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WLTP stands for Worldwide harmonised Light vehicle testing Procedure, a new standardised system being rolled out to measure the fuel economy and CO2 emissions of all passenger cars.

WLTP stands for Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Testing Procedure, a new standardised system being rolled out to measure the fuel economy and CO2 emissions of all passenger cars, replacing the old NEDC system.
What and who does it affect?
It will affect the cost of buying a new car, and the cost of taxing that new car. In turn, this affects you, the car-buying customer.
Why is being introduced?
The old system was unrealistic. No car achieves 90 miles to the gallon. It could also be cheated, as seen during the Volkswagen scandal.
Why is it going to affect Ireland so dramatically?
The Irish motor tax system is based on CO2 emissions. This has an impact on both the initial cost of the car and the cost of annual motor tax.
What needs to be done?
The government needs to reclassify the tax bands. If they don’t, new cars will be more expensive than ever and UK imports will be the only option for cash strapped buyers.
Read more on WLTP here

1. It was Hitler’s idea…kind of. He wanted a compact car, suitable for mass production so he enlisted the help of Porsche engineers and personally approved the prototype of ‘his Volkswagen’ or ‘peoples car’ in 1935. The first Volkswagen factory opened two years later.

I tend to not bother much with ‘hot hatches’. I think they are irrelevant to, and an impossible price for, most people. I also believe there’s a lot of petrol-head myopia around them: showing off by reciting power outputs, 0-100kmh times, oohs and aaahs at top speeds etc.

Spacious, comfortable cabin

As promised last week, here are some early driving impressions of the new compact hybrid crossover from Lexus, the UX. A quick update first: It will cost from €39,000 when it (250h 2WD version only) arrives in March.
The smallest crossover to date from the marque is coming late for 191-reg but still coincides with an overall major shift from superminis and family hatches to motors like this.
With a stop-off at the ABBA museum, I drove the UX around Stockholm last week. It made sense to do so because they are calling it an urban explorer, but that doesn’t stop it being a long-distance driver either – it certainly fared well on a short motorway stint.
Obviously a longer-driving verdict awaits on Irish roads, but I was impressed by its ability to absorb and deflect the bumps and bruises of street and road surfaces pock-marked by long winters and tram lines.
The hybrid system, with the new 2-litre petrol engine, gave me plenty of pick-up over short distances. There was no sense of CVT whine from start either. With 178PS at our disposal, we were never short of pep.
It’s a tightly structured package that adds some edge to what is a nicely comfortable, unusually agile drive.
Just to be clear on one thing: The fixed first gear CVT system only applies to the petrol version. I may have given the impression last week it was on the 250h that’s coming to Ireland.
I happen to think that materials throughout the cabin are probably the best I’ve come across at this level – even down low the plastics are of decent quality. As rivals include Audi Q2/3, Mercedes GLA, BMW X1, Volvo XC40, that is saying something.
We had excellent elbow room out front, but rear-seat space is not great, though I still had fair headroom.
It’s quite a low-slung car, but I had no problems getting in or out, and that didn’t that impinge when I was driving.
I tend to get lost or nearly lost a lot on these first drives, so a couple of sharp changes of direction to avert that highlighted a blessedly snappy turning radius (5.6m).
Somehow I don’t think I’ll be doing too many U-turns on my first impressions of the UX when it gets to Ireland.