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Last Wednesday, I finished my breakfast with a small piece of toast and a dollop of Orange Marmalade with Jameson that we had bought at Macreddin Village when we had stayed at Brooklodge Hotel in deepest Wicklow a couple of weeks back for a spring break.

I wouldn’t blame you for wondering what I am doing reviewing the saloon version of a car whose hatchback sibling adorned this page only last Saturday. It’s just that halfway through my test drives, I had this troublesome thought. And I’d like to share it with you. Now, you might be a little shocked and think me partisan when I tell you what it is, but let me try to put all in context.
Last week, you might recall, I went into detail on how the Toyota Corolla hatchback fared on fuel consumption over long journeys. One leg, from Letterkenny to Dublin, yielded 4.6litres/100km (61.4mpg).
The saloon has never had a hybrid powering it before (the hatch’s predecessor was the Auris hybrid, you might recall).
So I was anxious to see how it fared on a number of other fronts too.
Some claim it is the least stylish of the Corolla trio (with the hatch, there is also an estate – a genre we don’t bother with much).
The saloon is what I consider to be Middle Ireland’s car. It is big, roomy and well proportioned, if not as smart-looking as the hatch. It isn’t intended to be: people are entitled to choose more conservative automotive profiles.
One aside however: despite palpable additional visual space in the cabin, the low-ledge sweep of the stylish dash on the front passenger’s side restricts knee/shin room and forces taller occupants to sit further back than might be expected. The result is the rear-seat passenger is a bit more restricted than he/she might expect too. It’s not a big complaint, by any means, but worth noting. That said, we had good room for two hefty passengers during a spin to, from and around the home county. The boot had plenty of room for our stuff, too; it has far more usable space than the hatch.
And only under extreme provocation was there even a hint of ‘catch-up’ boom from the Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT). That used to be a big downer – brought about by the transmission frantically trying to keep pace with engine-speed demand. It definitely is not an issue any more.
Another aside: I like the interior a lot, but would alert you to making sure you get the fabric and dash colours to your taste: the dreary, creamy elements of test-car cabin/seat décor were most certainly not to mine. I think you’d want something warmer looking and dirt-disguising if regularly taking a young family on board. It reminded me of dull incarnations from a decade or so ago.
I won’t go back over points previously made about the hatchback because so many core areas are shared.
Suffice to say, I initially got 5.1l/100kms, which I found disappointing until I checked my notes and realised I’d fairly hammered it for 250km one evening alone. I subsequently reset the computer for my more sedate, semi-urban journeys and got a much better 4.5l/100kms.
And that leads me to the real point of this review (embryonic rant?): if we are so hell-bent on getting rid of diesel, why do we discriminate so heavily on taxation/incentives against ‘ordinary’ hybrids? We (taxpayers) contribute just up to €1,500 in VRT rebates to buyers. Electric cars get €10,000 (rebate/SEAI grant). Absolutely right they should: we’re headed for pure electric. But plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) get up to €7,500 off (€2,500 VRT relief + €5,000 SEAI grant). Yes PHEVs. The ones you can travel 25km or so on battery power alone – if you bother to charge them each day. But who regularly bothers? I don’t believe 90pc of owners plug them in at home or work. Which means you and I are subsidising the purchase price for those who won’t use them for their stated purpose. I’ll be accused of lobbying for makers of ordinary hybrids, but you have to ask why they are discriminated against so heavily when you look at PHEVs?
I still love diesel. I believe it is hugely relevant for many. But if we want to shift away from it, then hybrids make sense in many cases. It beggars belief why we give PHEV buyers such a subsidy and have no way of checking if they bother to ever use the charging element. I know PHEVs also function as ordinary hybrids. But, don’t forget, their engines are also usually fairly big petrols which will return much lower MPG if the battery pack is not regularly used. It’s madness: a licence to buy something at our expense if not properly employed.
At least with an ordinary hybrid, such as the Toyota Corolla saloon on test, what you see is what you get. That goes for the principle of the hybrid and, as it happens, for the car itself.
 
Facts & figuresToyota Corolla hybrid saloon:
1.8-litre hybrid (122hp). From 3.4l/100km, €170 tax. Hybrid saloon range starts €26,820. ‘Sol’ spec tested, €31,705, and included: Safety Sense 2; 8ins multimedia system, 7ins TFT info screen, satnav, 18ins alloys, parking sensors, 471-litre boot, LED DRLs, rain/light sensors, temp spare, rear-view camera, heated seats, partial leather seat trim, dual-zone air con.

The speed ramps leading to the Cliff at Lyons in Co Kildare are famous for their substance, durability and antipathy towards anything travelling at more than two miles a fortnight. They certainly command almighty slow-downs for all who dare traverse beyond snail’s pace.
Either you come to a near stop or the fillings in your teeth fall out with the juddering aftermath of contact.
I find them excellent for sorting out the damping ability of new cars, though I don’t think that is why so many are launched there (good food, lovely surroundings play a part too, I suspect).
The latest to use the facilities was Citroen when it recently unveiled its new C5 Aircross SUV – a rival for the Hyundai Tucson, Nissan Qashqai, Skoda Karoq, Peugeot 3008SUV, Ford Kuga among others.
One of the new car’s perceived strengths is its ‘floating carpet’ suspension (Progressive Hydraulic Cushion), which they claim is easily best in its class to handle the rough and tumble of everyday Irish roads.
Now, seeing as there were a row of those sturdy speed ramps between me and the open road I thought it only right and fair that I should test Citroen’s claim. So I belted into them, one after another at speeds I can’t disclose for fear of being prosecuted. Put it this way: no other car I’ve driven at launch there would have patted the ramps out of their way in the manner of the Aircross. We were more than impressed. If you live or drive on poor, rutted roads, you could do wore than try this. It is exceptional. And it is standard on all the new-car versions.
But as most of us drive on better-quality roads for longer periods other factors simply must come into play for your decision to buy or not. Price, for one. The C5 Aircross starts at €26,495. That’s a competitive kick-off because the level of standard (called Start) spec is high.
Yet few will buy that trim, they reckon. Nor will great numbers (10pc) go for Touch trim (costs an extra €1,500). But most (70pc) will plump for the Feel level (another €2,000) and 15pc for the range-topping Flair (€3,700 more again – see spec and prices far right.
This is a big car; at 4.5m a segment leader. It’s tall too (1.7m). As a result, cabin space was excellent. The sliding individual rear seats give flexibility and contribute to a boot room total of 1,630 litres when flattened (the floor is virtually impediment free too). With all seats up, space can range from 580-litres to 720-litres depending on how far back or forward you have the rear-three seats.
I drove the 1.2 petrol 6spd manual and 1.5 diesel auto. While they expect diesel to comprise 70pc share I preferred the petrol; it was smoother and quieter.
And then there is the factory-fitted dash cam. This, they claim, is another first on a new car in Ireland. In the event of an accident, it records and automatically saves the 30 seconds before and 60 seconds after.
It has an integrated 16GB memory card to store photos and videos. Footage from a collision will automatically save to the device. They claim it is the only car here to have this technology as standard.
Such is the potential contribution it can make to safety, and the legal aftermath of an accident, that Citroen says it has verbal agreement from a leading insurance company to reduce premiums by 10pc for Aircross owners. Surely more companies will follow? If there is any real desire to cut premiums then here is an open-and-shut case to show faith.
As I said the car is among the biggest in the fast-expanding Compact SUV segment (4.5m long, 1.7m high, 2.1m wide). But it didn’t feel unwieldy on a couple of necessarily brief runouts last week. Seating and visibility were good and there was a great sense of comfort.
Yes, Citroen has suffered an image problem for years but now it has a five-year unlimited mileage warranty (also standard) there must be some reassurance for potential buyers?
It will be interesting to see how this fares at a time when medium compact SUVs are in huge demand.
Spec’Start’ trim:
* 8in touchscreen display, cruise control, active safety brake and air con.
‘Touch’:
* adds 17in alloys, rear parking sensors, folding mirrors, Android Auto/Apple Carplay.
‘Feel’ models:
* 18in alloys, front parking sensor, privacy glass, wireless phone charging and active blind spot detection.
And top spec ‘Flair’:
* includes 19in alloys, Citroen Connect navigation, keyless entry/start, a panoramic sunroof with interior LED ambient lighting, several driver assistance systems (park assist, active lane departure warning and adaptive cruise control). Flair models also get Highway assist (with EAT8 auto transmission, adaptive cruise control, active lane departure warning and a stop/go for semi-autonomous driving in certain conditions.
* The engine line-up includes a 1.2 PureTech 130bhp petrol engine with 6spd manual; a 1.6-litre 180hp petrol with a 6spd manual or 8spd automatic. The 1.5 litre diesel pumps 130hp and there is a choice of 6spd manual or 8spd automatic transmissions. Finally there is a 2-litre 180hp diesel with an 8spd automatic transmission.

We are not really, nor readily, prepared to admit it, but I believe most of us carry a secret, subconscious, fear of parking. Sometimes I do. If I’m meeting with, or have to call on, someone in Dublin especially (but increasingly in larger provincial towns), my pre-occupation is: Will there be a sufficient amount of parking space nearby?
I don’t worry nearly as much if I have a small car. But a big SUV or saloon? They certainly bring their challenges.
And then there is parking in itself. Take Lower Leeson St, Dublin. Say you have a meeting in a nearby hotel or cafe and you spot an on-street slot. It looks tight, but manageable, if you could take your time (which you should anyway).
But you have a flow of cars coming behind you who resent having to wait. And if you get the angle wrong by a small amount, you can end up in a right mess. I am considered (honestly) to be quite good at it, but I’ve been at the panic stations, too.
I find provincial towns increasingly challenging. I’m from the country (and proud of it), so don’t think I’m forgetting my roots but, Lord God, how and where some people leave their cars on the side of streets is mind-blowing.
‘Abandoned’ is a mild word and testament, I think, of a real lack of ability and a sense of relief to get somewhere to leave the car.
Now comes news in a recent survey which, I think, backs up my assertions that we fear having much to do with parking.
Despite some of the most sophisticated aids available – sensors, rear/front cameras etc – we still dread having to manoeuvre.
Parking in a tight space is viewed as most difficult, while doing so parallel comes next, the study found. Apparently as many as one-in-seven get ‘nervous’. Judging from what I see in shopping-centre car parks, the percentage is much higher.
The fear is highlighted by research from the YourParkingSpace.co.uk portal. One of the reasons given is obvious: cars have grown – spaces have not.
You won’t be surprised to learn the study found that negotiating slots in multi-storey car parks, was dreaded, too. How I detest that upward spiral of rim-hungry concrete edges and bumper-denting pillars.
The study further found that parking next to an expensive vehicle made many drivers nervous.
The authors also say: “And surprisingly, modern technology, designed to take the stress out of driving, such as rear parking cameras and sensors, actually did the exact opposite.”
Should there be more emphasis on parking in the car test? What do you think?