Faults:

Nothing.

General Comments:

Although nothing has gone wrong so far, the car has been into the main dealer for some recall warranty work, new clutch pedal spring, radiator mounts and plastic sleeves in the front suspension, they also replaced my anti roll bar bushes FOC.

Faults:

Car keeps pulling to the left, despite 2 attempts to get the tracking fixed.

General Comments:

Bought car at 1 year old from a car supermarket for £10k with 12,000 miles. It's the saloon version with automatic gearbox. High bootline makes reversing a real nightmare.

Because it's an ex-fleet car, it hasn't been fitted with any optional extras such as parking sensors or electric seats, which is disappointing. Interior is quite comfy, some ergonomics are weird, such as indicators and cruise control.

Suits motorway driving best, since around town the wide tyres tramline too much and the car's ride is sometimes fidgety over poor surfaces.

Car has plenty of power when overtaking, and makes long distance driving very relaxing. However, way too much tyre noise from Goodyear Eagle NCT tyres. This is not even the sports version, and you have so much roar!

First service at Vauxhall was under £140, which is dirt cheap for the size of the engine.

Lots of torque steer (211bhp going through the front wheels, what did I expect?).

Growl from exhaust is awesome though.

Fuel consumption has been around 18mpg around town and up to 37mpg on a long run with cruise control on. I find the around town fuel consumption to be excessive, since my 1992 Lexus LS400 with 180k and 4 litre V8 used the same amount of fuel. Would have thought engine design would have moved on since 1992.

Faults:

No faults, but the controls are irritating.

General Comments:

Good package of handling, performance, economy and features.

Vauxhall tried to cram too many quirky features into the controls and it's too easy to choose the wrong one. The indicators are annoying, and the rain-sensitive wipers are unpredictable.

Faults:

Nothing at all.

General Comments:

Stunning looks without looking boy racerish, mine's in pearlescent black and it looks awesome.

Fuel economy is amazing, on my motorway run it averages 60 mpg! Cruise control makes for a comfortable stress free journey.

Quieter than my previous Omega! Total absence of wind noise due to a smooth edgeless contour and engine cannot be heard. Infact only tyre noise and its my guess the stock goodyears could be improved on in future for better noise performance.

2.2 DTI engine not only offers wallet friendly economy, but driver satisfaction with strong torque across the rev range, excellent overtaking performance (betters the petrol version) and low revs even at motorway speeds.

As a sports model, the seats tend to be quite firm, but having driven long distances I find them supportive and comfortable.. Don't be put off with first impressions, your back will thank you for it! Total control over seat for driver makes for comfort.

Sports suspension surprisingly comfortable yet still gives great control on corners without wallow. An excellent balance between handling and comfort.

Lots of nice creature comforts, previously only seen on top exec cars. These include auto fade up and down interior lighting when unlocking the car and removing the keys after stopping, exterior number plate lamps illuminate when unlocking boot, door to door allows headlamps and reverse lamps to stay on for 30 seconds after you leave the car. Cruise control is standard, as is air con, traction control, ABS with brake assistance, corner brake control and electronic brake distribution. You also get fog lamps front and back, a rather nice computer with high resolution centre display featuring all the usual trip statistics plus check control and cd/radio display. Interior mirror electronically darkens should you be dazzled from behind, and theres a nice orange glow emitted from beneath it over the gear stick area, as found on BMW's. The brightness of this appears to be controlled automatically according to light levels.

Indicator stalk and wiper stalk can get a bit of getting use to, but once you do it seems logical and is ideal for lane changing. However I found sometimes its easy to knock on the cruise control when indicating, not a good idea!

Audio system supplied very good as in all vauxhalls, good bass and treble, but mid range lacks presence and sound in rear of car is awful. However apertures are present in the rear doors to fit tweeters so I might have a go at putting some in.

Storage space is excellent, boot (hatch) is cavernous and there's plenty of pockets, cup holders and compartments (including beneath arm rests!).

Silver trim (plastic) initially looked a bit naff, but it grows on you and it does brighten up the cabin. Infact the cabin feels airy and roomy with good choice of greys instead of the gloomy blacks as were in my omega! Plastics are of high quality, soft and satin appearance. A bit more real metal though would be nice!

Handling is superb, but steering can feel a bit too light and doesn't offer much driver feedback at times. Pedal spacing is good, clutch seems to need a fairly extensive travel and brakes are sensitive, requiring the lightest of touch (after the omega!). Handbrake positioning is a bit awkward though, as the arm rest is close to it and it seems to be a bit far back (the handbrake). Steering wheel is adjustable for rake and position and feels good.

Speedometer and rev counter are rather smaller than previous models and the close spacing of the numbering and italic like lettering makes them a bit difficult to glance at.. Also controls for windows and mirrors are on the doors and quite closely spaced, requiring me to look down before operating.

Security is excellent, with immobiliser and alarm system fitted as standard. It also looks like the alarm system has a remote battery backed siren included, though I am not sure.

Overall a fine car and a lot of motor for the money if you buy nearly new! As a diesel its the best of both worlds, excellent economy combined with good looks, performance and creature comforts.