A CAR THAT'LL C YOU RIGHT

Used Mercedes compact exec saloon or estate makes a fine all-rounder

- ALEX WOLSTENHOLME

The Mercedes C-Class has always been up against stiff competition, not least the BMW 3 Series and Audi A4. But this generation – the 'W205', produced from 2014 to 2021 – is more than capable of holding its head high against its contemporaries, and you can now buy one from around £4000.

The W in that codename refers to the saloon but there is also the S205 estate, C205 coupé and A205 convertible. The two-door variants are quite different, so we'll leave them for another time.

This C-Class was the first Merc to adopt the MRA platform, whose extensive use of aluminium helped make it 100kg lighter than the previous model, despite being almost 100mm longer. Mercedes claimed it was the most rigid in its class and we were certainly impressed by its dynamic ability.