Looked at both of these last week, ended up going for the higher spec X-Trail thought the two you mentioned were over priced for what you were getting
What are the Mazda CX-5 like?
Nice but too small imo. Booth is small, space in rear seats average too.
When are ye due?
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I went past the big car auction place near man cityās ground there this morning. Thereās more cars in it than Iāve ever seen before by miles. Twice as many Iād say. They have temporary traffic lights up.
Thereās thousands and thousands on the lot, all higgledy-piggledy at the back to squeeze them on, with temporary carwashing tents at the back as well. Must be some backlog.
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Is that a CarGiant place? Might be going over with the brother soon (if he can shift his own)
I wonāt be driving it harš
I hired a Seat Ateca in Spain last year. Noble motor.
Dunno. Itās on Alan Turing way.
That an online auction aswell ( live?) - thanks
Iāve no idea. I can find out maybe.
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Tnx, some used be live but inkyto registered users etc
Youād want your head examined buying from a UK auction online tbh. Thereās a few webuyanycar offloads at all of them.
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Naw Iām just interested in prices etc, I drive a hybrid Honda insight, and wonāt be spending over there at all, up north maybe,but gives u an insight into priceās,they must have dropped big time,come Christmas theyāll be giving them away
Auctions here are shite ( in the south)
@carryharry how are you fixed? Iām looking for a new family type car. Only 2 kids but weād like to be able to take more and she wants a boot you could fit everything in. And hang the bikes off the back. Iād like it to be reliable and no pain in the hole service wise. Readily available parts and not regular breakdown with stupid issues. And Iād like it to be cheap as chips cos I havenāt worked since March.
Work your considerable magic. Even a list of models and brands and Iāll go haggle with some folk. I loves the oul haggle sometimes. Thanks a mill
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Iāll address this at lunchtime bro
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I would appreciate your appraisal of a Honda CRV also.
Father in law reckons diesel is the only way to go with them.
Review of the new Golf in the Irish Times today.
its new role in the family
THE NEW GOLF IS LONGER, WIDER AND TALLER THAN BEFORE, WHICH MEANS A SPACIOUS CABIN, BUT TAKES AWAY A LITTLE FROM ITS SPORTIER LINES
Electric era sees VW opt for new star car as Golf takes on supporting role
Michael McAleer
What weāre witnessing here is not just the arrival of yet another VW Golf, but a momentous moment in motoring history. Itās the changing of the guard. For nearly five decades, this German family hatchback has been the bedrock of the brand. Think Volkswagen: think Golf.
Now, in this new electric age VW has opted for a new star car, the all-electric ID.3, coming our way later this year.
So does this new Golf not really matter any more? Is this its swansong?
The end of Golfās reign was already on the cards when it lost its place as VWās best-selling model, first to Polo in 2018 and then to the new Tiguan.
Yet with 35 million sales since it hit the road in 1974, thereās unlikely to be a stretch of tarmac in the western world that hasnāt had a Golf on it. And there are folks who couldnāt tell a Rolls Royce from a Reliant Robin yet can still identify a VW Golf from 100 metres away.
The successor to the Beetle, in many ways the Golf became the peopleās car that Volkswagen aspired to in its name. Itās a classless, genderless, ageless hatchback at home on the gravel drive of a country estate or the car park of a council flat. It doesnāt define its driver, except to suggest theyāre eminently sensible in their motoring choice.
It has been ridiculed for being a bit dull at times, sticking to its signature silhouette through its now eight generations. Yet that styling touch has been key to its success. It lets the older models age more gracefully, so the student with the well-maintained 12-year-old Golf doesnāt seem all that different from the stockbroker in the brand new GTi.
But this road test is not meant to be a eulogy, as VW says the Golf is going nowhere and will sit alongside the ID.3 on forecourts for years to come.
Changed role
However, thereās no question that Golfās role at VW has changed. Itās no longer the headline act, a model project driven by engineers. Now itās about profit, with the bean counters playing as big a role in its future as the engineers, perhaps more so. Despite claims by car company bosses that their new electric models are profitable projects, many of us have our doubts. In an interview last week, Sir James Dyson explained why his recent attempt to create a new electric car brand ended in defeat. āThe nub of the problem is that big car makers are now using their electric models to prop up their gas guzzlers. That makes EVs unrealistically cheap.ā
While you wouldnāt put the Golf in the āgas guzzlerā category, his point is valid that these manufacturers are using their new electric models to meet tough new average CO2 limits, which in turn lets them carry on selling profitable conventional cars.
It seems entirely plausible. Apply it to VW and that means the Golf ā and other volume models ā must bring in the cash to cover ID development costs.
So what to make of this particular cash cow? Well, itās unmistakably a Golf. Yet there seems to have been a softening of its lines, particularly up front.
The grille has slipped too far down the bonnet for my liking. And that easily identifiable Golf silhouette is starting to look a little generic, copied so much by Korean rivals that itās lost a little of its trademark lines.
Part of that may be down to the fact the new car is longer, wider and taller than before, which means a spacious cabin, but takes away a little from its sportier lines.
Biggest surprise
Itās inside where Golf aficionados are in for the biggest surprise. VW has finally embraced the digital age. Itās a radical departure from the past layouts and one that not everyone is going to love.
Even at entry grade the driver gets a digital binnacle display, but step up to mid-range Style trim and you also get the new 10-inch touchscreen in the centre console. Aside from climate control and a volume slider, laid out before the driver is a wall of black plastic screens, a steering wheel and, if you opt for manual transmission, to the left a gear stick (opt for automatic transmission and even this becomes merely a stump).
The two screens create a smart multi-screen dashboard, the software is intuitive, yet in opting for its new digital dash, the Golf has lost a little of its trademark characteristics. The dualscreen design is very similar to the Mercedes-Benz A-Class format, for example, for good and for ill.
Just a note on the volume slider. Previously, VW put the volume control on the touchscreen but it was very imprecise. The new slider is meant to remedy this, but itās still hit and miss. While engineers clearly want car controls to mimic smartphones, sometimes a button is still best. Those working on the facelift version please take note.
Underpinning the new Golf is VWās award-winning MQB platform, taken from the outgoing version but updated to offer better rigidity. While that might suggest more cost savings, itās a great place to start, with the seventh generation receiving numerous plaudits and awards for its handling prowess.
The rival Ford Focus has always been something of a benchmark when it comes to delivering engaging hatchback driving fun, closely followed by Mazda with its 3. This Golf, however, is direct, agile and remarkably well-balanced.
Itās an easy, comfortable drive and thatās all the attributes it needs to win over most hatchback buyers.
And the engine line-up now boasts three new mild hybrids, supported by a 48-volt electric system. However, our test car was powered by the non-hybrid 1.5-litre 130bhp petrol engine, and was the better for it. This four-pot is not the most potent in the powertrain line-up, but itās a lovely smooth engine thatās well-suited to the car and for everyday Irish motoring needs.
Diesel remains an option for Golf buyers, with a 2-litre 115bhp engine, while entry level comes with the companyās impressive little 1-litre 90bhp petrol unit. Opt for this entry-level model and you not only sacrifice power but also dynamic ability, as the rear suspension changes from an independent multilink system to a basic twist-beam set-up.
Thatās perhaps yet another sign of the VW bean counters at work on their budgets.
Price
Of course budgets will also decide the buyerās choice. The Golf price list may start at ā¬23,950 for the 1-litre petrol in standard grade, but if you want to add a few extras or opt for another engine youāll get little change from ā¬30,000.
There are better-priced rivals, more meaningful hybrid variants and more striking-looking hatchbacks. Big name rivals include the Ford Focus, Toyota Corolla or Kia Ceed, and even in the premium market the new BMW 1 Series is now a good buy.
But thereās always going to be a loyal following for the Golf and this latest offering, with its digital displays, offers enough to keep the conventional competition at bay while VW prepares for what it hopes will be the new era of the ID.3.
There is an allure to the Golf, built largely on legacy, so when it comes to parting with your hard-earned cash this VW always seems a sensible choice. Five decades on, you wonāt go wrong opting for another Golf.
Powertrain: 1,498cc four-cylinder petrol engine putting out 130bhp and 200Nm of torque with six-speed manual transmission. CO2 (motor tax): 124g/km (ā¬190). L/100km (WLTP): 5.5. 0-100km/h: 9.2 secs. Price: ā¬30,750 (ā¬32,392 as tested) .
Stick with a berlingo: all the space you need, cheap and wheelchair accessible for when Mrs J finds out about your degenerate gambling
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