Vauxhall Insignia (2017-2022) review - Practicality, comfort and boot space
The Vauxhall Insignia is a practical family hatch with a big boot and plenty of passenger space
At the heart of the Insignia appeal is its usability. The latest car is significantly longer and wider than the last model, with the wheelbase increased by almost four inches. There’s decent visibility from the large window area, although the high sides do make tight parking spaces a pain. Standard front and rear parking sensors go someway to alleviating this issue, however.
There’s plenty of cabin storage front and rear, as the Vauxhall is spacious enough to allow extra room for water bottles and snacks. A front centre armrest is standard, while the steering column adjusts for reach and rake, so the driver should be able to find a comfortable position.
Size
The Insignia is 4,897mm long, 1,863mm wide and 1,455mm high, which makes it slightly longer than the Skoda Superb's 4,861mm. The two rivals have virtually the same width (Skoda: 1,864mm), while the Insignia is not quite so tall as the Skoda's 1,468mm.
Leg room, head room & passenger space
The Insignia has a more flowing roofline than its predecessor, and that means access to the rear is slightly more compromised. But once aboard headroom is plentiful and even taller passengers won’t brush the roof.
Legroom is good, too, with plenty of space to the seat in front, so longer journeys shouldn’t be a problem for four adults. That’s thanks in part to the Insignia’s controlled, but forgiving, ride.
Boot
A one-touch release for the rear seats makes the Vauxhall’s 40:20:40-split bench easy to fold. There’s plenty of usability here, too, thanks to the Insignia's decent packaging. With 490 litres of luggage capacity with the seats up (underneath the load cover), there’s masses of space in the Vauxhall. The Vauxhall also offers a total of 1,450 litres with the back seats folded.
In comparison, the Skoda Superb hatch has 1,760 litres of space. However, there’s more than enough luggage and passenger space for most. The huge hatch gives great access to the boot, just like with the Superb, but there’s no power tailgate available to help improve usability. However, this boot space doesn’t come at the expense of room inside the cabin.
