51
Jaguar XE
Jaguar's last try at a compact sports saloon, a rival to the BMW 3 Series, was the under-funded and under-loved X-Type which foundered on the rocks of its front-wheel-drive Mondeo chassis. No such errors this time – the XE uses a bespoke aluminium chassis closely related to that of the XF and forthcoming F-Pace. It's a lovely looking car, if a touch subtle on the outside, and its chassis balance is first rate – better than Beemer's. The cabin is a bit of a let-down though, looking a touch too plain, even bland, and space in the back isn't very good. Worse, the new 2.0-litre Ingenium diesel engine is just too noisy. Better than the X-Type? Yes, by miles. Better than a 3 Series? Not quite.
Best buy: XE 2.0 i4 Diesel 163hp Automatic
Price range: €37,995 to €75,000
CO2 emissions range: 99 to 194g/km
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52
Porsche Macan
Porsche's first crack at an SUV, the Cayenne, has had a rocky road to acceptance among the Porsche enthusiast community. Its second, 4x4, the Macan, has had things much easier which can perhaps be best put down to the fact that it actually looks good. Really good in fact, so much so that you'd barely notice that underneath the Porsche tinsel it's actually an Audi Q5. Big six-cylinder turbos in petrol and diesel form provide the motive power and it has the kind of steering response and handling delicacy you'd expect of a Porsche. Practical too, but it is really heavy with most models tipping the scales at over two tonnes. Still, as a relatively affordable, reasonably practical family car with a Porsche badge, it's hard not to see the appeal.
Best buy: Macan S Diesel
Price range: €65,580 to €107,349
CO2 emissions range: 159 to 208g/km
53
Nissan Leaf
While it was certainly not the first electric car, the Leaf will probably, when the histories are written, claim the title of the first truly mainstream electric vehicle. Its styling, once almost alien, now looks comfortingly familiar and its interior, hugely spacious, has always stood as one of Nissan's better cabin efforts. Quiet and smooth, as you'd expect of an electric car, the Leaf may not be a ball of fire to drive, but then that's kind of the point – it's supposed to be about minimum impact motoring. Those still put off by the limited 160km one-charge range may be tempted by the new 30kWh battery version, which can go for a claimed 250km between socket appointments. Once an oddity, the Leaf looks more and more like the future of motoring.
Best buy: Leaf SVE 30kWh
Price range: €21,490 to €29,390
CO2 emissions range: 0g/km
54
Range Rover Sport
Better than the "real" Range Rover? Absolutely. Once, when the Range Rover Sport was a Discovery in drag, there was no contest. Now that it uses the same aluminium platform, the same minimalist interior and the same engine lineup as the big, "full-fat" Range Rover, there's simply no contest. The Sport is as handsome, even better to drive, almost as spacious and comes with the option of seven seats. It's up against some staggeringly tough competition in the shape of the Volvo XC90, BMW X5 and Audi Q7 (as well as the refreshed Mercedes-Benz GLE) and in that context it's a little hobbled by some awkward cabin elements and the lack of a low-CO2 engine option, but it's still a majestic looking thing to have parked on your driveway, and one of the best ways to cross country on a messy, rainy night.
Best buy: HSE Luxury 3.0 TDV6
Price range: €84,700 to €152,820
CO2 emissions range: 164 to 296g/km
55
Volkswagen Polo
The Volkswagen Polo has one massive problem and it's called the Skoda Fabia. Everything that the Polo can do, the Fabia can do just as well and does it for a few euro less. The fact that the Polo sells at all is testament to the appeal of that VW badge and its semi-legendary association with reliability and frugality. And the Polo doesn't disappoint – it's built like a castle keep, has a comfy interior and with the sweet, revvy 1.0-litre engine doing the talking, is frugal and reasonably zippy to drive. Diesels don't make much economic sense but the turbocharged 1.2 TSI petrol lends the Polo a big-car feel on long motorway runs and is almost as economical as the oil-burner. It is ultimately a little short on space in the back compared to a Honda Jazz though, but one suspects it will prove just as satisfying to own in the long term.
Best buy: Polo Comfortline 1.0 75hp five-door
Price range: €15,410 to €24,735
CO2 emissions range: 88 to 110g/km
56
Ford Focus
The Focus has for almost two decades now been the go-to car for Irish buyers looking for a sensible family hatch, but the current model seems to be losing its grip a bit. Not only is it being outsold by the Golf, it's being outclassed by others too. The cabin looks and feels a bit cheap compared to an Octavia or a Peugeot 308, while the rear seat space is notably tight. At least the invigorating handling is intact – the Focus can still teach all-comers a thing or three about steering feel and response. Estate is handsome and has a usefully big boot but the sporty 250hp ST model is oddly underwhelming.
Best buy: 1.5 TDCI Titanium estate
Price range: €20,795 to €41,150
CO2 emissions range: 98 to 159g/km
57
Toyota Land Cruiser
No, it's not the most refined nor precise thing to drive on tarmac. Yes, that massive, toothy chrome grille takes more than a bit of getting used to. Doesn't matter. The thing with the Toyota Land Cruiser is the breadth of its capability. Driving one to the shops is like having an Army Ranger on school crossing duty: sure, it can get the job done but it could be doing so much more. Sand? Floods? Mud? Mountains? Zombie apocalypse? If any of these feature much in your daily driving, then a Land Cruiser is what you need. Toyota has worked hard to make it more useable in an everyday sense, but if there are limitations (the cabin's a little tight in places and it rolls a bit in the corners) then it's all part of preserving that remarkable ability to take punishment in some of the world's harshest environments. The quasi-commercial "Business" model has brought the purchase price down but you have to be careful when it comes to taxing it.
Best buy: 2.8 D4D Business
Price range: €55,995* to €94,900
CO2 emissions range: from 197g/km
*Must be taxed as a passenger car for social, domestic and pleasure use
58
Mercedes-Benz E-Class
Now in the twilight of its career, with an all-new and ever more high-tech E-Class in the offing, Mercedes mid-size executive saloon proves once again that there's no point in buying an S-Class. Sacrilege? Possibly, but the E's talents really are that broad. Yes, you can get a stripped-out E200 in taxi-spec which will tickle your tastebuds hardly at all, but with some careful perusing of the options list, you can easily have an E-Class that's at least 90 per cent as comfy and capable as the bigger S. It may lack the image of the big limo, but that's all just a matter of price, really. Honking E63 AMG with its turbo V8 is a truly great car, but the one we'd have is a simpler diesel E250 CDI, in estate form and preferably with the extra fold-away seats in the boot. Refined, roomy and endlessly practical, it's the essence of what the E-Class has always been about.
Best buy: E250 CDI Avantgarde Estate
Price range: €47,515 to €122,640
CO2 emissions range: 119 to 234g/km
59
BMW 2 Series Active Tourer
Does it still seem odd that BMW is making a compact MPV? Perhaps it shouldn't. After all, Mercedes has been at the same game for a while with the B-Class . . . Still, a tall-roofed hatch with front-wheel drive and a BMW badge still seems like something that should not be. Happily then, it's a mix of cultures that has worked rather well. Twisting BMW's 2.0-litre diesel engine across the nose for the popular 218d model has quelled much of its diesel racket, while the cabin is a pleasing mixture of space, adaptability (especially in the longer seven-seat model) and typical BMW styling and quality touches. BMW and MPV still seems an odd mix, then, but a rather satisfying one.
Best buy: 218d SE seven-seat
Price range: €32,990 to €50,000
CO2 emissions range: 99 to 149g/km
60
Volvo V60
Volvo's S and V60 models often get a bit overlooked in the rush to buy a premium German saloon, but the fact is that they, especially the handsome and practical V60, offer a genuinely interesting alternative. Can it out-corner a 3 Series? No, but it is much safer, and given how safe the 3 Series is that's really saying something. Cabin quality, if you get the spec right, is easily the equal of Audi and there has never been much wrong with Volvo's build quality – by and large its cars are built to last. New Volvo-designed D2 diesel engine has just replaced the old Ford-sourced 1.6 but the 180hp D4 is the one to have – it has exceptional refinement for a four-cylinder diesel and is properly economical too.
Best buy: V60 D4 SE
Price range: €38,845 to €45,595
CO2 emissions range: 101 to 135g/km