Monday November 11
First job of the day is to drop back last week's test car, the run-out edition of Ford's Mondeo hatchback. Though clearly dating, the opportunity to revisit the Mondeo reminded me how good it is to drive. The chassis really is very well developed, managing to be enjoyable and comfortable at the same time, helped no end by feelsome steering. The 1.6-litre TDCi engine isn't the last word in performance and refinement though, and the gearing, no doubt chosen to enhance efficiency, is plain frustrating in an urban setting. Still, without much time cruising it returned an average consumption of 6.6 litres/100km (42.8mpg) during my week with it.
A quick taxi ride from Rialto Ford to the Gibson Hotel in Dublin was required to be on time for a Skoda event, where we were to spend the day driving a selection of petrol-engined models. Skoda wanted to highlight how economical and cost-effective its petrol cars have become so set up an economy challenge for four groups of journalists. Neil detailed the day in this blog piece. It was a fun day and backed up our previous research on the subject of diesel vs. petrol.
Tuesday November 12
Picked up my test cars for the week, the first of which is another run-out model, this time of the Mercedes-Benz C-Class. It's called the Edition C and looks every inch the AMG saloon. There are tasteful interior updates too, though under the bonnet the test car is the same as any other C 200 CDI, which is to say that the engine is a little loud and performance is adequate rather than startling. There's an all-new C-Class being unveiled in January and it can't come soon enough if Mercedes seriously wants to take the BMW 3 Series and Audi A4 on.
One of our biggest news stories of the week is the unveiling of an all-new Nissan Qashqai. Sadly I can't make the evening event in the RDS, where Nissan Ireland unveils two examples of the promising new crossover ahead of embarking on a dealer tour. Looking forward to trying the car out for myself. No doubt it'll continue the incredible success of the outgoing model.
Wednesday November 13
Along with getting loads of new content up on CompleteCar.ie, today was spent getting together this weekend's motoring. We have two pages this week and will fill them with first drives of the Skoda Yeti and Alfa Romeo Giulietta and MiTo, plus an Irish road test of the unusual BMW 3 Series Gran Turismo.
Thursday November 14
Popped along to Volkswagen Group Ireland's headquarters in Liffey Valley for a coffee and catch up with its effervescent CEO Simon Elliot. I always come away from a chat with him with more ideas than I have time to implement. Very inspiring guy.
Drove to the meeting in my second test car of the week, the Honda CR-V, powered by the company's 1.6-litre i-DTEC diesel engine. This works really well in the car, despite a relatively low 120hp output. There's loads of torque low down the rev range so it never feels flat-footed and it's quite an enjoyable car in the bends. There is a little diesel rattle at times, but overall it's a high quality product and a satisfying car to drive. Emissions of 120g/km and quoted fuel consumption of 4.5l/100km (62.8mpg) mean low running costs and it has a spacious, flexible and well-made interior too. The only major downside for now, depending on your requirements, is that this engine is not available in conjunction with four-wheel drive. I believe that will change in time.
Friday November 15
Early start to the last day of the working week to catch a 7am flight to Munich. As part of my 'global correspondent' status with BMW we get invited to a 'sneak peek' event annually, where the following year's new models from BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce are wheeled out for us to have a close look at. Several of the cars present usually have not been revealed at all as yet, which means absolutely no reporting from the day is allowed. Last year we were shown the Rolls-Royce Wraith, BMW 3 Series Gran Turismo and new X5 among others. Can't tell you what's on the menu for this year unfortunately, but we'll be reporting on some of them very very soon...