Serving as a default executive option for premium buyers, it is the BMW 3 Series that claims the title of Premium Midsize Car. Here is why!
Criteria
One of the broader categories, this one encompasses the German trio (and their offshoots) plus interlopers from other European and Asian manufacturers. Anything sub-A6, 5 Series and E-Class in terms of size and price is therefore eligible.
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Winner: BMW 3 Series
This BMW is clearly the product of a company intent on making the 3 Series the default executive option for keen drivers and, perhaps, now even for others too. It is better in the expected ways that will please long-time 3 Series owners, with more outright performance and sporting flair, as well as handling precision and driver appeal, but also in other ways that make it a more complete package. Practicality and cabin quality have taken big strides, and it’s also made advances in real-world fuel economy. It’s become a car easily capable of achieving 6,5 L/100 km at one moment and sprinting towards the horizon the next, the consummate all-rounder that isn’t an SUV.
Runner-up: Mercedes-Benz C-Class
Improving on its winning formula and as impressive as ever (arguably better than it’s ever been), the Mercedes-Benz C-Class is an, ahem, class act that is favoured as a high-brow buy rather than a ruffian tar-burner.
Runner-up: Audi A4
The Audi A4 continues to impress with its urbane road manners and exquisitely finished cockpit. Meanwhile, the scorching 331 kW RS4 Avant with its twin-turbo V6 would be a fixture in many a fantasy garage.
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