Aren't you glad you flirted outrageously with the accountant? at the office party last Christmas? Your sales figures weren’t half bad either, but that tequila too far and one embarrassing half hour later and you are no longer confined to the dreary world of the regular company car. You can hold a ceremonial burning of the Avensis keys as you sift through the golden list of executive saloons that will have the guys at the golf club green with envy.
Moving up the ranks to a compact executive saloon is a prize notch in the corporate bedpost for any up-and-coming suit-wearer, but as Ireland’s money machine continues to churn out euro at an alarming rate, this segment shows no sign of slowing down. BMW and Audi have enjoyed bumper years in Ireland of late and Lexus doubled its sales overnight with the arrival of a new, diesel powered IS. And now Mercedes-Benz is back with a new, more youth-orientated C-Class. Who will win the battle of the young guns? All of these cars have one thing in common and it is not just the obvious fact that they all have four doors and, in this case, diesel engines. They are all aspirational cars.
Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and, more recently, Lexus are regarded as the leaders in executive and luxury transport and because we in Ireland have become so brand-driven, they are high on the wish list of many Irish motorists. And although this size of car would once have been the starting point into many of these brands, this is no longer the case, with cars like the Audi A3, BMW 1-Series and Mercedes-Benz A- and BClass giving drivers a taste of the brand before their finances have fully matured.
But this is where it matters for these brands. If they can gain loyalty here then, they hope, they will have you for life. We told you last month that Mercedes-Benz has hit the right note with the new C-Class. It is prettier, better to drive and offers a huge range of engines. But with a hefty starting price tag it is going have to work hard to dislodge owners from the already firm favourites you see here.
Audi’s A4 is the oldest car here and looks likely to be replaced next year by an all-new model that will look a lot like the recently released A5 Coupé. The form you see here has been tweaked and facelifted on a number of occasions but the basics remain the same. There is always the discreet styling, the superb build quality and the excellent diesel engines – none more so than the 2.0-litre, 170hp unit fitted to our test car.
With the A4, there is always the feeling of getting into something that feels right but it sometimes suffers from drab, dark interiors and until the arrival of the RS4, there was never one you could get too excited about driving. Its lack of rear cabin space and the fact that they have become so darn plentiful have worked against it, too. For BMW, the 3-Series’ remarkable ubiquity also seems to have made it feel that bit less special, although you won’t find the firm complaining about selling too many cars. Pretty much the default choice of anyone choosing a compact executive car if their budget allows, the 3-Series has worn the best-in-class-to-drive mantle for several generations now and while there might be a question mark over its pretty unremarkable styling, step up the range a little – as we have here, into the 320d – and you start to get the point. Lexus hopes for a greater piece of all that action with its IS. The second-generation IS marks a great improvement over the ‘just okay’ first-generation model and also introduces the first diesel engine deemed refined enough to sit under a Lexus bonnet. And it is a pretty car, too. Arguably better looking than the BMW 3-Series and Audi A4, it features muscular shoulders and a very short front overhang. But we feel Lexus could have gone one step further with the styling and made it that bit more dramatic. Where it wins brownie points is for its incredible refinement on the road, but the cabin itself doesn’t really feel special enough. Visually, the C-Class, in its AMG trim, is the most eye-catching car here.
Although our test car costs a whopping €66,163, with its AMG kit and various optional extras. To get the more sporty-looking front end you need to opt for the Avantgarde model, with Classic and Elegance spec getting the more sober traditional grille. The quality of the car feels great for the most part, but inside the quality of the plastics could be better and the rear boot lid feels somewhat flimsy, too. But there are nice touches inside, including a more simplified version of BMW’s fiddly i-Drive that works very well. On the road, the differences between these cars become more apparent.
The Lexus, with its incredible refinement and comfort, will tempt those wanting comfort as a priority. Ultimately, though, it fails to thrill dynamically and is let down by a notchy manual gearbox and a diesel engine that could be more refined. The car is blessed with an amazing standard equipment list; especially in the Executive trim you see here, which gives you full leather trim, cruise control, climate control, 17-inch alloys and keyless entry as standard. The Audi has a slightly firmer feel to it, especially in this trim with its large alloy wheels, and the urgency of the diesel engine makes it feel quite taut. Later models gained a revised suspension and damper setting that were hoped would provide a good compromise between ride and handling and, overall, the package is good, with predictable understeer a feature of the front-wheel drive models. It is a nice car, especially in this spec, but compared to the others here it is starting to look and feel a lot less special.
Hold out for the new one if you are considering spending these sort of bucks. BMW’s 320d is hard to fault in terms of driving ability, with its rear-wheel drive and composed steering. A complaint is that the ride can feel a little hard if you choose larger wheels and the runflat tyres can communicate road bumps more than normal boots. This 2.0-litre engine, which is due to be upgraded, is a fine unit and makes motorway driving and long spells in traffic a breeze, while returning decent fuel consumption.
On paper, it’s the fastest of the diesels here and the most fuel-efficient, despite having less torque available than all the other cars. And although the rear space is still not perfect, it offers better headroom in the rear than in the C-Class and more shoulder room in the front, as it is 47mm wider. Of all the cars here, the Audi is the cheapest, but that is no reflection on its overall quality. Nevertheless, it feels a little like the odd one out here. Perhaps because we are used to so many 1.6-litre A4s wheezing around Ireland we don’t really think of it as being so upmarket any more. Success often brings its drawbacks, it seems. At least you’re assured of superb residuals with the Audi, although the prospect of a new model in the pipeline will dull this a little. The Lexus is no class leader, either.
It could so easily have competed with the big boys if the manufacturer had given it a proper manual gearbox and done a little more with the styling of the exterior and interior in order to really worry the Germans. But it is a sweet alternative if refinement and, for want of a better word, ‘classiness’ is your thing. So this leaves it as a straight brawl between the two Germans. Munich vs. Stuttgart.
Mercedes has done a brilliant job with the new C-Class and it is now worthy of big sales, and not just to its traditional customers, who bought the cars blindly even when they were falling apart. This new model is capable enough to stand up and be counted as a serious contender. But the car’s steep asking price is likely to hurt it, since so many aspirational Mercedes-Benz customers are more likely to ignore the car in favour of an E200 instead. This is why the Beemer remains king here.
INFO
Audi A4 2.0 TDI 170hp
Engine 2.0-litre 4-cylinder diesel, 170hp, 350Nm torque
Transmission 5-speed automatic
Acceleration 0-100km/h: 8.5 seconds
Top Speed 228 km/h
Economy 6.6 litres/100km
CO2 173 g/km
Weight 1,530 kg
Boot Capacity 460 litres
Base Price €45,650
Price as tested €45,650
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