25 October 2024

New Honda HR-V completes updated SUV lineout


A new generation of Honda's HR-V SUV is now on sale in Ireland at a starting price of €41,750, writes Brian Byrne. Styled to look more substantial than its predecessor two iterations, the latest version is longer and wider but retains the same wheelbase.

The new HR-V's powertrain is a petrol hybrid with a total output of 131hp and a rated fuel economy of 5.4L/100km. The engine package comprises a 1.5 Atkinson-cycle unit with two electric motors.

The car comes with a full suite of driver assist features, but with an interior design emphasis on traditional climate and audio volume switchgear and a relatively small touchscreen to minimise distraction.

There are four grade options, to a top price of €49,750.




 

Cars from Japan now top used imports sales


The number of secondhand cars imported from Japan has increased more than ten-fold since 2018, due in part to Brexit, writes Brian Byrne. To date in 2024, 22,482 such vehicles have been imported to Ireland, compared to just 2,621 six years ago, many of them including high-end European models previously owned by Japanese people.

According to key importer Automatic Motor Car Centre, based in Lusk Co Dublin, Brexit is just part of a 'perfect storm' in the used imports industry, along with ever-increasing prices for new cars, and Irish car buyers' demands for more value for money.

The change means that Japan is now the top source country for second-hand imports here, bumping the UK off top rung of the ladder it held until 2019. Cóilín Garvey, Sales Manager of AMCC.ie says motorists here have realised that Japanese imports are very well specced cars, much better than the average equivalent in Ireland. "In general, Japanese motorists look after their cars better than Irish drivers do," Mr Garvey says. "What’s more, Japan has one of the most advanced road infrastructures in the world, which helps to improve the longevity of these cars."

Japanese imports also tend to be packed with the latest technologies and that helps to make the cars top performers in terms of safety and fuel efficiency.

While one in four of the AMCC imports are bought directly by private buyers, the majority are stocked by secondhand car dealerships across Ireland. The importer has an exclusive partnership with NextGear Capital, the largest provider of stock funding facilities for used vehicle dealers, to facilitate these customers. 

Pictured are Cóilín Garvey, (AMCC Sales Manager); Áine Cantwell (AMCC Business Manager); Anthony O’Neill (Account Manager, NextGear Capital); and Peter Molloy, (Ireland Manager, NextGear Capital) at the announcement of the partnership between the two companies at the amcc.ie premises in Lusk, Co Dublin. 

18 October 2024

MG announces Cyberster pricing


MG in Ireland are back in the sports car heritage of the marque with the pricing announcement for their all-electric Cyberster, writes Brian Byrne. Debuted in Europe at last year's Goodwood Festival of Speed, the 2-seater will be available with RWD and AWD powertrains.

Prices start at €69,000 for the single-motor car, and from €75,500 for the dual-motor AWD car. Power outputs range from 340ps to 503ps, with a claimed 3.2s sprint to 100km/h capability for the more powerful car.

A fully-electric fabric hood can be raised in 15 seconds while the car is moving at speeds of up to 48km/h.

MG Motor Ireland will be announcing selected Cyberster dealers in Ireland shortly. 



17 October 2024

My first adventure in new Ford Explorer EV: Trish Whelan


Ford’s choice of an adventurous back-to-nature theme for the UK and Ireland launch of its new Explorer proved an appropriate one for this new all-electric crossover SUV, the first in a wave of new electric vehicles for Europe that will signal a complete reinvention of the brand. 

The New Forest area of Hampshire, England’s smallest National Park, provided us with a calming yet adventurous experience driving over country roads in and around the famed 400 years old woodlands grazed by deer, cattle and the Forest's indigenous ponies. It is also favoured by hikers and families who explore the many trails throughout the forest. 


Explorer is a new mid-size, five-seater vehicle engineered and assembled in Ford’s state-of-the-art electric vehicle centre in Cologne combining European engineering with strong American styling. It is actually built on the same platform as the Volkswagen ID.4 so both models share some components. Explorer is equipped to set active families on the road to adventure with features that include the option of a sleeping tent that sits on top of the vehicle. (The Select version is pictured above).

In size, Explorer is just a bit smaller than the Ford Kuga but has a longer wheelbase at 2767mm. Ground clearance unloaded is 193mm, and when fully loaded is 141mm. 

All the Ford UK top brass were on hand for our introductory presentation including Lisa Brankin, Ford Chair and Managing Director Ford UK and Ireland as well as those involved in the design and engineering of the Explorer in Europe which all helped emphasise the importance of the launch. Jordan Demkiw, Exterior Design Manager, said when they set out to design the car they wanted a very bold and confident vehicle, 'something that will exemplify the spirit of adventure and exploration’. 


The design includes a strong clean and friendly front end. The car’s futuristic exterior styling is matched by the ultra-modern interior with premium materials and features like sculpted sporty seats with integrated head rests and a massage function for the driver as standard on every Explorer which wasn’t needed when driving in the calmness and tranquility of roads in The New Forest where ponies grazing along the roadside barely lifted their heads as we slowly passed by. 


As this is an electric car, the designers could free up the centre console from more traditional controls and reuse the space with the 14.6-inch supersized movable touchscreen that you can lift up, leave in any position you find comfortable, and can also store your valuables in the Secret Locker behind the screen, and then lock it at the lowest position. The Ford SYNC fully connected infotainment system wirelessly integrates Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and comes with a built-in EV trip planner and satellite navigation. The extendable MegaConsole storage space between front seats with its 17 litres of space provides enough room for a large handbag, or laptop. It held the two large cold bags that contained our lunches on the day, with plenty of room to spare. The 5.3-inch digital cluster has all the trip information you could require. Driving the top Premium grade, I was intrigued by the shape of the soundbar-style B&O speaker on top of the dash which looks like something from outer space has landed there. The top trim has a power tailgate and boot space of 450 litres. 


A suite of advanced driver assistance features include Adaptive Cruise control, adaptive matrix LED headlights, and a 360deg camera. The driver Assistance Technology Pack features 12 ultrasonic sensors, five cameras and three radar sensors to keep you safe on the road. The Rear Wheel Drive 77 kWh Extended Range cars were available for us to drive in both the Select and Premium grades. Both have 1-speed automatic transmission. Other common features include max power of 286p, torque of 545 Nm, a 0-100km/h acceleration of 6.4 secs, combined energy consumption of 14.7 KwH/100kms, rear view camera, front and rear parking sensors. 

Explorer can undertake longer journeys with more than 600km driving range possible from a single charge with both of the extended range RWD models which eliminates any problems with range anxiety. The range is a bit less at 570kms for the Premium grade. Both grades can be fast charged from 10pc-80pc in around 26-28 minutes using up to a maximum 135 kW DC fast charger. 


While I enjoyed all the comfort the entry grade had to offer, stepping into the Premium version with its added luxury such as the panoramic sunroof and enhanced features soon made it my clear favourite of the two. Finding a perfect driving position was easy with the 12-way power seat adjustments. The excellent head-up display also helped, not to mention all the top end driver assistance and safety features that really impressed. Despite on-road testing, I could find no obvious fault of any kind with the car and thoroughly enjoyed both test drives travelling in big comfort with plenty of power if needed and look forward to driving the Explorer back in Ireland for longer test drives. 


Explorer prices start at €43,591 for the Select model; the Premium comes in at €48,006. Both prices include €3,500 SEAI EV grant & VRT relief for eligible variants.

 

Phase 2 of charging infrastructure grants rolls out


A new phase of government grants aimed at increasing the number of public chargers for electric vehicles has just opened for application, writes Brian Byrne. The scheme, known as LDV 2, will target over 1,200km of national single carriageway roads and will support the roll-out of EV recharging infrastructure pools at a distance of no more than 60 km between them in each direction.

The scheme is open to petrol/service station operators, car park owners, hotels, supermarkets/retail outlets, and anyone with a publicly accessible site within 3km driving distance of the Scheme roads. The closing date for application is 15 January 2025.

This scheme is part of the wider ZEVI National Road Network EV Charging Plan, which earlier this year awarded grant funding to deliver 131 new high-powered recharging points for electric vehicles at 17 locations along the motorway/dual-carriageway network.

According to Transport Minister Eamonn Ryan, all the chargers under the overall scheme are expected to be in operation by the end of 2025. The scheme is costing €100 million. 

16 October 2024

New BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe on sale here


The new generation of the BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe is now available to order in Ireland, with a starting price of €46,505 OTR, writes Brian Byrne. First deliveries to customers here are expected from March 2025.

Two versions will be available, a 170hp with 48-volt mild hybrid technology and an AWD with 300hp and the capability of achieving 0-100km/h in 4.9s.

A 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission is standard in the new car, as is adaptive suspension.

The interior of the all-new car features the latest iterations of the iDrive and BMW OS9 driving and parking assist technologies.  



MG3 Hybrid review: Brian Byrne, Irish Car


I remember the first time I saw a Chinese SUV at a European motor show, writes Brian Byrne. So forgettable that I can’t remember the year or the car brand. Or even at which of the three shows I regularly attended it was exhibited. But I do remember the unattractiveness of the materials and interior design, and the very iffy build quality compared to what we were even then used to from European carmakers. "Won't work here," I said to a colleague then. It didn't.

But China learns quickly. Anyone in the last few years who has gotten into the new cars from a variety of the Asian giant's carmakers will have been struck by the perceived quality, and the luxury intent of their higher-end cars. As well as in the originally European brands now owned by Chinese companies, such as Volvo. All have the tech, the style, and the quality.

None more so than MG Motor, the current iteration of the 1924-founded British sports car marque owned today by the Shanghai car giant SAIC Motor. This is China targeting not the luxury market, but the everyday mainstream. In 2013 some 513 Chinese MG cars were sold in Europe. Last year, a decade later, that figure hit 231,684 units. Much of that success has come from demand for the MG4 electric car, but now the MG3 Hybrid+ has arrived. "This will certainly work here," I said to that same colleague last week.

The B segment car is a tad larger than the now discontinued Ford Fiesta and the latest Suzuki Swift. It has an attractively lively design at the front, some good side sculpting, and a safe rear hatch style made distinctive by a large MG badge.


Where the model really scores is with the interior, featuring a tidily styled dashboard with separate infotainment and driver information screens, both well located and with intelligible graphics. The touchscreen seems to be a generation better than I remember in the MG4 EV I drove last year, and which was poor. China learns. Quickly. Underneath is a line of physical switches for some climate control and radio volume. Apple CarPlay had to be wire-connected, and created an issue that the switch to access the climate detail page then no longer worked, and I had to exit CarPlay to do anything with heat or cool. China will learn.

The hybrid powertrain means automatic, and transmission selection is via a big knob on the centre console. Visible and virtually impossible to do anything incorrectly, I like it. The hexagonal steering wheel feels good, though the remote toggles for navigating functions are not as clear as some. China will learn.


It's what we used to call the supermini segment, so in reality a 4-seater hatchback with room for an occasional fifth as long as all in the back are children. But every seat is comfortable. And everything looks good and feels solid. China has learned.

The hybrid powertrain is new to the brand, and in my experience with the car it works well. A larger than usual electric drive battery for the segment means a significant amount of town driving is done electrically. There's a 3-speed automatic rather than a CVT auto transmission, and when the 1.5 inline four cuts in, it does seem to be revving high, possibly because the Atkinson cycle it's set up for is more efficient for hybrids. No rev-counter, so I couldn't see visually what was happening. But the overall drive in whatever mode the system chose was good. An 8-second sprint to 100km/h is claimed, and without measuring that there was certainly a decent sense of push when accelerating to pass. I averaged 4.5L/100km through my time, and that's a decent economy.

All driver assist is part of the package, and the annoying alerts that we're all starting not to hear. Won't go there.

This car is going to do very well, everywhere. Especially priced as it is before that extra EU duty on Chinese-made cars arrives.

PRICE: From €23,995. WHAT I LIKED: China has learned.  



15 October 2024

Audi's A3 Sportback has more power and efficiency


A revised Audi A3 Sportback TFSIe is now available to order in Ireland at a starting price of €51,410, writes Brian Byrne. Two versions available include a plug-in hybrid with a rated EV range of up to 141km.

A new turbocharged petrol engine underpinning both variants improves both efficiency and engine longevity. A dual-clutch automatic transmission is standard.

Changes to the charging system now allow it to recharge at high-power stations, with up to 80pc of fresh charge available in less than half an hour.