{"id":194387,"date":"2025-12-16T08:41:12","date_gmt":"2025-12-16T08:41:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/194387\/"},"modified":"2025-12-16T08:41:12","modified_gmt":"2025-12-16T08:41:12","slug":"best-cars-to-buy-in-2026-for-downsizers-and-driving-enthusiasts-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/194387\/","title":{"rendered":"Best cars to buy in 2026 for downsizers and driving enthusiasts \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

For downsizers\"ToyotaToyota Yaris Cross <\/p>\n

It\u2019s a slightly alarming fact to know that the Toyota<\/a> Yaris Cross actually occupies the same amount of road space as the original three-door 1992 Toyota RAV4, a car that nowadays sits two full class sizes above the Yaris Cross. Which shows you how much cars have packed on the pounds in that time. Still, that\u2019s not the Yaris Cross\u2019 fault, and it\u2019s actually a charming little (relatively) car, with far more usable space in the back seats and boot than the too-small Yaris hatchback. It also looks pleasingly anthropomorphic on the outside (kind of like a friendly Pok\u00e9mon in metallic paint) and it\u2019s sparky to drive. Hugely economical too \u2014 4.5-litres per 100km seems easy, especially around town. <\/p>\n

\"NewNew Dacia Duster <\/p>\n

The Duster looks like a bigger car than it is, what with that crenellated bonnet and upright, boxy body. Actually, though, it\u2019s really not big at all \u2014 at 4.3-metres long, it\u2019s actually shorter than a Ford Focus hatchback, yet thanks to its height and some clever packaging, there\u2019s a very useful 517 litre boot back there. The hybrid version is the best to drive \u2014 at least until the incoming new hybrid 4×4 model arrives \u2014 and is usefully economical too. Sure, the cabin\u2019s cheap and the rear seats a touch cramped, but given how affordable the Duster is, you probably won\u2019t care. <\/p>\n

\"LeapmotorLeapmotor T03 <\/p>\n

The Leapmotor T03 \u2014 from a newly-arrived Chinese brand that\u2019s part-owned by the European Stallantis Group \u2014 is a slightly odd car. With its low price tag, you\u2019d expect it to be cheap and nasty inside, but no; it\u2019s entirely grand. You\u2019d also expect it to be dim-witted and wayward to drive, but again no; entirely grand. It\u2019s not the longest-range EV around, but that\u2019s OK for people who don\u2019t tend to do long journeys, and it\u2019s well-equipped so you\u2019ll be kept entertained when you\u2019re sat in traffic. Not a brilliant car, really, but one that\u2019s good enough when all you want is basic transport. <\/p>\n

[\u00a0Driving Japan\u2019s comeback: Can its carmakers reignite a nation\u2019s lost innovation?Opens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n

\"MiniMini Aceman <\/p>\n

The Mini Aceman is the Mini for those who want to step down from a bigger, more expensive model, yet who haven\u2019t quite given up on the thrill of driving. It\u2019s not quite as much fun as the rival Alpine A290, but with its fast steering and grippy front end, the Aceman can still raise a smile, even a holler, on a twisty road. It\u2019s also still fairly practical, being as it\u2019s essentially the replacement for the old Clubman estate, with decent back seats and a usable boot. The big round instrument\/infotainment screen is also fantastic. Range is a bit of an issue \u2014 280-300km is your usable amount \u2014 but that won\u2019t be a huge problem for most, as long as you can charge at home.<\/p>\n

For enthusiasts\"MazdaMazda MX-5 <\/p>\n

The Mazda MX-5 is such a brilliant little sports car that it can turn a cloudy day into a sunny one \u2014 almost literally. A booking snafu in November put one of our test team into an unexpected MX-5 at theoretically the worst time of year possible. Yet that proved to be the most enjoyable week of motoring in the entire length of the year, and that in a car whose basic design is now a decade old. Which is something of a worrying point for most car makers. Then again, Mazda isn\u2019t most car makers, and it continues to plough an often unique furrow for itself, including promising that the MX-5 will continue to be a core part of its model line-up. Thank heaven for that. In the meantime, if you have the wherewithal (and you do \u2014 a basic MX-5 costs about as much as an entry-level Hyundai Tucson) then you simply should buy one. Keep it simple \u2014 the fabric roof, not the folding-hard-top RF model, and the basic 1.5-litre 132hp engine are all you need. This is a car with nigh-perfect chassis balance, steering so sharp it feels like the rack has been dipped in lemon juice, and one which reminds you of the sheer, undiluted pleasure of driving. Please don\u2019t take it away. <\/p>\n

\"TheThe Alpine A110 can hit 100km\/h in just 4.5 seconds <\/p>\n

The Alpine brand is at a crossroads, as it starts to embark on an all-electric future. The first step on that road \u2014 the A290 hatchback \u2014 shows that EVs can be fun and enjoyable, but this petrol-powered A110 shows what the future electric Alpines must live up to. This is a rare car, one designed to be as light as possible (just 1,100kg) instead of being stuffed with meaningless luxury. It needs only a 252hp 1.8-litre engine, thanks to that lightness, so it\u2019s efficient too, and the lack of weight means that it can feel unbelievably good through corners yet it won\u2019t knock your back teeth on bumps. The fact that one of the very best cars you can buy is light, simple, and rides on skinny tyres should be a lesson, perhaps a warning, to all car designers and engineers (and don\u2019t forget that the Alpine was engineered by the great David Twohig, from Cork\u2026).<\/p>\n

[\u00a0Best cars to buy in 2026: from family EVs to city runaboutsOpens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n

\"VolkswagenVolkswagen Golf GTi 2024 <\/p>\n

Like one of our correspondents, the VW Golf GTI turns 50 in 2026, yet it\u2019s still got it (ahem). OK, so maybe that\u2019s unlike our correspondent, but the original hot hatchback (Simca fans can register their outrage here …) has managed to dodge, dip, duck, and dive around the encroaching encumbrances of weight, cost, and legislation to still be one of the most enjoyable cars around. True, it\u2019s a touch softer now, and a good deal more expensive, and we miss the manual gearbox option, but on the right road, a Golf GTI is still a glorious thing to drive, and yet it doesn\u2019t ask compromises when it comes to daily driving. 50 more years, please. <\/p>\n

Wild card: Porsche Cayman 718\"PorschePorsche Cayman experience mondello park <\/p>\n

Nab one of these now before Porsche bins the current model and introduces a new all-electric (well, almost all-electric) replacement. The current Cayman (and Boxster, of course \u2014 the same car with an open top) is just about old enough to count as one of Porsche\u2019s final analogue designs, and that\u2019s much to the benefit of the Cayman\u2019s steering and chassis balance, which are exquisite. Flat-four engines don\u2019t sound great, but they have a bewitching combo of power and economy, while the expensive 4.0-litre flat-six is an engine that deserves its own plinth in the combustion hall of fame. <\/p>\n

Best cars to buy in 2026: from family EVs to city runabouts<\/a>Best cars to buy in 2026: Company cars and executive rides<\/a>Best cars to buy in 2026: First-time EVs, seven seaters and long-distance drives<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For downsizersToyota Yaris Cross It\u2019s a slightly alarming fact to know that the Toyota Yaris Cross actually occupies…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":194388,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[72,30476,8856,61,60,14835,50127],"class_list":{"0":"post-194387","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-business","8":"tag-business","9":"tag-dacia","10":"tag-electric-vehicles","11":"tag-ie","12":"tag-ireland","13":"tag-motors","14":"tag-toyota"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/194387","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=194387"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/194387\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/194388"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=194387"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=194387"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=194387"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}