Are vauxhall / Opel cars any good ?
What do you think ?
Whilst driving my wife's Meriva the other day I began to think about Vauxhall / Opel cars in general and whether they were actually any good.
My recent experiences with driving Vauxhall Opel vehicles include :-
Vauxhall Insignia 2.0 Diesel - 3 years old 56000 miles - My old company car
Vauxhall Insignia 2.0 Diesel eco - New 56 miles - My new company car
Vauxhall Astra 1.3 Diesel eco - New 24000 miles - Company pool car
Vauxhall Meria 1.8 Petrol - 9 years old 122000 miles - Wife's runabout
Vauxhall Corsa 1.0 Petrol - 14 years old 120000 miles - Sons car
Vauxhall Meriva 1.3 Diesel - 4 years old 23000 miles - Friends car
Vauxhall Vectra 2.0 Petrol - 5 years old 45000 miles - Friends car
As you can see I have driven a few Vauxhalls over the last few years and my first overriding impression is that they have on the whole been reliable, comfortable, economical and generally good value.
I have also come to the conclusion that they all feel the same. Now I dont know if this is a good thing or not but apart from the size they could all be the same car with the same controls and running gear just in different size body.
So if they are all the same car but with different body sizes then I think vauxhall should rename the models to reflect this so my suggestions for new vauxhall model designations are as follows :-
Agila = Tiny Car
Addam = Tiny Car 2
Corsa = Small Car
Meriva = Small and Tall Car
Astra = Medium Car
Zafira = Large and Tall car
Cascadia = Small and Low car
Insignia = Large Car
Mokka = Small and Tall Car 2
Antra = Medium and Tall Car
Corsa Van = Small Van
Combo Van = Medium Van
Vivaro Van = Large Van
Mivano = Xtra Large Van
No need to test drive them, If you have driven one Vauxhall in the last 10 years you will know what all the others feel like as they are all basically the same.
Now as I said before is this necessarily a bad thing, I don't think so but what do you think ?
This is a valid question. If you're satisfied with Vauxhall, no matter what model it is, it isn't necessarily bad in the long run. Perhaps the cost should be considered -- if a more expensive Vauxhall drives the same way as a cheaper one, and there are no upgrades to it, then it's an issue. But if there are added amenities that really make a difference, I'd see that as a plus. Being familiar to a new car, brand new or used, is something a driver has to ease into. It can be quite awkward at first, but I trust you'll do just fine. Drive safely!
ReplyDeleteColin Morton @ SeaPort Auto