Vauxhall Insignia

The second generation version of Vauxhall's Insignia gets a useful update in this facelifted guise. Jonathan Crouch looks at what's on offer.

Ten Second Review

The second generation version of Vauxhall's Insignia has been usefully updated, now offered only in five-door hatch form and featuring a heavily revised engine range, plus smarter looks, a classier cabin and some hi-tech features. If, like many business buyers, you're browsing in the £25,000 to £35,000 bracket selecting a medium range Mondeo segment model or a mid-sized executive contender, it's a contender that you really can't afford to overlook.

Background

If you perceive Vauxhall's Insignia as a middle management mainstream company car, then the brand reckons it's time you had a re-think. The second generation version of this model launched in 2017 was a decent step forward and now, that design has been lightly updated, primarily with a thoroughly revised range of engines. Continuing attributes include a spacious cabin, plus there's an optional slick-shifting 8-speed auto gearbox and a clever 4WD system at the top of the range.

Think of a feature you can get in a pricey compact German premium brand - LED matrix lighting, Lane Keep Assist, Head-up Display, cutting-edge media connectivity. All of it's on offer here, plus use of Vauxhall's brilliant OnStar concierge system. It's a strong package.

Driving Experience

On the move, this Insignia feels like the bigger car it's now become, the suspension floating you over broken surfaces that would have troubled and impeded previous generation models. The engine range for this revised design features three and four-cylinder units, beginning with a 1.4-litre (145hp) petrol engine and a 1.5-litre (122hp) diesel. The three-cylinder engines are up to 50kg lighter than their predecessors in the outgoing version of this car. There's also a 2.0-litre four-cylinder diesel you can ask your dealer about. And there are two 2.0-litre petrol engines with 200hp and 230hp.

Those handling aids might be nice to have, but they're not really relevant for typical buyers of this model, so we'll finish by summarising the key things you need to know. This Insignia now easily matches class-leading Passat and Mondeo models in terms of drive dynamics and, more importantly for likely customers, it's just as refined at cruising speeds as those two rivals. Plus features like the optional 'Intellilux' matrix headlamps and a range of camera-driven safety systems mean that there's pretty much all the sophistication you'd get from a German premium brand model in this segment too. As a result, you'd not only like one of these but you might even conceivably want one. For Vauxhall in this part of the market, that has to represent a big step forward.

Design and Build

The brand has now deleted the slow-selling Sports Tourer estate bodystyle (and its SUV-inspired 'Country Tourer' variant spin-off), so Insignia buyers are now restricted to the 'Grand Sport' five-door hatch. Vauxhall believes that this Insignia has 'the aura of a car from the premium, upper class'; you decide. The brand reckons that this improved model looks smarter - thanks to the adoption of piercing Intellilux LED headlights. And the company's stylists believe the car also looks lower and wider than it previously did, thanks to the position of the air inlets with their integrated fog lamps. The prominent grille and those slim-line headlamps enhance the wide horizontal design of the front end and provide it with a bold appearance.

Inside, the cabin now feels a little plusher than it did before, thanks to the addition of precisely placed chrome accents. As previously, the driver sits quite low and is surrounded by clean lines, pleasant surfaces and impressive build quality, a highlight being the frameless touchscreen of the IntelliLink infotainment system.

Market and Model

Insignia buyers choose between a five-door Grand Sport hatch model. There are seven trim levels available - 'Design', 'Design Nav', 'SRi', 'SRi Nav', 'SRi VX-line Nav', 'Tech Line Nav', 'Elite Nav' and 'Gsi'. The asking figures start at around £20,000 and range to around £38,500, pricing that offers extremely strong competition to the German premium-badged compact executive models that Vauxhall would ideally like to target. There's plenty of clever equipment features that should interest that target market. The 'IntelliLux LED matrix light' for example, which illuminates with 32 LED segments and integrates in this Insignia's smarter, slimmer headlamps. Other driver assistance systems include a Head-up-Display, Adaptive Cruise Control, Lane Keep Assist with Lane Departure Warning and Rear Cross Traffic Alert.

Vauxhall is still one of the few manufacturers to offer seats certified the 'Campaign for Healthy Backs'. And, as for media connectivity, well, as you would expect, the IntelliLink infotainment system is compatible with the Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Insignia Grand Sport buyers also get Vauxhall OnStar, the brand's the ground-breaking connectivity and service assistant. This offers services ranging from Automatic Crash Response to Stolen Vehicle Assistance. A new concierge service is available to Insignia Grand Sport customers, enabling passengers to ask OnStar advisors to select a hotel and proceed to room reservation. Furthermore, up to seven devices can be connected to the car's Wi-Fi Hotspot.

Cost of Ownership

Many Insignia buyers still go for a diesel - and you can see why. Up to 61.4mpg on the combined WLTP cycle is possible from the 1.5D unit quite a few buyers will choose., along with up to 100g/km of NEDC-rated CO2. For the 1.4T petrol, the figures are up to 48.7mpg (WLTP) and 115g/km (NEDC). For the 2.0T 130PS, the readings are up to 38.7mpg (WLTP) and 144g/km (NEDC). And for the 2.0T 230hp GSi variant, you're looking at up to 34.0mpg (WLTP) and 161g/km (NEDC). As for residual values, well these will depend on whether the industry recognises this Insignia's more recent slight shift up-market. Even if it does, the depreciation levels won't match those of premium German rivals. But then, you'll be paying less up-front in the first place, so it's swings and roundabouts.

You'll also need to know that Vauxhall includes a three-year, 60,000 mile warranty as standard, a package that can be extended up to five years and 100,000 miles at extra cost. A year's free breakdown cover is also provided, along with a six-year anti-corrosion guarantee. Plus you can opt for a service plan that lets you pay monthly to spread the cost of regular work to your car. As part of this, Vauxhall offers discounts on wear and tear items, such as brake pads and windscreen wipers.

Summary

Overall, we're reasonably impressed by what Vauxhall has delivered here. This smarter package builds on the strengths of the original version of this model - which primarily centred around a spacious rear cabin, decent equipment levels and a pretty efficient range of engines. It's time to change the way you think about Vauxhall's Insignia. If you doubt that, you need to try one.

FACTS AT A GLANCE

CAR: Vauxhall Insignia range

PRICES: £20,045-£38,520

INSURANCE GROUPS: TBC

CO2 EMISSIONS: [1.5 Turbo 140ps hatchback] 122g/km

PERFORMANCE: [1.5 Turbo 140ps hatchback] 0-62mph 9.3s / top speed 130mph

FUEL CONSUMPTION: [1.5 Turbo 140ps hatchback] (combined) 47.9mpg

STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Front, side, driver's knee and full curtain airbags, ESP, ABS, Hill Start Assist

WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: [5dr] Length/Width/Height mm 4897/1863/1455