VAUXHALL INSIGNIA REVIEW

List price from £16,479 Lease price from £145 The verdict 7

Low company car tax bills and leasing rates make the Vauxhall Insignia a fleet favourite

The Vauxhall Insignia has always been a great looking family car, but one that was undermined by dated engines, disappointing comfort and a fussy dashboard layout. This revised version is designed to fix those failings, benefiting from significant mechanical and interior updates.

Space

Headroom is tight in the back

Vauxhall offers saloon and hatchback versions of the Insignia, with the latter more practical, thanks to a larger boot opening. However, that opening is still a little pinched by the rear lights, so loading bigger items isn’t as easy as it is in a FordMondeo or SkodaOctavia. The size of the boot itself is harder to fault; the Insignia can transport a couple of large suitcases without you having to fold down the rear seats. And there are some useful storage spaces for smaller items inside the car. Those sitting in the front will find they have plenty of space, too. But the Insignia’s stylish, sloping roofline leaves six-footers short of rear headroom and means they have to be careful not to bang their heads when getting in and out of the back.

Comfort

Supple suspension, but diesel engines are noisy

When Vauxhall was updating the Insignia it paid a lot of attention to the suspension - and it shows. The Insignia is now much better at dealing with bumps and patched-up road surfaces. In fact, on 16-inch wheels - the smallest available - it’s one of the smoothest-riding family cars you can buy. True, choosing larger, more stylish wheels that are covered with less rubber reduces comfort. But the same is true with rivals. Sadly, the front seats in the Insignia are less impressive, because they’re a little short on leg and lower back support. And the diesel engines are even more disappointing, clattering loudly at all times.

Dashboard layout

Better than before, but can still be fiddly

The Insignia’s dashboard used to be littered with buttons, making it difficult to find the one you wanted at a glance. However, many of these have now been binned in favour of a touchscreen control system. This screen is quite small on cheaper versions of the Insignia, so it can be difficult to hit the area you’re aiming for when you’re on the move, but models with sat-nav get an iPad-sized screen that’s a lot easier to use. Vauxhall also fits a small touchpad behind the gearlever that lets you control the car’s functions with finger gestures, but this is horribly fiddly.

Easy to drive

Most of the diesels are strong; shame rear visibility is so limited

The diesel engines in the Insignia might be noisy, but most of them are strong enough to make everyday situations easy; only the cheapest, 120 version forces you to make lots of gearchanges, something that’s a real frustration, due to the Insignia’s notchy gearshift. The 1.8-litre petrol engine is also best avoided, whereas the 1.6-litre petrol comes with a turbo that boosts its performance. Reversing sensors are a must in the Insignia because it has big rear blind spots.

Fun to drive

Plenty of family cars are more enjoyable to drive

While the Insignia feels nice and stable on the motorway, it isn’t the sort of car that can make mundane journeys a pleasure because its steering provides little feedback. The Ford Mondeo, Skoda Octavia and VWPassat all have steering that’s more involving and reassuring, while they also grip better than the Insignia in corners. 

Reliability

Long warranty, but many owners aren’t happy

The Vauxhall Insignia performed poorly in the 2013 JD Power customer satisfaction survey, finishing 92nd out of 116 cars. By comparison, the Ford Mondeo was 73rd and the VW Passat 39th. True, the Insignia has been updated since the survey was carried out, but Vauxhall’s record isn’t encouraging because it was 22nd out of 27 in the manufacturer table. More positively, the Insignia comes with the reassurance of a 100,000-mile warranty with no mileage limit, whereas Ford and Volkswagen provide warranties that last for only three years or 60,000 miles - whichever comes first.

Fuel economy

Excellent for a car of this size

This is where the Insignia most impresses because it’s available with some very efficient diesel engines. The Ecoflex 120 and 140 versions are particularly easy on fuel, averaging 76.3mpg in official Government tests. The only rival that beats this is the Greenline version of the Skoda Octavia, which uses a smaller, weaker engine. Even if you don’t drive with economy in mind, you should be able to get mid-50s out of the Ecoflex Insignias.

Affordability

A very cheap company car if you choose an Ecoflex diesel engine

There’s one figure that’s more important than any other if you’re a company car driver - and it isn’t a car’s 0-60mph time. No, what matters is the g/km of CO2. Fortunately, the Ecoflex diesel versions of the Insignia are better than all their rivals here, emitting just 99g/km. That means extremely low company car tax rates, while private buyers also benefit because the first year’s road tax is free on cars that emit less than 100g/km. Insignias don’t hold their value particularly well; both the Mazda 6 and the Skoda Octavia will be worth more when you come to sell them. But the generous discounts on offer at Vauxhall dealers go some way towards offsetting this.

Safety

Protects occupants well in an accident

Standard safety kit is competitive because it includes six airbags and a stability control system that helps you keep control of the car in slippery conditions. What’s more, the Insignia matched its key rivals in earning a five-star rating when it was crash tested by independent safety specialists Euro NCAP. Look closer at the NCAP results and you’ll see that the Insignia scored higher than the Mazda 6 and VW Passat for adult and child occupant protection. However, the Insignia didn’t do so well in the pedestrian protection test.

Standard spec

No version is stingily equipped

The cheapest Insignia spec is the Design, which comes with alloy wheels, air-conditioning, cruise control, a part-electric driver’s seat and a Bluetooth hands-free phone connection. However, you have to upgrade to SE if you want electric rear windows and automatic headlights and windscreen wipers. SRi swaps these convenience features for bigger wheels and sports seats, while the SRi VX-Line model adds interior and exterior styling packs that make the Insignia look sportier still. Tech Line spec is closer to SE, but it gives you satellite-navigation. And the priciest, Elite cars bring parking sensors and leather seats. 

Our favourite version:	2.0 CDTi 140 Ecoflex Design Nav 5dr, list price £20,044
Options you should add:	Metallic paint (£545) and front and rear parking sensors (£395)

Source : telegraph[dot]co[dot]uk