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Wagging the dog

We wondered if you could offer your thoughts on the following please. My partner's company car (currently 9-3 Sportwagon) is due for renewal in September this year, and he is looking for another diesel estate car. We need an estate car due to large dog and the need to take lots of luggage on UK holiday plus dog. The 9-3 has been a bit of a tight fit at times. The choices currently include: 5 Series, C Class, A4 or A6, V50 or V70. Annual mileage is currently about 25,000. Do you have any advice please to help us decide? We may want to buy it at the end of the three years for me, so running costs may feature then as a consideration.

Asked on 1 May 2010 by J.A., via e-mail

Answered by Honest John
The new F11 530d Touring, if you can afford it (the automatic saloon is 160g/km which is beneficial in tax to both him and his company). But by the time you’ve added a few essentials, that is a £50,000 car. An A4 Avant is less commodious than the SAAB, and a C Class estate about the same. The A6 is a beautiful looking car, but is up for replacement by a new model soon. V50s look good. V70s not as good as their predecessors except with the new 205PS twin turbo D5. The most commodious is the Skoda Superb. Next, a Ford Mondeo. Don't dismiss a Mondeo. It's easily as well built as anything on your lost and more reliable than all of them. There's a new low emission diesel Powershift automatic. And a Mondeo Titanium in black even looks classy.

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