Having been the proud(ish) owner of a 2.5TD for the last couple of months, I think the engine is reasonably good, but I don't think it does it many favours being coupled to an automatic gearbox. (Does an auto box improve any engine???) I'm quite capable of handling the different power/torque characteristics of a diesel engine, being an ex-lorry driver, but I'm not convinced the gearbox knows how to do it.
The auto box makes town driving dead easy, true - no fun, but dead easy, you just point and press. Having done the run to/from my Dad's three times now, though (160 miles each way on the M5), I seem to find that at lower motorway speeds I'm working quite hard to keep the speed up, then once it hits 75 it seems to get the idea and I have to work to keep the speed down. (Don't mention cruise control, I hate it with almost the same passion that I hate speed limiters on lorries, but at least I get to choose whether to put the cruise control on, ie never.) I thought I'd got used to the Omega, and was actually starting to enjoy owning it, but on the way down to my Dad's on Friday, out of nowhere I suddenly started to wish I was driving something else. For one thing I wish Vx had spent less money on electronic toys and had fitted springs between the roadwheels and my arse instead.
Maybe the petrols are different, maybe the manuals are different, but there's something about this car I don't like. It looks beautiful, it's a nice motor to be seen in, it's luxurious inside, it's comfortable to sit in, it has lots of high-end gadgets in it, and I think the fuel consumption is very acceptable, it's a beautiful car right up until the moment I start to drive it, and then something goes wrong somewhere.
:-/