Because if I put the dog in the boot I would get some nob head moaning that I was being cruel to animals.
Problem is, as good as a Bentley may be I would feel a complete **** driving it, so would never entertain it.
Why be so precise about a conceptual comparison? Choose any other car that you fancy with a budget equivalent to the value of yours. The point is that the OP chose two cars that were actually quite similar and, to most people's viewpoint, perfectly comparable.
I have driven quite a few Fords recently, and to be honest the fact they are FWD is enough to ruin it for me. They are perfectly fine in every area, but they just don't excite me or feel special in anyway.
This is always the bit on this forum that I love the best. The almost religious deference to the "handling" of the 211. The fact is, it is a very uninvolving car to drive and even a Focus will run rings round it in terms of feel, precision, body control and entertainment value. The 211 E-Class has only two saving graces: RWD and the option of Airmatic. Amazingly, Airmatic - the one feature of the car that redeems the otherwise lacklustre feel of the car (from a "driver's" point of view) - is not even specified by many owners who then rave about their car's handling.
I haven't driven a 212 but I hear it's good, but the 211 is one of the soggiest cars I have ever driven.
I would put the W211 up against loads of new cars, for me it beats the new 5 series, certainly better than the A6 and in may ways I prefer it to the W212 as a family load lugger as it is softer and more comfy, plus I like a light interior.
At least the Volvo V70 is a complete comfort wagon and doesn't pretend to be anything else which is where so many cars seem to fail these days, they try and be to many things. And that is what I love about the W211, it doesn't try and do anything other than be a very smooth. comfortable everyday car.
Now you are on to the S211's real strength - load carrying and comfort and, in those departments, I agree with you that it is unequalled. However, I can only assume that you have never driven the current V70 for it is neither well sprung (it has a harsh, choppy ride that feels under-developed - as if the designers got part way through the chassis tuning and then went on strike) nor is it spacious, having the smallest interior of any 70-series Volvo ever, in fact it is cramped in both the front and rear cabins and the tailgate section isn't that big, either.
Edit: The gap can be tiny between the two, the fact is I enjoy one and not the other.
It was you who implied that the gap between the two was enormous with you analogy of a bottle of meths and a bottle of fine wine. The problem is you were so dismissive of the OP's choice of cars that you set yourself up rather.
If you are now acknowledging that (in some ways) the gap between an S-Max and an S211 is quite small, then I would agree with you - and I would choose the 211 as well.
