These are the best used executive sedans for less than R500 000. Image: The South African.
Used executive sedans are enjoying a welcome resurgence. We look at the best five-year-old models for less than R500 000.
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.
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.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW USED JAGUAR XFs.
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.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW USED VOLVO S90s
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.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW USED MERCEDES-BENZ E-CLASS MODELS
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.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW USED BMW 5 SERIES MODELS
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.