Deciding on a New Car

Mono25

Need some help from all you car enthuasiasts.

In the next couple of months I will be ordering a company car. It has to be European model? and a diesel. My choices are Peugot 407, Citreon C5, Volvo S40, Volkswagen Passat, Opel Insignia, Renault Laguna, Ford Mondeo. The engine can't be over 2ltr and I cant get the top of the range models.

Cost and fuel efficiency aren't really a concern. Comfort, safety,reliability (alot of mileage), space and extras as standard are.

Any opinions or suggestions

Cheers

colm_mcm

Mono25 wrote: »

Need some help from all you car enthuasiasts.

In the next couple of months I will be ordering a company car. It has to be European model? and a diesel. My choices are Peugot 407, Citreon C5, Volvo S40, Volkswagen Passat, Opel Insignia, Renault Laguna, Ford Mondeo. The engine can't be over 2ltr and I cant get the top of the range models.

Cost and fuel efficiency aren't really a concern. Comfort, safety,reliability (alot of mileage), space and extras as standard are.

Any opinions or suggestions

Cheers

Here's my process of elimination.

All cars listed will do safety.
If you want space, then the Volvo is the first to go.
The Mondeo is too common, so that's gone too.
The 407 is so old hat at this stage, it has to be eliminated
VW Passat is too obvious, and you'll prob be given the horrid 1.9

So it's down to Insignia, C5 or Laguna.

I like the look of the Renault least, and despite loving the styling of the C5 and hearing of improved quality on both cars, I'd take the Opel.

Reliability will be close enough, I would imagine the S40 and the Mondeo would be the best of them, given that the S40 is basically a Focus.



How does the "has to be European" thing work in practice? do you know the reasoning? Also, Ford is American and some Japanese marques (Like Honda) are built in the UK

Stevie Dakota

For me it would be the C5 2.0 HDI Exclusive, you owe it to yourself to find one and look at it, inside and out. It is stunning and ticks your boxes better than any other. After that it would be the Insignia but I doubt it can touch the C5 for comfort, and space is compromised too.

Mono25

Thanks for the replies. I am one of these people who cant make decisions!!!!

I have to idea why the european rule. I think its something to do with it being a european company but I dont really buy that. Is there a preferential tax break?? I can only assume its financially beneficial somehow.

Dont want to offend anyone but do citreons not have a bad name?

unkel

If you are allowed to go for the C5 Exclusive* 2l diesel, by all means go for it - someone else is footing the bill

With my own money, I'd get the Mondeo


*That's the one with hydractive suspension - list price €36k though :eek:

Edit - @Stevie Dakota, great minds and all that

Johnboy Mac

unkel wrote: »

If you are allowed to go for the C5 Exclusive* 2l diesel, by all means go for it - someone else is footing the bill

With my own money, I'd get the Mondeo


*That's the one with hydractive suspension - list price €36k though :eek:

Edit - @Stevie Dakota, great minds and all that

+1

poreilly101

How about the Alfa 159? The current 1.9 diesel (150 Bhp) is a fine engine. The car is one of the best in it's class for handling. It looks the business. (I'm biased, I just picked up a new one 2 months ago)

Other than that i'd look at the Opel Insignia, 2.0 Diesel 160bhp - If you can't go for top of the range which is the Elite model, you could look at the sporty sxi Model

Finally the 2.0 C5 is not a bad car, it has quite a lot of quirky features. The executive (maybe called the Exclusive) model would be the bees knees

R.O.R

Ignore the 407 - it's very dated and not a patch on the competition
Volvo S40 is a nice car, well specced, but no where near the size of the others
The new Laguna is supposed to be a lot better than the outgoing model, but there must be a reason why there are hardly any on the roads.
Citroen C5 is a lovely looking car, but I don't think it holds up in the competition unless you are going for the top spec model - also the resale will be lower than the other (except the Laguna)
VW Passat is the common choice in this segment. Fairly well specced and big, but not the best by any means.
Ford Mondeo is a great car. Huge amounts of space inside and really comfortable to do the miles in, but...........

I've never been a fan of Opels and in the past would always have taken a Ford instead, but I have been very surprised by the quality of the Insignia. Having driven the Insignia back to back with the Mondeo, the Insignia wins hands down for performance and specification.

If you aren't allowed the top of the range model then try to get a 160ps SE or SRi - depends on whether comfort or sportiness is more important as they are both the same price. Even the SC model with a plus pack (18" Alloys and Fog Lights) would be a good bet.

Drummerboy08

I had an SC with a plus pack and an Elite outside beside each other last week. Not one person who came into the office could spot the Top end model, and the base model. They both look the same.

There isnt a whole lot in the difference between the SE ans SC, if you had to, a 160bhp SC with a plus pack would be a lovely car to be in for a few years.

The C5 would be nice, but they are very expensive for what they are. You'd have a very well-specced Insignia, Mondeo or a decent Passat for the same money, or less. I know money isnt your concern here, unless you have a particular limit or price bracket.

If it was me, i'd be taking the Insignia.

Lex Luthor

If you can't get yourself a 159 1.9JTDm Lusso, then tell them to go to hell...

Stevie Dakota

Lex Luthor wrote: »

If you can't get yourself a 159 1.9JTDm Lusso, then tell them to go to hell...

If comfort is a priority then forget the Alfa straight away.

MarkN

I'd go Opel also.

Reliability and French motoring don't go hand in hand too easily in fairness.

Padraig Mor

I'd be looking at either the C5 or the Mondeo. S40 is nice, but a lot smaller than the others. I'm obviously biased about the C5 but it is a fantastically comfortable car. Exclusive model would be nice but don't dismiss the mid-range Dynamique (which i have) - it is very well equipped compared to most. Definitely check it out in the flesh anyway. However, if you could stretch to a Mondeo Titanium X (36k+ but not quite the top model) I'd seriously consider it.

Zube

Is there a reason the Skoda Superb is excluded?

pburns

The eulogising about the C5 on this board is mad! It's heavily based on the quite-soon-to-be-superceded 407, the interior is very average and the CO2/BHP figures (and resulting tax bands) for the diesel are woefully uncompetitive. The weedy (for this size/weight of car - 110bhp) 1.6D has the same CO2 figures as competitors' 2.0Ds

A good-looking but very average car (with the usual French reliability worries) IMO.

Zube

pburns wrote: »

The weedy (for this size/weight of car - 110bhp) 1.6D has the same CO2 figures as competitors' 2.0Ds

Ehh, no, it doesn't:

C5 1.6 140
C5 2.0 157

Mondeo 1.8 100 bhp 149
Mondeo 1.8 110 bhp 154
Mondeo 2.0 140 bhp 157

Passat 2.0 140 bhp 146

Volvo S40 2.0 153

Insignia 2.0 130 bhp 154

etc. etc.

Mono25

Cheers for the replies, i seem to vearing towards the insignia i dont know why maybe cos its new but i dont know. i suppose the skoda isn't excluded but i just never thought of it or the alfa but thats mainly cos i always assumed it was more expensive than these bracket of cars.

whats the skoda like? is it really that superb. Did yis see what i did there!!!!!!

Stevie Dakota

Mono25 wrote: »

whats the skoda like? is it really that superb. Did yis see what i did there!!!!!!

It's just so bloody ugly, Skoda deserve to be punished for making us look at it.

Padraig Mor

pburns wrote: »

The eulogising about the C5 on this board is mad! It's heavily based on the quite-soon-to-be-superceded 407,.

So?

the interior is very average .

Some may quibble about the small stereo buttons but its interior is the C5's trump card - it's sumptious. IIRC you have a Subaru Legacy diesel saloon. I went into the local Subaru/Citroen dealer seriously considering the Legacy but left with a C5. One of the primary reasons was that the C5's interior is vastly superior to the cheap plastic festooning the Legacy.

and the CO2/BHP figures (and resulting tax bands) for the diesel are woefully uncompetitive. The weedy (for this size/weight of car - 110bhp) 1.6D has the same CO2 figures as competitors' 2.0Ds

As someone already posted, they have now improved their figures (although I still wouldn't buy the 1.6).

A good-looking but very average car (with the usual French reliability worries) IMO.

Have mine nine months with zero problems. Were you the Boardsie with the diesel Legacy problems BTW?

Padraig Mor

Stevie Dakota wrote: »

It's just so bloody ugly, Skoda deserve to be punished for making us look at it.

+1. Saw one in the flesh yesterday. Dear God...... If they hadn't lashed it with the ugly stick it would really be a complete package with the right engine.

R.O.R

Mono25 wrote: »

whats the skoda like? is it really that superb. Did yis see what i did there!!!!!!

Apart from looking like it fell from the very top of the ugly tree, and got a good clattering from every branch on the way down, it is Superb in every other way.

I've had one in so far this year, and it's the one car everyone has stopped to poke around in. The Saloon/Hatch function is the main thing everyone was looking at, but the space in the rear seats (even behind a 6ft 3" driver) is unbelievable.

The one I had in was a 2.0Tdi 170 Ambition - retail is €32,330 and it's a hell of a lot of car for the money. Could have done with bigger wheels (16" I think and they look a bit lost), but touch screen Bluetooth radio, cruise control and the nice touch of the umbrella in the rear door, are not to be sniffed at for that money.

If you can get over the looks and the badge, and the fact the re-sale isn't going to be on par with the Insignia / Mondeo, it's a smart choice to make.