Car Reviews | The Irish Times

Overall, the Audi e-Tron crossover delivers proper premium flair in a family-sized car, but at a hefty price

Audi eTron is full of sparkle but lacks some spark behind the wheel

A view of the new Renault Clio (2019)

New Renault Clio feels more grown up, with less fun factor

Volkswagen T-Cross is a fun little crossover, overshadowed by its own hype and the more affordable Polo hatchback

Volkswagen T-Cross: Cool little crossover with strong Polo roots

Volkswagen Passat has been given a mid-life facelift that adds new technology plus a few subtle styling changes, ding in this estate version

Volkswagen’s plug-in Passat embraces new tech services

Mercedes-Benz GLC 300 4MATIC: There are new bumpers and lights, new grilles, some new colour options, and a revised interior with (optional) digital instruments and a bigger (also optional) touchscreen for the MBUX infotainment system.

Merc’s updated GLC keeps one eye on the past and one on the future

‘Hybrids are supposed to be powered by a mixture of petrol and electricity, but the NSX’s engine note will have you convinced that this one runs on venom and rage.’

Honda’s NSX adds hellfire to hybrid power

For the Fast and Furious generation, the driving fun is certainly there in the new Supra.

Toyota Supra’s homage stays true to its roots

With the V8 in full roar, the screech of tyres laying down a layer of rubber on the road, and smoke rising from the rear, it’s a wonderful way to wake up your neighbours

Ford’s Mustang Bullitt more than just a star of a bygone age

Irish road test: Newly refreshed Toyota Camry makes a welcome return

Mercedes-Benz CLA: new model features a stunning design and is a dream to drive

Mercedes-Benz’s new CLA splits the four-door hairs

Honda CR-V: Two engines are offered up in Ireland: the 2-litre petrol-electric hybrid – tested here – and a 1.5-litre turbo petrol

Honda CR-V: The brand is back, and Sliotar Mums can rejoice

The Seat Tarraco: it suffers from that same hesitancy that we’ve seen in other VW Group vehicles

Seat’s seven-seater Tarraco is stylish but dull to drive

The DS 3 Crossback E-Tense can sprint from 0-100km/h in 8.7 seconds and can do the shorter dash from 0 to 50km/h in just 3.3 seconds

DS 3 Crossback E-Tense is more than just a Citroën with notions

The X7’s front grille is as if someone has strapped two garden gates to the front of the car

When size matters, the X7 from BMW fits the bill

The new Toyota Rav4 ticks a lot more boxes. For a start it has the rugged image. It also has the family space

Toyota Rav4: Impressive family crossover with rugged looks and hybrid tech

The price of the Mazda 3 has yet to be released but it could be about €25,000-€26,000

Mazda’s gorgeous hatch brings Japanese craftsmanship to family driveways

DS 7: Stylish French model made for the catwalk not Irish roads

Striking: The BMW 8 Series is a seriously good-looking coupe

BMW 8 Series: A big, beautiful coupe you’ll never want to get out of

The four-door Corolla saloon will be the best-selling version of Toyota’s new line-up in Ireland

Saloon will top new Corolla Hybrid sales, but you should buy the estate

Alfa Stelvio leaves scarlet streak across the landscape

A Corolla that’s pretty and fun to drive? We’re gobsmacked

The Audi Q3 is not perfect, but it’s alright

Audi’s new Q3 is the acceptable face of crossovers

Lexus ES: Eco-friendly aura with proper boardroom luxury

The Peugeot 508 boasts muscle car menace and a premium quality interior

Peugeot 508 proves to be a tempting alternative to elite German saloons

The Vitara gets the fundamentals right. It’s compact, but usefully practical. It’s designed to be light, nimble, and easy around town, but equally adept at dealing with demands of a more rural nature

The Vitara is the Suzuki we get, but not the one we deserve

Hyundai Kona: sales of the eco-friendly crossover in Ireland have overtaken those for the Nissan Leaf during the first 20 days of 2019

Hyundai’s Kona leads the electric charge - for now

The new RAV4 is an intriguing proposition. A car that combines surprising levels of ruggedness, with forward-looking hybrid tech, and big-saloon-style refinement and comfort on a motorway run.

Toyota’s RAV4 goes back to its 4x4 roots

BMW X5 30d M Sport

Still a bit bling but the best driving SUV in its class

The Ariel Nomad relies on rear-wheel drive, chunky tyres, and low weight to keep itself mobile when the going gets slippery or sandy

None madder than an Ariel Nomad

Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV plugging the gap between now and the future

This 3 Series is one of the very few relatively affordable cars you can buy that retains that sense of driver engagement and fun

How BMW’s 3 Series got its magic back

Sadly, the e-Niro is pretty ordinary to drive. It’s a pity Kia couldn’t engineer some of the new Ceed into the e-Niro’s steering and suspension

Kia’s electric Niro has star backing but wins no oscars on the road

Honda’s hybrid CR-V keeps it clean and comfortable

The third-generation Mercedes-Benz B Class range will initially comprise B180 and B200 petrol models and B180d, B200d and B220d diesels.

First Drive: Mercedes-Benz B Class is as boxy as ever

The Lexus RX450h-L: the combo of big, smooth V6 and the extra torque from the hybrid electric motor means your journey will likely be effortless

Lexus’ seven-seat RX adds practicality, but only for the smallest passengers

Audi Q8 50 TDI: With adaptive air suspension and all-wheel steering, it wafts along, unfazed by rutted roads.

Audi Q8: the latest German coupe crossover

It would be so easy to dismiss the Audi A6 based solely on its styling, but spend a bit more time with it and the subtleties emerge

Audi plays a safe shot with the new A6, but neatly pots the black

The Jaguar i-Pace is fast, fun, sure-footed, and intriguing to look at

It’s electric: Jaguar’s I-Pace surges ahead of Tesla

Having a Dacia in the driveway during the recession suggested you were sensible with your spending

Dacia’s refined Duster keeps its cost-conscious roots

The Urus costs £165,000 (€186,000) in the UK, and that’s before you even glance at the options list.

Lamborghini revs up to SUV success with the Urus

The Mini just zips along, with a sweet personality and an appetite for fun

Mini Cooper S review: ‘go-kart feel’ provides endless driving fun

“The Fiesta ST gets better the quicker you go and the harder the questions you ask of it.”

Ford’s third-generation Fiesta ST: King of the (back) road

The new BMW X4 xDrive M40d

BMW X4: How can this coupe SUV feel so wrong but still feel so right?

Ford Mondeo Hybrid

Ford’s Mondeo Hybrid arrives late, but still welcome

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

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