Insignia or Avensis ? Advice

I may be wrong, but doesnt the insignia have a bit of a bad rep?

colm_mcm wrote: »

I may be wrong, but doesnt the insignia have a bit of a bad rep?

The insignia seems to keep a low enough profile, i.e. I've not heard anything bad about it.

The current model Avensis is a very poor car in every conceivable measure. Relatives of mine have one, and I hate it. I much prefer the previous Mk2 Avensis to be honest. It rides better and has a nicer interior.

It just goes to show the stangehold Toyota has on the average motorist that a car as poor as the current model Avensis is considered to be a "better" car than any of its rivals even though every other car in the Avensis segment is better than the Avensis. And don't play the reliability card either, that had some sway in the 80s and 90s, but ever since the start of the current millenium, Toyotas have been nothing to write home about with regards to reliability. Remember all those Corollas and Avensis burning oil?

Toyota have gone downhill massively compared to the Corollas and Avensis they made around nine or ten years ago.

I know the Insignia had issues at the start, but they're supposed to have sorted out all the reliability issues with them by now.

If you want a reliable car that is actually a nice place to pass your time by (which presumably you'd value since you're doing 40,000 km a year), buy a Mondeo, Superb or especially an Accord.

I wouldn't bother with a 1.6 diesel to be honest, smaller capacity engines in cars that size will in all liklihood use more fuel than a 2.0 diesel on the motorway as they won't have the power of the larger capacity units.

andrew1977 wrote: »

Great stuff, thanks for your opinion.
Yeah i am in the car morning noon and night, so a comfortable car and nice drive would be superb.
Ideally i am looking for something decent to drive, but also need to watch my fuel economy, like us all, fuel prices are hitting my pocket big time.
What would you recommend for mondeo, superb or Accord ? Any links to any of them which might tempt me and sway my mind ?:)
Thanks again

The Mondeo would easily be the most rewarding car of that lot to drive, and for that reason it would be my choice.

The Mondeo is the best to drive, the Superb is the most comfortable, and the Accord is the most reliable, but all three are around the same for economy and all three will be comfortable and with the right engine, reliable. In truth it depends on how much you value comfort over a rewarding drive, the Mondeo is still a very comfortable car even though it's not as good as the Superb for example.

You should try all three of them, it's you that will be driving it, not me:)!

Just one word of warning with the Superb, avoid the 2.0 TDI PD engine, as it can be very unreliable, problems with the oil pumps and so on, however the 2.0 TDI CR or the 1.9 TDI are perfectly reliable. All 170 bhp 2.0 TDIs are CR engines, but only later model 140 bhp 2.0 TDIs are CR engines. Apart from the TDI PD engine, they're usually give very little trouble.

There are no real problems to worry about with the Mondeo or the Accord, although most people will tell you that the 2.0 TDCi in the Mondeo is a much nicer engine to drive than the 1.8, so it's worth finding one of those.

Like any modern diesel you can get DPF and DMF failure, but since you're doing 40,000 km, and presumably most of that is out of town driving, you don't need to worry about the DPF at all and the DMF is unlikely to fail until much higher mileage, it's something to be aware of as the miles pile on but I wouldn't be losing a night's sleep over it either if you're driving it the way diesels were intended to be driven!

OP isn't going to find a 2010 Accord or Superb for 20k. Might pick up the 1.9 TDI Superb but that is a PD too. Earlier accord had the CTDI engine and should be avoided. DTEC is meant to be a cracking engine but likely over budget. EDIT - or not apparently.

That leaves the Mondeo. Great to drive and the 140bhp lump is lively enough but I don't get what the fuss is about. The design is too busy and the interior doesn't age well. I had a 2010 for a test drive last year and the interior was shabby. Looked far older than it was. That put me off buying a new one (among other things).

captainspeed wrote: »

The 1.9 TDI is bulletproof, it's only the 2.0 TDI PD that one should worry about:)! The 2.0 TDI CR is fine as well.

Maybe so but it's not very refined and 105 bhp in a barge like a Superb isn't going to be much fun. 140 bhp 2.0 is the one to go for (or the 170 with DSG!)

Every time I see a Superb I wish I had bought one.

The Mazda 6 is nicer to drive again than the Mondeo, and doesn't look shyte! The 2.2 in 163bhp form should be a good car. Accord is also an excellent car, with an excellent engine.

walus wrote: »

I had a hired Insignia and can comment on its "on the road" performance. It was a 110 bhp diesel, 2011 model. First and foremost it is not a driver's car - feels very heavy on the road and the steering wheel gives very poor feedback as to what actually happens with the front wheels. At some point on a motorway I had to avoid a car that has just pulled out on me to the fast lane and had to do a quick maneuver - right/left. The car started to swing left to right as I tried to compensate for it on the steering wheel. It eventually stopped, but it seemed there was relatively long delay between steering wheel movement and wheels' action. I had to perform similar maneuvers before but never ever a car perform that bad on me. I heard that for 2012 Opel updated the software for the steering, after the feedback it got from the customers. For me it just does not feel right that such an important mechanism as steering is run by a piece of software. I already miss old fashion mechanics in cars - something that proved it worked for 30 years before someone decided it could be made cheaper...

Personally I would go for Honda Accord or Subaru Legacy, alternatively Mazda 6. All made still in Japan, you do not have to worry about reliability and both Honda and Subaru diesels refinement is top of its class.

Have you driven a right hand drive spec Insignia so, because the least powerful right hand drive Insignias have 130 bhp (apart from the 1.6 petrol which isn't even sold anymore and was rarer than hen's teeth when it was sold). Right hand drive Insignias have a different suspension setup compared to left hand drive models (specifcally the RHD models have suspension settings which are *supposed to* be more appropriate for Irish and UK roads).

As for the electric power steering comment, pretty much every car out there now has electric power steering, Japanese cars included! Only the Peugeot 508 and Ford Mondeo have hydraulic power steering as far as I know now. Electric power steering rarely gives trouble in any car, but I do agree that it doesn't always provide the kind of feedback that you get from a good hydraulic setup. Then again, there are plenty of cars with hydraulic power steering that offer no feedback whatsoever, and some cars with electric power steering are still good to drive! People always rave about how a 3 series drives, but that has had electric power steering since 2005!

The 6 diesel was an absolute disaster for reliability although they changed the engine in it about a year ago or thereabouts. The 2.0 diesel must be avoided at all costs. Stereotyping about Japanese cars being more reliable is just that - a stereotype. It does have an element of truth, but buying Jap does not automatically mean reliability comes as standard!

I am not familiar with the Legacy but the current model is in tax band D, despite the fact that its predecessor was in band C! The old model certainly is worth considering though.

walus wrote: »

It was an Irish car, from one of the rentals here. I assumed it was 110 bhp, as it was too slow for 130 bhp one. In general it was poor to drive, felt heavy did not like cornering at all - a bit like driving a bath full of water.

The diesel Insignia came in 130bhp and 160bhp.

I have an Insignia SRi, 160bhp. I love it. Haven't had a moment of bother with it.

I do a good bit of driving in it. Last weekend drove Dublin to Limerick and back. A real pleasure to drive on the motorway. Stick on cruise control and relax. Great response and performance from the engine. I've never had any problems cornering either, even if going slightly too fast for some. :eek:

SC is almost the base model.

Check the Opel website for details on the base spec.

To me, the price sounds a little high, but you could always offer a little lower and see what happens.

andrew1977 wrote: »

http://www.gowanmotors.ie/vehicle/opel-insignia-sc20cdti130pseco4dr4dr-2010-2835/

I was having a look round online, came across the above care for sale.
Is that a good price , spec etc for the price ?
Or is there better value to be had on other models/specs ?
I aint too clued in on the specs and whats the extra cost involved

Thanks again folks.

That's listed as having the plus pack so gets probably the best looking wheels from the whole range. Only single zone climate and all cloth seats, but not missing much else the SE has.

For such low mileage its not a bad price as they are holding value very well. Take a drive though as its the eco engine which made is worse to drive than the previous engine.