I’ve been reading plenty of highly entertaining, occasionally humorous fiction this summer. Some – not all – car makers are responsible for keeping me amused, with their published official price lists (not to be confused with discount prices that may be available).
Before you can appreciate the comedy of what some of these papers contain, it’s crucial to remind yourself of a few oft-forgotten parameters. World-class city cars still start at a not-unreasonable £9,000, and around £11,000-£12,000 places you in quality supermini territory.
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Think £16,000-£17,000 as a fair official price for a legitimate family hatchback. Make that nearer £20,000 for a pukka family saloon. and even if you impose a cap of £30k, you could still end up with a proper premium sedan or SUV.
Simple, right? but the comedy kicks in when Volkswagen, for example, insists that its range-topping city car (the e-up!) costs £25,280. Audi A1 superminis starting at £15k-plus are also funny for the wrong reasons, as is the humble 1.0-litre focus on which Ford slaps a whopping £21,535 sticker. That’s a near-identical price to the larger-engined Mercedes A-Class or BMW 1 series – and it’s bonkers.