Ford EcoGuide designed to cut fuel bills

Ford claims that its new EcoGuide helps drivers to save fuel by showing when to slow down and change gears based on situations ahead and even out of sight, such as junctions, speed limits and hills.

Ford’s EcoGuide technology uses the vehicle sat-nav to anticipate future driving situations that help inform the most fuel-efficient way to drive. It analyses driving behaviour and offers feedback via the instrument cluster to help achieve the optimum efficiency for the road conditions ahead.

Saving fuel by avoiding unnecessary braking can be as important as avoiding unnecessary acceleration, claims Ford. The car company claims that changing driving habits can cut fuel bills by as much as 12%.

Ford aims to fit its EcoGuide fuel-saving technology, which integrates with onboard satnav, into the new Ford Transit and later further models.

Volkswagen offers T-Cross

Volkswagen’s new small SUV, the new T-Cross model, goes on sale in Ireland this month. The new urban crossover model is a versatile, practical and flexible addition to Volkswagen’s SUV family and comes with a starting price of €22,495.

There will be a three-engine lineup for the T-Cross model in Ireland. The entry-point to the model will be the 1.0-litre 95hp (112g/km) petrol engine starting at €22,495, followed by the 1.0-litre 115hp petrol engine (111g/km) starting at €24,495.

A 1.6-litre 95hp diesel will round up the model range for Ireland, starting at €25,295.

The T-Cross is 54mm longer than the Polo, 138mm higher and it comes with a luggage compartment, which holds between 385 and 455 litres thanks to a sliding rear bench that can be moved by 14cm. Fold these rear seats back and this capacity grows to 1,281 litres of storage space.