Top ten best family saloons

You´re in your thirties, you drive to work, you have a spouse, small dog and a sprog on the way. Your next car is going to be a Ford Mondeo.

And, quite frankly, there´s nothing wrong with that, with the new Mondeo being an absolute belter. But there´s every chance your car history so far has included a clapped-out Rover 213, warm-ish supermini, an ageing coupe and a hot hatch. So what do you go for?

The family car sector can be a difficult one to choose from: unlike other sectors you´re unlikely to have a favourite family saloon; unlike other sectors it´s unlikely there´s a clear class leader; unlike some other sectors ´fun´ may come a long way down your list of reasons to buy - possibly below ´practicality´ ´fuel economy´ and ´ability to fit in shopping, pram and dog called Ben´.

Luckily today´s family saloons are no longer a vast desert of grey paintwork, beige cloth seats, brown carpets and understeer. If there is a class leader it´s the new Mondeo, which has every right to claim to be jostling for position with the Audi A4s, Mercedes C-Classes and BMW 3-Series of this world.

The new Mondeo is stylish, smart, roomy, practical and it´s good to drive. And over the next year every new model in the sector is going to gunning for the Blue Oval saloon, meaning the new Renault Laguna, new Citroen C5, new Honda Accord, new Skoda Superb and the new Vauxhall Insignia.

We´ll guide you through the best ten family saloon cars in the segment, with helpful road test information and even free quotes if you find the car that´s right for you. All cars have been released in 2007 or will be released in 2008, so all models featured are new.

You may have a negative-equity mortgage and a couple of screaming kids, but that doesn´t mean your car has to be crap.

New Ford Mondeo

• Out: Now

• Price: From £15,195

• Review: New Ford Mondeo review

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The biggest-seller and the best car in the class. So much so that you could stick a German badge on the Mondeo and sell it for a couple of grand more.

While it´s ideal for cruising, driving the Mondy is a genuinely pleasing experience, while there´s acres of room and plenty of clever-clever gadgets including plenty of safety and security kit. 2-litre turbodiesel offers zip and economy, if you can get your hands on one.

Move upmarket and more focus on private sales should help the Ford saloon´s resale figures, and a slight drop in list prices make the entry-level model one of the cheapest in the class.

Top Gear named the Mondeo it´s car of the year, and it´s easy to see why. There´s no shame in being a Mondeo Man - or Woman - any more.

New Renault Laguna

• Out: Now

• Price: From £15,990

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For reasons still not abundantly clear, Renault decided to take a step back from its lauded funky design and make the Laguna the most boring car ever made. Presumably in search the fabled upmarket, er, market the Laguna has undergone a rather conservative restyle that met with almost universal dismay.

Still, with a stiffened suspension for better handling and a decidedly improved interior, the Laguna´s benchmark is clearly moving towards the German premium compacts rather fighting it out with the wallowy Euro barges. Does it succeed? Well not really, but the Laguna´s still a decent car.

It does drive well, offers high specification - alloys are offered as standard - and there's plenty of safety kit on all models.

New Citroen C5

• Out: March

• Price: From around £15,000

• Review: New Citroen C5 review

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Another new family saloon, another much-vaunted move upmarket. Citroen´s styling for the new C5 is impressive - fusing elements of the 3-Series, new Mondeo and Citroen´s own C6 - streets ahead of the metal slab that´s the outgoing model.

Now a genuine four-door saloon, the new C5 is larger than its predecessor with a huge boot. Upmarket tweaks include improved sound-proofing, better interior trim and fixed-centre controls steering wheel introduced first with the C4 models.

What´s more there´s a choice between Citroen´s magic carpet Hydractive suspension and a tauter set-up, meaning you can choose according to your needs.

New Mazda6

• Out: Now

• Price: From £15,100

• Review: New Mazda6 review

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The 6 never gets the plaudits that other cars in the segment get, but the new generation Mazda saloon is a big step up.

The interior of the car is much improved over the old model, and kit levels are generous - with alloys, aircon, alarm and CD player as standard - for the fairly low prices and running costs. What´s more the outgoing Mazda6 repeatedly wins used-car plaudits, so they´re clearly built to last.

There´s a good mix between ride and handling, though the engines do make their presence felt. Practicality is boosted by Mazda´s karakuri seating system which allows for much split folding.

New Mitsubishi Lancer

• Out: March

• Price: From £12,499

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Not the mental boy racer, but the more genteel saloon on which the Evo X is based, the Lancer is a small family car with four doors, a boot and low prices.

It won´t win any awards, but the Lancer is the cheapest new saloon on the market, with a generous boot and good standard kit.

If you´re looking for stunning performance, supremely cosseted ride or a plush interior you´re looking in the wrong place. But if you want a cheap saloon that won´t break down, try the Lancer.

New Chrysler Sebring

• Out: Now

• Price: From £17,995

• Review: New Chrysler Sebring review

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Unlike the Mondeo, the Sebring is an American car that wears its heritage on its sleeve. Typically soft American suspension and sluggish handling betray the Sebring´s roots.

However, for a genuinely stylish alternative to the usual saloons on the road, the Sebring - and its Dodge Avenger sibling - is sharply styled and unlikely to be a common sight on UK roads.

Add in a good boot, roomy interior and high standard specification, and the Sebring is an interesting alternative to the usual suspects. If you can overlook the uninspired drive, the Sebring may be for you.

New Chevrolet Epica

• Out: April

• Price: From £13,595

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Aimed purely and squarely at the budget market, the Epica is Chevrolet´s attempt to undercut the mainstream competition and the other budget models from the likes of Kia.

Promising the cheapest V6 engine on the market, the Epica packs a lot of kit into the entry-level model including aircon, cruise control, alloys, MP3 CD player and six airbags.

It´ll probably be rubbish to drive, but it´s cheap. Very cheap. That´s probably not how Chevy will advertise the saloon, but it´s probably not far off.

New Vauxhall Insignia

• Out: Late 2008

• Price: From around £15,000

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Despite its vilification there was nothing especially wrong with the outgoing Vectra, and it was one of the most comfortable cars in the segment. The new Insignia promises to be a rather different beast, based on the rather stunning GTC concept car unveiled by General Motors in 2007.

How much of that concept makes it into the Insignia remains to be seen, but Vauxhall is promising a move upmarket to follow the Mondeo´s lead.

Coupe-like styling, a plusher interior and environmental responsibility is promised by Vauxhall for the new Insignia, but the company is playing its cards close to its chest. Expect comfort and refinement to be the watchwords.

Needless to say, the Insignia will have to be breathing down the neck of the Mondeo if Vauxhall is to succeed.

New Honda Accord

• Out: June

• Price: From around £20,000

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Honda is promising the new Accord will be aimed squarely at the German premium saloon sector, but they all says that these days, don´t they?

New engines, uprated suspension and raft of electronic driver aids suggest the new Accord will be a more driver- friendly car than previous models - known for their worthiness.

Honda always has plenty of safety kit, equipment levels and the Accord is renowned as a comfortable car, so the new Accord will be aiming to be the best of both worlds.

The new model´s benchmarked on the 3-Series, indicating Honda´s intentions, and while it´s likely to be more expensive than many competitors, it might just be that bit better.

New Skoda Superb

• Out: September

• Price: From £15,195

Guess what? Skoda says the new Superb will move upmarket and trouble the traditional segment leaders.

The new Skoda saloon has benefited from a styling upgrade, while auto DSG transmisisons and four-wheel drive system hint at something rather more interesting. A range-topping 260bhp 3.6-litre FSI V6 also suggests that this is more than your traditional motorway cruiser.

A clever split tailgate, large boot, DVD satnav and adaptive headlights are among the more eye-catching gadgets.

How it will drive is mystery at present, but the circa starting £15K price tag suggests another strong competitor in the segment.

Other choices:

• New Toyota Avensis

• Out: Now

• Price: From £14,495

• Review: New Toyota Avensis review

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Aging, boring, but reliable. An increasingly common ploy among new-car buyers is to look at what private hire drivers own. They all own an Avensis.

• New Hyundai Sonata

• Out: Now

• Price: From £17,022

• Review: Hyundai Sonata review

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Recently updated, but a long way behind the competition and bizarrely expensive. An all-new model may prove a stiffer test in a couple of year´s time.

• New Peugeot 407

• Out: Now

• Price: From £15,700

• Review: Peugeot 407 review

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Competent but unremarkable saloon that looks good and has oodles of safety devices and standard kit. Not a great drive, though, and space and practicality are not strong points.

• Subaru Legacy

• Out: Now

• Price: From £18,022

• Review: Subaru Legacy review

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A truly leftfield choice in the D-segment sector. The Legacy is powerfully equipped but running costs may be high in the long run.

• New Volkswagen Passat

• Out: Now

• Price: From £15,825

• Review: Volkswagen Passat review

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A strong contender in this category, but getting long in the tooth and due an update. New BlueMotion variant worth a look though.