Irish Times best buys: Sports saloons

A controversial choice this, nipping in ahead of the more obvious choice, the BMW 3 Series which is both a saloon and sporty. Technically the 4 Series Gran Coupe is actually a fast-back four-door coupe but there are a couple of reasons why it resides at the top of our list.

First off, it’s more gorgeous than a 3 Series. The 3 is hardly in the ‘back of a bus’ category when it comes to looks but the 4 is notably more sleek and sexy. Surely one of the defining characteristics of a sports saloon is that you should desire it until you ache. The 4 Series does that.

It’s also barely any less practical. The rear seats are a bit tighter, it’s true, but then when do you ever carry people in the back? And the boot, under that big hatchback, is actually slightly more practical than what you get in a 3 Series saloon. In desirable 420d M-Sport form, it’s €4,000 more expensive than an equivalent 320d but slightly better equipped as standard, so there’s some sort of pricing balance. In short, this one’s cooler, so buy this one.

Best buy: 420d M-Sport from €51,520. Prices start at €44,500.

PCP packages start from €POA a month.

Read the review: You win some, you lose some with BMW's new 4-Series, but it adds up

We’ve been a touch harsh to the new A4, complaining about it looking too much like the last one, but actually, when you get up properly close, it is more different than you think at first. It’s also handsome and imposingly big. Inside, the levels of fit and finish would shame some five-star hotels, as would the comfort and refinement. Hands down, it has the quietest 2.0-litre diesel engine in the class, an advantage not to be underestimated. The handling is smooth and safe, rather than particularly exciting, but that has long been the Audi way and that’s how customers seem to like it. Ultra-handsome Avant estate is the one to go for, offering more practical load carrying, and there are S4 and RS4 versions in the offing if you crave a little more excitement.

Best buy: A4 Avanrt 2.0 TDI S-Tronic quattro from €50,850. Prices start at €35,800.

PCP packages start from €359 a month.

The funny thing about the C-Class is that it’s the most basic versions that feel the best. That seems slightly odd for a car operating in such an aspirational class, but it’s true - the best C-Class is the relatively humble C180d with its 1.6-litre turbo diesel engine. It’s all about balance you see. Yes, you can have bigger, punchier diesels, or a clever plugin hybrid, or one of the mighty turbocharged AMG models, but that humble C180 just feels right. It has enough poke to keep you rolling and for the occasional, well-planned overtaking move, and it’s also very refined and very frugal. Without AMG sporty chassis settings it rolls along in near perfect comfort, yet is surprisingly rewarding to drive on a twisty, give-and-take road. As with the A4, it’s best sampled as an estate, which brings with it extra practicality but also slightly better balance to the styling. Not, perhaps, the most exciting car in the class but one which rewards over a very long time.

Best buy: C180d Avantgarde A/T from 43,155. Prices start at €35,850.

PCP packages start from €426 a month.

This shouldn’t be a wild card at all, really. Like a great golfer or tennis player who’s had to blag their way into a tournament the hard way, and then proceeds to blitz the field, the Lexus IS300h is a tantalisingly talented saloon, which slips to wild card status only because you can’t have it as a diesel. You can have it as a hybrid, with tax (and BIK) friendly emissions of just 97g/km, and claimed fuel consumption of just 4.2-litres per 100km, or more than 65mpg. And the funny thing is, Lexus isn’t lying. Unlike some other fuel consumption claims, which have been proved to be at least fictional and occasionally literally criminal, the Lexus can usually get closer to its claims than most. OK, so you have to put up with the annoying CVT gearbox (although Lexus has worked hard recently to make that much more bearable) and not everyone will like the looks (although at least you’re not another German clone on the high street) but all will love the sheer quality, the reliability and the comfort. And the refinement. It’s only when you drive one of these that you realise just how noisy most diesels are. Straight through to the quarter-finals, next time…

Best buy: IS300h F-Sport from €43,950. Prices start at €38,980.

PCP packages start from €355 a month.

Hang on, a VW Passat, the tool of the outside-lane-hogging brewery rep, here amongst the upper echelons of the sports saloon world? Surely not, you say. Surely yes, say us, especially if you can stretch to a nearly-new Highline model, of the current-shape Passat. For your money (and it will be much, much less than you will spend on any of the other cars here featured) you will get a spacious, comfortable and beautifully made cabin, a smooth and frugal 2.0 TDI engine (same one as in the Audi), a huge boot (even more so on the estate model) and understatedly good looks. Track one down with metallic black paint and lashings of chrome and it looks every inch the sports saloon rival. Upstart form a proletarian brand it may be, but an enormously reliable car that’s also good to drive.

Best buy: 2016 Passat 2.0 TDI Highline for circa €31,000