Volvo’s move towards brisk performance has a lively engine – and it has only marginally less
Volvo’s move towards brisk performance has a lively engine – and it has only marginally less load space than the company’s more hearse- like models.Audi A6: pounds 29,000One of the best combinations of handling and road behaviour with utility. Audi’s celebrated leap forward with its A-series cars is just as apparent in the estate version.Ford Mondeo 1.8 LX: pounds 14,000The Mondeo saloon’s agility only slightly blunted in this estate version. Mercedes- Benz Finance may be more flexible than others with loan costs.ESTATEVolvo 850: pounds 18,500The car that proves more than any other that estates can be both utilitarian and sexy. Extras are astronomically priced, as with all Mercs, but depreciation is very slow Dealers are supposed to be above haggling, but try it.
Still the bargain in this class for what you get, with traditional furnishing, purring power and classic lines.Mercedes C180: pounds 18,500This is Mercedes’ giveaway model, at under pounds 20,000 – for which you get the same amazing build quality and refinement as higher up the range. All but perfect in detail.BMW 318i: pounds 17,000A bargain BMW, with all the company’s legendary handling talent. Not as urgent as the six-cylinder, and tight on leg room, but still very charismatic.Jaguar XJS 3.2: pounds 28,950Curvier and smoother in design than the original, even better on the road, some tweaking of a famous package. It’s Audi’s first great mainstream car – and a true BMW competitor Dependable to drive, and to inhabit. The Dimension Special Edition is an August offer, at pounds 765 less than the standard Xantia.UPMARKET CAR (pounds 15,000-pounds 35,000)Audi A4: pounds 17,200This is the one I’d go for.
And this turbo-diesel is one of the best diesels in the business. The original was the nearest Ford to a BMW in its handling, with a driver’s airbag as standard long before the rest of the herd Now Ford is putting bells and whistles on it. The Verona is a high-spec special offer, with immobiliser, electric windows etc; there’s a year’s free insurance, also on the Mondeo LX (pictured above) and Si.Citroen Xantia Dimension Special Edition: pounds 12,890Luxury at a mid-market price: comfortable furniture, soft but not sloppy suspension, excellent equipment levels. Spacious, quiet, cheerful interior, relaxing to drive.FAMILY SALOON (pounds 10,000-pounds 14,000)Ford Mondeo Verona: pounds 12,390Considered boring by some, the Ford Mondeo is success story in this class. The roomiest car in this class, it has good storage, too, but power steering is only optional.