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WHAT'S HOT

» BMW M3 Coupé
Due to arrive here in September, a 420bhp V8 engine will power this ultra-performance version of the 3- Series Coupé. The new car is priced at €103,850 and if you haven’t already put your name down for the waiting list then you are probably too late.

» Fiat 500
Looks set to be the coolest small car since the new Mini. Goes on sale in Europe in July and here in the autumn. It will share its platform with the next generation Ford Ka. Engines range from a 69bhp 1.2litre to 100bhp 1.4litre petrol, with a diesel option in the form of a 75bhp 1.3litre Multijet diesel.

WHAT'S NOT

» Car Rentals
An Irish Times survey showed that you can be charged up to 39% more for the same car, in the same place, in the same week, through the same rental company just by going through Ryanair’s website instead of Aer Lingus’s.

» Dublin's M50
The widening of a road that will almost immediately fill again with traffic is causing more headaches to commuters. Give us an orbital route, build it quickly, and remove the tolls.

TEN OF THE BEST ECO FRIENDLY CARS

TOYOTA PRIUS

The one that got us all talking about cleaner cars, the Prius is now in its second generation and it is a much more complete car than before. It uses a combination of a 1.5litre VVTi engine and an electric motor return good fuel consumption and the lowest CO2 figure available this side of walking.

Price: €30,090 Fuel Economy: 4.3 l/100km CO2: 104 g/km

HONDA CIVIC HYBRID

This car works to a similar principle to the Prius, but this time in the more orthodox shape of the Honda Civic saloon. It uses a CVT transmission, which is a little jerky in this car and it is by no means thrilling to drive but it is good value and ticks the right eco boxes.

Price: €27,995 Fuel Economy: 4.6 l/100km CO2: 109 g/km

TOYOTA AYGO / CITROEN C1 / PEUGEOT 107

If you can bring yourself to drive what is such a tiny range of cars then you will be doing your bit for the environment by virtue of the fact that despite these being ‘regular’ petrol cars they are so light and so frugal that they are incredibly allergic to petrol and cough up small amounts of CO2.

Price: From €11,550 Fuel Economy: 4.6 l/100km CO2: 109 g/km

FORD FOCUS FFV

There is a lot of talk about bioethanol and biofuels at the moment and these are fuels that are made from renewable sources such as plant matter or dairy products. Using the resultant ethanol in fuels is better for the environment and cars that run on these fuels are coming on stream. The Focus was the first. Available as a saloon or estate, it gets a 50% VRT rebate.

Price: From €20,466 Fuel Economy: 7 l/100km CO2: 167 g/km

RENAULT MEGANE 1.6 BIOETHENOL

Renault will jump on the biofuels bandwagon next year when they launch a version of their Mégane that will run on E85 bioethanol. The Mégane looks and drives like a standard car but will run on the more eco-friendly fuel mix and this means the car will get a VRT rebate and the fuel is cheaper and is tax-efficient.

Price: From around €21,000 Fuel Economy: 7.9 l/100km CO2: 158 g/km

SAAB 9-5 BIOPOWER

This car works on the same principle as the Focus FFV in that it runs on a mixture of Ethanol and Petrol known as E85, so its emissions are offset slightly by the crops grown to manufacture the fuel. The 9-5 has been a slow seller but with the VRT rebate given to the cars so far it starts to become good value.

Price: From €42,299 Fuel Economy: 9.2 l/100km CO2: 214 g/km

VOLVO S40 FLEXIFUEL

Another car that runs on E85 bioethanol, the S40 is an attractive prospect because it is a very nice car to drive that comes well equipped for a darn good price. It uses the same engine as is found in the Focus so there is 125bhp and 165Nm of torque. Fuel consumption is slightly down when you use E85 but the fuel is cheaper and businesses can claim the VAT back on the fuel.

Price: From €28,300 Fuel Economy: 7.4 l/100km CO2: 172 g/km

LEXUS GS 450H

If you want at least to give the impression that you are doing your bit for the environment while still driving a top of the range luxury car that is faster than most sports cars then you can choose the Lexus GS 450H which combines a 3.5litre V6 engine with an electric motor to give V8 power and performance with V6 CO2 and fuel consumption. It won’t win you a Greenpeace badge but it is cleaner than its direct rivals.

Price: €84,757 Fuel Economy: 7.9 l/100km CO2: 186 g/km

LEXUS RX 400H

This car works on the same principle as the GS450h, but this time in an SUV with a 3.3litre V6 combined with an electric motor to provide blistering performance and reasonable fuel economy and a somewhat respectable CO2 figure. Compare this only with large petrol SUVs if you want to make yourself feel better, but as Hybrid vehicles still get a VRT rebate it makes great sense and is good value.

Price: €74,193 Fuel Economy: 8.1 l/100km CO2: 192 g/km

LEXUS LS 600H

It is a little hard to fathom that a car that is powered by a 5.0litre V8 engine could be considered any way eco-friendly, but because it is combined with an electric motor it does not have to work as hard and is cleaner in stop and start traffic than its equivalent rivals such as the Mercedes S-Class 320 CDi. This car will be launched in Ireland soon.

Price: €TBA Fuel Economy: 9.2 l/100km CO2: 219 g/km

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With an ABC audited circulation of 14,276 January to June 2005 Irish Entrepreneur dominates the Irish Business Market and now is the most sought after business magazine on the island! Irish Entrepreneur is Ireland's top distributed business magazine.

Ireland's Top Distributed Magazine
ABC Audited Circulation - 14,276 January to June 2005
Estimated Readership - Over 90,000 business owners & decision makers