Hybrid
Self-charging hybrid reviews. What they are like to drive and how they really work to save fuel in Ireland’s traffic.
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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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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…
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Kia K4 MHEV: Has Kia Built The Perfect Family Hatchback for Ireland?
Road tested by Hugh Maguire. Price: €38,500. K4 GT Line Auto. Pros: Very well equipped at this price point. Roomy well laid out interior. Styling is attractive. Cons: Sport mode not really “sporty” at all. Not as economical as some rivals. Quite a bit of tyre roar on coarse surface roads. I have noticed a very interesting…
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Citroen C3 Aircross Hybrid vs EV: We drove both-Here’s Which One To Buy?
Road Tested By Hugh Maguire. Price: C3 Aircross hybrid 5-seat €29,390 e-C3 Aircross EV 5-seat €28,452 after grants. Cons: Some cheap plastic trim on the doors and centre console. Tyre roar on course tarmac. Basic graphics on…
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Jeep Avenger 4xe: Great Idea But Is It Worth It?
Road tested by Hugh Maguire. Price: Avenger 4xe from €39,995 Pros: Actually quite capable off-road. Flexible practical interior. Reasonable amount of standard equipment. Cons: Not as economical as I expected. Cramped in the rear seats. Smaller boot than FWD models. Quite a lot of cheap looking hard plastics inside. The Jeep brand is famous for…
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Ford Ranger Wildtrak Review: More than just a workhorse?
Road Tested By Hugh Maguire. Price: €64,800 inc VAT. Pros: Strong performance with instant torque. High tech practical driver assist systems such as Pro Trailer Backup. Plug-in- efficiency with some EV driving capability. Cons: Slightly less payload than rivals from VW, Toyota and Isuzu. Hybrid system adds 300kg or so to its weight. More expensive than…
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The Honda Jazz has grown up into an SUV-like version of itself, called the Crosstar.
Road Tested By Hugh Maguire. Price: €34,950. Pros: Very economical with great range. Well equipped as standard. Very spacious and flexible rear seats. Cons: Road noise on more coarse tarmac. No wireless phone charging. More expensive than rivals. The Honda Jazz Crosstar Advance is basically a Jazz on steroids. It is a bit more rugged looking…
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The BYD Seal 6 tested. The hybrid that thinks its an EV.
Road tested By Hugh Maguire. Pros: Incredible range. Very well equipped. Excellent warranty. Battery 8 years or 200,000km. Car & engine 6 years 150,000km. Cons: Harsh engine when revved. Bettered by rivals for ride & handling. Anonymous styling. BYD have really established themselves very quickly as one of the more premium Chinese brands. They are…
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New Mercedes CLA 200 hybrid. Is it better than the BMW 2 series Gran Coupe and Audi A3?
Road tested by Hugh Maguire. Range priced from €57,960 CLA 180 hybrid. Car on test Mercedes CLA 200 hybrid €58,560. Pros: Lovely styling. Excellent long distance cruiser. Very economical. Cons: Hybrid system a bit rough around the edges. Too much reliance on the huge touch screen. A few below par plastics in the cabin. When Mercedes…