Review: BMW 520d

When I left my car overnight at my hotel, there was a card on it the next day: 'We have cleaned your windscreen so that you get a better view of Kerry'.

It's the little things, isn't it? writes Brian Byrne.

That trip to Kerry in the new BMW 5 Series involved a good lot of motorway, and a fair amount of secondary road driving — including a grass in the middle of the boreen diversion when I took a left turn too soon. The main motoring revelation was that BMW may have brought us closer to semi-autonomous driving than I'd believed.

The new car is lighter, longer, wider and higher, and is unmistakably an evolution of the previous generation 5 Series. You'll easily know it's the latest one by the vents on the front wings.

Inside there's a smoother look to the dashboard, including a wider centre screen. The optional leather seats were both good-looking and comfortable. A shout out from my passenger, sensitive to such things, that the head-restraint was particularly comfortable both in angle and how it felt.

The review car was the 520d xDrive with M Sport trim. Extras included a Technology package that incorporated a hi-tech Display Key, a Head-Up display, and wireless charging of said key's battery which otherwise will run down fairly quickly. It, by the way, allows you park the car remotely, among other things. The other main option was Driving Assistant Plus, which links the active cruise control and the lane-keeping systems to enable semi-autonomous driving even in stop-go traffic.

With the system on, the car automatically followed the line of the motorway lane, also keeping distances between me and traffic ahead. I consciously allowed my hands to just rest on the wheel, following its movements instead of making them. It works. Most of the time. It can get confused by the road markings as you come by an off-ramp, for instance, so you do need to remain aware, and keep hands on the wheel.

You indicate to change lanes, or it will fight you as you cross the line. Once in the new lane, the autonomous system won't kick back in until you have been travelling straight for a few seconds.

I did learn to trust it, and I think I didn't seem to be as tired as usual at the end of each day's long drive, at least in part due to the Drive Assist system.

And the normal driving? It was never going to be less than excellent. It was enjoyable, satisfying, and relatively economical for such a big car. The official economy figure is 4.7L/100km, my actual was 7.0L/100km over the week.

Some small things niggled. In a car at this price, not having a standard rear-view camera sucks. And head-up displays on a windscreen don't work well with polarised sunglasses unless you tilt your head sideways. But I guess that's not the car's fault.

Loved it, really.

ENGINES: 2.0 petrols, 2.0 and 3.0 diesels; power 188hp-340hp.

EQUIPMENT: Two grades, SE and M Sport. Myriad options and packs.

PRICES: From €51,950 (Review car with extras €70,000+).

STAR RATING: 4.5/5

Review: Fiat Tipo

Fiat now has a contender in the compact hatch and saloon segment that in my estimation is as good as you'll get there, writes Brian Byrne.

The new Tipo immediately impressed last year on a route in northern Italy that included some very indifferent road surfaces as well as nice fast motorway and intricate mountain twists. I quickly got the sense of a car designed to be used without mollycoddling, and that rattles and squeaks were forbidden.

Here in Ireland a testing piece of back road near my home has confirmed that the new Tipo has been thoroughly developed to survive off the beaten track.

My review car was the hatchback variant. Thrown into arguably the most competitive segment, challenging Ford's Focus, VW's Golf, Kia's cee'd and Opel's Astra to a few contenders for buyer wallets.

Tipo isn't particularly beautiful or sexy, having a pleasant face and a body styled for practicality more than stand-out looks. It won't especially turn heads, but will attract those looking for comfort and space.

Inside there's a certain softness to the style, without compromising on quality or toughness of materials. There are blessedly standard instruments, plus in the review car a touch-screen small enough to manage by fingertip rather than a hand being waved around. Instrument graphics are cheerful instead of being all digi-tech and complex.

The overall driving position was fine, but it took a while to get used to what seemed ever so slightly curtailed visibility. Likely the style of the windscreen, perhaps it's not as large as on some cars I've been driving. And I'd like bigger side mirrors.

The space is particularly good for rear passengers. Legroom is more than in typical competitors. The roofline easily accommodates six-footers plus.

The review car was powered by a 1.4 petrol engine, specifically requested as I'm currently interested particularly in options for an evident shift away from diesel in this class and below.

The car was lively, and pleasant to shift through an easy manual gearbox. I think Fiat's engines are under-sung these days, but the company has a long heritage in producing impressive and usually unburstable motors.

While set up to keep the car comfortable on even bad roads, the new Tipo's underpinnings are also very in tune with the fast and lively Italian way of driving. I suspect that somewhere in the car's future, there might be a power edition.

My opinion goes against the current attitude in Ireland to Fiat. The new Tipo is styled and built to a level that I would have no difficulty in recommending it to even close friends. With an adequate distribution network, it would be seriously putting pressure on some of the main players in its space.

And I haven't even mentioned the value ...

ENGINES: 95hp/120hp 1.4 petrol, 110hp 1.6 petrol automatic. Diesels 96hp 1.3 and a120hp 1.6, the latter available with automatic.

EQUIPMENT: Three grades, all include Bluetooth and aircon.

PRICES: From €17,995. Step up grade or engine power €1,250 extra. Price difference between petrol and diesel €1,750.

STAR RATING: 4/5

Review: Citroen Grand C4 Picasso

Citroen over decades has won a deserved name for comfort and technical innovation, writes Brian Byrne. Both are interconnected, as part of the company's innovative bent has always been focussed on suspension.

A recent stint in the Citroen Grand C4 Picasso — the name is far too cumbersome, though — was a definite reminder of that. I literally wafted through my travels, regardless of road condition.

Ease of driving it also meant that I quickly forgot just how large a car it is. The Grand C4 Picasso is the 7-seat variant, with the kind of space normally available only in extended limousines. But shifting it around on even short trips never seemed a chore.

The Citroen brand within PSA Group has retained the MPV form factor here. Stablemate Peugeot's latest 3008/5008s, now on the same platform, are transmogrified into crossover SUVs, because that's the genre that's sexy and in demand.

But Citroen as a company generally drives a different road to its competitors. The Grand C4 Picasso even has a different design to its 5-seat sibling, changed headlight and rear light styles and a more squared back end. It still looks … well, Citroenic?

Inside is starship Enterprise, nearly. Not just one big screen, but two to provide primary and secondary information, centred in a double-decker dashboard. Lovely finish, nice big graphics, but I'm still against screens to manage such otherwise simple exercises as climate control. (And I'll keep on at carmakers about this until they desist from such distractionary design.)

There's a current Citroen thing of extending the windscreen back to offer a skywards view. I don't like that, either, as it increases glare. But that's a subjective matter, and anyhow you don't have to use it.

There's huge leg space, shoulder room for almost half of a rugby team, and they could even wear American football style helmets without touching the roof. So managing a family of teenagers in this will be a doddle.

Forget about handling under pressure. You don't put something like this into rallying mode, and anyhow I suspect it will surprise anyone pushing it to its roadholding limits … they might not even find a limit.

There just isn't any much noise. The quiet diesel is from a maker acknowledged as the best in the business. Road noise is totally damped. There's a surprising lack of wind noise even though I'd expect to hear it, given the lack of other intrusions. So, if all the attributes I've so far noted of the Citroen Grand C4 Picasso are what you need for transportation of a largish family, don't walk by it.


ENGINES: 1.2 petrol; 1.6 and 2.0 diesels. Auto available.

EQUIPMENT: Three grades — Touch, Feel, Flair.

PRICES: €29,995-€38,220.

STAR RATING: 3.5/5

Review: Kia Rio

Kia’s Rio has always been a little more understated than the other models from the Korean brand, and the new one recently arrived retains that trait, writes Brian Byrne.

But there are advantages there. An evolutionary styling will wear better than something dramatic. And I’ve always thought that a small quality gem is better than a big flashy bauble.

For the latest Rio, all new, the style is clean and practical. There are recognisable previous model cues, but a close inspection of the details shows a car very much for today. The grille, lights, and under-bumper air intake are latest in the Kia design thinking, and bring significantly more punch to the front looks. The side sheetmetal is subtly sculpted and the glasshouse and rear pillar meld well together. It’s smart from the rear, with LED lights. All in all, to use a phrase I’m wont to, a very coherent production.

As the fourth generation of the car, which won the Semperit Irish Car of the Year accolade from members of the Irish Motoring Writers Association in 2011, it is a tad longer, and lower and wider than its immediate predecessor.

There’s a larger boot, with 325L capacity. The rear seat-backs, of course, fold flat, and the car has a good overall cargo-carrying ability. As it happened, I had a number of occasions during my time with the car to use that.

The overall interior design and quality of the latest Rio reflects the continuing upgrade path in both of those areas by Kia across its models range. I particularly liked the new dashboard and instrumentation layout, both of which didn’t take any special time or attention to master. (Don’t smile … there are cars which I get that require time with the manual, are not always intuitive.)

My sojourn with the Rio also coincided with a three-day trip south, during the last of which I had a 430-kilometre drive home. This proved to me that the front seats might well be the best in class, because I never became uncomfortable or tired during the journeys.

The 1.2 petrol engine was uncannily quiet, especially at idle. To the point that I sometimes had to check that I hadn’t switched it off. On the other hand, there was an amount of road noise, I suspect partly due to the Michelin tyres. And that’s not a complaint, as I do like those tyres and road noise can sometimes co-relate to good grip.

The ride comfort and handling were both as good as anything I’ve driven in the class, so I’d have no difficulty in recommending the car to anyone in the market for a supermini with more sparkle than it might seem to have on first sight.

ENGINES: 85hp 1.2 petrol; 77/90hp 1.4 diesels; 1.0 turbo petrol coming later.

EQUIPMENT: Grades LX, EX and Platinum. EX ADAS with radar-operated autonomous emergency braking, lane departure warning, rear camera. Platinum has sat-nav.

PRICING: €15,950-€20,450.

STAR RATING: 4/5.

Review: Volvo XC60

A caveat. This review is of a car that's on runout, and will be superseded at the end of the year by a new version, writes Brian Byrne. But that doesn't mean it isn't worth investing in.

The Volvo XC60 has been a workhorse for the Swedish brand since it was first launched in 2008 as part of the S60 range of cars which had revitalised Volvo. It rapidly became Volvo's best selling car globally.

Because this was a time when Volvo and Land Rover were both owned by Ford, the technology used by the car is similar to that of the original Freelander. And there was never anything wrong with that.

The review car is based on a refresh that took place in 2014, and which got a new engine in 2016.

Although classified as a compact crossover SUV, the style of the XC60 always made it seem a larger car than its direct competition, which would include Ford's Kuga, Toyota's RAV 4, Audi's Q5 and similar. There's a typical Volvo handsomeness about it, and the brand's products are always distinctive, especially from the rear where the XC60's version of the full-height rear lights housings are unmistakable. The style is also evolutionary, and the new generation on the way shows that too.

Volvo has been solidly targeting the premium space for a long time, and is fitted out to compete against particularly the Audi range, so it isn't any surprise that comfort and refinement are major themes to help it gain traction there. There is a palpable sense of solidity when you get in and pull the door closed. The interior style and fittings are restrained but are clearly quality. Maybe because of where the car is in its life cycle, the screen that manages infotainment and the rear view camera seems a bit small compared to what has been coming out in more recent cars. It's one change that customers of the new one will find.

The XC60 is a roomy car, and its design means that there's really good headroom in the rear as well as for those up front. And lots of boot space — this is one for the long tour with a group of family or friends.

The review car was the Classic version, with R-Design, which latter means some special exterior trim and, more important, a somewhat firmer suspension setting that quite suits the vehicle.

The D4 2.0 turbodiesel first appeared in 2014, and last year got a boost in power to 190hp. The maximum pulling power characteristic promises very smooth operation with a wide band from 1740-3250rpm. That means the car will work without stress in any kind of driving conditions, motorway or mountain passes. My version had the 8-speed automatic transmission, and that worked quite seamlessly with the torquey engine.

The overall drive was very good, and I was happy that it had the R-Design pack, as the firmer suspension seemed just right for my style of driving.

The XC60 runout model is currently priced from €39,995 with a free Style Pack worth €2,000. The Style pack includes Front & Rear Park Assist, Rear Parking Camera, Active TFT Crystal Driver's Information Display, and Interior Lighting enhancement.

The new XC60 pricing starts at €53,950. Order books are now open and first customer cars will be arriving in October.

Review: Toyota C-HR

Chalk and cheese. The Urban Cruiser and the C-HR, both from Toyota. You'd not think one replaced the other, writes Brian Byrne. The UC was square in shape, uncool, a small MPV in classification. But it drove quite well.

The C-HR, on the other hand, is styled to draw eyes. And customers. Especially other brands' customers. In particular, customers who buy the likes of the Nissan Juke, the first of the funky small crossovers and doing quite nicely for Renault's Japanese partner.

The C-HR is bigger than the Juke, so it's really competing up against the Qashqai, Mazda's CX-3, Suzuki's S-Cross and Kia's Niro amongst others in a very crowded segment. A very competitive space too, with a lot of good motors around. A place where a newcomer has to stand out. The C-HR does.

There's really a lot going on in the style. I don't know of any car at the moment which has so many creases and shapes and curves and curiosities in its metal and plastic exterior components. Even the rear door handles, set high against the rear pillar are very individual. Strikes me it could be the very devil to wash. But I got some positive comments on the overall looks.

I liked the inside finish. The quality is good, the shapes are good, even the leather pad sitting on top of the dash. Though the central high-set infotainment screens is big, the shape flowing into the dash makes it seem part of the whole. It has a cool blue hue.

The seats are particularly good, and I got passenger compliments on them. And though it is a compact crossover in size, on. a similar footprint as an Auris, there's fairly decent room for rear passengers. It is, of course, only a 5-seat. Good luggage space is another plus.

The real enjoyment was driving it. My review car was the non-hybrid, with a 1.2 turbocharged petrol engine. Output is some 116hp, and the sprint period isn't groundbreaking, but the smoothness of the powertrain was a joy to operate. Maybe it's the refreshing experience of non-diesel.

Ride was a little tight, but overall comfort was good. The steering is nicely balanced and gearshift as smooth and snicky as one has grown to expect from Toyota for many years.

Overall the C-HR was a car that I happily went out of the house to drive on any pretext, and that's the kind of thing that helps a car stand out from its competitors.

I'll be curious to see what they do when it comes to a new generation, because I can't see this complex shape evolving any further. But for the next seven years, the C-HR will swing quite a lot of new customers for Toyota.

Prices start at €26,895.

Review: Peugeot Traveller

When you base an MPV on a van, especially a medium van, it will inevitably look and feel like … well, a van, writes Brian Byrne.

It’s partly a size thing, partly the shape, which if it is any useful of a van at all, it has to have the shape that will accommodate packages and pallets in the most efficient way.

Of course, when it comes to the Peugeot Expert van on which the Peugeot Traveller people carrier is based, well the platform is the same one that underpins other MPVs in the PSA Group …. such as the Citroen C4 Picasso, and just recently the new 3008 crossover.

So, the Traveller is an MPV based on a van based on an MPV … which is why all variants are so comfortable.

And then there’s the Traveller based on the compact length of the van, which eliminates the size problem, and only at the expense of some luggage space when the third row of seats is in use.

I think the Traveller looks very smart, especially in this length. The style elements of the front, the only space where you can have style I suppose, are strong and modern, set off by chrome-style details and with very funky looking lights. It’s a bull-nose look, with a high bonnet, but the aesthetics work for me.

I think the overall shape looks good too, and I like the driving height, which also facilitates passengers being able to see over some hedges and traffic. Great if you have kids who need constant attention stimulus.

The sliding side doors provide good access to the middle and rearmost seats, and the lift-up rear door is handy for sitting under shelter in the parking field of any weekend leisure gig where spectating or picnicking is part of the action.

Compact it might be, but the vehicle is 4.6m long, and though it has a 2.9m wheelbase rather than the 3.4m in the two longer variants, there’s still plenty of room inside. The seating configuration can be 2/5/8 and further cargo-carrying options can be achieved by removing seats entirely. With the three rows in use, the compact only offers about the same boot capacity as a Kia Picanto, but flip that rear row forward and you get up to 1,300L of capacity, more if you take the seats out altogether.

My review car had the Active entry specification, cloth seats, and very comfortable too. Again, because of the Expert base, there’s lots of headroom, and I expect that even with a pretty full complement of passengers there’d be no sense of claustrophobia.

The specification levels even at the Active stage are high, and it’s almost easier to say what’s not available there, such as no body coloured door handles. Oddly, there are no curtain airbags on Active.

All versions get a 7” touchscreen, DAB radio and Bluetooth connectivity. All get cruise control, and electric front windows. All get the dinky child surveillance mirror, which sounds a little creepy but does work well.

The dashboard is a tidy affair, well finished in good quality materials, and with a wide lidded storage space in the middle top to keep maps and other stuff from littering down to the scuttle. The steering wheel angle is comfortable, the gear stick neatly set into an outcrop from the fascia, and generally controls are well-placed.

The review car had the 115hp 1.6 diesel which has its own very good reputation in many PSA and other brands. It was very quiet in this application, and lugged us along with a minimum of fuss.

The overall driving experience of the Traveller is absolutely superb in comfort terms, and the car handles nicely too. In its van clothes I’m already on record that the Expert and its sibling vehicles are the nicest in the business to drive, and this Traveller would equal any luxury car in this respect.

It can be upgraded at purchase, by choosing 2.0 diesels in 150hp/180hp guises, that last with an automatic transmission. You can also step up the spec to Allure and Business VIP levels if you are so inclined to spend … both of those have full leather, the top one drops a middle seat to offer lounge or boardroom comfort for five behind the driver.

So where would I see the Traveller fitting in? Well, in compact and standard sizes, it could be a family car to see the children and their home taxi needs through their teens. I’d reckon on keeping it for five or six years to get the most out of it.

At the top end it could be an executive shuttle between head offices and airports, for instance, or to meetings with peers across town. It is good-looking enough for that in Business VIP.

The compact version has only arrived, and it is priced at €36,695 plus delivery, a fair bit cheaper than the €38,000 starting price of the standard length Active. Right, not your typical family wagon price, but you’re getting significantly more space than in many a compact SUV, and arguably more real usability.

Review: BMW 3 Series 330e

Since hybrid powertrains have become almost mainstream, thanks largely to Toyota who pioneered the technology with a dedicated hybrid car and then put the systems as options into many of its standard models, we're seeing more of them, writes Brian Byrne. Increasingly with a plug-in variant that offers more possibilities for economic driving.

But maybe those of us who get to drive hybrids don't always give as much thought as we might to making the most of the systems. And depending on the owner's lifestyle and transport patterns, that thinking may be different for each.

That thought occurred to me, not for the first time, when I picked up a BMW 3 Series 330e eDrive hybrid last week. And over the course of the next six or seven days, I had the chance to try it in quite different scenarios.

I didn't use the charging cable at home at all, because I don't have an external socket close to where I park my review cars, and I don't really like leaving extension leads trailing around the place, for obvious health and safety reasons. If I had used it, the underboot battery could be charged from empty in around three hours. In that case, I'd have 40km of electric-only driving available. When you think about that, a lot of local driving can be done without ever the petrol engine cutting in at all.

In the BMW iteration of plug-in hybrid, there are three modes. In eDrive Auto, the system decides which element of the powertrain will be operating at any given time, and that depends on acceleration, speed, and the charged state of the battery. Indeed, just the way pretty well any hybrid system from the early days of the Prius handle needs.

There's also an extreme eDrive, which holds the system in electric only drive with a view to gaining the most possible distance under electric power. In this mode, there will be less power available and some other system tweaks to extend the available range.

And then there is the Save mode, in which the only power in use is from the petrol engine. In this position, the engine is also charging the battery until it is full.

In addition, the powertrain can pull in a boost of electric power under heavy acceleration, which in this case offers a sprint to 100km/h capability of 6.1s, but is actually most useful when a fast overtaking is needed. In practice, the 2.0 four-cylinder feels more like a 3.0 V6 when this come into play.

Anyhow, while I had the car, here are some of the ways I used it. On a number of work and return social trips in my own home area, to destinations in a radius of 15km from home, I was able to use the car without burning any petrol at all. If I owned the car and had a charging regime in place, there's a likelihood that I wouldn't visit a filling station except maybe once a month.

On another return trip to Dublin, which had me on motorway and dual carriageway for most of the 50km each way, I deliberately used the Save mode so that by the time I reached the outskirts of the city, I had a fully changed battery. From there I went right into the city centre, did my business, and drove back out, all on electric power only. That's where I was really saving fuel and doing a bit for the environment, because it is in that city driving that an ordinary internal combustion engine is at its most inefficient.

In general, using the car in Auto eDrive, as long as there was charge the car operated in electric mode, unless I accelerated hard, or the speed rose above 75km/h, when the petrol engine kicked in.

Throughout the review tour, I never felt that driving in electric mode negated the sporty ethos of BMW. The car was fun to drive, regardless of what power source was in use. And the overall available performance is impressive, comparing quite well to the 4.1s sprint capability of the legendary M3 saloon, for instance. But with a notional 134mpg equivalent possible, depending on how it's calculated.

Apart from all that, the review car was a typical 3 Series, very familiar and hardly needing any other description from me for now.

Prices of the 330e start at €51,710. There's €7,500 which can be deducted from that related to VRT relief and an SEAI Grant in relation to it being a hybrid.

Review: Mercedes-Benz E-Class Estate

First a cautionary cat tale, writes Brian Byrne. With a 'tail'piece about fur ...

My neighbour knocked on the door the other morning. He'd been out earlier, and noticed that the tailgate of my review  E-Class Estate was open. So he closed it. Good neighbours do that.

But why was it open? And for how long? Well, probably since the night before. All I could surmise was that the button on the keyfob that triggers the tailgate to open electrically had been pressed against something else in my pocket while I was in the house, and raised it.

The cat part? Yes, there were quantities of white car fur on the cargo floor of the car. And there is a white cat in the locality, which probably saw the opportunity of a very comfortable bed for the night and took it up. Fortunately, the review car had as part of the package a mesh barrier so that dogs being transported wouldn't fly forward amongst the passengers under heavy braking. So the sumptuous leather seats on the car weren't accessed by the cat, its claws, or its fur.

That fur, either the cat was moulting fairly heavily or the fabric of the cargo area mat tugged it out. Whichever, it was very difficult to remove from the carpet afterwards. The mat is reversible, with a rugged hard surface on the other side, which is probably what you would do if you were carrying the family pet in the back.

However, the technical problem remains with such high-tech keyfobs. Something similar happened to me earlier in the year, sans cat, with a BMW so equipped. Fords with electric tailgates require specifically two clicks of the button before they operate, and that might help. Anyhow, now I make a point of going out to check such cars before I retire.

That's a long intro to a review about the E-Class Estate. But you do know now a number of things about how it was equipped, so not wasted. It is one fine car, extending the Irish Car of the Year 2017 accolade it was awarded by Ireland's motoring journalists.

The estate really looks good, with very nice proportions and a sleekness which one doesn't get from the SUV-style cars that have essentially replaced the format in public preference. I like estate cars, especially if they are as elegant as this one.  The picture tells more eloquently than I can in words, so I'll leave the exterior style at that.

The interior is generally as the saloon with which many new owners over the last dozen months or so are familiar. Very much a shift into the latest in dashboard and instruments design, with a 12.3” screen in the review car providing the information for navigation and entertainment as well as management of various functions. Full marks, though, for retaining the operation of temperature and other climate controls to switches. The usual remote controls on the steering wheel are tidy and useful. There was a proper windscreen head-up display, which I found very handy to keep my travel within speed limits.

There's lots of colour in the latest main instrumentation from Mercedes-Benz and it is very pleasing for that. The car also had a cool line in ambient or 'mood' lighting which proved very pleasant at night.

I can't fault the driving experience in any current E-Class and the Estate is no exception. With a couple of extended trips as part of my time with it, the car proved to be exactly as I expected, untiring and practical and with that sense of premium elegance which is the hallmark of the model.

For the technicals, the review car was powered by the 194hp version of Mercedes-Benz's excellent new 2.0 diesels. It comes with automatic transmission as standard, purringly seamless in operation and a perfect match for the motor. A 7.7s sprint to 100km/h is possible, but most of the time you wouldn't bother to try for it, as this is swish motoring.

'Swish' though can have a price. So, the car was in AMG trim, which brings quite a lot of standard spec in its own right including electrically folding rear seats, electrically operated front seats with extensive lumbar support options, and an active park assist with camera.

That specification sets the car's price at €56,310. However, there were extras valued at over €21,000 on the review car, the most costly being the 12.3" screen pack with the head-up display and traffic sign recognition, for €5,721. There was a panoramic electric sunroof for €3,229. And more, but I'll leave it at that because every buyer will have his or her own preferences on extras choice. The roll-out price of the car which the white cat so enjoyed was €77,434, but with the very successful 10pc discount promotion the company is running here, that comes down to €69,691. Road Tax is €200.

I suspect I'd have enjoyed it just as much at the base price.

Review: Mini Countryman

My time with the new Mini Countryman last week had a number of fascinating aspects, writes Brian Byrne, not least the price of the review car — but I'll come to that later.

It was the first opportunity I'd had to spend a significant amount of road-time with the car, and it all fairly changed my perception of the direction of the model. And it has changed direction, certainly in size. This is now a car upshifted into the compact family space, the first time that the brand has been there.

So, while all the current supermini Mini styling cues are in place, this 4.3m car is directly targeting a number of small and compact crossovers — it's a bit bigger than Fiat's 500X, for example, and not much smaller than Kia's new Niro. The closest to it in size are Suzuki's S-Cross and Honda's HR-V.

Being a Mini, albeit the biggest Mini ever, it has to have a certain element of looking cute. Though the modern Countryman, first launched in 2010, could never be as cute as its hatchback sibling. There's much more bulk in the style, almost steroidal when compared to the hatch. But it grows on one, especially with the very strong details as were included in the review Cooper SD All4.

There's lots of chrome around the grille, lights, and rear, and the standard satin-finished roof rails also add to the overall premium feel. Which, of course, the modern Mini is, being a BMW-built brand, with all that entails.

Inside too, the feel and sense is all Mini heritage, though brought very much up to today. As with the latest generation of the hatch which preceded it, the iconic round centre element is no longer a speedometer, but a space for touchscreen management of various functions of entertainment, navigation, safety and comfort. A proper speedo through the steering wheel, with the usual revs and fuel indicators, have the primary instruments where they should be. I should comment that the rear-view camera delivers a very high resolution picture.

There's a very high quality and interesting design to the dashboard and the door trims, and the toggle switches guarded by hoops are typical Mini. Lots of chrome detailing here too.

The review car was automatic and there was also a selectable driving dynamics setting between Eco, Comfort and Sport, which do the usual things to steering wheel and accelerator pedal response. There were full leather sports seats, which proved very supportive and comfortable, and a multifunction steering wheel which was a very pleasant heft indeed.

The big interior change is the space in the rear, and even with myself in the driving street, there's now proper room for rear passengers. The back seat can also be moved to either have more leg room or cargo room, whichever is needed. The boot capacity at 450L is very close to class-leading. On that, the review car had a very neat 'seat' which flips out and covers the rear bumper, while one picnics or changes shoes after a hill-walk. The rear hatch was powered, just touching buttons to open or close.

There's lots of badging to indicate the version of Countryman you're in, with the 'John Cooper Works' on the door sill noting that this is an upmarket variant. With upscaled performance, the SD having a 190hp 2.0 diesel that offered very speedy acceleration. Quite satisfying and fun to drive, though I noted that the diesel is a little on the noisy side.

The overall drive, though, is right there to any BMW standard, and despite the pumped-up styling and larger size, there's true fast Mini performance and handling here.

And so to price. The Mini Cooper Countryman (they all have Cooper designations) starts at €33,580, with a 136hp 1.5 3-cylinder petrol engine. Moving through the variants swiftly to the SD All4 grade with, clearly, AWD, the price runs up to €44,270. At that, there's plenty of spec, including that automatic trans, a DAB radio system, and lots more. But the review car had no less than €12,535 worth of extras on board, including the leather at €1,500; the JCW Chili Pack for €6,939 that added in such as special alloys, seat heating, auto aircon; along with the €1,456 Media Pack for the satnav and Mini Connected.

All that puts the review car more expensive than a BMW 430d, and a wild buy for whoever gets the demo from the Mini dealer who wins it at the in-house auction. I'd say start back at the entry car, and you'll probably still have something that’s relevant and competitive against most competitors.

Review: Volvo V90

A reacquaintance with one of my favourite cars of last year has recently been possible with a tour in the estate version, the Volvo V90, writes Brian Byrne.

It proved to be as enjoyable an experience as I expected, though this time around I was able to come up with some negative comment.

First, though, this car is the spiritual successor to the true Volvo estates of yesteryear. Long, capacious to an extraordinary degree, and able to pull whatever weight its legal capacity can accommodate.

Except, or course, this is a much more premium level car than its predecessors in this format. Volvos have long since passed across the line into the territory once 'owned' by a duopoly of German marques.

Review: Audi Q2

With its success in compact, medium and large SUVs well established, it was only a matter of time before Audi moved down the scale and filled out its crossover list with the Q2, writes Brian Byrne.

While technically a small crossover/SUV, it's actually a quite roomy car, and surprises when you pick it up in the metal. So there's a case for it in a real family situation, rather than for the couple with a brace of small children only.

It has rather more stylistic presence than its larger siblings, and that's not just because my review car was a bright yellow machine that simply couldn't be missed in the car park.

Review: BMW 3 Series Grand Turismo

With the trend towards providing coupe variants of mainstream saloon cars now firmly established across the main premium brands, BMW has for some time had its 4 Series Gran Coupe which essentially was the coupe variant of the 3 Series saloon, writes Brian Byrne. But shortly after the launch of the current generation 3 in 2012, they produced a 3 Series Grand Turismo, also a coupe shape.

But there's no need to be confused. They are each aimed at a different market, albeit both being those inclined towards sporty styles.

The 3 Series GT is in fact longer than the saloon, has a longer wheelbase, and has an underpinnings relationship to the estate version of the model. If we were looking for a descriptive variation from the 4 Series coupe, we might call it a 'fastback'.

Review: Skoda Octavia 1.0

I don't know why I should have been so pleasantly surprised as I actually was with this Skoda Octavia, writes Brian Byrne.

I've always liked the current style, and am a fan of the Skoda interior compared to parent company VW's treatment of its own models. And then there's the particular affection for Skodas which the Irish have, almost in our genes now.

Still, given that my last Octavia review was the high-powered vRS version, I might be forgiven for feeling a bit ho-hum about a run in one powered by a 1.0 3-cylinder engine.

And hence the surprise. Nothing ho-hum about the car at all. Quite the opposite.

Review: Ford Ka+

I remember the launch of the first generation Ford Ka in 1996, which was also my first time in Sardinia, writes Brian Byrne, where the company launched the car in tandem with a revision of its first Mondeo. It was wildly cute in a time when small cars were pretty basic. It turned out to be quite a success through its 12-year lifetime, that itself a very long life cycle in car terms. Ford made money on it because the underpinnings were from the long-popular Fiesta, and in motorsport terms it became a successful and inexpensive rally car in these islands, with its own championship.

In 2008, to save costs, a new generation Ka was built by Fiat for Ford, on the Fiat 500 platform and assembly line, but with body and a number of suspension changes specific to Ford. This didn't have quite the same popularity, nor the excellent handling of the predecessor. Also, the lack of rear doors limited its appeal to the young urban family market whose members may have been happy enough with the original as singles. In Ireland, the city car segment has never been as big as on the continent.

Now we have a new Ka+, the + signifying that it is no longer in the city car segment as far as Ford is concerned, but a budget supermini, aimed at answering the competition from the likes of Dacia at one end, but also because the new generation Fiesta on the way will be aimed rather more upmarket than the current one.

First Drive: New Kia Picanto

As it happens, we have a current Picanto at home, so taking the third generation one for a number of drives in the hills behind Sitges was going to be an interesting comparative exercise, writes Brian Byrne.

Evolving from what has been a pretty successful small car for the Korean brand, globally and in Europe, they took a careful look at the buyer profile in the A segment before they went about fixing something that wasn't in any way broken.

And briefly, two thirds of those buyers are female, all are well educated, and generally they earn somewhat more than supermini and compact buyers. The cars tend to be an only car for those in their 20s, a second car for those households where age is in the 50s.

What they like about their current cars are looks, drivability with some emphasis on nimbleness in the city, and economical operation. They're not in the high powered league, but they are willing to spend a bit more on personalising their car.

Review: Citroen C3

Citroen started it all with their C4 Cactus, writes Brian Byrne. A major shift in design that would provide owners, and those who simply saw the car on the road, with a reason to smile. Because it was funky as well as being practical in many ways.

Like the airbumps. Designed to minimise damage from other car doors and supermarket trolleys on the bash, they also added a style element which immediately identified the car and the brand.

With the new C3, launched here before Christmas, they have built on that ethos. It's a car that even on the dullest rainy day will cheer you up just to look at it, and to drive in it. The bright, even brash detailing outside and in are infectious ticklers. Just because it's a supermini, it doesn't need to be boring.

Review: Peugeot 3008

With the arrival of the new generation Peugeot 3008 in Ireland last week, the number of SUV crossovers in the C segment climbed to 19, writes Brian Byrne. Not to mention the further six premium vehicles of similar size against which the lion brand is pitching its new car.

This has to make it the most congested and competitive segment of the Irish car market. But this doesn't at all dent the confidence of the folks at Peugeot Ireland, whose only real concern is whether they'll be able to get enough supply to meet the demand over the coming year.

Maybe that's not at all being over confident. The 3008, previously an MPV and now a much more trendy SUV, has been doing very well indeed in other markets where it has been sold since launch last autumn. So much so that production has strained to match demand.

Review: Ford Ranger Wildtrak

There's a road across the boggy area from Prosperous to Johnstownbridge in Co Kildare and it is as bad a one as I've driven in any part of the world, including in the high Andes, writes Brian Byrne. So I was very glad last week that I had a Ford Ranger under me as I travelled it. It wasn't by any means a comfortable drive, but at least I had the sense that the car would survive the trip without damage.

It's the latest generation of the Ranger, and the vehicle I was driving was the Wildtrak top of the range. Apart from a number of cosmetic additions, including a cowl behind the back window and a roller-top cover for the bed, it came with the bigger engine than the standard 2.2 diesel, a 3.2 with some amazing luggability.

I've been driving quite a few pickups recently, and enjoying them. The Ranger Wildtrak certainly looks the business, and has the underpinnings to bring its owner to territory which is neither easy nor nice.

Review: Suzuki Vitara

There's a great deal of affection for the Suzuki Vitara name in Ireland, writes Brian Byrne, going all the way back to the original model in the late 1980s. So when the company revived the nameplate in 2015 as part of a renewal of its model range, there was a lot of local interest.

The new model itself was initially available in three grades, but a fourth one, the S, offers a more sporty character in visual and powertrain terms.

The new generation Vitara is a strong looking machine, but with lines that are tempered in a style which is as much at home in the suburban street as it is venturing across more rugged terrain.