Vauxhall Insignia 2.0 CDTI SE NAV
THE Insignia is a genuinely desirable family car, with smart looks and a high-class cabin. However, its prestige aspirations are accompanied by a premium price tag, which makes the Vauxhall look expensive.
With its new Vauxhall logo and fresh name, company bosses have high hopes for the new Insignia, and they claim it has the class and ability to take on the premium brands. Our SE Nav model certainly has the price tag to rival a compact executive, so is it good enough to justify the extra expense?
Judged on pure kerbside appeal, it gets off to a flying start. Pedestrians won’t give the Mazda a second glance, but the Vauxhall is a genuine head turner. Rarity value accounts for some of that interest, but even when the Insignia becomes a common sight, its sleek profile and classy detailing should stand out.
The amount of effort put into the Insignia’s cabin is obvious, too. After driving the Mazda, the Vauxhall feels like a car from the class above, thanks to its sweeping dashboard curves, chunky switches and high-quality materials. Only the questionable wood trim fitted to our test car lets the side down.
Specify SE trim, and the centre console includes a space-saving electric parking brake. It creates room for an effective BMW iDrive-style controller for the DAB stereo and sat-nav. Our SE Nav test car costs £785 more than the regular SE, and also features USB and auxiliary inputs for digital music players. However, even the standard model is a hefty £2,701 more than the mid-range Mazda.
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Cash £21,497You have to step two rungs down the Insignia ladder to match its rival on price, but at £18,650, the Exclusiv Nav model misses out on a host of kit. Omissions include the supremely comfortable multi-adjustable driver’s seat and digital radio, while the rear windows have manual winders and there’s a conventional handbrake. One thing that’s common to all Insignia models is the lack of rear headroom. The sleek roofline means tall rear passengers will find their heads rubbing the roof lining.
The Vauxhall also loses out to the Mazda in terms of boot space. With the rear seats in place, a capacity of 520 litres is 10 litres greater than its rival’s. However, it can’t match the Mazda with the seats folded, and the 1,463-litre load bay has an uneven floor.
Hit the road, and major differences between the two cars emerge. The Vauxhall’s suspension is more supple, but its 2.0-litre engine simply doesn’t pull as strongly as the larger 2.2-litre unit of its rival. The brakes merit a mention, though, because a stopping distance of 44.7 metres from 70mph was an impressive result on an icy track and nearly three-and-a-half metres shorter than the Mazda’s.
Our test car was fitted with Vauxhall’s £750 FlexRide set-up, which tunes the throttle, steering, stability control and suspension settings to suit three modes; Sport, Normal and Tour. Selecting Sport sharpens the steering and limits body roll, but the changes are too slight to justify the extra outlay, and the Mazda still provides more grip and driver enjoyment.
The Insignia’s strengths lie on the motorway, where it is one of the most refined cars in the sector. A noise meter reading of 70dB is deceptive, as the Vauxhall seems much quieter than the Mazda. Softer suspension and more comfortable seats make it great for longer journeys, too. Is that enough to justify the Insignia’s extra cost?
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Chart position: 2
WHY: The Insignia looks good, and on paper its 2.0-litre engine is a match for the Mazda’s
