Entry level exec car

[ZX10R NIN]

A900ss said:

Not sure I agree totally....

I’ve had a 2012 BMW 520d (SE suspension) and did 80k miles in it. I now have a 2015 C220d, again, comfort not sport suspension. The C class is far more comfortable. NVH is similar but the suspension is much more comfortable (probably due to no Run Flats).

I drive mostly A Roads and have averaged 56 MPG over the past 30k miles in the C Class. The 520d was circa 45MPG

Edited by A900ss on Tuesday 27th March 18:13

You have to compare apples with apples so a 520d compared to a 320d, the C Class is quieter than the equivalent 3 series but not as quiet as an E Class.

[Nickbrapp]

Volvo v60. Or a s90 could have had recently for £250ish a month

[A900ss]

ZX10R NIN said:

A900ss said:

Not sure I agree totally....

I’ve had a 2012 BMW 520d (SE suspension) and did 80k miles in it. I now have a 2015 C220d, again, comfort not sport suspension. The C class is far more comfortable. NVH is similar but the suspension is much more comfortable (probably due to no Run Flats).

I drive mostly A Roads and have averaged 56 MPG over the past 30k miles in the C Class. The 520d was circa 45MPG

Edited by A900ss on Tuesday 27th March 18:13

You have to compare apples with apples so a 520d compared to a 320d, the C Class is quieter than the equivalent 3 series but not as quiet as an E Class.

Totally agree with that and the OP does need to consider that. That’s why I’d rule out BMW if he's looking for comfort. An E (which I had for about a month) was more comfortable than my C. (personally, I’d also drop Audi's as up until about 3 years ago, they were all overdamped in my opinion)

For one up driving, I think the OP is on the right lines if he's thinking of a C Class and wants a premium badge.

[carburettoricing]

It's not so much wanting a premium badge but having found a few C classes for similar prices or even cheaper than an S90 or Skoda Octavia/Superb it's an absolute no brainer.

No problem with hatchbacks, really not arsed about premium badges and I have been thinking I might look a bit daft as a 23 year old in a massive long Mercedes but the price is a no-brainer for what you get and compared to how much petrol an 11 year old astra will get through to achieve 1500+ miles a month the extra cost of getting a new more efficient, more comfortable motor (minus insurance!) will actually be quite small, relatively.

The problem with leases is they obviously want you to use a dealer for the annual service which will be a few quid; They want a rather silly 60 quid a month extra for the maintenance package too so I'm planning to visit a Merc dealer to see if they can match the broker offer of £250/month for a PCP/lease and throw in Merc's official 27 quid a month maintenance cover. Also, obviously, to test drive it.

If it doesn't work out I'll keep looking

Edited by carburettoricing on Tuesday 27th March 23:06

Edited by carburettoricing on Tuesday 27th March 23:06

[Gareth1974]

carburettoricing said:

The problem with leases is they obviously want you to use a dealer for the annual service which will be a few quid; They want a rather silly 60 quid a month extra for the maintenance package too so I'm planning to visit a Merc dealer to see if they can match the broker offer of £250/month for a PCP/lease and throw in Merc's official 27 quid a month maintenance cover. Also, obviously, to test drive it.

Look in to paying for the services outside an agreement. Most cars are on 20,000 mile intervals these days, so you may not need an annual service, and the services may be cheaper than you think - I had a 320d which cost £225 for a service at 20,000 miles, then just over £400 at 40,000 miles, then at 60,000 it was £250. You are only going to do 45000 across 4 years according to your OP so it may be worth paying as you go rather than paying for a package.

You may also find it cheaper to look at 2 year leases rather than 3/4 as most consumables won’t need replacing in the first 24 months, you’ll only need one cheap service and the cost per year tends not to be much more than longer leases.

[carburettoricing]

Nice one, cheers mate.

[dave_s13]

Merc stipulate 15k mile or 12month service intervals now I believe and they charge a fair wack for servicing too. I'd be surprised if they chucked in a service pack for free, you can but ask though.

[scotnoob]

If you buy the A4 B9 please dont get sline suspension.

It is not good on the motorway unless perfectly flat.

[tigger1]

Gareth1974 said:

carburettoricing said:

The problem with leases is they obviously want you to use a dealer for the annual service which will be a few quid; They want a rather silly 60 quid a month extra for the maintenance package too so I'm planning to visit a Merc dealer to see if they can match the broker offer of £250/month for a PCP/lease and throw in Merc's official 27 quid a month maintenance cover. Also, obviously, to test drive it.

Look in to paying for the services outside an agreement. Most cars are on 20,000 mile intervals these days, so you may not need an annual service, and the services may be cheaper than you think - I had a 320d which cost £225 for a service at 20,000 miles, then just over £400 at 40,000 miles, then at 60,000 it was £250. You are only going to do 45000 across 4 years according to your OP so it may be worth paying as you go rather than paying for a package.

You may also find it cheaper to look at 2 year leases rather than 3/4 as most consumables won’t need replacing in the first 24 months, you’ll only need one cheap service and the cost per year tends not to be much more than longer leases.

Gareth's advice about 2 x 2 year leases is good. Each two years maintenance will be (probably) 1 service and 1 pair of front tyres. Keeps the car under warranty too (whereas a 4 year lease wouldn't, and no MOT to worry about).

Where will you keep / park the car? A6 / E class / Superb 5 series are great (comfier / quieter than the A4 / C / Octavia/3er) - but they can be a pig if you're parking in a small office car park!

[culpz]

Gareth1974 said:

culpz said:

B9 Audi A4? Some great leases on them still. My 1.4 TFSI petrol gave me an indicated 500-500 miles range during my stop/start short commute. I wasn't actually getting that mind, but certainly shows it's potential. On a long run to Oban in Scotland from Manchester and back, i was getting well over 600 miles. I can only imagine what the 2.0 diesel would get in comparison!

Some good deals on the A5 with that 1.4 TFSI engine, I’ve linked to an SE, but Sport and Sline are good value at the moment too.

https://www.contracthireandleasing.com/independent...

Yupp. Cracking value. I paid £208 pm on a 3+23 8k miles pa profile when they were at their cheapest and when they were first released.

[culpz]

scotnoob said:

If you buy the A4 B9 please dont get sline suspension.

It is not good on the motorway unless perfectly flat.

Tbh, i had the Sport model and even that was fairly harsh at times. Nothing that bad but it surprised me for a mid-spec saloon.

Service intervals are also 2 years/18k miles, whichever comes first, dependent on usage and the type of driving you do.

[scotnoob]

culpz,

Interesting you said that because I seriously considered paying 3k to change to comfort suspension ......

I just cant work out why audi would make suspension so harsh on a motorway muncher. Some reviews pointed it out but most call it the "comfort choice" over BMW.

Dont get me wrong, it has lots of good points. It just such a turd in the punchbowl and ruins the package for me.

[culpz]

scotnoob said:

culpz,

Interesting you said that because I seriously considered paying 3k to change to comfort suspension ......

I just cant work out why audi would make suspension so harsh on a motorway muncher. Some reviews pointed it out but most call it the "comfort choice" over BMW.

Dont get me wrong, it has lots of good points. It just such a turd in the punchbowl and ruins the package for me.

I've never driven an S-Line, so i can't really give much of a comparison, i'm afraid. The Sport will be softer but i don't know by how much. Furthermore, the SE will be better still, i assume.

Can you still opt for the S-Line trim but ask Audi to keep the softer suspension?

[scotnoob]

Yes you can but I didnt tick that free box!

On the B9 you have only two passive choices. comfort and sport. Comfort is on the sport and SE and sport is on the sline. There is also adaptive comfort and adaptive sport.

B8 actually had comfort, sport and a mega harsh sline.

[culpz]

scotnoob said:

Yes you can but I didnt tick that free box!

On the B9 you have only two passive choices. comfort and sport. Comfort is on the sport and SE and sport is on the sline. There is also adaptive comfort and adaptive sport.

B8 actually had comfort, sport and a mega harsh sline.

Yeah, bit of a bugger that. Once it's done, it's done.

Fair enough, i didn't know that. There might not have been a huge difference really. As i said, my Sport model was a bit firmer than expected, even on the standard 17" wheels, but nothing horrifically bad.

I wasn't keen on the car in general and as a whole anyway.

[IJWS15]

Check your mileage calculation - is it 50 miles each way?

I have a Superb on 25k a year / 2 year lease and it is a very comfortable place to be at the end of a long day, Audis have much harder ride.

[Dapster]

carburettoricing said:

I'd want something with the comfortable more premium trim

Forget the firm riding Germans and consider the mobile sofa that is the Lexus. Toy's R Us spec and won't let you down. Not the last word on the twisty bits but you don't care about that. Would be nice to slip into that cabin after a long day at work.





https://www.carmagazine.co.uk/car-reviews/long-ter...

CAR Magazine said:

Essentially, we can’t praise the IS highly enough. The fact is its shortcomings stand out because the rest of the package is so sorted. The first-generation Lexus IS was brave, the second was bland, the third is almost brilliant.

[Zetec-S]

Dapster said:

Would be nice to slip into that cabin after a long day at work.

Yep, especially as being in the cabin means you don't have to look at the gipping front end

[iphonedyou]

carburettoricing said:

Thanks for the replies guys.

The thinking with 'entry level exec' was as I'd be spending so much time (potentially 100 miles a day 18 days a month) in it, especially after long 11+ hour work days when I'll be knackered, I'd want something with the comfortable more premium trim you'd get in an 'exec' motor. In that regard I'm afraid the Golf wouldn't be much of an upgrade above the 1.8 Astra I have now.

I've just moved down from a '16 Scirocco R to a '14 GTD, and have (sadly, frequent) cause to travel in a business partner's Jaguar XF R Sport. The noise of that god-awful, asthmatic 180bhp 4 cylinder diesel engine struggling to move its giant bulk around ruins the entire thing. And that's before the (relatively) eye watering lease costs are considered.

Horrible.

[carburettoricing]

Went with a C220D in the end.

£275/m for 18k miles p.a. and AMG floor mats, a brilliant price and only £50 more a week than running the 11 year old Astra so a no brainer decision. Looked into the Lexus and the cheapest came in at £3000+325, the Merc was £1700+275. Simply a great deal very luckily perfectly timed for the end of the tax year/last quarter of FY 2017.

62mpg real world driving home the other day

Thanks for your help and suggestions guys.



Now with regards to keeping the exterior glistening but more importantly for my strict lease terms imperfection and swirl free does a pressure wash rinse/pro-kleen snow foam/ pressure wash rinse/microfibre cloth dry cycle sound ideal or would there be a better way? Living down country lanes it gets caked easily so I'd be spending a fortune at a valet/detailing place every month, I'd rather invest in the equipment and carefully wash it every week myself.

Cheers

Edited by carburettoricing on Wednesday 18th April 16:58

Edited by carburettoricing on Wednesday 18th April 16:59