Michael McAleeranswers your questions
From Paschal Kelly:
I have been told that Mazda is about to launch a new version of the 6. Is that true, or can you shed any light on the subject?
That is true. The new Mazda6 will be officially launched at the end of the year. We published spy shots of it undergoing tests in our February 28th edition of the supplement. I have it on good authority that those pics show the new car as it will be launched.
From B O'Connor, Dublin 16:
In response to a query you state there is a tendency for Golf owners to upgrade to the Audi A3. Coincidentally this is something I am considering. I have a 2005 Golf 1.4L 5 Door Sportsline model and am looking at a new 1.6-litre 5-door Sportback version of the Audi A3. I understand a new model of the A3 will be launched soon, and if so I would prefer to wait until it comes on the market.
I would hope that it would be eco-friendly and not be penalised, should the new rating system be introduced. Can you advise me and outline the pros and cons of such a change and should I consider alternative makes?
A new A3 is not due until 2010 at the earliest. There will be a facelift of the current range in the second half of 2008 but it will be relatively minor. Given the timeframe I don't think you will want to wait.
Of the current A3, it's a step into the premium segment and that may help when you go to resell the car. The Audi could be classed as a rebadged Golf, but a defining feature - along with the increased price - includes very good build quality.
The Sportsback version is actually an estate version of the model range - like an A3 Avant. It gives greater boot space, but downsides include a rather dull interior trim and tight seats.
For all the premium cachet of the A3, my preference would be for the new Golf GT. It is a turbocharged 1.4-litre engine that offers 170bhp, and has a similar CO2 level as the regular 1.4-litre Golfs and the 1.6-litre A3 Sportsback - 170g/km. Of the alternatives in the premium end of the hatchback market, there's few that would entice me, with neither the Mercedes A-Class or BMW 1-Series passing muster in your price range.
From J Harding:
Someone questioned the proximity of the pedestrian bridge and the pedestrian crossing on the N11 in Cabinteely in your last edition.
The N11 divides the village proper from a large part of the housing associated with it. The footbridge is near a church and a school and is required for both schoolchildren and church goers. The pedestrian controlled crossing is at the location of an ancient right of way between the village and a public park and adjacent housing areas.
The council wanted to extinguish the right of way but there were objections. The bridge was not put up until there was a pedestrian fatality there. Similarly the bridges at Foxrock Church and the Clonkeen Road intersection were not put up until there were pedestrian fatalities at those locations. While there is a huge requirement to get the road system correct, I suggest that dividing a village in two and not looking for established rights of way is not the correct way to go about it.
There may have been right of way issues regarding the pedestrian crossing, but surely they are negated by the existence of a footbridge.
As you state, footbridges have only been put up after pedestrian fatalities. That is a heavy price to pay before something is done.
Clearly the bridge is safer and it means the village is not divided by the traffic flow.
The historic rights of way were created to convenience the public's access around private land. Once this is catered for - as it is with the bridge - surely some element of common sense must be applied. Or am I asking too much of our planning laws?
From Brian Gillespie, Co Mayo:
Last week's by Daniel Attwood entitled 'Honda puts green to the fore', states: "It was Honda (not Toyota) which first launched a mainstream hybrid car - the Insight - in 1999."
The correct part of that is that Honda was the first to launch a mainstream hybrid car in the US, but Toyota started mass-producing the Prius in 1997 for sale in its native Japan. The Prius went on worldwide sale in 2001.
Daniel responds: "Yes, I should have said the first to be launched on the international market. The Insight was the first mass produced hybrid sold in the US. Toyota only launched the Prius on its home market in 1997 and took another two and a half years to launch it outside of Japan, when it launched it in the US (in 2000 as a 2001 model)."
Send your queries to Motors Helpdesk, The Irish Times, Tara St, Dublin 2 or e-mail motorshelp@irish-times.ie