As the end of the year approaches, Philip Nolan picks a few of his top cars of 2024

THE (VERY) BIG SURPRISE

For years, the Hyundai Santa Fe was a fairly nondescript SUV.

No more! The latest iteration (right) was one of the big surprises of the year, easily mistaken for a Range Rover in terms of bulk and presence.

From the H-shaped daytime running lights to the generous proportions overall, the plug-in hybrid is an absolute winner.

Throw in one of the best cabins ever seen in a Hyundai, including a lovely curved infotainment screen and buckets of room for five passengers (or seven, if you opt for that), and this is one of the greatest generational leaps I’ve ever seen in any single model.

This car delivers driving pleasure (0-100kph in 9.5 seconds from the 1.6-litre turbo petrol engine and electric motor) and sure-footed all-wheel drive capability. Starting from €66,995, it’s a bargain.

WHAT A PERFORMER

Smart went missing from the Irish market for some years, but now, in a joint venture between Mercedes and Chinese car giant Geely, it is back with a bang as an all-electric brand.

The Smart #1 Brabus (c.€54,000, pictured above) is a rocket, with 438hp on tap, and a 0-100kph sprint of an eye-watering 3.9 seconds.

That whoosh of acceleration is an absolute joy, and if the handling occasionally feels just a little on the skittish side, I rather liked that too, as it brings a touch of MINI-style, go-kart feel to the party.

It also packs in a surprising amount of cargo and everyday items, and the frunk, or front trunk, is handy for storing the charging cables.

WLTP range is 400km, though you’ll get less than that if you drive the car for what it’s designed for, namely legal speed and should-be-illegal levels of fun.

THE WINNING STABLE

The Stellantis family of brands brought a lot of new cars to the market this year.

Among my favourites were the Citroën C3 and ëC3 (both from €24,300), the Opel Astra Electric (from €39,597), and the new Peugeot E-3008 (from €44,930).

I definitely preferred the 100hp (up from 83hp previously) 1.2-litre petrol version of the C3, which felt more like a driver’s car than the EV, not least because the six-speed manual transmission offered a lot more playfulness.

The 3008 has always been one of my favourite cars and, with a new coupé design and an EV version, that is what it shall remain.

I took the car over the Sally Gap in Co. Wicklow which, if you’ve ever driven it, you’ll know is the best road for a bit of fun so close to Dublin.

In Sport mode, the 3008 is fantastic.

Not only is it fast, it is pinpoint accurate in steering, and even the bumps that can set you airborne are cushioned from too much interference.

I’m not sure the sheep enjoyed it as much as I did, though.

As for the Astra Electric (right), there was a feeling that Opel was struggling to find an identity within Stellantis, and this was the car that proved it finally was getting proper attention.

Like all Astras, the handling here is excellent, though the 0-100kph of 9.2 seconds is on the sluggish side.

Compensation came in the form of the excellent twin 10-inch screens for driver information and infotainment, though a slightly underwhelming cabin finish could do with an extra pop of colour.

Range is advertised at around the 400km mark, but again, err on the side of a bit less than that on the motorway.

THE ANIMAL

As you might have seen in my recent full review in a previous edition, the new BMW M5 (from €137,055, pictured top) is an absolute beast, offering 717hp thanks to the combination of a 4.4-litre petrol V8 engine and an electric motor working side by side.

That means a 0-100kph of 3.5 seconds, and a top speed of up to 305kph.

At €139,505, it’s actually cheaper than previous petrol-only versions, thanks to the lower VRT rate on hybrids (and here, you’ll get around 67km on electric power only when the battery is fully charged).

The M5 is a masterpiece of interior comfort too, and my only real niggle is that you simply can’t drive it to anything like its potential in Ireland.

So it’s very much an aspirational purchase, or an egotistical one for bragging rights.

Nevertheless, it simply beggars belief that anyone who loves driving would not sell a parent to buy this.

THE NEWCOMER

BYD has been making waves in the Irish market (literally, since its design language is called Ocean), and after last year’s Seal and Dolphin, this year saw the addition of the SEAL U DM-i plug-in hybrid (from €42,150), and the full EV, the Sealion 7 (due next year, price to be confirmed, pictured below left).

On the international launch of the Seal U DM-i, I actually won a prize in a competition I didn’t even know was running, namely getting the most fuel efficiency out of the car.

The Sealion 7 is another kettle of fish (yes, I know!), offering range of up to 500km, and 0-100kph of 4.5 seconds.

With the biggest sunroof in its class, the cabin is bright and airy, and the trademark rotating infotainment screen — you can choose portrait or landscape — remains one of the best on the market.

THE LAP OF LUXURY

The AMG division of Mercedes got its hands on the EQE luxury saloon EV, and the result is a car (pictured below) with 476hp, capable of hitting s100kph from a standing start in just 4.2 seconds, which is pretty hot for a vehicle weighing this much (a 100kWh battery will do that every time).

Range is advertised at 535km, and in a mix of urban and motorway driving, I actually was getting not far off that, which is admirable.

I was, though, driving it during the incredibly mild first few weeks of November, so maybe not as much now that winter has finally arrived.

The seats are so comfortable, you’d buy them for home if they were on sale in DFS, and they come with the usual red AMG seatbelts for a bit of passion.

The excellent large infotainment screen with the Mercedes MBUX, or user experience, remains among the best in class.

At €118,865, it’s not cheap, but this is a really fine car for anyone who feels he or she has made it in life, and wants the world to know it!