We have the 6sp manual 120 PS (note, not 150 PS) 1.9 CDTi engine. We bought it at about 16 months through Network Q and our local Vauxhall dealer.

Good points: 120PS is more than enough power for everyday use and is "adequate" (as RR used to say) for full loads. Fuel economy is very good for something this size, especially on motorways as 70 mph = 2000rpm in 6th - we easily get 40+ mpg. It starts easily in all weathers and appears not to use any engine oil or water. It's reasonably quiet, more tyre and wind noise then engine ditto; it's easy to drive; it's reasonably comfortable; the driving position can be adjusted to suit both myself and my wife. The brakes are good, in fact almost too good when lightly loaded. The steering and clutch are a bit light for a man, but about right for a lady. Seating flexibility is good with lots of options for sliding seats around, although the two in the boot are "sub-teenager" only, and you don't have much luggage space with them up. The Club model has air-con and a radio/CD with reasonable sound, but none of the fancy instruments on the posher model - but you don't need the latter and the "Club" trim is perfectly adequate.

Bad points: that dreaded Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF). It *really* does not like short journeys, so if that is what you do most of the time then this is not the car for you. We have also had (under warranty) new bushes and bearings on the front suspension turrets - twice; new gearbox cables; and some sort of mass flow sensor in the engine.

I also had the oil pressure warning light come on out of the blue on the M5 a couple of months ago. I pulled over, checked everything - which seemed fine - and in the end drove off again and it didn't recur. It turned out that this is a "known engine management firmware problem" that is cured by an upgrade - £28 to you Sir. Hmmm...

Whether or not the aforementioned upgrade will also improve the DPF performance I don't know, and only time will tell. When I asked the dealership about this they didn't have any info.

What we haven't had - so far - are any of the other woes mentioned on the forums here, notably failed inlet swirl flaps, cambelts, water pumps or dual-mass flywheels. But we're approaching 50k miles so I'm beginning to wonder, and also hoping that the problems mainly occur on the more highly stressed 150PS engine.

To sum up the mechanical issues: it suffices to say that when the 3 year Vauxhall warranty ran out we bought, and have since kept up, an extended one from Vauxhall and I think it has more or less paid out what we pay in fees (currently £33.90/month). I would *strongly* recommend this! We are also fortunate enough to have a friendly and competent local Vauxhall dealer, something else I think I would recommend before owning this car ... although to be fair I think the same would go for any modern car.

The only other criticism I have is the well-known issue of the thick pillars on the base of the front windscreen which cause quite a blind spot. Quite why GM decided to do this is beyond me, as even Saab with their fabled "Elk test" didn't deem such excessive reinforcement to be necessary - perhaps it was the dreaded stylists at work. I wonder how many accidents have occurred because of that particular design detail?

Mechanical issues apart, and despite the long list above they have been liveable-with and are probably normal for a modern car, it is a very competent car that is good to drive, takes everything we have thrown at or into it, and is excellent value for money when bought second hand.

Incidentally the standard vehicle comes without a spare wheel, and just has one of those useless canisters of sealant. A carrier + wheel + tyre cost us about £400 but has proved it's worth twice - once on a bank holiday and once on a Sunday, both occasions when getting the required new tyre would have been next to impossible. Honest John's review states that the spare is easy to steal, but either he's a better thief than I am or they've changed the design as you couldn't steal ours without breaking into the car.

On balance I would recommend it to anyone who has a large family (we have 4x children), who does a high mileage and who thus needs a fuel-efficient mid-sized people carrier without bells and whistles. But buy it second hand, not new, and don't forget that extended warranty!