Volkswagen leads diverse field.
VW Passat 118TSI
WHERE once base-model money bought you a badge and not much else, the Volkswagen Passat proves you can get a cracking little donk and decent equipment for the money.
The 1.8-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder is responsive, smooth and characterful, and uses only 7.2L/100km, which is brilliant for a brisk 1500kg sedan (or wagon). Yet it’s the Passat’s reasonable purchase price combined with a decent 59 percent three-year resale figure that does the bulk of the money-saving.
Citroen DS5 DSport HDi
THE DS5 stands up to Gold Star scrutiny with its efficient turbo-diesel engine, stout resale, conveniently long service interval and generous six-year warranty.
Infiniti Q50 GT 2.2d
THIS rear-wheel-drive Japanese sedan is not as polished as the Passat, but its 2.2-litre turbo-diesel is miserly (5.2L/100km) and Infiniti’s four-year warranty is better than most.
| Premium Medium Cars $45K-$60K | Volkswagen Passat 118TSI sedan | Citroen DS5 DSport HDi | Infiniti Q50 GT 2.2d |
| Purchase Price | $38,990 | $51,990 | $51,900 |
| Combined cycle fuel (L/100km) | 7.2 | 6.1 | 5.2 |
| Fuel RON (min. rec.) | 95 | D | D |
| Three-year fuel cost | $4376 | $3687 | $3143 |
| Redbook resale (%) | 58.6 | 58.1 | 53.4 |
| Three-year depreciation | $16,142 | $21,784 | $24,185 |
| AAMI insurance premium | $1023 | $1207 | $1202 |
| Service interval (months) | 12 | 12 | 12 |
| Warranty (years) | 3 | 6 | 4 |
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