These are 10 of the best saloon cars

Superb by name, superb by nature. We’d love to be able to pick holes and point out the hubris and irony in such a moniker (given that it’s basically what sustains us day to day), but we just can’t. 

It’ll do everything you need from a saloon, with as little fuss as you could possibly expect. Really, the only drawback here is something of a dowdy minicabber image – and, of course, the nagging realisation that it’s even better as an estate. 

Pick just about any ‘best saloons’ list from the past decade and the 3 Series is going to be on it. And the decade before that, come to think of it. And another couple of decades, in case you’re curious. 

That the 3 Series is the class benchmark is as surprising as watching The Usual Suspects after reading the spoilers, but just take a moment to appreciate that it’s been the benchmark for 40 years. Astonishing, no?

The serious competition that still remains in the saloon class means that only the XE makes it onto this list, and not the XF.

We still love the XF, no question, but the newer, smaller, cheaper and lighter XE is the objectively better choice. Unless you’re all as tall as Dutchmen; then you’ll probably want the XF. 

We’re genuinely curious about what marketing types would call the ‘buying journey’ of the typical Merc C-Class customer. Are they actually cross-shopping with the Audi A4 and BMW 3 Series, or do they just follow the simple, undeniable logic of ‘It’s a Mercedes’, ‘It’s a good car’ and ‘I can afford it’? 

But however they get there, they arrive at the same point: the C-Class remains a brilliant smallish saloon in its own right, as well as a perfect foil to the handling-first modus operandi of the 3 Series.

It seems that regardless of who’s in charge of Alfa Romeo, or how good its finished products are, an Alfa saloon is still an oddball choice. Which means to justify it, one must then work in comparatives to more sensible fare, rather than absolutes about the car itself. 

No real problem – the Giulia’s a fantastic thing to look at, sit in and drive. Alfa invested billions in getting its new saloon right. Regardless of spec, it’s a driver’s car, imbued with a playful edge that’s hardly guaranteed in its class – or beyond it. And as one of the few saloons on this list that’s not also available as an estate, you can rest easy in the knowledge that you’ve bought the best version on offer. 

The Model 3 is a car of a high enough calibre to win our 2019 saloon of the year. Not electric saloon – any saloon. Think about what it beat to do so and you have a fair idea of the kind of machine it is. 

We should start by coming clean: we’d never buy a Volvo S60. 

We wouldn’t pass it up because of its styling, which is par excellence. Nor would the cabin take it out of the running; we’ve been to day spas that are less relaxing. Its focus on comfort and utility ahead of overt sportiness is hardly a deal-breaker either; it’s a family car, after all. 

No, the only thing that’d stop us from spending our own money on an S60 is the fact that the V60 exists. 

Ah, the 5 Series... the saloon that pretty much every other manufacturer wishes it made – or wants to beat. When it comes to balancing and reconciling seemingly competing priorities – comfort, sportiness, economy and luxury – none but the 5 Series manage it with the kind of grace and composure that make the end result seem almost effortless. 

Our choice would be the M5, of course – or stretching the definition of ‘5 Series’ for an Alpina B5. But regardless of the 5er you pick, you’ll still have a spacious, comfortable, serene and capable saloon. With, we’ll admit, the right kind of badge on the bonnet. 

Let’s review the salient facts here. 

Fact one: Porsche has made a saloon car. So of course it’s going to be possessed of almost preternatural prowess in the corners; we get the feeling it’d be an affront to all of Stuttgart to have it any other way. 

Fact two: Porsche has made an electric car. So of course it’s going to use its full engineering might – and the full extent of its VW-Porsche budget – to ensure that the electric car in question becomes a new industry benchmark. 

In fact, the only blight we can point to is Porsche’s insistence on calling the faster Taycans ‘Turbos’, considering there aren’t any. Or even an engine to bolt them to. 

Like any new car company, Lucid is in the midst of some pretty solid growing pains, but we could not be less interested in the vicissitudes of the stock market or the vices of those who attempt to game it to their advantage.

So, what do we care about? Well, the car, of course – the Air is an astonishing machine that blends sports saloon with luxury limousine in a manner that’s mesmerising, even before you remember that this is Lucid’s first-ever product.