2015 was a bumper year for new cars

2015 brought a bumper supply of new cars to the Irish market and Michael Moroney has driven most of them at some stage during the year and here gives his verdicts having driven most of them.

Michael Moroney

16 December 2015

The new-look Hyundai Tucson comes with fresh styling both inside and out coupled with improved suspensions and economy. Entry prices for the two-wheel drive diesel models start at €26,995 or £20,195 in N. Ireland.

The new Honda HR-V received the top score from the Irish Motoring Writers’ Association (IMWA) in the Compact Family Car of the Year 2016 category and it’s well deserved.

Opel has transformed the Astra range with a new diesel engine that has been long overdue, and changes the whole performance of the car.

Volkswagen’s Passat was a hugely popular introduction for 2015, it delivers an impressive driving experience, with comfort and real time economy levels that even after scandals are competitive.

The past year has been a bumper one when it comes to new car introductions, as many car companies upgraded their ranges. When it came to voting in the Continental Irish Car of the Year awards this year, we had 43 cars to choose from, all of which were new since October 2014.So when it comes to buying a new car, Irish drivers had plenty of impressive options. At some stage during the year, I had an opportunity to drive many of these 43 new cars.

So when it comes to buying a new car, Irish drivers had plenty of impressive options. At some stage during the year, I had an opportunity to drive many of these 43 new cars.

Some stood out more than others for a host of reasons, including luxury and performance, as well as value packages. Let’s hope that there will be similar new model options for 2016.

The compact and medium-sized cars dominated the new car introductions, with models from the Ford Mondeo and Volkswagen Passat ranges attracting most of the early year attention.

The later arrival of the new Skoda Superb added extra competition – this is a car that I’ve yet to give a lengthy test drive to.

It was understandable that there was lots of hype around these cars as they are very typical family cars and have been hugely popular in Ireland. Both offer an impressive range of features and options.

They have been restyled and, in this sense, the new Mondeo is by far the more stunning-looking car. However, on balance, I found that driving the Passat was a far better experience; that was before the shock of the Volkswagen Dieselgate affair.

Despite that, Volkswagen buyers continued to look for Passat models and the scandal that hit the German car brand brought some realignment of value for new car buyers.

The mid-size SUV market is another segment that saw the introduction of a lot of new models in 2015. Nissan’s rightful dominance in the sector with the very successful Qashqai is constantly being challenged.

The new Hyundai Tucson is that fresh 2015/16 challenge and it looks and drives very well. I was impressed with the Tucson for lots of good reasons. It drives well, is very economical and with new value deals, this is the one that you need to include if the Qashqai is top of your buying list.

Renault has a new clone of the Qashqai called the Kadjar that’s also biting at the Qashqai’s heels. The similarity to the Qashqai is very obvious, so it has to be considered in terms of value.

Smaller or compact SUV introductions were very important in 2015 including the BMW X1, Fiat 500X, Honda HR-V, Jeep Renegade, Mazda CX-3, SsangYong Tivoli and Suzuki Vitara.

I’ve driven them all at some stage during the year and the Honda HR-V was my personal favourite.

It’s not that it has a stunning or standout design, it’s just that its diesel engine, solid build and great driving feel are all most impressive.

All other six compact SUVs have their own special features; the Jeep Renegade was fun to drive, the Mazda CX-3 was impressive to look at, while the Fiat 500X was too expensive for the size of the package.

There were eight new small cars launched in 2015. The Honda Jazz was late to the market; it’s spacious and very practical, but probably not the best looking. I found the Mazda2 to be a super small car to drive, as was the Skoda Fabia.

I’ve yet to drive the Hyundai i20 for a lengthy run, but I expect that it is impressive. I loved the feature that allows you to plug in your smart phone and get satnav guidance through the car’s system from Google Maps.

Opel’s Corsa range gave a refreshing new-look car, while the Karl is too small for my liking. Peugeot’s 108 and the Suzuki Celerio are similar micro-type cars, not always a useful choice for rural drivers.

At the more expensive executive and larger car end of the market, there were 10 new models introduced, from the Audi Q7 to the Volkswagen Touareg.

Within that group, the new BMW 7 Series car is the standout model for its features, but not for its value. This is a car from a new age in terms of specification; if only we could afford one.

And finally, I could not let a review of the new cars of 2015 pass without a mention of the engine upgrades from Opel. What a transformation across the entire range, with new 1.6- and 2.0-litre turbo-diesel engines.

So well done Opel – they are attacking the market with real price value. CL