The new Ford Mondeo was very well received when it was released last year (see our reviews here and here). Our road tester hailed it as the best car in its class and “the best car Ford has produced for a decade“.
But now its rivals have the Mondeo in their sights and we’ve just driven the latest, the new Honda Accord.
The Renault Laguna and Citroen C5 have also been updated recently and, like Honda, Renault has followed Ford’s lead of paying more attention to improving the quality of the interior, to tempt buyers away from the BMW 3 Series and Mercedes C Class.
The next car to try this approach is the Vauxhall Insignia (formerly the Vectra).
Do you own any of these cars - or are thinking of buying one? Which is the best family saloon car?
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22 Comments
April 18, 2008 at 10:58 pm
Once again Vauxhall/Opel/GM come up with fighting eloquence to promote a new model which seems well enough designed to transform that eloquence into sales. That’s what they did with the various Cavalier generations and tweaks, and with the various Vectra generations and tweaks. But those models of the past never left forecourts quickly enough, leaving fleet sales to recoup the costs of design and development, and of the more and more expensive production tooling.
It’s not fair to judge the Insignia on the commercial success of its forebears, but that’s what people do. Ask Honda, where the top brass must spend more time scratching their heads than running the company. Their technology is at the very point of car engineering, their design more and more daring, but the public still judge Honda on the past: Honda for the pipe-and-slippers brigade. “Mondeo man” has little time for Honda.
So, the Insignia is going to have to be excellent, and twice: once to defeat the inertia of Vauxhall/Opel’s past, then the second time to sell cars today and.in the immediate future. Very tough, particularly in the very uncertain world economy we have slid into. GM Europe need this car to win, even if it’s only for the sake of their employees.
By the way, it’s very surprising that the name “Insignia” was still available for a car. (Look at Peugeot’s problems with the James Bond-ish, not, 1007.) Someone somewhere in GM had their eyes on the ball to spot that one.
April 19, 2008 at 8:00 pm
what would you pick out of the 2? most of us will go for looks, and i have to say by a mile the new Insignia has the looks, park it next to a BMW and it would be hard to see which is the BMW, sorry to the mondeo owners but its such a ugly car!! ill save my money for the vux Insignia
April 20, 2008 at 1:09 am
No way will this beat or even match the mondeo. The mondeo is the best new car on the market right now and vauxhall, despite changing it, still suffer from the stigma attached to the vauxhall badge. Shame as I bet this is a great car and a huge improvement on the vectra.
April 20, 2008 at 6:06 pm
Nothing new or original there, then.
April 21, 2008 at 11:58 am
I suppose the new Vauxhall looks OK… not quite as out of proportion as the new Mondeo anyway. If I wanted a front drive saloon as my next car I’d choose a Mazda6 or S60, however I’d much prefer to go with RWD which leads me to an IS or 3 Series.
April 21, 2008 at 2:37 pm
Being a Vectra owner I have been waiting to see what the replacement will offer and have to say first impressions are excellent. The Insignia certainly has the looks - better than the new Mondeo - but will it’s interior live up to Vauxhall’s hype? The Vectra has acres of plastic and one of the most uninspiring dashboards in it’s class of vehicle. Also, let’s hope they have got the chassis right this time - the Vectra, while an excellent motorway cruiser, just doesn’t feel ’safe’ on roads with twists and bends. Vauxhall have got the styling right so if they get the interior and drive to the correct standards then perhaps Ford should watch their backs!!!! I shall look forward to the test drive.
April 21, 2008 at 8:46 pm
the vauxhall has been playing catch up with ford for years now and it looks like they will be doing it for a long time to come ? yes the new insignia looks good but looks aren’t everything . keep trying vauxhall .
April 22, 2008 at 10:16 am
I’ve been running the latest Vectra for the last 2 years and 60k miles - for me it does exactly what I need (that is need, rather than want) from a car:
Cheap to run (£160 pa servicing)
Over 30mpg (petrol auto and a lead-foot)
Seats five and all their luggage, or will carry four bikes, a roof box, four bikers and enough stuff for four bikers
Cheap on tax (company car)
Quiet, good stereo
Good enough handling, and very good at high-speed cruising, even in winds
And more importantly, has never let me down
And I’m due a new car, so will either take another Vectra as a company car, or a nearly new one as a private car.
April 23, 2008 at 6:33 am
I m sorry but why is vauxhall and ford being mentioned in the same sentence as bmw or mercedes? you would seriously need your head looking at if you brought one of those over a bmw or merc!
April 24, 2008 at 2:00 pm
I was waiting for Vauxhall to improve on the looks of the 07 Vectra and have to say they have done a brilliant job, although not quite a 3 Series (that’s a car you can’t keep up with), but getting there. However it has beaten the C-Class on it’s looks - Sorry Germans, but gotta speak the truth.
As for the interior, I’ve not checked it out yet, but God I hope it’s a bit less cramped than the previous Vectra!
As for head on head with the Mondeo, that is a diffcult one indeed, Ford got there first but then vauxhall managed to catch up, maybe I should just cast lots.
But nice try both Vauxhall and Ford, cos at the end of the day, I know what I like and thats a BMW 3-Series!!!
Keep on trying!!!
April 28, 2008 at 10:29 am
The Mondeo is a bloated tank with a poor engine range. The interior looks like a typical Japo/Yank barge (cheap and muddled). GM has good engine range which will only get better. Sharper design and looks and smaller overall size put this leagues ahead of the Mondeo and the Mondeo is sooooo ugly! Insignia for me please when a much liked Vec Sri goes back.
April 28, 2008 at 12:20 pm
I don’t like the look of the Mondeo (especially the front and back), but at least it doesn’t look as stupid as the rest of the current Ford range. What Ford need is to bring back the Capri complete with RWD and inject a bit of fun into things! There looks to be something wrong with the Insignia too… it could be that the bonnet slopes too much, whatever it is I cant help thinking it looks a bit odd.
May 13, 2008 at 3:53 pm
I cannot agree that the Vauhhall looks better than anything in the class. Judging by the press it has received the handling has not changed much either since the Vectra.
Mind you, I have had a Mondeo Titanium 2.0 diesel on order since November 07 with no delivery date in sight. Might this be the undoing of the Mondeo?
Merc and BMW give you nothing for your money so I am off to look at the new Honda.
June 1, 2008 at 11:37 am
I’ve been running a Honda Accord 2.4 Auto Exec for the last three years. I’ve covered just under 37,000 miles and in all that time I haven’t had to replace a even light bulb. No faults whatsoever,nada, zip, nothing. The car is rock solid with no rattles or excessive wear and tear. My accord is excellent to drive, responsive and handles beautifully.
I bought a Honda after suffering three years of appalling BMW service and a 3 series that basically just fell to pieces. The replacement 3 series with the same level of euipment as the Accord was £36,000, the Accord was £22,000. Easy decision. The alternatives such as the Audi was cramped and the Saab option was just an old car with a new jacket.
This weekend I test drove a new honda Accord and bought it on the spot (after some impressive haggling). It wipes the floor with the competition in almost every respect. My advice - take one for a test drive. I’ll never buy another European car every again. The japs just know how to screw together a high quality vehicle.
Oh and I’ve also had Fords and vectras in the past and they just fell to pieces as well.
June 4, 2008 at 11:40 pm
Has anyone actually driven a mondeo I do 80,000 miles a year and change my car every six months give or take I have had 2 mondeos never again the vectra is better built and more economical the mondeos seats are less confortable and the controls are poor ok it handles a bit better but 12 vectras in 7 years says something. all you change is the suspention every 60,000 and the oil every 7,000 and she will clock up the miles I have put 160,000+ on 3. ford Fix Or Repair Daily
June 6, 2008 at 11:03 am
If the Insignia looks as good in real life it will be a MUCH better looking car than the mundaneO. Have been looking at vectra vs mundanO recently and would by the Vectra as it is better quality car but just cannot get excited enough about the looks. Seeing this I may just hang on a while. Oh, and the 4wd version should be fun !!
July 8, 2008 at 10:20 pm
I have owned a Vectra 1.9CDTI 150 Elite for a year and a bit and love it. That said, I’ve never driven a Mondeo and if I owned one of those, I’d probably love that too.
The fact is that without a test-drive, I’m staying open to all possibilities, however from a purely looks basis, I think the new Insignia has a little more curvy-sexy to it than the new Mondeo… even though I like the new Mondeo quite a bit for its looks.
I am definitely upgrading to something new when my warranty expires (incidentally, around the time the Insignia is released)… Really though, it will come down to a number of things for me:
1: Gadgets - I LOVE gadgets and the Vectra is full of them. If a new car can top my current gadget arsenal, I’ll be very happy. My current car has auto-dimming rear and driver-side mirrors, lights that bend round corners, a great infotainment system and even a button that turns the glove-box into a cool-box to keep that champagne cold for the picnic on Box Hill… loving the gadgets - did I say that already?!?
2: Engine size, power & efficiency. I want 300BHP and 50MPG and 0-60 in 6.5 and Tax band D or lower… is that really all that much to ask for? (However, realistically, I’ll setting for the same spec but at around 200 BHP - totally achievable).
3: Probably least important is the cost, but still a factor, I wont spend more than £35,000 on any car… and I wont buy a BMW even if you GAVE me £35,000 - don’t ask why… it’s too long a story.
Suffice it to say that if Vauxhall can provide a clean, safe, dynamic drive with an assortment of funky new gadgets and enough zoom zoom, I’m in.
August 9, 2008 at 1:36 pm
if you ask me i prefer the insignia. the car looks much much better than the mondeo. It is said to be more reliable. Its interior surpasses even some of the mercedes and definitely the mondeo. It is also cheaper starting from 18k-25k. I even prefer it to a bmw. On the whole i am more likely to buy this car rather than a 60k bmw or the mondeo.
August 12, 2008 at 9:27 pm
Never understood the appeal of the Mondeo. Rear lights are particularly unattractive. Current Vectra is admittedly a bit dull and interior is a bit plain. The Insignia really is right on the button. Can’t see any faults. Saw it at London launch and will definitely be ordering one for January. Well done Opel / Vauxhall
October 23, 2008 at 12:00 am
Looks good from some angles but has an absolute, unequivocal fault. It’s a Vauxhall and I am afraid to say that they are rubbish. Poor quality (interior and exterior). Ford over them every time. Until they redress the inherent design flaws (recent diesel engine problems) I wouldn’t touch one with yours…………
November 18, 2008 at 1:01 am
The Insignia is by all accounts a great car. A good choice of efficient and powerful engines, comfortable, refined, economical and well balanced. It’s Achilles heal may well be the very people who bring it to market. As nice as the Insignia will be, it is only a mass produced fleet car. But Vauxhall will treat it in in the same way as Ford treated the Mondeo in 2007, as if it was the latest effort from Bugatti or Ferrari, a specialist car for special people. Nice idea but unfortunately a dream, it’s a car for Ken Smith, and his boot full of samples. Ford let the Mondeo slip into a situation where production was stiffled, a 6 month wait was the norm for a family hatch with a 2 ltr diesel under the bonnet. You could get an F430 quicker and people have voted with there feet. There are now hundreds of Mondeos parked in compounds going nowhere because the bubble burst and the honeymoon period came and went while Ford stiffled. Don’t go the same way Vauxhall, it’s just the next family hatch, let it go.
November 23, 2008 at 1:29 pm
I’m due to hand back my 55 Vectra 120 SRI CC in January and am thinking Mondeo or Insignia … ?
Keen to confirm how the new insignia SRI looks in the flesh I tried to hunt down a demo or just a viewing.. no luck here with my fleet team, it seems there is a large waiting list to test drive.
There must be 100’s of company car employees about to choose a new car, at least Vauxhall could do is plop one in show room attached to the plant in Luton, I just want to just to see one !!
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