Dede Sophie

Over three decades-plus of automotive journalism, there have been occasions when having a particular car outside my door made me nervous, writes Brian Byrne. Mainly due to its price, and my responsibility for having the vehicle in my care. Most recently, such a car was the Mercedes-Benz S580 e. Thankfully, I returned it at the end of my time in the same pristine shape as I had received it. Provided you don’t aspire to the even more rarified Maybach-Mercedes, the S-Class in any form is not just the top Mercedes-Benz model, it is also arguably the benchmark for its rivals to attempt to match or surpass. Whether they succeed in that is very much a personal subjective matter, as cars at any level tend to be. But there’s no doubt about the exclusive cachet to the S-Class. When I first reviewed the current S-Class back in late 2021, I mentioned what I saw as an unexpected positive in that the styles of Mercedes saloons have all become alike — it’s not always easy to identify...

Toyota Ireland has added a second version of the Corolla Cross hybrid SUV to its lists, with a smaller engine and some modifications that include more cargo space, writes Brian Byrne. Though pricing isn’t available until March, potential buyers of the 1.8 hybrid version can register their interest and book now for deliveries in the summer. The addition follows the launch of the 2.0 hybrid Corolla Cross last year. The 1.8 hybrid will offer 140hp and a 0-100km/h acceleration of just under 10 seconds. The switch to a torsion beam rear suspension of the new variant allows the addition of 46 litres more to the cargo capacity of the SUV. More than 90pc of Toyota’s passenger cars sold in Ireland have hybrid electric powertrains.