Vauxhall Insignia 2.0 CDTI ecoFLEX

The Insignia is starting to feel its age but it’s still a capable car, mixing a comfortable, well equipped cabin with a relaxing drive. This latest ecoFLEX has brilliant economy and low tax bills, but drives as well as any other diesel Insignia – and it’s punchy compared to its rivals. So while sales of traditional large family cars are falling, this one still makes sense.

Vauxhall has just made the Insignia even more appealing to company car drivers by launching a new ecoFLEX model.

The car costs £835 more than the standard 128bhp 2.0 CDTI, at £23,040, but a stop-start system has helped to reduce CO2 from 124g/km to 116g/km and boost economy by 4.1mpg to 64.2mpg.

The drop in emissions means the company car tax rate falls by one per cent to 17 per cent – but that’s still one per cent higher than the latest Insignia’s closest rivals from Ford and VW.

Business users paying tax at 20 per cent who go for the similarly priced Mondeo 1.6 TDCi 115 Econetic or Passat 1.6 TDI BlueMotion – both of which emit just 114g/km – shell out £715 and £722 a year respectively in company car tax. Those who choose the Insignia pay £781.

However, the Vauxhall is by far the most powerful of the three, with lots of low-rev shove. It also feels faster than its 10.4-second 0-62mph time suggests.

On top of that, the Insignia does everything a large family car should: it’s quiet and relaxing on motorways and very comfortable. It’s not as much fun as a Mondeo in corners, but feels stable and secure on the road.

Our Exclusiv Nav model is well equipped, too, with sat-nav and 18-inch alloys. So while it’s no class leader, this Insignia is a fine all-rounder.