The Mazda 2 features and starting prices

The Mazda 2 starts from €14795 and comes in a 3 door and 5 door hatchback. It features electric windows, power steering, remote central locking, body coloured bumpers, electric mirrors, alarm and  immobiliser, driver and passenger air bags and an impact and distribution absorption system .

It has a 5 speed manual gearbox.


A leader in its segment for acceleration, handling and braking, this sporty compact car is fast, agile and fun to drive. That’s because Mazda  made it lighter than before. Built with strong new materials it’s safer too.

Awarded the maximum five stars in Euro NCAP safety ratings, this compact car was World Car of the Year in 2008. And it’s fuel efficient with CO2 emissions as low as 119 g/km.

If you own one of these cars give us your views below

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So whats the Suzuki Alto got..

It costs from  €11.165 and comes in 6 different colours, silky silver, rose pearl, kashmir blue, bright red, black pearl and azure grey.

Top features on this car are

·      CD Tuner

·      Storage

·      Safety

·      Air Conditioning

·      Large Booth

·      Low Emissions

It also has:

Electric Front Windows
Rear single-folding bench seat
Driver Seat Height Adjustor
12V interior accessory socket
Front sun visors with vanity mirror (driver’s side)
Power steering
Tilt-adjustable steering wheel
Digital clock
Remove fuel lid opener
Low fuel warning lamp
Lights-on and key-in reminder
Driver’s seatbelt warning lamp alarm
Door ajar warning lamp
Front cabin light (3-position)

Transmission Manual and Automatic Warranty Every new Suzuki comes with a 3 year or 100,000 km warranty (whichever comes first)  and a 12 year* anti-perforation warranty as standard. With an owner transferable  warranty on all Suzuki vehicles, you have full peace of mind when it comes to buying  a used Suzuki. There are lots of accessories available for this car ask  your car dealer for more information.

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Ford Focus Review 2012

The Ford Focus was completely redesigned for  2012. Reviewers found  the Focus’ exterior and interior changes impressive, and also taught performance had improved.

The Ford Focus was very popular and well-liked when it debuted in 1999, but over time the competition improved, and the Focus lost its appeal. About a dozen years later, Ford has revamped the Focus from the inside out to take on the competition. The interior was one of the first things to change, now featuring more high tech options.

The 2012 Focus gets MyKey and MyFord, two features that are available on other models.. MyFord integrates entertainment, navigation and communication into a touch screen console. MyKey is a safety feature that restricts vehicle speed and stereo volume while your teen drives. The industry is also excited about the Focus’s standard torque vectoring control – a first for a car in this class. Torque vectoring control increases vehicle stability by adding brake force to wheels on one side during turns, and is a great feature for driving enthusiasts.

The Focus also got a lot of exterior updates, and the industry is very pleased with the changes. The newest Focus looks sportier and more aggressive than older models and falls in line with Ford Fiesta.

Reviewers loved the changes on the new Ford Focus, and think it's a wise pick for any small car buyer. But there are lot of great cars in the class, and test drivers think it's a good idea check the competition first. Other Cars to Consider Among affordable hatchbacks, there’s the Ford Fiesta and the Mazda 3, which are regarded as one of the roomiest and most utilitarian hatches on the market. 

If you’re deciding, the Ford Focus is your best bet if you need one of the best combinations of affordability and utility.

Budget-minded consumers that value performance should test drive the Mazda3, which is also available as a five-door hatchback. The Mazda3 is fun to drive and less expensive than the Focus. This year, the Mazda has new engine with good performance and great fuel economy that everyone will love.

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Audi A3 a top class car

The all new Audi A3 is here to steal the show.  Smart build, excellent engineering and safety features make it one of the best made small cars. However, the 2013 A3 is only available in Europe until early next year. The three new engines that include a more powerful diesel are offered in two styles- two and four door hatchbacks, a saloon and a convertible.

As soon as the car was launched, it received an impressive amount of acclaim from critics and reviewers and the sales have exceeded expectations. It is a less expensive  alternative to a regular luxury car and an extremely fuel-efficient to hybrids.

The German flavour of Audi is intact with engineering excellence and an upscale cabin. The A3 is a satisfying vehicle to drive. The cabin’s designs has set the standard for the industry – all the mechanisms moves with precision, fits tightly and feels top class. In the Audi A3 TDI, the power is directed to the front wheels through a dual clutch transmission that allows either automatic or manual shifting. It utilizes a 2.0litre in line four cylinder diesel engines that produces 140 horsepower and 236 pounds feet/torque. An intercooler and turbo charger helps in cleaner emissions and better accelerations.

The exterior is a masterpiece of tailored sophistication. The body work is beautiful, sleek, stunning and modern. The single frame grille speaks more of the trademark class that Audi emanates. The impact of the grille has been softened by the compound curves in the bonnet. The taillights accentuate the broad expanse of the car. It is an aggressive nose but it does not dominate the designs. Your eyes will automatically draw to the shoulder line.

The overall look is mighty impressive. The leather upholstered interior is a great specimen of fine taste and class- certainly roomy for a four-door hatchback. The front sports seats are tight where they need to be and pleasantly comfortable. The fully adjustable steering column produces an excellent driving position for people of all sizes. The compartment at the bottom of the centre stack has two levels.  The rear seats are also quite comfortable with adequate head and leg room. Fold the split rear seatbacks and there is a 19.5 cubic feet cargo area.
The seats flip down easily for more cargo space- even if you don’t get a flat cargo floor; there is an accessory roof rack available for added cargo. Mileage is good – it could do an impressive 43.7miles /gallon and can accelerate from 0-60mph in 6.7 seconds; the torque is ever ready. When it comes to handling and ride quality, it is again excellent. The good and firm suspension allows quick turns and a highly responsive feel. However you would feel the bumps on the roads and some road noise as well. The climate control, Bose RDS Audi system with AM/FM, six disc remote changer with 10 speakers, and remote control on the leather-covered steering wheel adds to the charm.

If you are an admirer of the class and reliability that the brand Audi exudes, A3 is going to make you more than happy.

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Cost of driving your average family car in Ireland

If you are buying a new car in Ireland what is this car going to cost you per week. I have done a calculation based on an average car costing €22,000 euro over 5 years. I have taken the weekly repayments, cost of insurance, tax, petrol and maintenance into consideration. What we should have at the end is the total cost of driving your average family car.

Ok so lets start

Car costs €22,000

Bought over 5 years with no deposit with 9% interest will cost €104 per week

For this experiment we will put it in tax band C which is equal to €5.81 per week

Lets assume that we drive the yearly average which is 18000 kms per year or 346 kms per week

Lets also assume that it does reasonable mileage per gallon of 70 kms = about 5 gallons per week @ €8.50 per gallon = €42.50 per week.

Now we must add insurance at an average of €520 per year to a driver with a full license and 3 years’ experience working out at €10 per week.

Servicing and Maintenance will probably be around €9.60 per week over the 5 years. This is of course if nothing major goes wrong with car.

104.00 + 5.81 + 42.50 + 10.00 + 9.60 = 171.91

So the total cost per week to drive an average family new car in Ireland is actually a whopping €171.91 per week.

Now lets assume that the average wage of the people who buy these cars is €500 per week take home pay meaning you must be earning in excess of €35,000 per year. This means that is costing more than 33% of your income to have a used car sitting outside your door.

However after 5 years this car still has some value, if its not crashed or damaged it will be worth somewhere in the region of €6000 giving you back €23.73 per week.

So the question we have to ask is how many people can afford to pay 33% of their wages out on a used car for 5 years, after all it becomes a used car the minute its driven out of the dealers forecourt.

All these figures are based on averages, in many cases it will cost more for the average family car as most will be driven up to 30,000 kms per year.

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