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2. Mercedes C-Class
If a high-quality interior, strong efficiency figures and great on-board technology are near the top of your priorities, the Mercedes C-Class is a fine pick.
Prices from £47,500
| Pros | Cons |
|
Improved on-board tech |
Can be expensive to run |
In most comparisons of compact executive cars, the BMW 3 Series tends to have a small edge over the Mercedes C-Class. But among current models, it’s Mercedes that has the edge with diesel. Fine though BMW’s four-pot diesel is, the 2.0-litre mild hybrid in the C220d offers truly remarkable real-world fuel economy, giving it the edge for us.
Official combined economy is 62.8mpg (the more powerful C300d is impressive too at 54.3mpg) but on a steady motorway run you can expect even more, with effortless torque, long gearing, and excellent aerodynamics making the C-Class a real fuel-sipper. It’s no slouch either, with 197bhp at its disposal and a 0-62mph time of 7.3 seconds.
And of course, the C-Class is a fine car in its own right too, with composed handling, a smooth ride, and a cabin that takes more than a little inspiration from the S-Class flagship, with plenty of tech and great seat comfort.
“We’ve tried the C 220 d mild-hybrid model and found it an incredibly smooth drive: with 440Nm of torque available from 1,800rpm, the C-Class was able to effortlessly shift up to higher motorway speeds and remained relatively quiet and composed under harder acceleration.” – Pete Baiden, web producer.