawed

Nissan’s new Leaf to overturn the electric car market?

Hyundai’s stylish Kona offers off-road looks at the right price

Qashqai’s white-bread recipe remains tasty but rivals challenge on flavour

New Ford Ecosport simply can’t keep pace with rivals

New Lexus LS sets the standard for refinement, but can it topple the Kaiser?

The Porsche Boxster GTS’s acceleration is fantastic: 100km/h from standing start in 4.6secs

Porsche gives the Cayman and Boxster a little more power and precision

BMW’s new M5 officially goes on sale at €163,800 and has an annual bill for motor tax of €2,350.

New BMW M5 marries monster power to air of anachronism

Is the X-Merc first class?

Tesla’s Model S at the firm’s supercharging station at the Topaz service station just off the M8, outside Ballacolla, Co Laois.

Tesla on a charge as it opens new base in Ireland

Style-wise, the Crossland X is actually quite handsome from the front

Opel’s Crossland X is a new dawn, but a dim one

Volvo XC60 T8 version

Volvo XC60 plug-in hybrid ticks a lot of boxes - except price

The Renault Koleos doesn’t look quite as smooth as the very good-looking Kadjar, but it has a pleasant, bluff uprightness

Renault Koleos: bigger, better, but still far from best

Volkswagen’s T-Roc proves that the German car giant still boasts top-class engineering talent

Volkswagen’s T-Roc sets new small SUV standards

No modern Audi would be complete without its virtual cockpit digital screen right in front of the driver, and there is also a high-resolution, full colour head-up display as well.

Set aside the self-driving hype, the new A8 is an engineering masterclass

New Range Rover Velar the best looking SUV on market

For all its french links, the Opel Grandland X manages to have it own look. There is a nice upright grille that features the blitz badge and some smaller wings.

Grandland has a distinctive French vibe

The real meat of the Stonic range lies in the “K2” spec models, using the 1.4-litre engine, and those start at a slightly more robust €21,099

Kia gins up Stonic as it seeks to Captur some Renault sales

The improvements to the interior are welcome though – the overall sense of quality is much higher now, and the cabin is less plastic-y

Yaris Hybrid is painless introduction to electro-motoring

There’s no question that the new Insignia is a fantastic-looking car

Insignia is grand, but is it enough for senior ranks?

Ford Kuga ST-Line: It deserves to be in the running against the best-sellers on the market

Road test: Ford Kuga - midlife crisis leads to facelift

The Velar owes a great deal to the Jaguar F-Pace, the basic aluminium underpinnings of which it shares.

Range Rover Velar: designed to conquer the urban jungle

New Ford Fiesta: is it ‘new’ enough to see off the likes of the VW Polo?

Does Ford’s new Fiesta offer enough to see off its rivals?

The recipe for the new CX-5 is very much a steady-hand, don’t-rock-the-boat one

Mazda sticks to winning formula with new CX-5

No ordinary car, this motor has menace

Tweak the “Manettino” switch on the bottom of the steering wheel to Sport and the Lusso will accelerate with undisguised ferocity, and all the noise your ear canals can safely carry.

Ferrari’s magic V12 is like a time warp to the 1950s

This new Ibiza is something of a revelation. Sit in and clunk the door shut, and you’ll notice immediately that the cabin has taken a major step forward.

Seat’s new Ibiza puts a little pimento in the supermini stew

The new Mercedes-Benz E-Class convertible

Where better to launch a soft-top Mercedes than on top of Mont Blanc

Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross: family front styling with more provocative rear look

Mitsubishi tries to Eclipse its competitors with new mid-sized crossover

A devilishly good-looking four-door saloon but it certainly fails to live up to its “Grand Coupe” name

Renault’s ‘Megane Coupe’ name is fake news

The new Volvo XC60 is the company’s most important new car to date.

Volvo XC60 a big step forward as firm comes into its own

In spite of a slightly offset driving position, the Audi Q5 is comfy and refined

New Audi Q5 exposes the fault in our star ratings

The Renaul Zoe 4.0’s cabin looks quite nice and while the quality of the cabin plastics is pretty flimsy, Renault’s engineers have clearly been hard at work as there was not a single squeak nor rattle from within the car

Renault Zoe’s 400km battery claims to salve the pangs of battery worries

VW Golf 1-litre 110bhp 6-speed 5-door Highline

A very smart VW Golf that’s fast off the blocks

Aston Martin DB11’s ‘smaller’ V12 still has a big heart

Car review: Aston Martin DB11’s ‘smaller’ V12 still has a big heart

BMW 530e: fully charged, the plug-in hybrid can go 50km without burning any dead dinosaurs, and a claimed 650km if you combine the battery and the truncated fuel tank

BMW looks to electrify Irish motorists with new 530e

Highly anticipated: The Skoda Kodiaq has generated circus-like publicity – and it lives up to the hype

Skoda’s Kodiaq sets the bar for affordable SUVs

The new Seat Ibiza has already picked up design awards

Seat starts its latest offensive with a sporty new Ibiza

The Kia Picanto: it will not be the best-selling city car in Ireland, but it may well be the best

Kia’s new Picanto wins big in the little league

Kia Rio: Its brief from head office in Seoul is to be a sporty and youthful but instead of funky you get ample practicality

New Kia Rio lacks carnival razzmatazz

New Opel Insignia shows improvements at every turn

New BMW i3 the best electric car this side of a Tesla

The new Peugeot 5008 1.2 PureTech 130hp Automatic: there is little or no decrease in absolute practicality

Switch to SUV shape gives Peugeot 5008 the upper hand

The Peugeot 3008’s claw-shaped headlights and slashing character lines won’t appeal to everyone, but it’s certainly much more distinctive than the old 3008

Peugeot’s 3008 will give rivals some cold shivers

Fantastic voyage of Discovery in the wild, wild west

The new plug-in Toyota Prius claims an official range on electric-only power of 63km after which it returns to the ‘regular’ hybrid mode

Toyota’s plug-in Prius is on the way but is it worth the wait?

The Toyota C-HR: worth the wait

The Toyota C-HR: the lovechild of a hatchback, coupe and SUV

Europe gets only one body style for the new Kia Rio, a five-door hatchback.

Kia Rio closes on supermini competition

Road test: BMW keeps its powder dry with new 520d

The Golf GTI Clubsport has the extra punch that should have been delivered by the “regular” GTi

VW’s Golf GTI Clubsport is everything the GTI should’ve been

Road test: Giulia rekindles the Alfa Romeo flame but will it be enough?

First drive: Mini inflates new Countryman’s size – and price

The Mazda MX-5 RF is available from February with prices starting from €31,495 for the 1.5 RF. The two-litre GT is €36,695 and €300 more gets full tan leather.

Mazda’s hard-top MX-5 RF loses none of the driving thrill

Audi Q2 review: Small car making a big statement

Korean hybrid’s interior trim is smart and clean and its controls are simple and intuitive

Kia Niro review: hybrid crossover fits bill for family buyers

One does not expect to find sex appeal in a Micra, but here Nissan’s team have actually created some. Heavily influenced by last year’s Sway concept, the front is chiselled and athletic and there are deep character lines waving and wafting their way towards the back

New Nissan Micra confounds the expectations of history

The new BMW 5-Series: even fans will have to look twice to spot the difference.

First drive: Can the new BMW 5-Series retain its lead over rivals?

The Lexus LC boasts a grille that wouldn’t look out of place on a truck.

First drive: Lexus LC – a triumph of Japanese craftsmanship

Mercedes-AMG E 63: there is no other sports saloon out there that sits as flat in corners while it’s being flung about at increasingly ridiculous angles

First drive: Mercedes-AMG E 63 fast and furious

The Ioniq comes in three flavours: full electric, a regular petrol-electric 1.6-litre hybrid version and an upcoming plug-in hybrid version Hyundai is hoping will deliver 50km of full-electric driving before resorting back to hybrid mode

Road test: Hyundai’s Ioniq offers viable eco options

The Tipo’s steering feels springy and weighted with a touch of sporting heft and the suspension feels smooth and calm

First drive: Fiat’s Tipo pulls off a cost-effective surprise

First Drive: Toyota’s new C-HR cuts a visual dash and has premium appeal

Porsche Boxster doesn’t drop a bum note

With a contrasting roof and a range of bright colour options and stickers, the new C3 is quite distinctive and rather handsome. You can either go nuts with bright greens or oranges, or class everything up with blues or greys and either version looks nice

Citroen’s new C3 adds quirk to the small family car

Peugeot’s accessories list for the 3008 features a foldable electric assisted push scooter and an foldable electric bicycle. Both can be plugged in and charged in the car’s boot.

First drive: New Peugeot 3008 leads the push upmarket for the French brand

Tesla Model X road test: All-electric self-driving SUV for the school run

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Rosie Jefferies and her son Arthur: he knows “what buttons to push”.

Why ‘time out’ and the ‘naughty step’ are not good parenting

Left: Sunny Hollow in Clonakilty, West Cork, a three-bed detached house within a minute’s walk of the sea and about a mile from the village. Right: North Lodge in Clonmellon, Co Meath, a three-bed property with gothic-style features in pastoral surrounds.

Escape to a picture-perfect country charmer for under €300k

Starting a new school can be both an exciting and anxious time. Photograph: iStock

First year in secondary school: a survival guide

Passengers were taken off the 6.25am Ryanair Cork to Stansted flight on August 11th, and the plane then flew other passengers to Wroclaw in Poland. Photograph: Thomas Frey/AFP/Getty Images

Ryanair delays London flight as ‘cheaper than disrupting Polish flight’

Kate Macklin's children (Evistons) were born in Ireland but raised and schooled in Italy.

Language lessons: bringing up bilingual kids abroad

Molly Twomey: “An eating disorder is a coping mechanism for everything you’ve suppressed and it was very difficult to feel all the pain and heartbreak that I’d used my eating disorder to cope with.” Photograph: Bryan O’Brien

What lies beneath: The difficulty of facing up to an eating disorder

Taken on a GoPro Hero5, this photo of Bailey the springer spaniel jumping into Lough Derg “seemed to encapsulate this incredible summer”. Photograph: Louis Smith

Springer Spaniel incoming: The winner of our summer photography competition

Planning a move to the Middle East? Here’s everything you need to know

Last year, an Italian company allowed a woman to take paid time off when her dog became sick. Photograph: iStock

US company offers ‘fur-ternity leave’ for new pet owners

Noise is a common source of complaint in apartment developments and can be a source of tension between neighbours

What do I need to do to stop my neighbour complaining about floorboard noise?

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Top 100 We count down the best cars for 2018

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