Car Reviews
Independent car reviews on Irish roads. Practical verdicts on value and real world economy to help you choose your next new car.
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Porsche Cayenne Electric Review: Has Porsche nailed the transition to electric?
Road tested by Hugh Maguire. Price: €113,600 Pros: Superb to drive and a truly rewarding driving experience. Very refined and polished in all areas. Excellent performance and decent range. Cons: More expensive than rivals. You need to tick the pricey options list to get a luxury specification. Efficiency falls off rapidly if you use the performance……and…
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Honda Prelude 2026 Review: The Prelude Name Returns After 25 Years. Was It Worth The Wait?
Road tested by Hugh Maguire. Price: €59,995 Pros: Looks Superb, and has real street presence. Beautifully designed high quality interior. Agile & Nimble handling. Cons: Performance is lacking. Access to rear is difficult. Front seats have very basic manual adjustments. Buy it if: You want a stylish high quality two door…
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Jeep Compass hybrid: The off-roader That Isn’t an Off Roader?
Road tested by Hugh Maguire. Price: €42,995 Pros : Rugged 4×4 styling. Well designed and executed interior. Decent level of standard equipment. Cons: Somewhat underpowered. Transmission is jerky at low speeds. Very light steering and spongy brake pedal feel. The Jeep brand is owned by the Chrysler/Fiat Motor Company, but the products still demonstrate all the…
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Toyota bZ 2026 Review: Improved And Renamed But Really Any Better?
Road Tested By Hugh Maguire. Price: €42,160 Pros: Comfortable, quiet & refined. Greatly improved real world range of about 420km. Excellent vehicle & battery warranty. Cons: Max 150kWh DC charging….beaten by some rivals. Boot space just average for the class…. Skoda Enyaq is better. Drivers display partially obscured by steering wheel. The original bZ4X was Toyota’s…
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VW Passat Diesel Estate Review: But Would The PHEV Be The Better Buy?
Road tested by Hugh Maguire. Price: €55,995 Pros: Strong on practicality with huge load area. Premium look & feel to interior. Very comfortable and well equipped. Cons: R-line not a sporty drive. At almost €56,000 its pricey. Concern over residuals when selling a diesel in say 3-5 years. While all the talk is of EV’s and indeed…
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BMW iX3 Neue Klasse Review: Overhyped? Or The Ultimate Driving EV?
Road tested By Hugh Maguire. Price: BMW iX3 40 from €67,000. The iX3 50 xDrive from €76,315. Pros: Excellent real world as tested of 670km. Ultra fast top up charging (at a high power charger) A rewarding and involving driving experience. Cons: A very screen centric cabin….no buttons. Some interior materials still not as good as they should be…
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New Nissan Leaf- First Drive Impressions, Pricing and Specifications.
First Drive By Hugh Maguire. This new Nissan Leaf is only the 3rd generation of the model. I remember well test driving the very first Leaf back in 2010. Back then Nissan were the true EV pioneers as they were the first to offer a mass market electric car. We all looked on in amusement…
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Ohme selected as a new home EV charging partner for Electric Ireland
Cork-based smart charging company, Ohme has been appointed as a new home EV charging partner for Ireland’s leading energy provider, Electric Ireland. The new partnership will see Electric Ireland offer Ohme EV home chargers for purchase forcustomers interested in switching to an electric vehicle. Ohme is Ireland’s largest home EV charging company and the fastest growing across Europe. “We…
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Leapmotor launches a keenly priced 5-door hatchback called the B05.
Leapmotor marked the official launch of its new B05 Hatchback in the Irish market, at a press launch in Gowan Auto’s HQ in Citywest, on Monday September 7th, 2026. Whichnewcar had a brief drive in the new B05 at the press launch in Co Dublin. Initial impressions are that the work they have done to…
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Fiat Grande Panda Review: bursting with character-but is it any good?
Pros: Lots of character Economical & practical. Good standard equipment in this La Prima model. Cons: You pay €595 extra for any colour other than White. Quite a few cheap hard plastics inside. Somewhat jerky transition from electric to petrol power at low speeds. Fiat have been surviving in the Irish market with a very small model line-up, namely…