THE fourth generation Mercedes C-Class has been on sale since 2014 and was updated in 2018.

It's due to be replaced later in 2021 so there are bound to be new examples out there for tempting money.

But here, I'm concentrating on the secondhand market for this up-market executive saloon, which is also available as a coupe, a great-looking cabriolet and an estate.

Almost all the cars available secondhand will have started out as company cars or on lease deals of one kind or another, and of course, this is a premium machine, so don't expect to get a good one with full service history unless you pay a sizeable amount of money.

All are comfortable, very refined and excellent long distance cruisers, but Sport and AMG models have lowered and stiffened suspension plus bigger wheels and these can affect the level of comfort over rougher surfaces.

The company finally caught up with the plug-in hybrid pack in 2020, launching both petrol and diesel electric models that can cover more than 30 miles on battery power alone. But there were also non plug-in hybrids available earlier.

Apart from these, the vast majority available are probably going to be diesels because of their good performance and excellent economy with low emissions.

There are an amazing 45 different models in the saloon range, so trying to find the one you want could be quite a task unless you're prepared to compromise!

Just make sure the one you buy has all the kit you want on board.

There are also eight different engine outputs so I'm not going to detail them all. Most on the secondhand forecourts will be C200 and 300 petrol, and C220 and 300 diesel.

I'll start with the diesels because there are many more. They are all 2.0-litre units and the C220d has 194bhp.

It reaches 60 from rest in about 6.6 seconds while being capable of an excellent 64 miles per gallon.

The C300d gets 245bhp, reaches 60 in 5.7 and can do 47mpg while the PHEV C300de has 306bhp and gets to 60 in about the same time and can do a best of 74mpg.

Petrol power starts with the C200 and it covers the sprint in 7.4 seconds while still managing 47mpg. This is followed by the C300 with 258bhp, bringing up 60 in 5.8 seconds and giving 47mpg.

The C300e plug-in has 320bhp of muscle and brings the sprint down to 5.3 seconds while managing around 65mpg.

Performance and comfort are very good therefore, but rather uninformative steering spoils the handling department somewhat, despite good roadholding and excellent grip.

Inside is the top drawer experience you would expect from a premium producer like Mercedes.

The SE Executive in the mid-range comes with audio remote, traction control, cruise, excellent adjustment for the heated electric front seats, sat nav, parking sensors, an alarm and lumbar adjustment.

But most secondhand models will almost certainly have been loaded with items from the huge Mercedes extras list, bumping up their prices considerably new.

Pay about £12,200 for a '16 16-reg C200 SE Executive auto, or £19,900 for an '18 18-reg C220d AMG Line auto.