used executive sedans

These are the best used executive sedans for less than R500 000. Image: The South African.

Used Executive Sedans for less than R500 000

Used executive sedans are enjoying a welcome resurgence. We look at the best five-year-old models for less than R500 000.

used executive sedans

These are the best used executive sedans for less than R500 000. Image: The South African.

Joe Public’s voracious appetite for SUVs surges forth unabated. BMW says its X models account for a third of all sales. A third! This leaves used executive sedans in a great space.

The masses aren’t buying them in the numbers they used to. And yet, in a bid to keep them relevant, manufacturers still put them on the front line as a means to showcase their cutting-edge wares.

These five-year-old used executive sedans for less than R500 000 mean business. If they don’t tempt you out of that high-riding 4×4, nothing will.

4. Jaguar XF 20d R-Sport

used executive sedans
2017 Jaguar XF. Image: Jaguar.

The plucky Brit may appear to be following a ‘Russian Doll’ styling strategy – where every car looks the same – but in actual fact by taking a scalpel to its XE lookalike, and rejigging the proportions (shorter, lower and a 51 mm-stretched wheelbase), they’ve not only placed the wheels further out for sharper handling but they’ve improved rear legroom over its predecessor.

In the business that’s known as a win-win, the biggest winner here is the new Ingenium diesel engine which marks a massive improvement over the old 2,2-litre diesel – no more incessant mooing from that engine bay.

There’s a 280 kW supercharged V6 S on offer, too, but this smooth oil-burner is undoubtedly the best all-rounder. The only fly in the ointment is the familiarity of the XE-based interior and a relative lack of gadgets and gizmos compared to the Germans.

  • Best for: The company man with a bit of class
  • Not so sure: Interior decidedly ordinary, a bit expensive
  • Engine: 1 999 cc 4-cyl turbodiesel
  • Power: 132 kW, 430 Nm
  • Performance: 8.1 sec 0-100 km/h, top speed 229 km/h
  • Economy: 4,3 l/100 km, 114 g/kg CO2
  • Gearbox: 8-speed auto
  • Price new: R838 600
  • Price now: R499 950

CLICK HERE TO VIEW USED JAGUAR XFs.

3. Volvo S90 D4 R-Design

used executive sedans
2017 Volvo S90. Image: Volvo.

The brand’s first clean-sheet sedan since the rickety S60 – and industrial independence from Ford – is a gorgeous slab of Swedish metal. Squared-off lines accentuated by ‘Thor’s Hammer’ headlights dovetail with an understated aesthetic. The restrained interior with a vertical tablet interface as its centerpiece won’t surprise anyone who’s been in an XC90 but that doesn’t make this cream- and wood-lathered cabin any less tactile and stylish.

Of course, like any Volvo should, it trades on its safety credentials, so best believe it’s brimming with safety systems and a platitude of acronyms that go with them.

Engine-wise, it’s the sensible, economical D4 that best serves this used executive sedan best – offering lag-free acceleration and a calming, feel-good drive none of its competitors can touch. R-Design styling pack, which brings juicy add-ons like park assist and premium Bowers & Wilkins sound, is a must in this svelte Scandinavian.

  • Best for: Consigning that dreary daily commute to the past
  • Not so sure: Only 500 litres boot space puts it at the back of this pack
  • Engine: 1 969 cc 4-cyl turbodiesel
  • Power: 140 kW, 400 Nm
  • Performance: 8.2 sec 0-100 km/h, top speed 230 km/h
  • Economy: 4,4 l/100 km, 116g/kg CO2
  • Gearbox: 8-speed auto
  • Price new: R711 350
  • Price now: R459 950

CLICK HERE TO VIEW USED VOLVO S90s

2. Mercedes-Benz E-Class

used executive sedans
2017 Mercedes-Benz E-Class. Image: Mercedes-Benz


The Russian Doll phenomenon presented by Jag’s XF is personified in the new E. Visually, it’s a one-and-half increase copy of the C-Class and, predictably, comes away looking a dead ringer – which does little to enforce its reputation as one of the most sophisticated cars on the road. The 2.0-litre turbodiesel mill is a torquey masterpiece and paired with its supreme nine-speed auto ‘box, it’s class-leadingly frugal.

On the road, electronically controlled air suspension works constantly to keep her as composed as a penthouse apartment lift and, curiously, for a car with autonomous driving pretentions, it’s extremely gratifying to drive spiritedly.

Consequently, it’s Mercedes’ Drive Pilot that steels the show. Relinquish control and up to 130 km/h on the highway and the driver becomes superfluous, as complex radars and cameras read traffic, road signs and markings to control the steering, brakes and throttle. Try find a model with the Driving Assistance Package Plus fitted, it’ll show you just how hi-tech used executive sedans can be … even five-year-old ones.

  • Best for: Ceding all control, never missing a work email
  • Not so sure: Is-that-a-C-Class? silhouette
  • Engine: 1 950 cc 4-cyl turbodiesel
  • Power: 143 kW, 400 Nm
  • Performance: 7.3 sec 0-100 km/h, top speed 240 km/h
  • Economy: 3.9 l/100 km, 112 g/kg CO2
  • Gearbox: nine-speed auto
  • Price new: R766 700
  • Price now: R449 900

CLICK HERE TO VIEW USED MERCEDES-BENZ E-CLASS MODELS

1. BMW 5 Series

used executive sedans
2017 BMW 5 Series. Image: BMW.

BMW’s raison d’etre has always been ‘ultimate driving machine’, so no it’s no surprise its seventh-gen business saloon has compact-3 Series chuckability (100 kg weight saving over the sixth-gen 5 Series) together with radical tech a la 7 Series. The end result is a 7 Series in tight trousers that goes with all the brilliance of a sports saloon.

The design inside and out is anything but a breakthrough – well-proportioned but largely evolutionary – however, it’s the road holding and handling that hustles it straight to the top of the class.

Trickery like dynamic damper control, active hydro-electric steering with rear-wheel assistance and electronic roll stabilisation makes it incredibly lithe and nimble – a wondrous feat considering this used executive sedan also focusses on semi-autonomous driving.

An E-Class executes lane changes without your help up to 130 km/h on the motorway, the 5 does the same deed up to 180 km/h – consider that one-upped. It uses sat-nav data to tailor the steering, damping and transmission to prevailing conditions and new Car-to-X technology allows it to communicate with other BMWs, sharing traffic and accident information.

So, it’s a fully connected drive in every respect then – from the seat of your pants, to in the cloud. The four (20d) or six-cylinder (30d) turbodiesels are the way to go, depending on your budget, of course.

  • Best for: Developing a superiority complex
  • Not so sure: A driving machine but how will the autonomy and connectivity tech date?
  • Engine: 2 993cc 6-cyl turbodiesel
  • Power: 195 kW, 620 Nm
  • Performance: 5.6 sec 0-100 km/h, top speed 250 km/h
  • Economy: 5,1 l/100 km, 125 g/kg CO2
  • Gearbox: eight-speed auto
  • Price new: R952 000
  • Price now: R459 990

CLICK HERE TO VIEW USED BMW 5 SERIES MODELS

Used executive sedans: The verdict

Even five-years on and for less than R500 000, today’s used executive sedan are all about connectivity and autonomy and if that’s your criteria, then the E-Class and 5 Series come out top of the class. But factoring in their identikit dullness and a consumer’s desire to stand out from the crowd, it’s the sophisticated Jaguar and Volvo that steal the limelight. Great to drive, five-star luxury and now genuinely covetable cars for less than R500 000, used executive sedans have never looked so good.

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