Ford delivers fast and dynamic Fiesta ST

Thu, Apr 18, 2013

The new Ford Fiesta ST is Ford’s fastest and most dynamic small production performance car ever - now that's saying something.

1.6 litre engine is now most popular in Ireland

Thu, Apr 18, 2013

The 1.6 litre engine is now the most popular engine size in the Irish private fleet, according to vehicle car history check experts, Cartell.ie.

The 1.6 litre engine is now undeniably Ireland’s choice of engine size, representing 28 per cent of registrations in 2012 – almost 6,000 units ahead of its nearest rival. In 2007 the 1.4 litre engine was the most popular choice with a 23 per cent share of registrations.

New Jaguar XJR revealed

Thu, Apr 18, 2013

A new high-performance Jaguar XJR, powered by a 542bhp supercharged 5.0-litre V8 engine, debuted at the recent New York Motor Show.

Number of penalty points fell in 2012

Thu, Apr 11, 2013

The total number of penalty point incidents fell last year compared to 2011. In all there were just over 239,000 cases, down by 7.2 per cent annually. Whether that is a good thing or a bad thing depends on your point of view.

The official line from the Garda and the Road Safety Authority is that drivers are getting the message and behaving themselves better. That may well be true and of course the most important statistic of all – the number of road deaths – also fell which would tend to support it.

Two more new Dacia dealers appointed

Thu, Apr 11, 2013

The Dacia Ireland network of dealerships has expanded to 22, with the news that JJ Burke’s in Ballinrobe, County Mayo, and Hogan Motors in Ennis, County Clare, have joined Ireland’s fastest growing car dealership network.

New Toyota RAV4 launched with a super price

Thu, Apr 11, 2013

This week Toyota Ireland launched the new RAV4 priced from €27,995. This fourth--generation SUV features new distinctive, sophisticated styling, premium-quality interior design, a new integrated dynamic drive system, and an engaging drive with fuel efficient powertrains and reduced emissions, resulting in road tax from €270 per annum. In addition, with Toyota Flex, customers can own a new RAV4 from €299 a month.

All-new Range Rover Sport debuts

Thu, Apr 11, 2013

The new 2014 Range Rover Sport officially debuted in New York recently and brough the city to a standstill when 007 James Bond, aka Daniel Craig, did the launch honours.

Speaking the same language for road safety

Thu, Apr 04, 2013

Comparing data across different countries can be awkward. There are differing methodologies and ways of doing things. You have to do a lot of ground work to agree a lot of details before you can be sure that you are making valid comparisons.

Lexus ranks as the highest luxury brand again

Thu, Apr 04, 2013

Lexus has ranked highest in customer satisfaction among luxury brands in the JD Power and Associates 2013 Customer Service Index Study for the fifth consecutive year.

Lexus achieved an overall CSI score of 862 on a 1,000-point scale, 19 points above the segment average and the highest numerical score in the study, regardless of segment.

Volkswagen Golf is the 2013 World Car of the Year

Thu, Apr 04, 2013

The new seventh-generation Volkswagen Golf was declared the 2013 World Car of the Year at the New York Auto Show, adding this global title to the European Car of the Year which it won earlier this month, writes Padraic Deane.

New road safety strategy won’t be exciting but will be important

Thu, Mar 28, 2013

This week the RSA will be publishing the latest Road Safety Strategy for Ireland. It will run for seven years taking us up to 2020.

The key measures will become well known in the coming days. In fact it is not all that revolutionary; a lot of the obvious measures that Ireland needed to take have already been done. To coin a fairly awful marketing expression, the ‘low hanging fruit’ has already been plucked.

Volkswagen first all-electric car - the e-up! debuts

Thu, Mar 28, 2013

Volkswagen has been working on fully electric production vehicles for some time and finally has presented its first - the new e-up!.

Alfa Romeo unveils stunning 4C in Geneva

Thu, Mar 28, 2013

Alfa Romeo returned to the Geneva Motor Show with a spectacular stand that unfolded like a winding, dynamic road - the ideal place to present the world première of the Alfa Romeo 4C.

Hydrogen fuel cell cars are the future

Thu, Mar 28, 2013

Cars in the medium to long term will be powered by fuel cells. They will be emissions free and the fuel will be hydrogen. I have driven several prototypes and they will be the fuel and power source for our cars in the future, writes Padraic Deane.

Speed camera zones changed

Thu, Mar 21, 2013

In the last few years Speed Camera vans have become a familiar, if not entirely popular, sight on Irish roads.

Two years on from the full roll-out of the scheme the selection of camera locations is changing. Some zones will drop off the list and new ones will be added. There is clear logic behind the selection of the locations but still there are a lot of people who just aren’t convinced.

New Ford Focus van set to 'Edge' rivals

Thu, Mar 21, 2013

Ford has just launched its new Focus van. It replaces the successful Focus Mark III van, which was the best-seller in its segment until it ceased production in 2011.

New Kia Carens compact MPV arrives in May

Thu, Mar 21, 2013

The new 2013 Kia Carens compact MPV will go on sale in Ireland in May with a starting price of €26,490.

New bigger and more stylish Skoda Octavia arrives

Thu, Mar 21, 2013

The new Skoda Octavia went on sale last week with with prices starting from €18,995 for the 1.2 TSi petrol Active.

Minor accidents cause major headaches

Thu, Mar 14, 2013

When we talk about crashes on the roads we tend immediately to think of the very serious ones where people are hurt. The vast majority of cases are less serious ‘material damage collisions’.

Typically there are about 20,000 of these every year. In most cases when a minor crash happens it is a whole new experience for the unfortunate driver, and a very unpleasant experience at that.