The Vauxhall Insignia is an underrated and very able large car. It offers genuine premium-level quality, but without a premium car’s, well, premium. For the savvy motorist, it is a real steal.
A spacious five-door car, the Vauxhall Insignia has a decent boot and loads of space in the rear for passengers. It is refined and relaxing, soaking up long distances and hours behind the wheel with consummate ease. It is really well-equipped too, with a level of standard kit to shame many rivals.
Talking of rivals to the Vauxhall Insignia, they include the ever popular Ford Mondeo, the good to drive Mazda 6 and the Skoda Superb.
With the popularity of SUVs like the Vauxhall Grandland X, the Vauxhall Insignia saw sales decline and was discontinued in 2022. It still makes a great used buy however. Take a look at a Vauxhall Insignia for sale on heycar to discover just what’s on offer.
The Vauxhall Insignia is a car that surprises. It’s not the most visually alluring model, and it lacks the premium-brand appeal of alternatives such as the Audi A4 and BMW 3 Series – an issue that also affects rivals such as the Volkswagen Passat and Mazda 6. However, those who look more closely and get behind the wheel discover a car that is far more talented than they might expect.
The large Vauxhall Insignia has a really well-built sense of integrity. It is solid and robust, with a welcoming interior that uses clear, easy-to-understand tech. The seats are among the best in the business and rear-seat space is more than generous.
The engine line-up is fuel-efficient, particularly the diesels. The 1.6-litre Turbo D diesel engines are surprisingly capable and deliver great fuel economy – and the 2.0 Turbo D almost matches them for mpg while also serving up some useful extra power. There’s also a super-smooth 2.0-litre petrol, for those who want faster acceleration, though the 1.5- petrol will be sufficient for most needs.
Vauxhall provided a lengthy standard spec, which includes an 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system with sat-nav and dynamic rerouting when it detects traffic up ahead. The seats and steering wheel are heated, there’s welcoming ambient interior lighting and even the standard car gets 18-inch alloys. Pick a GS Line and a swish set of 20-inch wheels are yours.
Vauxhall also offered impressive headlight tech. Design grade gets LED headlights and daytime running lights, while GS Line comes with brilliant IntelliLux pixel matrix headlights. The latter allow you to use high-beam without dazzling oncoming traffic.
The Vauxhall Insignia is an understated but extremely capable car, with a broad range of abilities and few weaknesses. For growing families who want something better value and more practical than an SUV, it’s a good choice. Same too for those who are otherwise defaulting to a premium-brand car.
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Pick of the engine range is undoubtedly the 1.6-litre 136PS turbodiesel, which blends fine all-round performance with excellent economy and emissions, and performance close to the more expensive 2.0-litre turbodiesel despite conceding 34PS to the larger motor. You could have the 1.6 turbodiesel engine with either a six-speed manual or automatic transmission.
The Vauxhall Insignia Grand Sport SRI adds some useful conveniences like AGR approved front seats, front and rear parking sensors, front foglights, rain sensitive windscreen wipers, dual-zone climate control, ambient LED lighting and a sprinkle of smarter kit like 17-inch alloy wheels, sports pedals and a rear boot spoiler.
Choose the Vauxhall Insignia Grand Sport SRI Nav if you want built in navigation with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard.
The Vauxhall Insignia engine line-up is compact and concentrated. There are two diesels and higher-performance petrol engines. A six-speed manual gearbox is standard, with an eight-speed automatic transmission optional.
Here are the engine options available with the Vauxhall Insignia.
Vauxhall Insignia 1.6 Turbo D diesel: The 1.6-litre Turbo D doesn’t sound the most thrilling engine with its 110PS output, but it has plenty of pull that’s spread between 1,750-2,500rpm. Zero to 62mph takes 10.9 seconds and it averages 61.4mpg. It’s available with an auto gearbox, too, while the manual emits a low 105g/km. A 136PS version offers more of the same plus 65.7mpg and 114g/km Co2 emissions.
Vauxhall Insignia 2.0 Turbo D diesel: The four-cylinder 174PS 2.0-litre Turbo D is an impressive all-rounder. It can do 0-62mph in 8.2 seconds, with 54.3mpg average economy. CO2 emissions are on a par with rivals at 136g/km. It only comes with a six-speed manual gearbox.
Vauxhall Insignia 2.0 Turbo 200 petrol: The highest-performance Vauxhall Insignia has a 200PS turbocharged petrol engine, paired as standard with an eight-speed automatic transmission. The 0-62mph sprint takes 7.2 seconds and it averages an acceptable 37.7mpg. Company car drivers won’t like the 167g/km CO2 emissions though.
There is a broad range of Vauxhall Insignia engines on the used car market. These include a 1.5-litre turbo petrol with 140PS or 165PS, a (thirsty) 200PS 1.6 turbo and a racy 260PS 2.0 turbo with all-wheel drive. The 1.6 diesels with 110PS or 136PS were popular, and there was a 2.0 Turbo D with 165PS, plus a twin-turbo 2.0-litre diesel with 210PS and all-wheel drive.
The Vauxhall Insignia ended its run with a simplified model range of two trim levels. Both are very well equipped, with the GS Line adding a number of stylish extras. Earlier cars came in a broader selection of trims detailed below.
The Vauxhall Insignia Design has an extremely comprehensive spec that includes climate control air-con, LED headlights, an 8.0-inch touchscreen sat-nav and luxuries like heated seats, a heated steering wheel and ambient interior lighting. A Nav version offered all of this with sat-nav included as well.
Vauxhall Insignia SRi models came with 17-inch alloy wheels, front fog lights, rear privacy glass, and rain sensitive wipers over and above what the Design trim offered. Vauxhall also had an SRi Nav model with integrated sat-nav.
If you want the Vauxhall Insignia SRi VX-Line Nav, you get that sat-nav plus 18-inch alloy wheels for all but the 1.6 diesel versions. It also has a VXR Styling Pack with sports-style front and rear bumpers, while inside there's a flat-bottomed steering wheel, dark fabric headliner, and 2-inch colour information display in the main binnacle.
Anyone who takes the Vauxhall Insignia Tech Line Nav will find they get all the kit of the Design plus twin five-spoke 17-inch alloy wheels, automatic wipers, all-round parking sensors, and chrome-effect door handle inserts. For the cabin, there is dual-zone climate control, twin rear USB sockets, front passenger seat height adjustment, driver's seat tilt and lumbar adjustment, and the 2-inch main dash info display.
The Vauxhall Insignia Elite Nav is a luxury take on the theme that builds on the Tech Line Nav model's spec with 18-inch alloys for all but the base diesel-powered version. The 2.0 Turbo with 260PS engine gains 20-inch wheels, while all have rear privacy galss, LED matric headlights, front fog lights, and torque vectoring traction tech for the four-wheel drive versions. You'll find leather upholstery inside, with heated front and outer rear seats, and an 8-inch infotainment set-up. The 260PS 4x4 model also has a premium Bose stereo system.
The Vauxhall Insignia GS Line is all about style, gaining 20-inch alloys, sports front and rear bumpers and a rear spoiler. Inside, it has plush Alcantara upholstery and a smart flat-bottomed steering wheel.
The Vauxhall Insignia’s exterior dimensions are:
Length: 4,906mm
Width: 1,863mm
Height: 1,455mm
Ground clearance: 130mm
The Vauxhall Insignia’s boot space is:
490 litres
1,450 litres with rear seats folded
Arriving in 2017, the Vauxhall Insignia pays its road tax dues at the flat rate of £180 per year as all were registered from 1 April 2017. Newer models that edged over the £40,000 price when new, and some did with a few choice optional extras added, will pay an additional £370 each year for five years up until the car hits six-years old.
If you choose the right Vauxhall Insignia, insurance costs won’t be prohibitive. The later 1.5 Turbo D Design has a group 17 (out of 50) insurance rating, which is similar to a 1.2-litre Vauxhall Astra. Interestingly, the automatic version has a lower group 16 rating. The more stylish GS Line moves up to group 19 (or group 18 for the auto). If you want more power, it will naturally add to your annual premium. The 2.0 Turbo D is in group 26 and the 2.0 Turbo 200 GSi Line is insurance group 28.