Vauxhall Insignia
The Vauxhall Insignia banished the ‘decent but dull’ image of its family car predecessor, the Vectra. It's available as a hatchback, saloon or Sports Tourer estate, and each features sleek styling, much improved interior quality and more comfort than before. Headroom is tight in the rear of the hatchback and saloon, but boot space is good. The Insignia is better to drive than the car it replaced, and there's a good choice of petrol and diesel engines. A high-performance four-wheel drive VXR model that's designed to compete with the Audi S4 is also available.
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Pros:
- Attractive styling
- Decent choice of engines and trims
- Comfortable driving position
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Cons:
- Entry-level cars sparsely equipped
- Rear headroom is tight
- Poor resale values
The Insignia hatchback offers a fine blend of good looks and performance. It's an upmarket offering too, with a classy cabin and a smooth ride that's been designed by Vauxhall to match executive cars like the BMW 3 Series. It's relatively practical, with a comfortable seating position and generous boot, but space in the back is limited, with headroom in particular in short supply.
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Pros:
- Sporty for an estate
- Lots of engines, trims
- Big boot with a large hatch opening
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Cons:
- Steering is very light
- Residual values will be poor
- Noisy diesel engines
Sports Tourer is Vauxhall's fancy name for the Insignia estate. Like the saloon and hatchback versions, it sacrifices some outright practicality in order to look sporty. Its relatively low roofline and sloping rear hatch mean it's not quite as big as the Ford Mondeo for rear occupant or cargo space. However, the boot opening is wide and there's a good, oblong loading space. The engine and trim range is wide, including economical diesels.
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Pros:
- Coupé-like styling
- Massive choice of engines and trims
- Good driving position
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Cons:
- High emissions compared to rivals
- Tight rear headroom
- Poor resale values
The Insignia is much better than the Vectra it replaced, with styling that makes it look more like a sporty coupe than a four-door family car. It offers plenty of space up front, although the sloping roofline means rear headroom is tight for taller adults. Its main rival is the Ford Mondeo, and it's priced to match. A huge range of trim levels and engines are available, with diesel versions offering good fuel economy.
Vauxhall Insignia VXR saloon
4 doors
Looking to compete with more premium branded rivals the Insignia VXR is Vauxhall's entrant into the large, sports saloon segment currently dominated by Audi, BMW and Mercedes. Offering the same practical four-door, five-seater layout as the rest of the Insignia range, the performance orientated VXR houses a 2.8-litre V6 engine that packs 321bhp. Unlike previous VXR saloons, the latest Insignia has handling to match the straight line pace thanks to a sophisticated four-wheel drive system and very well judged suspension settings.
Gunning for buyers of the Audi S4 Avant, BMW 5 Series and Skoda Superb V6 Estate, the top of the range Vauxhall Insignia VXR Sports Tourer is a spacious estate car that packs a serious punch. The highly powerful 2.8-litre V6 engine produces 321bhp which is transfered to the road through a sophisticated four-wheel drive system. Performance is very impressive for such a big car, but owners will pay the price at the fuel pumps as the engine is quite thirsty and running costs are high. Nevertheless, the sporty but subtle body hides a classy interior that features 540 litres of luggage space and comfortable seating for five people.
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