Company car time.

Is that a bad thing?

I went with the lexus because

looked best
best interior
best customer service – audi were ok, bmw = total ****
109co2 but 2.5l petrol engine with north of 200bhp
45mpg
best to drive (gearbox aside)
loads of standard toys(digital dash is awesome) – only option I ticked was fancy paint

looks like this

http://www.clublexus.com/forums/attachments/build-threads/311602d1389719526-kent-s-is-300h-f-sport-20140114_165154.jpg

I had 3 audis before and the lexus was a step up in terms of luxury for sure

I really like that, TBH.

109co2 but 2.5l petrol engine with north of 200bhp

And yet only has an 8.3 sec 0-62.

I know the OP had a limited choice, which is a shame really because the Lexus ct200h is a really great car.

You might think it smells of yoghurt and comes fitted with golf clubs, but thats only because you’ve heard someone else say they do. If you look carefully, you may like em;.

I did, I bought one late last year, a Red one like this. (not this car though)

You might think it smells of yoghurt and comes fitted with golf clubs, but thats only because you’ve heard someone else say they do. If you look carefully, you may like em;.

Again, it doesn’t matter how much yoghurt I eat, how much golf I play or how much I think it’s a lovely looking car (I don’t, I followed a few yesterday and thought they were hideous).
It ain’t on the list.
It ain’t coming in.
There might be a very good reason why only German cars are on the list. 😉

Ahhhhh I know, good lease rate deals.

Never mind, BClass Merc ? B200d with all the bits then.

i find the 2.0 Diesel BMW more than fast, powerful enough for normal driving. Current Company Car is a 520D Tourer – when it goes back end of this year and I move onto a car allowance I will likely get the same again on a PCP. It is the main family car though, so I need the space.

Never mind, BClass Merc ? B200d with all the bits then.

I’m starting to see a theme here. 😛
I pretty sure I’ll go for the 320d or the 520d.
Thanks.

I went for a Seat Leon ST FR (184 same engine as the Golf GTD). Got a decent spec for the same basic list of the GTD with a bigger boot. I prefer the interior style in the Leon over the Golf. Strong engine, though low 40’s mpg is as good as I get over the range of the tank. Rides well, great handling, and comfortable.

I’m about to move from a Golf GTD to a merc c220d estate sport.

Have I done wrong?

Will I die?

What tyres for …….

I pretty sure I’ll go for the 320d or the 520d

There are some amazing deals on 520d’s. Lex autolease have the specials, you may be able to pick up on them through BMW though.

I went for a Seat Leon ST FR (184 same engine as the Golf GTD). Got a decent spec for the same basic list of the GTD with a bigger boot. I prefer the interior style in the Leon over the Golf. Strong engine, though low 40’s mpg is as good as I get over the range of the tank. Rides well, great handling, and comfortable.

Have the GTD, similar low 40’s on dual carriageway 30 mile commute but im a speeder 🙁

If you live in town it’ll be great, mines in the country and you can feel the potholes in your soul

I pretty sure I’ll go for the 320d or the 520d

I would if I were you. As you have the CO2 limit you can’d go to the x30 engines, you can’t fiddle it so no point pretending.

5 series deals are crazy cheap as it’s about to be replaced, so BMW are stacking them up. 3 series deals are always good but not up with 5’s at the moment.

I have been a very high miler recently and until recently been on a company car scheme so was swapping every 50k miles with was between 18months and 2 years. Every time I came from a swap I tried everything else:

Mercs were always horrible to drive unless it was a full fat AMG and even then it was like a fat old uncle trying to get off a bouncy castle, entertaining but not something that I wanted.

Audi’s were often nice to look at in a well built washing machine kind of way, but really really dull to drive, and were either horrible front wheel drive or even duller 4 wheel drive. Also represent giving up on life and accepting you are never going to have fun again.

VW’s are overpriced compared to other VAG’s that share the same build. And not much cheaper than Audi’s so why would you not get an Audi over VW? Or better still get neither!

Then you are left just FWD cars, until you get to Lexus – which I just don’t get the look of at all, and remind me of a Dad trying to dress funky but ironing creases down the front of his jeans. Don’t drive great either.

So after all the above, with the massive bias I obviously have – I always come back to BM’s I prefer to enjoy the drive and not care if other people think I’m a tool for driving a BMW. And I will continue to judge them for giving up on life and buying an Audi or Merc, especially if it’s silver.

For a company car, seriously consider a hybrid. Company car tax is virtually zero with it – I pay £40 a month on an E class estate AMG spec – purely due to extras added to the spec. They do the hybrid on the c class as well but the e class is being revamped this year (according to our fleet manager). If the hybrid thing bothers you, it’s switched off by one button inside the car, but it’s very easy to get used to it. I’ll unlikely to ever have a non hybrid company car now.

Merc are one of the few who have got the diesel hybrid thing worked out. Someone I work with has a Lexus diesel hybrid – it’s very weird to drive, and hard to describe why but it seems kind of notchy in power delivery.

Merc definitely were in the typical old man cars of the past, however, they’ve really sorted themselves out in the last few years so worth considering.

Before you make any decisions run them through a company car tax calculator as BIK can make a massive difference to overall cost.

Have been using http://comcar.co.uk/%5B/url%5D and http://www.parkers.co.uk/cars/reviews/compare-cars/?items=72582,70224,69510 to compare both tax and emissions.

I’d go 5 series or an a6. Test drove both and either are great. U do 35k + a year and got the a6 in the end. It’s slightly more a month than the a4 but basically seems to include all the good a4 optional extras like sat nav, iPhone connection, Cruise control, leather as standard.

For a company car, seriously consider a hybrid. Company car tax is virtually zero with it – I pay £40 a month on an E class estate AMG spec

You must earn less than £5000pa. At £30K, the tax on one of those for 14/15 is £132.00. The C class plug ins are a good bit cheaper.

320 ED Sport will do bonkers mpg on motorway driving at 80ish I get about 65mpg in mine if I did 70 I imagine it would be about 70-75mpg. Plenty quick enough car too

This.

It depends on your companies scheme – if you “trade-down” do you get the difference in your pay packet?
Because of the difference in emissions, servicing and resale, a “fully loaded” 320 ED was a 2-band trade-down for me….. worked out cheaper than getting a basic golf. Depends how much of a car-tart you are I suppose: I would rather spend the extra on coke and hookers.

OP reflecting my bias (not a Merc fan, BMW rwd not good on snow) I would take something from Audi. As you don’t need soace as you have a family car it could even be an A3/Q3 Quattro or a 4 or 5. I had a bery nice A6 Quattro which was superb on motorway and up/down to Alps. Bit of a handfull in a multi-story though. Given your mikeage you want to look at the bigger cars. Keep us posted and happy shopping

All bets off, time to renegotiate the German only policy.
http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/alfa-romeo/giulia/34448/new-alfa-romeo-giulia-makes-geneva-show-entrance