Mercedes-Benz C-Class
Price: From £19,762
For: Prestigious, comfortable and roomy; choice of good engines
Against: Expensive, not terribly exciting
The C-Class is generally considered, in marketing-driven classification, to be an ‘executive’ car, but in real life, you see more on private family duty than conveying solo business travellers, who prefer its arch-rival, the BMW 3-Series. Price-wise, it’s not cheap, but the lower-end C-Classes are comparably expensive to upper-end large family cars from the mainstream brands – and they’ll hold their value much better in the long-term.
Engines start with the plenty-quick-enough supercharged C180K and go up to the monstrous 457bhp, £51,000-plus C63 AMG’s V8, but the C200 CDI and C220 CDI diesels are excellent all-rounders for everyday use. 
There are saloons or estates, all the expected Mercedes creature comforts, and of course, that coveted badge with the three-pointed star. What would you rather have on your driveway – a £20,000 C180K, or a top-spec Mondeo/Laguna/407 losing value by the minute?
