Insignia/i40/superb/passat

spiderdrums

Hi,
I am looking into upgrading my car soon (2004 Mazda6 1.8L petrol), and looking at the various options out there. Budget wise I am looking between €13000 and €15000, won't get too much return on the Mazda i'm sure. I am looking for a diesel also as I would travel Donegal to Dublin 1-2 times a month.
My number one option at the moment is an Insignia SRI CDTI (2011-2012). Lately I have been looking at the Hyundai i40 1.7 and wouldn't rule out a Skoda superb or a passat. Haven't gone to look at any of these cars yet and I intend to do so over the coming weeks and take them on a test drive.
Does anyone recommend any of the above or have any advice on buying a car in this bracket? One thing that I have heard is that the mpg in the i40 is not great. Currently neither is the thirsty Mazda 6 which gets me approx 32 miles to the gallon or 7L for every 100km. I've averaged this out a number of times.
I would like to get something with decent mpg, it doesn't necessarily have to be record breaking but i would imagine most cars will be a vast improvement on the mazda. Obviously I would also like to get something that's fairly reliable, i know every car will have some defects but I really just want to avoid something that consistently unreliable and then make a judgement call on it and hope to be lucky!
Not sure yet whether to buy privately or go with a dealer, what generally is covered under a garage warranty for this age of car and for how long?
Many thanks in advance,
Spider

spiderdrums

Just an update on this query.

From looking a car reviews and reading various bits and pieces, I am now asking myself the question if I should consider a petrol car. I would travel Donegal to Dublin on average 2 times a month (550KM round trip, estimated annual mileage of 14000-16000KM). In the summer months I could do this journey 3 times a month but in the winter I could go 3-4 weeks without doing the trip. In between that I don't actually use the car too often and it might only be used once a week somewhere in the city. So I'd hazard a guess that 75% of my driving would be long journeys. Is it harmful to a diesel car to be sitting around for a few days at a time without been driven? Would my annual mileage and the type of mileage justify buying a diesel?
Doesn't seem to be a lot of petrol options out there other than the mid size focus/corolla types cars.
Any advice appreciated
Spider

spakman

Hi spiderdrums, did you decide what to go for!?
I'm thinking of buying one of those (maybe new). Similar to yourself I'd be driving across the country 1-2 a month. Apart from that I'd be up and down the M50 every day (35km each way) so I'd probably go for the diesel.
Initially I was leaning to the Insignia, lovely looking car, but I read a few bad reviews, lot of road noise, relatively poor handling etc.
On the other hand the Superb gets fantastic reviews, but it's a bit bland looking and it's a Skoda (still can't shrug off the cheapy image I have of Skodas!)

_Brian

Op mentioned an i40..
It shouldn't really be considered alongside the likes of a Superb..

I've driven my sisters i40 on long journeys and hated every mile.. Its very uncomfortable and small feeling inside. She has an ex-demo 141, good spec but it just doesn't have that luxury car feel.. More along the lines of a Corolla really. the fancy lights that turn into the corners are "unusual", cant quite decide if I like it or not..

Few months ago I test drove all the others OP mentioned and by far the Superb was the better motor to drive.. Unfortunitely it was just too many €€'s and we opted for our second choice, 2.0 Mondeo Zetec, very happy with it.

Lord Riverside

When choosing between petrol and diesel its your average annual mileage that counts, not the odd long trip. Larger cars these days don't really leave you with many petrol options. With your annual mileage you should be safe enough from the dreaded diesel dpf issues. Diesels are not that more expensive anymore, and might be slightly easier to sell on in a large car come changing time.

Lord Riverside

_Brian wrote: »

Op mentioned an i40..
It shouldn't really be considered alongside the likes of a Superb..

I've driven my sisters i40 on long journeys and hated every mile.. Its very uncomfortable and small feeling inside. She has an ex-demo 141, good spec but it just doesn't have that luxury car feel.. More along the lines of a Corolla really. the fancy lights that turn into the corners are "unusual", cant quite decide if I like it or not..

Few months ago I test drove all the others OP mentioned and by far the Superb was the better motor to drive.. Unfortunitely it was just too many €€'s and we opted for our second choice, 2.0 Mondeo Zetec, very happy with it.

Superb is a grand big car on the the motorway, but a pig for driving in town or country roads.

spiderdrums

Thanks for the replies,
Haven't actually gone for anything yet as my OH is in the middle of changing jobs and there's a possibility that she may need the car to travel to work which would mean city driving every day of the week and more than likely in a stop start situation which in my opinion would not suit a diesel car. In that case I may hold onto the current car or look at a petrol option.
However if that doesn't work out I'll be looking at a diesel. Had a spin in a 2010 passat highline 1.9 which was okay (I much prefare the aesthetics of the newer model) and also in an insignia but it was an s model which was a bit bland but I would like to test drive the SRI model before ruling it out.
The mondeo is definitely a good option, I would prefare the titanium version if it came at the right price but a 2.0L zetec facelift model 2011/2012 I would also consider.
Wasn't really considering it but I've seen a the tourer version of the avensis and quite like it, I do like some estate cars and the extra space is something I would definitely make use of, anyone got any comments on the avensis tourer?

Thanks

Spider

edburg

I been running a insignia elite 160 cdti for 2 years now. Super comfy and great for long distance driving, has enough grunt to get past the tractors and trucks.

Can't knock it all really, only gripe I tend to have is dual mass fly wheel with electric handbrake/hill assist is a bollox to get used. I do stall it often due to brakes not releasing as quick as the manual handbrake in Astra.

I would avoid the lesser spec 120/130 bhp engines, 160 is good but doubt the 120/130 engines have that much grunt.