General Comments:
I have only just got this car and thought I would share my first impressions.
This is the first diesel I have owned. My last car was a 2.5V6 Calibra and I can say this cars performance does live up to this. The turbo gives very sharp acceleration and the 6 speed gearbox is very smooth.
Comfort and equipment are very good. All electrics as you would expect. The seats are hard yet hug you tightly.
The car is gunmetal grey and looks awesome with the 17 inch wheels and tyres.
On the whole I am delighted with the car, but will update again once I have racked up a few miles.
I bought the car for £12 600 with 2300 miles and only 5 months old. Just don't buy a new one. Let someone else lose the heavy money.
Update:
Further to my earlier review. I have now had this car over a year and done a few thousand more miles in it.
I really love this car. It is sharp to drive, the steering is weighted and accurate. The handling is good. The 17 inch wheels ride well and the goodyear tyres give you good grip.
Performance is very good, as long as you are in the rev range for the turbo. If you pull out on someone without the revs up you have no performance. The six speed gearbox is good, and very comfortable on the motorway. Just set the cruise and enjoy.
We also have a 120 bhp Renault Laguna DCi - 2003. The Vectra leaves it standing in every area. Fuel economy = Vectra avg 48 mpg, Laguna avg 41 mpg. The Vectra is a much better car and the Laguna is merely average.
I heartily recommend the 150 bhp CDTi. Just don't buy a new one.
22nd Oct 2005, 06:11
I have owned and driven a V6 3litre CDTI SRI for over 18 months now (first reg in 53) and have had no problems with it. Have taken it to Germany where it has given impressive performance on the autobahn (145 mph - 35 mpg), and Hungary and it has never let me down. Careful driving (i.,e not exceeding UK speed limits) returns me about 40 mpg.
So far 25000 happy motoring miles covered.