79: Ford Mondeo – Old stager still worthy of your attention

Ford’s old stager is still clinging on to life, in spite of the market for large-ish, non-premium, four-door saloons having essentially collapsed around it. To be honest, it’s not as good a car as were previous generations of Mondeo, but it still has its charms.

Get an ST-Line model in a strong metallic colour and it still looks the business (far more so than the too-chintzy, too-expensive Vignale version) and the interior, although it looks a little old-fashioned now, is roomy, comfy, and mostly pretty well built.

Default diesels are decent engines, while the hybrid version has decent economy, but lacks for sparkling performance.

In driving it, you can still find hints of the razor-sharp Mondeos of old, but to be honest, the dynamic performance of this version has never quite lived up to the standards of its forebears. How much longer will it last? It’s hard to say, but it’s still worth a look for as long as it’s around.

80: Alfa Romeo Stelvio – Italian fun dressed for SUV tastes

---

81: Audi A7 – Slinky saloon undermined by sleeker A6 sibling

---

82: Volvo XC90 – Big Swede ageing gracefully

---

83: Volkswagen T-Cross – a Polo with a loft conversion

---

Best model: Mondeo Hatchback 2.0 TDCI ST-Line for €33,408

Price range: €29,815 to €40,907 Finance from POA per month.

Co2 emissions: 101 to 144g/km

Sum up: Still a solid choice.