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Hi Martin,

Yes we have, although not yet in a properly scientific way. Thus far, it’s Volvo’s Pilot Assist that is the best. None of them will take control for more than a few seconds at a time, and you always have to have your eyes on the road and your hands on the wheel, but they can take a good deal of the strain out of longer journeys. The Mercedes system is very good too, with the BMW one just fractionally behind for now, but all are improving with every generation.

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Hi Liam,

OK, first off you don’t need and shouldn’t be buying a diesel. With that kind of mileage, and doing most of it in town, you’ll never get enough efficiency out of the engine and you’ll run into trouble with the particulate filter and more potentially.

Of the three cars you’ve mentioned, I think that the Mercedes B-Class might actually be the most sensible, and it’s certainly the roomiest if you’re concerned about carrying big loads. Worth remembering that for similar money you could probably get yourself into a nice C-Class Estate too, which is only a little smaller inside and a whole lot nicer to drive. I’d be tempted to stick with the Mercedes, too, for safety reasons, if your son is going to start learning to drive.

The Tiguan is another very good option, and there are versions with Volkswagen’s excellent 1.4 turbo petrol engine if you shop around. Again, safe and good to drive, if not quite as roomy as the B-Class. I’d avoid the Duster at this point — it’s diesel only, and not as safe as the Merc or Volkswagen.

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Hi Brad,

As ever, the answer is: it depends where your priorities lie…

The A5 is indeed a cracking car. Not the sharpest to drive, perhaps, but gorgeous to look at and practical inside. That goes equally for the Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupe, but the BMW 4 Series is the best one to drive. Don’t forget the 2 Series Coupe either, which is more fun than any of the above. Actually, though, the best one of the lot is probably the Toyota GT86. Not as premium or as big as the others, perhaps, but more fun to drive than any of them. Here are a few of our reviews to help you decide:

Audi A5 review

BMW 4 Series Coupe review

Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupe review

Toyota GT86 review

BMW 2 Series Coupe review

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Hi Michael,

I'm afraid that's not information that we have access to. That's a UK car so the only ones that would have that information is the DVLA (Driver and Vehicle Licencing Authority) and the British Transport Police, neither of which are in the habit of disclosing such private information to the public.

It makes no difference that it is a British car; the same limitations would apply to an Irish one.

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Hi David,

There are no major reported reliability problems for the AMG M156 V8 engine, other than that they can occasionally develop issues with the bolts that hold the engine head in place. Mind you, a huge amount will depend on how well the previous owner looked after it. While reliable, AMGs are of course bought for their high performance, and if the previous owner has thrashed it about, or not kept it serviced properly, then it could be troublesome. A full book of service stamps should be a good sign, though.

As for spare parts, I really wouldn't worry too much about that, as car makers produce spare parts for a very long time after a vehicle goes out of production.

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Hi Chris,

No. The E 200 is, to be honest, a bit too underpowered. We’d recommend, if you can find one, getting hold of the more powerful (and no less frugal) E 220 CDI diesel. Both models are good for reliability, comfort and space, however. 

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Hi Anthony,

According to the EuroNCAP crash test experts, the three best-performing cars tested in 2016 were the Toyota Prius, Hyundai Ioniq and Volkswagen Tiguan. That said, the NCAP crash test is a laboratory test, and its parameters can be designed in to a car's structure. Only two car makers still have teams that investigate real-world accidents involving their cars and they are Volvo and Mercedes-Benz. Generally speaking, if I'm thinking of safety above all else, those are the two brands I'd look at. 

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Hi Martin,

As far as Brexit is concerned, you can basically pull out a random piece of string and tell us the length… Given the huge political turmoil taking place in the UK over Brexit, it’s literally impossible to predict what way car makers are going to jump, but we wouldn’t be at all surprised to see some actually raising prices, because of currency fluctuations.

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Hi Angus,

Well, most car makers 'life' major components to around 600,000km so as long as you stick to the servicing schedule and keep using original parts, you should be fine.

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Hi Anthony,

It depends on the year of your current A6, but while there's not a huge jump in emissions by going for the V6 TDI, there is a big jump in price so it's certainly not going to be cheap. Others well worth considering are the incoming new BMW 5 Series with the 530d engine (or consider arguing yourself a good deal on a runout current shape model), the excellent new-shape Mercedes-Benz E 350 d or the Jaguar XF 3.0 V6 D. Test drives below to tease you further...

Audi A6 3.0 TDI review

2017 BMW 5 Series review

Mercedes-Benz E 350 d review

Jaguar XF S review