LAND ROVER DEFENDER TROPHY REVIEW: TRISH WHELAN, IRISH CAR

Land Rover has been making sturdy go-anywhere vehicles since 1948, when they were used by farmers and the military. Their off-roaders have been used by explorers and adventurers to travel across impossible terrains in remote parts, be they mountain ranges or deserts, or anything in between. 

The latest introduction is the Land Rover Defender Trophy model that pays homage to the brand’s historic heritage of taking part in challenging competitions like the Camel Trophy, and is offered in heritage-inspired Deep Sandglow Yellow (my vehicle) or Keswick Green, a unique paint with gloss black accents. This Trophy spec is only available in the standard 5-door 110 model of the Defender that offers five to seven seats. It has been given a few extra explorer-type features that include a large Trophy decal on the bonnet, Trophy graphics on C-Pillars, and a Trophy badge on the rear, big side steps for front and rear passengers, a raised air intake (snorkel) on the front passenger’s side of the windscreen that draws cleaner air into the engine from over the roof, reducing the amount of dust and sand that can raise up while off-roading. 

Other special features are the step ladder, an expedition accessory that folds in along the side of the vehicle, allowing access to the roof rails and any gear equipment secured there. My car had large side mirrors with good blind spot monitors, 20-inch gloss black wheels with all-terrain tyres, a contrasting black roof, and a spare wheel with a gloss black cover on the heavy, side-opening rear door. 

The interior really impressed with its good design and mix of practicality and comfort features, with big head and leg room front and rear, and washable rubber floor mats. I was able to swing up into the high cabin courtesy of the handgrip at the side of the dash and overhead hand grips. There are big grip handles for second-row passengers. Being a high vehicle, I had excellent visibility. I liked that the outside colour was repeated on the dash and door panels, and that the exposed bolts around the edge of these panels, front and rear, provided a rugged look to the interior. The luxury came from the high-quality Ebony Windsor leather seats, which held me in snugly. The front seats can be heated and cooled, and have power adjustments; the driver’s have three memory settings. 

The centre dash has a 13.1-inch touchscreen with the brand’s Pivi Pro infotainment, which I found up-to-date and intuitive to use. There are physical buttons for the climate control, to adjust the suspension ride height, and for off-road modes. You can customise the driver’s screen, but I liked the two-dial layout as it was. The transmission selector juts out from the lower dash. Other features are a 360-degree camera view, a Meridian Sound System, a wireless phone charging pad, USBs, and a 12-volt power socket, as well as some excellent storage compartments, including an open area close to the floor beneath the central console. 

Boot space of about 860 litres is expandable to 1,946 litres with rear seats folded flat. Extras were a detachable tow bar (€1,035; towing capacity is 3000kg brake/750kg unbraked), Privacy Glass (€780), Cold Climate Pack (€970), and JLR’s Clearsight Interior rear view mirror (€1,130), that by flicking a switch on the base of the mirror projects a live, wide-angled feed from a rear-mounted camera (on the fin), giving the driver an unobstructed view of behind the car. Great if their view is obstructed by tall cargo, rear passengers, or if towing a trailer. 

Defender Trophy’s Terrain Response System allows driving modes for Grass/Gravel/Snow/Mud & Ruts/Sand/Rock Crawl, High range for normal driving or Low range for maximum torque in challenging conditions, splitting engine power equally between front and rear wheels, and Hill Descent Control. You can also adjust the car’s suspension ride height to a ground clearance of 11.5 inches (291mm) when raised to its maximum. Wading depth is 35.4 inches (900mm), approach angle up to 37.5 degrees in off-road height, and departure angle up to 40 degrees. 

The Trophy Edition is available only as a plug-in hybrid of the 2.0 Ingenium petrol engine with an electric motor powered by a 19kW battery that drives the permanent AWD through an 8-speed automatic transmission. There's a combined output of 300ps and a whopping 625 Nm torque. When I collected the car, there was 92% electric range, equalling 37km. After driving 78kms, there was still 3% of EV drive remaining - the claimed EV range is circa 50kms. My average fuel consumption was 11.8 L/100kms. The engine proved quiet and refined over the many different types of roads I travelled. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to do some serious off-roading, hopefully another time! 

Prices are from €130,200; my car as tested €134,115 (price excludes delivery and related charges).

CUPRA RAVAL LAUNCH NIGHTS PLANNED

Cupra Ireland is celebrating the launch of the all-new Raval with exclusive CUPRA Night events from 24 September to 9 October at participating retailers nationwide, writes Brian Byrne. Customers can experience the brand’s latest all-electric model, with bold design and advanced technology, and prices starting from €23,495. 

The Raval is available in five variants, offering battery options from 37kWh to 52kWh and power outputs from 116HP to 226HP, with a range of up to 443km. Attendees can get 1.9% PCP finance, a complimentary service plan, and other event-only offers. The events also showcase the wider Cupra range, including models like the Tavascan and Formentor. 

Marcelino Villalobos, Cupra Ireland’s Brand Director, highlights the Raval as a new chapter for the brand, emphasising its distinctive design and dynamic performance. Customers can register for events on the Cupra website. https://www.cupra.com/en-ie/cupra-nights 

IRISH DRIVERS SUPPORT SAFER DRIVING TECH

New research by Aviva Insurance Ireland DAC reveals strong support among Irish drivers for technology that tracks driving behaviour, particularly for new and young motorists, writes Brian Byrne. The study, involving 1,000 drivers nationwide, highlights that 74% support such technology for new drivers and 72% believe it benefits drivers of all ages. 

However, over a third still view the technology as primarily for younger drivers, and 32 per cent of respondents were unaware that safer driving can lead to personalised insurance pricing.

The findings underscore the importance of telematics, or ‘black box insurance’, which uses in-vehicle devices to monitor driving habits, potentially leading to safer driving and lower claims. 

Alan Behan, Aviva’s Product and Underwriting Manager, emphasises the need for clear information to enhance understanding and encourage safer driving practices. "It’s encouraging that drivers increasingly recognise the benefit of telematics beyond young motorists. At the same time, the research shows that there is still more to do to improve understanding of how the technology works and the benefits it can offer."  

KIA K4 REVIEW: BRIAN BYRNE, IRISH CAR

If any single brand illustrates well the shift in powertrain preferences, it's Kia in Ireland, writes Brian Byrne. In 2024, across all models, almost 27 per cent of Kias sold were diesel-powered. This year, to date, that proportion has shrunk to around 3.2 per cent (but wait for a caveat below). In the same period, electric models have gone from 16 per cent of sales to the point where now four in every ten Kia registrations are EVs. A trend has now become an inevitable destination direction.

But there's still a strong demand for variations on the internal combustion engine, as hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and straight petrol, combining to another 40 per cent of the Kia sales. If you're wondering where the remaining registrations were, it's that caveat — a rapidly growing diesel-electric hybrid in the brand's best-seller, the Sportage, with more than half of them using that engine, the others driving with petrol HEVs and PHEVs.

The newest petrol model Kia came to Ireland in March, the K4, available only with a petrol-mild hybrid engine for the moment, though a full hybrid is on the way. In an automotive streetscape dominated by so many crossover-SUV cars, this unambiguously hatchback format makes its own quite distinctive impression. Long, low, and lean are three words that come to mind. The front is strongly styled but without being over-designed. There's a nice clean look to the profile, where character-lining is subtle. From the rear, where the roofline extends to a quite deep integrated spoiler shadowing the hatchback screen, the full-width rear light bar linking the down-hooking tail-lights adds perceived extra width to a car that's already quite wide.

I should say it took me a while to get used to getting in and out of what's a low car in these days, but inside the K4 is exactly what we have become used to in all current Kias. Solid design elements on the dashboard in trims, emphasising both good build and quality materials that will clearly wear well for the life of the car. The wide instrumentation housing that incorporates a full-size infotainment screen and substantial driver's information cluster also has between them a panel for climate setup. That is a bit obscured by the steering wheel, but all the necessary on-the-run adjustments are by physical controls on the centre dash. As also is the volume control for the radio. Ahead of the centre console transmission shifter are the USB sockets, and I mention that only because they don't take hunting around to find.

The seats in my GT-Line specced car were vegan leather, easily kept clean and very comfortable. As a C-segment hatchback, it is commendably roomy for the rear passengers, thanks to a decent wheelbase. The two-tone seats material finish in dark and light eased what might have been an over-gloomy interior. The boot behind has a capacity of up to 438L.

As it happened, when I was visiting family in the US in the summer of 2025, my rental was a K4, recently arrived in that market, so I've had a double experience with the car. It was the fastback style version, which I don't think is nearly as well executed as the hatchback we have.

My review car was powered by a 115hp 3-cylinder petrol engine, with the mild-hybrid assistance. The transmission was an automatic 7-speed dual-clutch, though the vast majority of K4s registered here since its arrival have been 6-speed manuals, against the trend. The engine package was smooth in operation, well soundproofed, with a 12.3s 0-100km/h that was leisurely compared to what we have become used to in EVs, but quite adequate. A 1.6 petrol HEV option with up to 180hp is incoming next month.

The low stance and width of the car, along with the good wheelbase, made for comfortable driving with a sense that everything was well settled on even some indifferent road surfaces. Being closer to the road made everything seem a bit faster, too. This particular compact family hatchback segment has remained resilient against the crossover crush, so Kia is right to make sure it has a proper contender in the space.

PRICE: From €31,500; Review car from €38,500. WHAT I LIKED: Being reminded that the compact hatch is far from dead. 

 

Hugo Loonam Motors is first INEOS dealer here

Orangeworks Automotive, the official importer and distributor for INEOS Automotive in the Republic of Ireland, has appointed Hugo Loonam Motors as an official INEPS dealer, writes Trish Whelan. Hugh Loonam Motors is an established family-run dealership based in Cloghan, Co Offaly. The dealership is a main dealer for Citroen, DS, Peugeot and Suzuki, with dedicated sales, servicing and parts facilities, and won Car Dealership of the Year in 2024 and 2025. 

Hugo Loonam Motors will offer the full range of INEOS commercial and passenger vehicles from its Co Offaly base, with the Grenadier station wagon and Quartermaster pick-up offering a combination of rugged capability, practicality and modern engineering for customers across the agricultural, corporate and private sectors. Both models are perfectly suited to those living and working in the Midlands Region who need a capable 4x4, as they provide best-in-class, all-terrain capability, durability and reliability, making them particularly suited to farmers, agricultural contractors, rural businesses and customers who require an off-roader. 

The Grenadier N1 5-seater is the only crew cab-classed vehicle approved by Revenue for sale in Ireland, while the new MY26 Quartermaster 2-seat is the first of its kind in the country, carrying an 8% Benefit-in-Kind (BIK) rate that offers a significant tax advantage to qualifying business users, compared with a passenger vehicle. Irish pricing starts from €59,995 + VAT. 

Every Grenadier and Quartermaster comes with a five-year, unlimited-mileage warranty, five years of AA roadside assistance and a 12-year, anti-perforation warranty against rust-through corrosion.

SIMI’s 11th Women@SIMI event is a great success

The recent 11th Women@SIMI event held in Dublin, brought together 200 professional women from various sectors within the Motor Industry to celebrate their extensive contributions and promote networking, stepping out of comfort zones, and embracing opportunities, writes Trish Whelan. 

Brenda McCague, Motivator & Transformation Specialist, hosted a panel of speakers including Joanne Somers, Managing Director, Johnsons Ireland; and Aine Denn, Tech Entrepreneur and Co-Founder, Blazer. 

SIMI President, Liam Denning, expressed gratitude to sponsor Bank of Ireland for their continued support and highlighted the importance of ‘moving past outdated cultural perceptions, embracing diversity, and supporting career development so that the next generation sees the industry as a viable career path and one where businesses support inclusion’. He added that ‘Women@SIMI provides greater visibility of the changes that are happening for the better’. 

Karen Kenendy, Senior Sales and Relationships Manager at Bank of Ireland Finance, emphasised, “As our industry evolves through electrification, digitalisation and changing customer expectations, the need for diverse thinking, fresh perspectives and strong leadership has never been greater.” She added: “The future success of our sector depends on attracting, developing and retaining talented people from all backgrounds, and initiatives such as Women@SIMI have an important role to play in helping make that happen.”

Pictured above are: Guest speakers, Aine Denn, Karen Kennedy; Liam Denning, SIMI President; Brenda McCague, Event MC, and Joanne Sommers. 

Leapmotor launches B05 BEV priced from €28,998

Leapmotor Ireland has launched its fully-electric B05 hatchback priced from €28,998, including SEAI grant and VRT rebate, writes Trish Whelan. This latest model marks the brand’s entry into the C-segment hatchback market in Ireland, one of the most competitive and important segments in the country, with a 30%battery electric vehicle (BEV) mix. 

B05 is offered in two trims of Style and Design and two battery options of 56.2kWh (401km range), and the more powerful 67.1 kWh (up to 485 km range). Its electric motor delivers 218hp and 240 Nm of torque with a 0-100km/h acceleration of from 0-100km/h in 6.7 seconds. With DC fast charging, B05 will charge from 30% to 80% in around 16 minutes. Using a 7.5 kW home charger, the same 30% to 80% charge takes approximately 3hrs 44 minutes, and 4hrs and 24 minutes respectively. 

The model combines a coupe-inspired silhouette with everyday practicality, including a 345-litre boot that extends to 1,400 litres with rear seats folded. Leapmotor offer a 6-year/unlimited mileage warranty for Sales and Aftersales, and an 8-year/160,000 battery warranty on electric models. 

B05 is the fourth model to arrive since Leapmotor was launched here in October 2025, joining the T03 compact city car, the B10 compact SUV and the C10 large family SUV. 

B03X compact SUV pricing will be announced ahead of first arrivals in Q4 2026, and also for the B03 B-hatchback in Q1 2027. Leapmotor now has ten franchise dealers across eight counties. Two further models will follow shortly, the B03X compact SUV arriving in Q4 2026, and the B03 hatchback in Q1 2027, bringing six models to the line-up in Ireland.