£13k - what car? DS5 vs 320d vs c220 vs Insig biturbo etc

[Nickbrapp]

rb5er said:

Your list is horrendous. £13k? For any of those? oh dear.

What would you suggest that's better for motorway driving?

[RyanOPlastry]

AmitG said:

Can I ask what sort of real world fuel economy you get?

Has it gone wrong so far?

Fuel economy :

Mid 40s on motorway autobahn
around 40 on 13 mile commute
Surprisingly good on hilly rural roads when on holiday 55+

Gone Wrong ?

Yes - unfortunately there seem to be very few dealer staff who are trained to diagnose and fix it ; I don't suppose they sell many hybrids.

[dave_s13]

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2015...

I had the previous model C5 and the ride is sublime. Perfect real world set up.

If you want a comfy cruiser then these are definitely worth a look.

[AmitG]

RyanOPlastry said:

AmitG said:

Can I ask what sort of real world fuel economy you get?

Has it gone wrong so far?

Fuel economy :

Mid 40s on motorway autobahn
around 40 on 13 mile commute
Surprisingly good on hilly rural roads when on holiday 55+

Gone Wrong ?

Yes - unfortunately there seem to be very few dealer staff who are trained to diagnose and fix it ; I don't suppose they sell many hybrids.

Thanks for that. I've only seen 1 DS5 hybrid out on the road, all the rest have been diesels.

What has gone wrong? Let me guess, the electrics

Still think the pure diesel version could be a good choice for the OP.

[AmitG]

dave_s13 said:

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2015...

I had the previous model C5 and the ride is sublime. Perfect real world set up.

If you want a comfy cruiser then these are definitely worth a look.

+1 on this. These are very very comfy, particularly in Exclusive trim where I think you get the air suspension (not 100% sure).

If pure comfort is the most important thing then a C5 is a really good choice IMHO.

[dave_s13]

Yeah, needs to be exclusive trim for the air suspenders. I wouldn't get one without.

[Joebristolgym]

I appreciate my list isn't awe inspiring - I've had my fun with daft cars whilst younger - I now have a job where I spend a fair amount of time in the car and need something reasonably economical (without being too slow). Also trying for kids so may well have baby cr*p to cart round at some point.

The ds5 to me is just more stylish inside and out than the others. I've yet to drive one though. Would want a sport as that has the best interior trim. If I could find a 320d msport with nav and leather, whilst being either a touring or having split folding seats I'd be tempted though. No issue with the image of bow or Mercedes - I work for a bank so everyone hates us anyway - plus that's the standard type of car in the carpark!

I like the c250 and c220 cdi merc in the sport trim, but at my budget the split rear seats, the nav and leather seem beyond reach.

I don't like the interior of the Saabs that have been suggested unfortunately. Shame really as they do a pokey diesel bi turbo engine like the ones in the Insignia (where the bi turbo is outside of my budget).

I couldn't bring myself to spend more than £13k of my own money on a Vauxhall too, yet bizarrely I'm ok with it on a ds5 (where depreciation is still going to be more of an issue than the bow or merc). I sat in a top spec ds5 recently and just love the interior. Just so different to anything else on the market at that price. I'm just worried the drive is going to be disappointing.

[Joebristolgym]

Still been looking at the above list - no new options have jumped out at me. Wifey suggested a Kia Sportage (I think not).

Found a suitable ds5 and tempted to test drive it - especially as a mate of a mate has just asked if I want to sell my Leon. Difficult to put a price on it easily but gone back to suggest a ballpark finure and see what they say!

[Joebristolgym]

Still been looking at the above list - no new options have jumped out at me. Wifey suggested a Kia Sportage (I think not).

Found a suitable ds5 and tempted to test drive it - especially as a mate of a mate has just asked if I want to sell my Leon. Difficult to put a price on it easily but gone back to suggest a ballpark finure and see what they say!

[RyanOPlastry]

AmitG said:

RyanOPlastry said:

AmitG said:

Can I ask what sort of real world fuel economy you get?

Has it gone wrong so far?

Fuel economy :

Mid 40s on motorway autobahn
around 40 on 13 mile commute
Surprisingly good on hilly rural roads when on holiday 55+

Gone Wrong ?

Yes - unfortunately there seem to be very few dealer staff who are trained to diagnose and fix it ; I don't suppose they sell many hybrids.

Thanks for that. I've only seen 1 DS5 hybrid out on the road, all the rest have been diesels.

What has gone wrong? Let me guess, the electrics

Still think the pure diesel version could be a good choice for the OP.

I don't have a proper answer as to what went wrong, they seemed to spend a lot of time replacing hardware to fix problems which in my opinion were more likely to be software or sensors. So yes, the electrics...

[Muddle238]

Personally if that were my list, I'd be straight in a DS5 Dsport in no time. 2.0 HDi probably the best all rounder, I'd have the manual for a bit of fun, DSport spec including head up display, steering/bendy Xenon headlights, full electric leather massage seats among other things on top of the already impressive DStyle spec.

I think the DS5 is the only car that you would turn around to look at after parking up and genuinely have a smile on your face, the rest are too mainstream/bland IMO.

[Wills2]

Out of the list I'd go with the C250 in the right colour and spec quite a nice looking car.

I would also look to up the budget slightly and get an auto F10 520d superb cars on the motorway and worth it compared to the others.

[rb5er]

Nickbrapp said:

rb5er said:

Your list is horrendous. £13k? For any of those? oh dear.

What would you suggest that's better for motorway driving?

330d is far better than a 320d, 320cdi is better than a 220cdi. The extra shove in my book makes the car, turning it from a borefest to something you can enjoy much more but still achieve good economy.

[RobM77]

rb5er said:

Nickbrapp said:

rb5er said:

Your list is horrendous. £13k? For any of those? oh dear.

What would you suggest that's better for motorway driving?

330d is far better than a 320d, 320cdi is better than a 220cdi. The extra shove in my book makes the car, turning it from a borefest to something you can enjoy much more but still achieve good economy.

That's just personal taste of course, not everyone is that heavily influenced by straight line performance, some may prefer the lower weight over the nose of the '20d cars or the better economy (and there is a noticeable difference in economy between the 330d and 320d) and not really care about the additional straight line shove (I know I for one am not that bothered by it). The other factor, which I know has influenced three good friends of mine who've recently bought BMWs, is the availability of manual gearboxes on the larger engine cars: last time I did a search on PH there were many times more auto BMWs over 2 litres than there were manuals; I can't remember the exact figures, but it was quite a striking difference.

[rb5er]

The extra power is certainly not only noticeable in a straight line, the ability to brake traction at will and have fun is so much more over a 320d. I know you always stridently try to defend your 320d so I am not going to interact with you on the subject but the 330d is a better car and much more fun to drive.

[Vee]

rb5er said:

The extra power is certainly not only noticeable in a straight line, the ability to brake traction at will and have fun is so much more over a 320d.

But not everyone thinks that is important.

The OP has been clear about what is important to them yet people keep suggesting cars that don't meet this criteria.

[GreatGranny]

Try an S60 or V60.

S60 a little cheaper.

£13k will get you a 2.0 diesel (163 bhp) R design with all the toys.

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2015...

[RobM77]

rb5er said:

The extra power is certainly not only noticeable in a straight line, the ability to brake traction at will and have fun is so much more over a 320d. I know you always stridently try to defend your 320d so I am not going to interact with you on the subject but the 330d is a better car and much more fun to drive.

I only get frustrated when people use the term "better car". It's a matter of taste and preference, as both models have pros and cons. The 320d has better balance in the corners, better fuel economy and is easier to find on standard wheels with a manual gearbox, which most keen drivers want. The 330d is a markedly smoother engine at all speeds and has noticeably more torque and more power.

[TorqueVR]

As a V60 D5 owner I can vouch for it. Looks good, goes like stink and still gives the best part of 40mpg. I've had it for three years and have been going through the same machinations as the OP. I've thought about a C Class, 3 Series, A4, A5, or Passat. In the end I decided to keep the V60 for longer.

[Wills2]

Disappointed we haven't mentioned the 320d's legendary throttle response yet?