Andy B wrote on 25. Sep 2007 at 18:55:


On my way....

I almost forgot to answer the original poster's question

Anyway, if you're prepared to travel, and maybe wait a little for the right model to come up, it shouldn't be too hard to get hold of a facelift 2.6 V6 MV6. Unfortunately VX only made the 3.2 V6 manual for the police, most of which are pretty basic in terms of toys. Personally I wouldn't compromise, if I couldn't find a good manual 3.0 MV6 I woulnd't be driving an Omega today -- it's that simple! There are other models out there (such as the 540i/6 although it's a bit more expensive) and I'd rather choose one of those than accept an automatic.

Andy B wrote on 26. Sep 2007 at 00:23:

Does that mean that with a manual, you have both hands on the steering wheel rather than having to decide whether to hold onto your left b*ll*ock, right b*ll*ck, or coffee cup!!      

Welcome 

i have the 2.2 auto and in the summer did a trip to mid wales,
now i mostly do motorway trip every day to work and back and get stuck in traffic alot and the auto is so relaxing to do this with.

The trip to wales i was worried with all them hills and narrow bendy roads but i was shocked at the poise and control it gave me

i ragged it around some mad roads in wales and loved every minute of it (fuel consumtion was still above 20 as well)

in the end though its down to you this was my first auto and im very supprised and happy with it.

Hold out for what you want then matey

V8S wrote on 26. Sep 2007 at 10:23:


The manual Omega is nothing like your Honda will be. I consider the 3.0 V6 quite a peaky engine, but that's compared to my 4.4 V8 BMW engine. Compared to your Honda it will actually be very torquey -- I'm assuming your Honda is a VTEC that peaks around 8,000 RPM and has gearing to match. The gearing on the Omega is quite high, for example in 5th gear at 80 MPH it's pulling just over 3,000 RPM. Personally I consider it a little too high as I'd rather have better acceleration, but it's great for the motorway as you can get decent economy and there's no audible engine noise at all. I think the Omega would really suit a 6th gear to get better acceleration without compromising the cruising ability, but you can't have it all!

As for fuel ecomomy, I average around 24 MPG in my 3.0 MV6, and I don't hang about -- it regularly sees 6,000 RPM. There's a fair bit of motorway mileage in there too, much of which is done in 5th gear which brings it up a little. Mine is dual-fuel though which is makes it a little less economical (still loads cheaper though) so on petrol that should rise to between 26 and 28 MPG average -- pretty good for a 210 BHP car weighing as much as a small country! For comparison my BMW gets between 14 and 18 MPG depending on driving style and the kind of roads, so the Omega is a huge improvement over that. And that's got a 6-speed box too, so 6th gear is actually a little higher than the Omega meaning it revs quite low on the motorway.

TheBoy wrote on 26. Sep 2007 at 19:13:


Agreed, it's 10 times easier to heel-toe in the BMW, likewise with my Impreza when I had it. The only other car I've driven that had a similarly poor pedal layout was a Mondeo TD... and the throttle response on that was so bad it was hardly worth the effort of trying to blip it


Quote:


LOL well you're half way there... all you need now is the invention of the automatic steering wheel, accelerator and braking system. You now have the most relaxing, but most boring drive ever imaginable


Quote:


I don't intend to grow old... party animal forever! Besides, my dad is fast approaching retirement age and he still enjoys his cars. He has never owned an automatic in his life and I doubt he's planning on starting any time soon, barring a medical issue or similar.


Quote:


Yes, in the same way that a Daewoo Matiz needs more skill to rebalance in a badly taken corner than a Porsche 911 Turbo . One is more suited to the job than the latter, which may make it more controllable but that also means you can get in and out quicker and with a better sense of achievement and exhilaration when you get it right. You're also less likely to get out of shape in the first place when you've got better control over the car. How I pined for a manual gearbox when I drove down the Pacific Coast Highway in the summer, now there is one road that doesn't fit the typical American stereotype, brilliant road. I still managed to have the tyres screaming for mercy even with the slushy, but it would have been much smoother, quicker and more satisfying with me driving the car rather than having a computer make all the wrong decisions