Still the most impressive luxury four-door saloon around, in spite of encroaching competition from Audi’s A6 and new Lexus ES, and with the spectre of the BMW 5 Series hovering constantly over its shoulder.
The E-Class really is a class act, though, from its gorgeous interior to its calm, assured, but still entertaining chassis. All but a handful are sold with diesel power, which perhaps isn’t in keeping with the zeitgeist, but there are more options - including plugin hybrids using both petrol and diesel power - on the way, which is good news. Sporting full-blooded AMG variants mainline lunacy for kicks, but it’s the useful, handsome estate that draws us in the most.
Best model: E220d Estate AMG-Line for €55,420
Price range: €48,200 to €143,995. Finance from €561 per month.
Co2 emissions: 80 to 225g/km
Sum up: Fashion fades, class remains.