It’s undoubtedly the benchmark car for executive chauffeur work, but the Mercedes-Benz E-Class has recently found itself under threat.

Volvo’s advertising rather grandly bills the arrival of its new XC90 SUV as “a new beginning” for the company.

The launch of the new Ford Mondeo has been a long and rather tortuous one. Initially shown at the 2012 Paris Motor Show, the car didn’t go on sale until this year after Ford decided to close a plant and shift all production to…