11
Skoda Octavia
It's big and kinda bluff, which may not appeal to the aesthete in you, but the Skoda Octavia's appeal lies mainly in the practical centres of the brain. It's spacious (much more so in the back seats and boot than most rivals), well made, reliable and entirely pleasant to drive. The 1.2 TSI petrol or 1.6 TDI diesel are the core choices, but the 230hp RS version is enormously tempting, and cracking value for money. You'll have to put up with some noise issues – Octavias really suffer from a lot of road noise, especially in the back. And you'll have to upgrade to one of the RS models if you want to have any fun.
Best buy: 1.2 TSI (or RS 230)
Price range: €18,995 to €39,495
CO2 emissions range: 98 to 143g/km
12
BMW 5 Series
Is there a more quietly desirable car than this? A car which has sold so well down the years, even in the depths of recession, it caused a change in the Government's car tax policy. Although BMW has softened its edges, both styling and ride, over the years, the 5 remains great to drive, spacious, refined and comfortable and, in 2.0-litre diesel form, impressively economical too. Buy a 520d Touring estate – ticks pretty much any box you'd care to mention. It is getting a little bit old and the sheer numbers of them out there do detract somewhat from the exclusivity of the badge. Merc E-Class is more comfy overall, and Audi A6 Ultra more economical.
Best buy: 520d M-Sport Touring
Price range: €44,830 to €135,910
CO2 emissions range: 110 to 231g/km
13
Mercedes-Benz C-Class
It's a slow-burner, the sort of car that you really need to spend time with to truly appreciate. In fact, from some angles, you might even think it's only barely good-looking, and it lacks the immediate appeal either in styling (Audi A4) or driving (BMW 3 Series). Stick with it, though, and you'll find a car of rare abilities and qualities. Best interior in the business, too. The C180 diesel, with the 1.6-litre engine shared with Nissan and Renault, is all you need, and the C's trim kerb weight keeps it feeling peppy. Merc's own 2.1-litre diesel has more oomph but more noise too. Don't discount the C180 petrol either, especially if you're a low-mileage driver, and definitely consider the handsome estate. The bigger diesel engines are too noisy and the bigger petrol engines are just too expensive. As with any German car, beware the expensive end of the options list.
Best buy: C180 Avantgarde Estate
Price range: €37,905 to €110,790
CO2 emissions range: 103 to 196g/km
14
Mazda 6
Big, slick and smooth, the Mazda 6 tends to get a bit overlooked in the Mondeo-Passat-Avensis wars, but Mazda's big four-door (which, almost as ever in this segment is best sampled as an estate) actually outruns the competition in a number of areas. Its 2.2-litre diesel engine, for instance, is one of the best (smooth and quiet, albeit never quite as economical as you'd like it to be) while the cabin, facelifted in 2015, looks more and more BMW-esque than ever. There's plenty of space too, and it's hugely comfortable and, as a bonus, will probably be more reliable than any of the opposition bar the Avensis. The only thing holding the 6 back is the fact that its price tag is a bit on the chunky side. It's actually less expensive than it looks at first (compare the engine and equipment specs with lower-priced rivals. for instance) but that makes it a harder sell. Don't ignore, though, as it's a really good buy. Best buy: Mazda 6 Tourer Executive SE 2.2 Diesel Price range: €29,295 to €38,695 CO2 emissions range: 107g/km to 129g/km
15
Ford Mondeo
We were left waiting and waiting for the current Mondeo to arrive, delayed as it was by recession and a change of factories. Worth the wait? Kind of. Early models definitely suffered from poor quality, and the beautifully precise handling, once a Mondeo calling card, has softened. But it is hugely good-looking, spacious and very comfy inside. There aren't many cars that knock off a long journey quite as effortlessly as a Mondeo, and the handsome estate has a usefully huge boot. Messy instruments and a somewhat fiddly SYNC2 infotainment system count against it, though, and, like most rivals, it's getting very expensive. "Premium" Vignale version is the height of pointlessness.
Best buy: 2.0 TDCI Titanium
Price range: €27,645 to €43,900
CO2 emissions range: 104 to 137g/km
16
Audi A4
The outgoing A4 leaves a small but significant "to-do" list for the incoming new version to take care of. There's little wrong with the styling (just as well, as Audi seems barely to have changed it) nor the quality nor the choice of engines. The RS4 is still faster and more furious than you could possibly hope, but a basic 2.0-litre TDI is efficient and refined in everyday use. The Avant estate looks as good as it is practical and those who plump for the quattro four- wheel-drive option will be the smuggest of all come winter. So what needs fixing, then? Simple – the dynamics. The A4 has always felt too stodgy and nose-heavy in a class where the C-Class, 3 Series and XE can give a truly memorable experience. On first showing, the new A4 seems to have that well in hand.
Best buy: 2.0 TDI SE
Price range: €36,900 to €60,250
CO2 emissions range: 99 to 130g/km
17
Hyundai Tucson
It only hung around for one model generation, yet replacing the Hyundai ix35 will be no easy task. While never a groundbreaking car, it was always solidly impressive and good value and sold incredibly strongly, actually selling out its Irish allocation in its last year of production. The Tucson then has to be good, and it is. It's handsome, spacious, nice to drive, refined, well made and, for now, conspicuously good value for money. On the downside, there's nothing new here – Hyundai is breaking no new ground, merely refining and honing a very decent product. Oh, and those prices won't be around forever. They're essentially an introductory offer and will be revised upwards in the new year.
Best buy: 1.7 CRDI Executive
Price range: €25,245 to €37,995
CO2 emissions range: 119 to 160g/km
18
Honda Jazz
The first thing you need to know about the Honda Jazz is that it's expensive. A starting price that kicks off at €17k is something of a big statement in the small car world. Then again, the Jazz isn't all that small. It's compact on the outside, but Honda's packaging gnomes have worked magic on the inside, which is as roomy as that of a Mercedes E-Class. And the boot is big. The new 1.3-litre VTEC petrol engine is a sweet little unit, and loves to rev, but avoid the optional CVT automatic as it totally ruins the performance. Build quality is predictably excellent and much of that chunky price tag can be excused when you see Honda's standard equipment list, almost all of which is optional on cheaper rivals.
Best buy: 1.3 VTEC SE
Price range: €17,395 to €21,900
CO2 emissions range: 106 to 120g/km
19
Mitsubishi Outlander
Perhaps it's a touch churlish, considering the effort Mitsubishi put into updating the Outlander's styling in 2015, but we actually kind of preferred the old snub-nosed look to the new, more jutting-jaw, effect. Still, the Outlander is not a car you'll buy for its styling, nor its interior layout. Instead, it's a car you'll buy for its technology, especially for the PHEV plug-in hybrid version. An easy first step on the road to electric car ownership, the PHEV is only slightly more expensive than the top-spec diesel model, yet can run for around 50km on just its batteries, with the back-up of a 2.0-litre petrol on board for longer journeys. It's relatively simple and it works.
Best buy: Outlander PHEV
Price range: €31,450 to €47,450
CO2 emissions range: 44 to 154g/km
20
BMW i8
There is something of an oncoming tide of high-tech supercars and sports cars that, more and more, will use electric power partially or wholly to improve their performance. But the BMW i8 got there first and has created something of a legend for itself. Ultimately neither as fast nor exciting to drive as it could be, it's nevertheless a truly landmark car – genuinely fast, verging on practical, yet with space-age styling and swallow-wing doors that guarantee a lifetime of kerbside conversation. Daily 50mpg is do-able, but it has enough performance to give an off-guard Porsche 911 a seriously hard time. All that and it's probably the most affordable supercar of all time, barely more expensive than BMW's own M5 and much cheaper than a Porsche or an Audi R8. An amazing car.
Best buy: Only one version, really
Price range: €149,860
CO2 emissions range: 49g/km