LOOKING FOR A brand new trendy crossover-style car with a roomy cabin and a great engine? Then this 171 Honda HR-V, for €27,650, may be the car for you.
The Honda HR-V is a good-looking five-door compact crossover which feels very well-built… but it’s a Honda so no surprises there.
The cabin has excellent leg and head room in the front and the back and the boot is a good size, offering 470 litres of space which swells to 1,533 litres with the rear seats tumbled.
This particular car features a seven-inch Android-operated Honda Connect stereo and internet browser with all the functionality of a tablet. It is bright, easy to read and easy to use – and there are plenty of safety features on board too including active city braking and parking assist sensors.
It is powered by a 1.6-litre i-DTEC diesel engine which is smooth, easy to rev and frugal too – with combined fuel economy quoted as 3.8 litre/100km (70.6mpg). It has CO2 emissions of 104g/km placing it in band A3 at €190 a year to tax.
The car feels well-balanced on the road with adequate amounts of grip and overall it’s a decent ride.
This model is available in a choice of silver, grey or blue.
Hyundai i20
Looking for a brand new five-door hatchback that has buckets of space and a decent boot size? Then this 171 Hyundai i20 for €13,590 could be the car for you.
The Hyundai i20 is another roomy car and this five-door hatchback is quite quiet and refined too. It is one of the largest cars in its class – bigger than the Opel Corsa, Volkswagen Polo and Ford Fiesta.
This Deluxe model comes with front fog lights, electric rear windows and alloy wheels. The cabin features leather trim for the steering wheel and gear knob, air conditioning, a smartphone docking station, Bluetooth and a multi-function steering wheel. The car also comes with cruise control and rear parking sensors.
The boot can hold 326 litres with the rear seats in place and 1,060 litres with them folded.
It is powered by a 1.2-litre petrol engine mated to a five-speed manual gearbox and has an official combined fuel economy figure of 5.2 litre/100km (54.3mpg) and CO2 emissions of 119g/km – placing it in band A4 at €200 a year to tax.
The i20 has good road manners, soaks up the lumps and bumps of Irish roads with no fuss at all and has light steering making it great for manoeuvring around town with ease.
So if you are looking for a crossover that is well-built and roomy, with a big boot and cheap running costs then the Honda HR-V may be the car for you.
If you are after a spacious five-door hatchback with a quiet engine and nice light controls then the i20 should be on your shopping list.
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