New car news

09 August 2007 - 10:00

Cheap Executive

Company drivers beware: the Mercedes E-Class Executive has you in its three-pointed sights.

The Executive is a special edition purely for business users and weighs in at £28,515, or £677 less than the boggo E220 CDi Classic that this new model is based on.

Merc says the Executive comes with £3,220 worth of extras free of charge, including a six-disc CD autochanger and mobile phone pre-wiring, while 16in alloy wheels and faux leather interior keep things looking double-breasted chic.

The idea is to offer the same 170bhp 2.2-litre turbodiesel-powered E-Class with more luxury but without raising the tax liability that company drivers have to pay to the Inland Revenue.

Looked at from a 20,000-mile-a-year business driver's perspective, the E-Class Executive works out cheaper than a BMW 520d over three years. Just a shame us poor private punters won't get the chance to savour such discounts.

Then again, there's always the option of, ahem, establishing your own small-scale business. Big Jim's Ant 'n' Rust Emporium, anyone?