Car10

I have noted before in these columns that 2021 was a year of many Mercedes-Benz new cars for review, writes Brian Byrn e. Perhaps in 2022 it's going to be another carmaker's turn to dominate the space, but in the meantime it seems fitting that I finish out on the flagship of the range, the S-Class. The 'S' comes from the original designation in 1972 of Sonderklasse for the top of the line car, meaning 'special class'. At the time it was just that. Today it still is. Traditionally, in addition to offering the ultimate in luxury, the S-Class has been the model by which Mercedes-Benz has introduced technical and safety innovations. That tradition remains, but the difference now that it takes a much shorter time before these find their way right through the models down the line. So much of the technical side I had already experienced before my time with the S-Class for this review. To some extent, it has in recent years been difficult to distinguish between the cor...

Though the Ford Fiesta nameplate has been around since 1976, it is by no means the oldest car model name in the world, writes Brian Byrne . That title belongs to the Chevrolet Suburban, a name that goes back to 1934 and is today a large SUV. But Fiesta is a staple of Ford's European cars portfolio, where it is once again the smallest of the blue oval's current offerings now that the Ka has been discontinued. In its seventh generation since 2018, a total of some 16 million Fiestas have been rolled out of assembly plants, in this part of the world as well as in south and central American countries, China, India, Asia and South Africa. Now, though, it is only produced in Europe. It had been a while since I drove one until a recent stint in the car which in some ways surprised me how well it is managing in a segment that's arguably the most competitive. A refresh is due in a few months, but in true Ford fashion the essentials including the powertrain will roll on through. My r...

The opportunity to review the Mercedes-Benz eVito Tourer over a decent period came at a fortuitous time, when family from the US and Germany came in to celebrate Christmas with us here in Ireland, writes Brian Byrne . It was in fact the first time in ten years that we had all been together at Christmas. Why fortuitous? Because the eVito Tourer is a 9-seater passenger version of the Mercedes Vito Van. The nine seats were going to be very useful to help shuttle those staying directly with us between airport, home and the homes of their siblings. I suppose that made me an e-chauffeur? The eVito Tourer in shuttle format is designed for such applications as hotel transfers, conference transport, and similar (there is a higher-level version with one fewer seats and a more upmarket specification which can be used as a luxury limo for touring). The review car came with all the demonstrator decals 'Driving the Electric Future', so it was also going to attract attention in my home area ...

Are we really well down the electric route, or is it just hype? writes Brian Byrne . Here are a couple of facts, out of many recent that are EV related. In July of this year, two thirds of all cars sold in Oslo, capital of Norway, were electric. In Shenzhen, China, all 16,000 buses serving the city have been switched to electric, as well as 22,000 taxis. Sure, Norway has been an EV leader for some time, and in China there's a state-backed impetus for EVs. But that's the destination for all of us, sooner or later. I was thinking of that when I had my first drive experience in Kia's latest electric contender in the passenger car market. The EV6 has just joined the Soul and Niro in the Korean brand's EV offerings, and in this case is moving the company close to the premium EV business. The Hyundai-Kia group is one of those which have committed strongly to electric (and also to hydrogen fuel cell development, further down the sustainable motoring road). Unlike the Soul and ...

Of the last 21 cars I have had for review, five have been petrol, three have been petrol-mild hybrid, six were plug-in petrol hybrids, and six were pure electric, writes Brian Byrne . There was just one diesel. That's a major shift from just three or four years ago, when diesel was still king of the road. Now electrification is, in various forms. While pure electric reviews after this week's article, represents three cars in ten that I've driven. The actual proportion of cars sold this year is 8pc, so my review numbers are somewhat ahead of the real world. But 31pc of my cars does show just to where the industry is driving. For this week I'm in the Peugeot e-208. In terms of style, if there is a sweeter-looking supermini out there, I haven't seen it. A perfect example of that design roll which the French carmaker is on at the moment. An in your face front that is nevertheless the epitome of Gallic elegance. A smooth and sexy profile, and a rear that's distinctiv...

Although crossover-style cars have more or less taken over the market at all levels, the compact family hatch is still a significant format, writes Brian Byrne . Ford's Focus remains one of the firm favourites here, even if it has just been pipped in sales by arch-rival VW Golf for this year. It is also one of those cars which retain customer loyalty really well. After a slew of very technologically advanced cars for review over recent months, it was nice to get back into something that equates with the normal in family car motoring. The Focus EcoBoost Hybrid has been around now for a year or so, but the fourth generation body is familiar for most of four years — it still looks well, particularly in the ST Line dress of my review car. The body and detailing have a nice sporty character. A hint of Coke-bottle profile, good character to the front end, and a neat rear. Even though a revised version is coming next year, this one holds its age very well. The spoiler over the rear wind...

There's something missing when you drive off a Ford Mustang Mach-E. The sound, writes Brian Byrne . The deep throaty rumble of the 5.0 V8 or the baritone crackle of the 2.3 four. Either of which are part of what makes the modern edition of the original Mustang iconic. The Mustang Mach-E gives us an almost eerie silence. Of course, the Mustang Mach-E is not a replacement for what may be the most aspired-to sports car in the world. For a start, it's all-electric. Secondly, while its designers cleverly echoed the coupe elements of the traditional car, it will easily carry three adults in the back ... compared to a cramped single in the other. There is, and there will continue to be, debate amongst Mustang passionistas as to whether Ford was right to adapt the pony-car's name to an extended Mustang family. Especially to an electric car, a kind of powertrain that just can't generate the kind of emotion that pumping pistons and throbbing exhaust notes can. Time will tell, an...

When Peugeot introduced their first generation 3008 in 2009 it was an immediate success, writes Brian Byrne . So much so that it rapidly went to waiting list status in Ireland. It was also the winner of the Semperit Irish Car of the Year 2010 which I remember very well, as I'm a longtime member of the judging panel for the award initiated more than four decades ago by the Irish Motoring Writers Association.   The car is only in its second generation now, though for many it might seem there's a third because the refresh carried out for this model year substantially primped up the exterior in the front and rear treatments. Already a handsome car, these details bring the styling into line with more recent renewed models like the 2008 and the upcoming new 308. Presence with a capital 'P' is probably not too strong a description. The car is in a seriously busy arena, in size a little bigger than Nissan's latest Qashqai, a bit smaller than Hyundai's Tucson. Both prim...