boring company car dilema...A4, C Class or Passat
Discussion
new role has timed with my alfa 159 being 4 yrs old and nearly 100k on the clock, it hasnt done great mpg so im going to have to go down the company car route.
any views or advice. any extras over normal spec I have to pay for (apart from mey paint).
VW Passat Estate 2.0 Tdi SE
Merc C200 or 220D Estate SE
Audi A4 Avant 2.0Tdi SE
cheers
any views or advice. any extras over normal spec I have to pay for (apart from mey paint).
VW Passat Estate 2.0 Tdi SE
Merc C200 or 220D Estate SE
Audi A4 Avant 2.0Tdi SE
cheers
Can you get the Audi SE Technik? That comes with Nav and leather as standard.
Otherwise the Merc I would say but be warned it is a very heavy car (1800kg+) in estate form: I am not sure how heavy the Audi or Passat are, but they might well feel lighter on their feet and a little more fun to drive as a result.
If I had the choice again I would pick the SE or Elegance; Sport suspension is a little too firm. There is a pic of mine in my profile.
Otherwise the Merc I would say but be warned it is a very heavy car (1800kg+) in estate form: I am not sure how heavy the Audi or Passat are, but they might well feel lighter on their feet and a little more fun to drive as a result.
If I had the choice again I would pick the SE or Elegance; Sport suspension is a little too firm. There is a pic of mine in my profile.
okie592 said:
merc in red, and spec command if it hasnt got it, perfect mid range rep saloon
dont care about the colour, but agree with this. I;ve got a 200d esgtate with command and the latter is very good: 10gb hard drive for sings, plugs for devices etc, good satnav (far better then the audi version). Clever boot space, lots of storage etcTest drive them and see what you think. They are all good cars, and all 3 have been launched/ updated in the past 12 months so you'll be getting a new model. I'd probably go for which ever is most tax efficient, but the Merc will likely be the nicest to own and will be best equipped.
If you go for the Merc and need to pay for your own nav, you can get one that plugs into the glovebox for 300 on eBay or 500 from the dealer ... much better price than factory nav from the rivals.
Edit: plus, if your company has a fuel per mile allowance, the larger diesel engine in the Merc means you can claim back an extra 4p per mile if they follow the HMRC guidelines, although economy should be similar.
Edit: plus, if your company has a fuel per mile allowance, the larger diesel engine in the Merc means you can claim back an extra 4p per mile if they follow the HMRC guidelines, although economy should be similar.
With the merc the 220 appears to have lower emissions (and hence lower co car tax) than the 200.
Both Mercs are higher than the Passat in terms of emissions though and with the Audi it depends on whether it is the TDIe model.
How much this costs you depends on whether your BIK is at 20% or 40% and if you have free fuel.
For me I'd see the Merc as being sufficiently more expensive than the other two to discount it.
Both Mercs are higher than the Passat in terms of emissions though and with the Audi it depends on whether it is the TDIe model.
How much this costs you depends on whether your BIK is at 20% or 40% and if you have free fuel.
For me I'd see the Merc as being sufficiently more expensive than the other two to discount it.
We have all three cars as pool cars at work although I think the Passats we have are 1.9 Diesels.
The Passat is actaully a better drive than the A4 but doesn't look as nice. I was disspointed with both to be honest. I took a C class to Gatwick from Newcastle last week and it was definately the best of the three by quite some way. It had a manual box, not sure how common they are on Mercs but it was comfortable, decent spec and the engine was better to live with than the other two (just) ;-)
The Passat is actaully a better drive than the A4 but doesn't look as nice. I was disspointed with both to be honest. I took a C class to Gatwick from Newcastle last week and it was definately the best of the three by quite some way. It had a manual box, not sure how common they are on Mercs but it was comfortable, decent spec and the engine was better to live with than the other two (just) ;-)
Would add that I've driven the Passat 1.9 and the C200 (both from before the current facelifts).
Based on the cars, and assuming you don't need all the space from the Passat, the Mercedes is far, far nicer.
Assuming a TDi 140 SE Passat and a C220 CDi Classic, there's a 74 a month difference in tax payable if you're a 40% taxpayer; however if you do 15k business miles then you get back 50 a month extra in mileage for the Mercedes under HMRC guidelines. At 25 per month I'd have to have the Merc... at 74 per month difference I might slum it.
Based on the cars, and assuming you don't need all the space from the Passat, the Mercedes is far, far nicer.
Assuming a TDi 140 SE Passat and a C220 CDi Classic, there's a 74 a month difference in tax payable if you're a 40% taxpayer; however if you do 15k business miles then you get back 50 a month extra in mileage for the Mercedes under HMRC guidelines. At 25 per month I'd have to have the Merc... at 74 per month difference I might slum it.
If it helps- I've just gone from an A4 2.0TDi estate (140) S-Line to a Merc C 220D Sport Estate- both as company cars.
The Merc is a far superior drive in virtually all areas. Really gutsy engine and nice standard spec. Also, if the reason you need an estate is to carry lots of stuff, the Merc Boot feels cavernous compared to the Audi- the standard electric open/close is also surprisingly handy!
If Comand is an option, get it included...
The Merc is a far superior drive in virtually all areas. Really gutsy engine and nice standard spec. Also, if the reason you need an estate is to carry lots of stuff, the Merc Boot feels cavernous compared to the Audi- the standard electric open/close is also surprisingly handy!
If Comand is an option, get it included...
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