A roundup of this week's motoring news
Nissan Leaf makes debut in Dublin
Nissan’s new Leaf electric car is making its European debut in Dublin tonight, as the firm begins taking orders for the car.
Those interested in purchasing the new electric family car can put down a €232 fully refundable deposit from this week, with deliveries due to begin next February.
It’s one of the first all-electric cars from a mainstream brand to go on sale and Ireland is one of the first countries to get the car. Following its public debut tonight at the Grand Canal Docks at 10pm, the Leaf will go on a month-long Irish tour, during which test drives are available.
The price of the Leaf – taking into account the Government’s tax incentive of €5,000 – is €29,995, with the litihium-ion battery that powers the car included in the sales price.
Nissan claims running costs for the car here are anticipated at less than €1.20 per 100kms “representing almost an 80 per cent saving on an average 1.5-litre diesel family car”.
The car’s electric motor develops 80 kW of power and 280 Nm of torque, with a maximum speed of 140 km/h.
Nissan claims the Leaf has a potential range of 160km on a full charge. On a normal home plug it takes eight to 10 hours to fully charge, but can be charged to 80 per cent in 30 minutes on the fast-charging stations currently being installed in various towns by the ESB.
The car will be sold in Ireland with standard equipment including air conditioning, satellite navigation and a parking camera. Smart phone connectivity will allow an owner to heat or cool the interior of the car remotely via a mobile phone.
During the national tour the car will be on display at the Dundrum shopping centre this weekend, the Mahon shopping centre in Cork on Friday, August 13th and the Headford Road shopping centre in Galway on Sunday, August 15th.
Giulietta price confirmed
Alfa Romeo has confirmed prices for its new Giulietta hatchback starting at €19,995.
Replacing the 147, Alfa sees the Giuletta as a serious rival to the likes of the VW Golf and claims it has priced the car accordingly. Featuring the Italian marques new platform, that will form the basis of several new models in the coming years, the Giulietta will come with a choice of 1.4-litre 120bhp petrol and a 1.6-litre 105bhp or two-litre 170bhp diesel.
Prices for the 1.6-litre diesel start at €21,995 and €27,570 for the 2-litre diesel. A 235bhp Cloverleaf version will also be offered. Reflecting past criticism that Alfa suspensions were a little hard for some potential buyers, the Giulietta will feature a more comfort-derived suspension on the entry-level Turismo and Lusso versions, with sports suspension on the Veloce and Cloverleaf variants.
Test drive archive on irishtimes.com/motors
Want to find out what we thought of the Bugatti Veyron or the Ferrari California? Wonder what we made of the Nissan Tiida or the Ford Fiesta from 2002?
The Irish Times website now offers a free archive of over 450 of our test drive reviews dating back to 2002. So before you buy simply visit the website irishtimes.com/motors