ICE slowly thawing as future looks electric

BY BRIAN BYRNE

I’VE driven 45 cars for review during 2023. As each week sped into and through another, there wasn’t much opportunity to assess standouts.

Now there s some chance for reflection ... but this is not so much a collection of my favourites as a selection from a raft of very good cars.

Truth is, there are no bad cars out there.

Of the 45 vehicles I had out for review, 15 were full electrics, nine were plug-in hybrids, and eight were standard hybrid. There were eight petrol models, and five diesels ... and of those last, three were vans and one was a van-based MPV.

The Renault Austral is pushing the boundaries of hybrid technology.

Of the lot, 33 involved electrification. That’s seven in 10. That’s high. That’s the trend. Much is being written about whether or not the push for electric cars is realistic. Whether it is sustainable. Whether national or EU targets for EVs can be met.

The plain fact is that electric is here, and here to stay.

There is, of course, going to be a place for legacy internal combustion engine (ICE) power for some time, so I don’t see myself running out of combustion engine reviews for a while yet.

Citroen’s e-C4X brought premium comfort levels.

With no reflection on any others of this year’s review cars, here are those in each powertrain category that have stuck in my mind. I’ll ignore diesel, as the only passenger diesel car I’ve driven is the Audi A6, last week, and you won’t have seen a review yet. I

n the pure electrics, Audi’s GT e-tron sports coupe was without doubt the most beautiful car of my year. Audi have been in the EV business for quite some time, so the performance and range also reflect the brand’s premium place very well.

For sheer luxury in an electric age, BMW’s i7 is the clear winner in my 2023 list.

The DS4 mixed performance and style.

At the everyday electric car end, Renault’s Megane E-Tech is my choice, but very closely tagged by the Citroen e-C4 X for the sheer comfort of that car. The PHEV phalanx by its nature included cars which also are available in straight petrol and, in some cases, EV options.

At the top end, the Range Rover Sport is hard to beat, and also hard to afford for most of us.

In the mid-sized space, the Citroen C5 X and its kissing cousin Peugeot 408 both booked equal space in my 2023 memory of quite superb cars.

Peugeot’s 308 SW was my favourite compact estate, while the related DS4 gave me the same performance with distinctive style (hmm, is that what DS actually stands for?).

Hybrid used to be straightforwardly Toyota. And the Corolla saloon in my 2023 list exemplified that. But Nissan and Renault have been providing their own different interpretations of the technology, and for this last year the Qashqai and Austral respectively win my kudos here. Straight petrol engines are still a very significant choice for Irish motorists.

The Nissan Qashqai also earns kudos for its use of hybrid technology.

In my 2023 reviews, the Ford Ranger Raptor stands clear for out and out outrageous fun and image. My personal favourite here is Hyundai’s Kona, also available in hybrid and EV. As a compact family crossover, it was one of the seriously pleasing cars in my 2023.

Toyota’s Aygo X, a single person’s hippyesque runabout, also gets its own pride of place here. Lots of cars currently on the Irish market are not listed above.

Some because I haven’t yet had time to drive them, others I have driven and enjoyed but simply lost out through a lack of space for this piece. But all driven are appreciated for having made 2023 a really good motoring year for me.

With 2024 upon us, hopefully I’ll catch up.