MERCEDES-BENZ E CLASS E270 CDI Classic 4dr (2002)

Jack of all trades and master of pretty much all of them

I've been running my E270 CDi on finance for a few years now and I think its a really sound car. I have been tempted to think quite seriously about the new one but I think this one is good enough and I don't think the new model offers anything substantially better than this.

Its a quick car if you want it to be, I think the quoted 0-60 time is about 8 seconds and this sounds realistic. The nice thing is you can combine good performance with all of the benefits of a diesel, 40mpg most of the time, something which doesn't happen very often in my experience. Its a nice ride and very comfortable, it can be a little rough over poor road surfaces but this is a sacrifice you have to make for the performance side of the car.

The Merc does have the same trouble as I've had with BMW's of the past: it's a bit pricey. You don't really get very much for your money if you buy one which is annoying. The best standard feature is the stereo system which is pretty good but if you want anything more exciting, you'll have to fork out the extra. Four adults are comfortable, five less so but still a reasonable amount of room. The boot is also a decent size, quite impressive.