6/17/2016

The Vauxhall Insignia Opel Sport in My Mind

The Vauxhall Insignia Opel Sport

The Vauxhall Insignia might not be top of the list for desirability in its segment – but its reputation as a comfortable cruiser helps it to remain a key competitor. Although its roots date back to 2009, a 2013 face-lift was quite significant, with a reworked design both inside and out, more equipment and tweaked suspension.

The Insignia as a five-door hatch and a saloon, but today we have the larger Sports Tourer estate version, offering enhanced practicality, so let’s start by looking at space in the rear Plenty of leg and head room means passengers can relax very easily in the back, and for those travelling salesmen, there is plenty of space to hang your blazer.

The large transmission tunnel however may annoy middle passengers, so keep it to two in the back if you want to keep nagging to a minimum. The boot offers a very handy 540 liters, which is on par with the Mondeo and is good for everything from suitcases or, if you fold the seats down, DIY bits like ladders. The low loading level also enhances ease of access over the Insignia hatch. As part of the 2013 face-lift, Vauxhall cleaned-up the dashboard design, which is a huge improvement with less clutter than before.

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The Vauxhall Insignia Opel Sport Interior[/caption]

The new 8-inch touchscreen system helps chisel some of those function buttons down and the built-in 3D sat-navigation is very responsive and accurate. The cabin design is luxurious and certainly has a saloon feel to it, with everything from its electrically adjustable driver’s seat, large center console and swooshing surround design. Practicality isn’t lost either with plenty of cabbies around. As company car drivers are a key demographic for Vauxhall, standard kit is very impressive, with DAB digital radio, cruise control, climate control and, a feature owners of the previous model will certainly appreciate, Bluetooth.

New trim levels to the line-up include Energy and Limited Edition, both offering some added technology treats. We are testing one of Vauxhall’s new whisper diesel units, this time in a 2.0-liter guise producing a rather potent 168 bhp. Multiple power outputs are available with this diesel and there is even a 1.4-liter turbocharged petrol, but we suggest you choose one of the former. Although you do get a fair rumble in 1st and 2nd gear, like many other diesels really, the whisper diesel is extremely quiet when you get cruising on the motorway and with the 2.0-liter we are driving you will comfortably get around 55 mpg, with CO2 at 124 g/km. Go for the lower-powered 118 bhp 2.0-liter diesel and CO2 drops to 10 4g/km. The Insignia isn’t really designed to excel on country roads, and you will soon find this out as the steering is very light and lacks feedback and overall engagement.

Certainly no BMW. But that’s not what the Insignia’s about. This is a no-nonsense cruiser, and when you get up to speed on the motorway it is incredibly composed and comfortable, with its supple suspension doing a brilliant job. There are also plenty of handy features like trip computer updates behind the wheel and voice commands. You do get a fair bit of road noise over nooks and crannies however, and the Ford Mondeo is much better in the insulation department. Also, not to nit-pick, but as the rear window somewhat replicates the shape of the front-grille, and the wing mirrors are rather small, visibility can be a little restricted.

As was the case in 2009, the Insignia is still not as fun to drive as some of its key competitors. But what it sets out to do, it does it well, which is offer an appealing proposition to fleet and business drivers, with plenty of equipment, comfort, efficiency and a price tag that is around £4,000 less than the Ford Mondeo and £5,500 less than the Volkswagen Passat. But what do you make of the Insignia?

Exactly we have different opinion about The Vauxhall Insignia, but we have more detail about it. Please watch this video.

(Video Source : Courtesy of YouTube)