Tag Archives: road test

When the Nissan Juke arrived on the scene in 2010, it looked like it came from another planet. Based on a concept car, a lot of those features made it to production and the result, with its high, bug-eyed headlights polarised opinions but it was a quirky car that quickly found fans. In fact, it could be said to have started a new market segment for small crossovers, a segment that now accounts for around 10% of the overall market in Ireland. Now there’s a brand-new Juke just launched and we had the chance to drive it in Barcelona. Based on a platform shared with the Renault Captur, the Juke is new from the ground up and in contrast to the petrol and diesel offerings in the outgoing car, there’s only one engine choice, the 1.0 litre turbocharged triple petrol turbo that already sees duty in the Micra. For this application, the power output is 117bhp and there’s an over …

There was a time when Jaguar was seen as an old man’s car and a rich, old man’s car at that. Time moves on and the XF, in particular, was instrumental in changing people’s perception of Jaguar. When launched, this mid-range executive car was as modern as anything else on the market. With great handling and a sublime interior, it quickly became a real alternative to the established German executive alternatives. I’ve already tested the 3.0 litre, with its creamy V6 diesel, but lately, this model has been joined by a more affordable 2.2 litre unit. Given our car tax rates, this version will be the more practical option for most buyers. Straight away, what strikes is the interior, which conspires to be both comfortable, luxurious and elegant in a way only Jaguars seem to manage. This being the base model, I was slightly disappointed to find that the seats were only half-leather, a decision that seems surprising, given that …

There was a time, not so long ago, when Hyundai ruled the roost in the coupé market. Their not so imaginatively named Coupé was conventionally styled but very pretty and sold by the bucket load, particularly in Ireland. Now, Hyundai are back in the coupé game with a very different model, the Veloster. At first glance, this looks like a very attractive, but conventional three-door hatch, but if you look a little more closely, you’ll discover the Veloster’s party trick. On one side, there’s just a single driver’s door, while on the other, you also have a rear door, offering easy access to the rear seats. In some ways, it’s the best of both worlds, with the style of a coupé and the practicality of a five-door. It’s not a unique solution, Mini having pulled the same trick with the Clubman, but kudos to Hyundai for engineering the car properly for right hand drive, with the extra doors on the …