2005 Mercedes-Benz C-Class C270CDi Avantgarde estate review from UK and Ireland

Nothing - the car has been faultless.

Smooth, comfortable, punchy, well specified and beautifully finished. As a bonus it's even relatively economical, averaging 38 mpg so far and I don't drive it gently. There's more than enough grunt on tap to give the ASR system a workout, and not just in the wet either.

The muted five cylinder burble from the engine, overlaid with a good dose of turbo sibilance is wonderful, and there's little combustion rattle when warm, even idling with the bonnet raised. It is a bit ropey sounding when cold though, but that's just the nature of the diesel beast.

Typical Mercedes automatic gearbox with barely perceptible changes, and always seeming to be in the right gear when you need it to be. A very nice match with the diesel engine, as the shove on tap is always instantaneous.

When you sit in the car it just smacks of quality. The plastics are all soft feel and nicely textured, the fit and finish impeccable and the leather looks, smells and feels expensive.

My car, being an ex demonstrator, came loaded with optional extras including the 17" alloys, sports suspension and cross drilled discs. Handling is excellent, although the ride can suffer if the road surface is particularly awful. You still wouldn't call it unrefined though.

In common with BMW and other German cars, there is now a computer system in which you can "personalise" your car such as setting things like headlamp off delays and other nonsense. It's a bit gimmicky to be honest with you, and I sat in the car with the owners manual and had a play for an hour when I first collected the car, but have never touched it since. I suspect most owners will find the same.

Incredibly, the car has not yet had its first service. Like a lot of cars Mercedes have a variable indicator, and I'm told by the dealer it will need its first service somewhere between 20,000 and 30,000 miles depending on driving conditions. To the engineer in me, that rings alarm bells, but I guess Mercedes must know what they are doing.

Overall a superbly engineered, capable, and practical motor car that's good to drive and superbly equipped. I would recommend it without reservation.