The Rover Hondas were actually good cars....

When I used to sell Rovers in the 90's the 214 and 216 were vastly superior to the Golf. 

 

Really. Dad had a 214. It was unreliable and when rust appeared all the dealer did was write "door rusty" in the service book.

 

Best thing that happened to it was when the insurance company wrote it off after a minor bump.

 

He replaced it with a Golf. Kept it 6 years and never had an issue. Bit sparse but it all worked and no rust.

 

Me and the Mrs had 2 Mk 2's and a Mk 3 Golf. Did about 230,000 miles over a 17 year period with no major expenses other than the usual batteries, exhausts, tyres etc.

 

One of the Mk 2's is still on the road and is over 27 years old now. How many early 90's Rover 214/6's do you see.

Mmmm, let me think, it's simple really look at the crap Austin/Morris/Leyland produced in the 70's/80's compared to their German counterparts who took the mantra evolution not revolution to car manufacturing. Couple that with what you learn as a child tends to stick with you. Then in the last 10 years when they looked down from a lofty height at other car manufacturers (granted Mercedes were late to the party) and decided to introduce design and style there is no doubt if you want a solidly built, beautifully engineered and styled car look no further than BMW, Mercedes, Audi/VW.

Mercedes were never late to the party - they were the epitome of engineering and quality, right up until the late 90's, then they just totally took their foot off the gas. Glad to see they're bringing it back...E class will probably be my next car.

Having been in a NEW 66 plate Astra Hatch last week, Vauxhall / Opel / GM have really up'ed their game this time i thought with the mid spec'ed Astra i was in.

 

Personnally, they should of dropped the Insigna naming, just like they did with Cavalier, Vectra etc, even if it was just for the UK market..

Mercedes were never late to the party - they were the epitome of engineering and quality, right up until the late 90's, then they just totally took their foot off the gas. Glad to see they're bringing it back...E class will probably be my next car.

With Merc I'm not doubting the engineering and quality just some of the designs looked a bit steady and stale in the C and E class compared to BMW and Audi. But the latest generation of C and E class are just great looking cars and I agree if I can find the right deal when I'm ready to change the latest E will be on my shortlist.

Ever noticed that Vauxhall don't publish the vehicle weight on their website......that's because they are bloody heavy, several 100kg more than a Superb

With Merc I'm not doubting the engineering and quality just some of the designs looked a bit steady and stale in the C and E class compared to BMW and Audi. But the latest generation of C and E class are just great looking cars and I agree if I can find the right deal when I'm ready to change the latest E will be on my shortlist.

And the quality wasn't there either...I think between circa early noughties and 2007 ish they took a massive dip, but it's definitely back to where they used to be and on a par with Audi / BMW etc.

There's some great lease deals on the E220d, that's why it's so tempting!

Having been in a NEW 66 plate Astra Hatch last week, Vauxhall / Opel / GM have really up'ed their game this time i thought with the mid spec'ed Astra i was in.

 

Personnally, they should of dropped the Insigna naming, just like they did with Cavalier, Vectra etc, even if it was just for the UK market..

 

The new Astra is indeed a totally different beast. They're smaller outside than ever, but bigger inside than ever. They are well screwed together, now have nicely controlled handling, and the 200ps 1.6 turbo petrol is rather brisk (6.6s to 60) but still returned 40mpg real world in weekend long YouTube reviews (Ausfhart). If the new Insignia has had similar treatment I'd definitely take a second look at one for my next lease if a 5 series ends up off the cards.

I would be more interested in the Insignia Sports Tourer and the Insignia Country Tourer, especially the country version if the price is not crazy high, otherwise the sports tourer would do just fine.

 

Both these versions should have a larger rear passenger space and a larger boot than Superb III.

 

Both cars would be larger at about 5 meters compared to the normal version.

 

Pictures apparently of the new Insignia Sports Tourer.

 

http://www.carscoops.com/2016/12/2017-opel-insignia-sport-tourer-also.html

Edited 7 January, 20179 yr by umbral

Slightly biased, I know, but Vauxhall anything vs Skoda? No, just no! We've got the latest Corsa on a dirt cheap lease as a second car and the build quality doesn't even come close. Wish I'd paid a tenner more per month and gone for the Fabia.

Edited 8 January, 20179 yr by GrahamGM

I don't like the rear lights much and that low shot of the rear shows up the messy exhaust etc. underneath.