• About Joanne Ahern

    Joanne is a Dublin-based journalist whose interest in new cars stems from a childhood of being let down by bangers. When not road testing motors she gets around in a Peugeot 307cc called Ben. Joanne loves chocolate and coffee and is not a fan of electric parking brakes.

    Zipping around town in the Renault Twingo

    by  • February 4, 2015 • Car Reviews, Test Drives

    2014 Renault Twingo exterior front left static

    Want to feel like you’re driving a Porsche 911 for less than €15,000? Ok, so maybe saying it drives like a Porsche is a bit of an exaggeration, but the new Renault Twingo does share the engine in the boot phenonomen with it. The Twingo is a really cute, yet stylish looking five-door city...

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    New Opel Corsa OPC set for Geneva

    by  • February 4, 2015 • Motoring News

    2015 Opel Corsa OPC exterior front left dynamic

    Opel believes the new Corsa OPC will ‘raise the bar for small, fast hatchbacks’ when it arrives in Ireland later this year. The German car manufacturer release pictures of the new model ahead of its launch at the Geneva Motor Show next month. The new 1.6-litre 207hp turbocharged model can accelerate from 0-100kph in...

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    New Ford Focus RS revealed

    by  • February 3, 2015 • Motoring News

    2015 Ford Focus RS exterior front static

    FORD has described the new Focus RS as a game changer. The new model, an All-Wheel-Drive, was previewed today in Cologne, ahead of its global reveal at the Geneva Motor Show next month. The third generation Focus RS boasts a 2.3-litre EcoBoost engine that can produce ‘in excess of 320PS’. This engine shares its...

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    Renault unveils ‘bold and seductive’ Kadjar

    by  • February 2, 2015 • Motoring News

    2015 Renault Kadjar exterior front left static

    After teasing its new crossover on social media for a week, Renault has finally revealed the new Renault Kadjar. The ‘bigger brother’ to the Renault Captur, the Kadjar will go on sale in Ireland in late summer. Renault says the crossover ‘shakes up established thinking’ by bringing an ‘innovative and attractive proposition to the...

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    New car sales up 30 per cent

    by  • February 2, 2015 • Motoring News

    2013 Volkswagen Golf exterior right side static

    New car sales are expected to top 100,000 in 2015 – the highest figure since 2008. Figures released today by the Society of the Irish Motor Industry show a 31 per cent year-on-year increase in new car sales in January. Some 29,948 151-plate cars were registered last month. The top three selling car brands...

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    New Ford Focus ST for March launch

    by  • January 29, 2015 • Motoring News

    2015 Ford Focus ST exterior front left static

    Ford reckons the new Ford Focus ST is in ‘a class of its own’. It says the new model offers ‘an even more responsive, balanced and refined driving experience with new chassis control technologies, tuned suspension and steering, and bespoke tyre specification’. For the first time, the performance car will be offered in both...

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    SsangYong Korando all the better to look at

    by  • January 28, 2015 • Car Reviews, Test Drives

    2014 SsangYong Korando exterior front left static

    When Korean carmaker SsangYong re-entered the Irish market two years ago it did so with the Korando. Last year it was by far its biggest seller and no doubt it has even higher hopes for the facelifted model. I like the SsangYong Korando – both the outgoing and new models. In a gorgeous Sunrise...

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    February date for Renault Kadjar crossover

    by  • January 26, 2015 • Motoring News

    2014 Renault Kwid concept

    Renault has begun teasing its new crossover, ahead of its official unveiling next week. The French company said the sound and spelling of the new Renault Kadjar ‘have an exotic feel which suggests adventure and discovering new horizons’. Breaking down the name, it said the KAD is ‘inspired by “quad” – representing a go-anywhere...

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