Executive Car MPG Shootout

Large saloon cars - but with hatchback fuel consumption?

German luxury car makers Audi, BMW and Mercedes want to show car buyers it's possible with their latest range of A6, 5 Series and E-Class.

Luxury and economy rarely fit together well. There are a few exceptions, however - like the three luxury saloon cars in this review. Well, you have to hand over £45,000 to a car dealer buy one of these, fitted with just a few extras. Careful shopping however will result in new car discounts that lower these prices by up to £5,000.

But in the NEDC (New European Driving Cycle), these powerful 204PS saloon cars offer real comfort with fuel-economy: 6.1L (BMW 525d with an 8-speed automatic transmission), 5.1L (the Audi A6 3.0L TDI Multitronic - continuously variable transmission) and best of all at 4.9L per 100KM (the Mercedes E250CDI BlueEFFICIENCY 7-speed Titronic). But what are these three candidates like in everyday life?

In developing these three cars, engineers were able to let loose, because they can be equipped with the latest safety systems and driver assistance systems - offering blind spot solutions with hidden micro-cameras. If you change lanes, an alarm sounds. Mercedes goes even further and offers a changing lane wizard that helps prevent accidents with braking intervention.Traffic speed sign recognition and warning displays within the speedometer (like a TomTom GPS). The Audi A6 and Mercedes E-Class also have an accident early warning system on board (both Presense or PreSafe) that decelerate the car to a standstill in an emergency. Impending crash precaution also closes the windows and tightens the belts. The BMW 5 Series is not so advanced in this aspect.
Cabin space is similar in these three saloons. Front and rear is ample even for the tallest drivers and passengers whilat elbow room is excellent, even though the Mercedes is slightly narrower than its competitors. All three have a central console control which navigates music and multi-media. The BMW iDrive system is probably the best function, but its marginal.

There are significantly fewer buttons on the Mercedes Comand system, but sometimes one needs some "wandering around" the digital menus to get the best from it's menu. Audi's MMI has the disadvantage that some vital functions are located far from the central rotary push button so its operation requires more attention.Otherwise, consider the bare facts: The Mercedes E Class offers the biggest boot (540L), the BMW 5 Series takes the heaviest load whilst the Ingolstadt A6 is a close rival on both counts.News Article Test Review Ends Date July 6th 2011.

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