Vauxhall
Insignia
Techline 2.0 CDTi
The Vauxhall Insignia in its current form arrived on the
scene back in 2009, and apart from a few tweaks
it has been one of the best selling vehicles in the UK,
especially where the fleet market is concerned. However
now with the arrival of brand new engines and the
new Vauxhall whispering diesel engine, Vauxhall have
something to shout about and it is now worth another
examination of this popular car, writes Bob Hickman.
The 2-litre engine in my Techline version produces 168bhp
but the torque is developed at a very low revs and this
means much less gear changing, much less stress and a more
pleasant driving environment. There is still a slight chatter to the
engine, but this is usual with diesel engines. They Vauxhall
suggest that a top speed of 139 mph could be possible
and it will take a mere 9 seconds to gallop to 62mph. The
new engine scores heavily in its frugal consumption of fuel,
Vauxhall suggest 62 mpg could be possible, however during
my time with the vehicle the computer intimated to me that
I had achieved 55mpg, this, over a multitude of different
driving dynamics including a lot of inner city driving.
The CO2 emissions are on the low side and put the Insignia
in to the £30 annual vehicle excise duty band.
The interior of the Insignia is a well equipped comfortable
old friend, the layout has been improved over the years
and now it is a vehicle that will accommodate 4 people
with ease, 5 at a push. I particularly like the curves
contained within the vehicle, all the equipment, knobs,
switches, have a quality feel to them, and they were all
somewhat nice and easy to use and understand.
The boot is exceptional, at 530 litres with a large opening,
the only downside on my particular derivative was a
high sill that did make loading large bulky items a little
bit difficult.
The ride of the new Insignia has benefitted from degrees of
tweaking to the suspension, this is reflected in the ride quality. The new vehicle
soaks up bumps and is also an extremely refined motorway cruiser because
after all this is one of the main features of the Insignia in the fleet sales market,
the vehicle will spend a lot of its time cruising the motorway and this is where you
demand a quiet oasis of calm with a responsive engine, excellent steering and
brake dynamics to make you feel assured.
My particular Insignia had an on the road price of £22,984, and included within
this is a plethora of standard features which include a very user friendly satellite
navigation system which they badge as a Nave 900. This is a simplistic system
and I like the factor that a little car is superimposed on to the map a