BMW, it's a no brainer.

The Vectra won't be as well built, it won't do anywhere near the MPG they say it will, the DPF will clog, and the dealers will be totally and utterly useless.

I'm edging toward the Insignia if I'm honest. the 1st 3 years are covered by free servicing, tires etc. It's on Motability so if anything goes wrong it gets fixed (it's a lease agreement). After 3 years I get the option to buy the car and that's what I intend on doing.

I did test drive the Insignia and got about 40MPG on the motorway so was not impressed. The test drive of the 318ES ended up being a petrol automatic so I don't have comparison MPG figires for that.

The Insignia, It's front wheel drive, which in snow is far better. And yes, it's better value for money.

Just the point I was going to make! I had a 318i touring for 4 years (2002-6) and it was great to drive, but by sheer luck (and global warming) we had no snow here in that period, so I didn't find out what it was like in the snow. I suspect it would have been rubbish.

Try an Audi A4, VW Passat, or Skoda Octavia 2.0tdi 140 - good quality and fwd. Plenty of torque and good mpg. I have the Passat and get 700-800 miles per tank even (especially!) after the 140 to170 remap!

If you are looking to buy the car after 3 years, the Insignia's rapid depreciation will make it the much cheaper car. That's about the only thing I can find in it's favour.

The BMW will be more economical (look at the real world figures on here) and should be more durable. If something does go wrong, BMW dealers are likely to be better at getting it sorted - in my personal experience the dealers aren't great (not as good as Honda or Toyota), but they are light years ahead of my local Vauxhall outfits.

As for snow, if you do a big mileage and are going to keep the car, invest in some winter tyres and the beemer will be fine. The dealers do a reasonably priced winter tyre programme (reasonable if you go for the steel wheels that is). They will even store the wheels for you.

Finally, it's all a matter of personal taste, but which car do you actually find the most comfortable and inviting? With the mileage you do, you are going to spend a lot of time in the car, so don't compromise for the sake of a few £'s. I