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Top five premium off-roaders

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The new Range Rover Sport saves 420kg over its predecessor and is quicker and more economical as a result

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28 October 2013

Range_Rover_off-road
Land Rover is setting the bar for premium off-roaders these days – this is the new Range Rover blasting along the Silk Trail – but it’s not short of competition

WITH the global market for off-roaders booming, there’s never been a better time to be a buyer on the lookout for a new premium SUV.

A resurgent Land Rover is setting the bar these days but the German brands aren’t holding back from offering models packed with more technology, more ability and with lower running costs than ever before.

Below are the five models we’d recommend for company car buyers.

 

Range Rover Sport

Long considered to be the poor relative of the standard Range Rover, this latest Sport is now a fantastic model in its own right.

It’s now based on the same aluminium platform as the all-new Rangie so it’s lighter, more luxurious and better off-road than before.

Best of all, it feels just as high-quality, comfortable and refined as its bigger brother but with a price-tag that starts at about £20,000 lower. You can get it with seven seats if you need to, as well.

 

Range Rover Sport
The new Range Rover Sport saves 420kg over its predecessor and is quicker and more economical as a result

Our company car favourite: Range Rover Sport HSE SDV6

  • Price: From £59,995
  • Company car tax band: 34%
  • Economy: 37.7mpg
  • 0-62mph: 6.8 seconds

 


BMW X5

Late in 2013 BMW released this brand new X5, and with it came the introduction of a new entry-level front-wheel-drive model.

With a frugal four-cylinder diesel underneath the bonnet the new sDrive 25d is perfect for company car buyers because of its low 24% Company car tax band banding. The ride is a little on the firm side but there’s little to complain about otherwise.

It still looks great, it’s hugely spacious inside and it’ll eat up hundreds of motorway miles without a second thought.

 

BMW X5
Cheating slightly, since this is the 2WD version of the X5. But look at the company car tax band

Our company car favourite: BMW X5 sDrive 25d SE

  • Price: From £42,590
  • Company car tax band: 24%
  • Economy: 50.4mpg
  • 0-62mph: 8.2 seconds

 

Mercedes M-Class

The Mercedes M-Class is one of the oldest cars in this group and that does show a little in the cabin, which feels slightly outdated compared to its competition.

Don’t write off the M just yet, though, because it still excels in all the usual Mercedes areas: ride comfort, refinement and ease of driving.

We’ve picked the entry-level 2.1-litre four-cylinder diesel as our company car choice here but the engine note may be a little rough for some. If you’re willing to pay more company car tax band then the V6-powered ML350 BlueTEC is much smoother.

Mercedes_Benz_M-class
Don’t write off the M-Class even though it’s the oldest car in our Top 5

 

Our company car favourite: Mercedes ML250 BlueTEC

  • Price: From £44,340
  • Company car tax band: 28%
  • Economy: 44.8mpg
  • 0-62mph: 9.0 seconds

 

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Matt Morton

Matt Morton

Matt Morton is an automotive content writer for Business Car Manager

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