Used Vauxhall Insignia Sports Tourer 2017-2020 review

What's the used Vauxhall Insignia like?

There was a time when the estate car was all the rage, but demand for higher-riding SUVs has eroded its popularity. To combat this, Vauxhall gave the Insignia Sports Tourer a name that bore no association with the word estate and gave the car some bolder styling to make it stand out.

To a certain degree, it worked. The Insignia Sports Tourer was withdrawn from sale in 2020, but it is now a popular car on the used forecourts, thanks to its practicality, high equipment levels and its great value for money.

Overview

Stuffed with kit and safety tech, the Vauxhall Insignia Sports Tourer is a capable mile-muncher with a sizeable boot

Pros

• Lots of kit
• Road noise
• Economical engines

Cons

• Road noise
• Rivals have bigger boots
• So-so handling

Used cars available now

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Vauxhall Insignia

2.0 Turbo D BlueInjection SRi Nav Sports Tourer Auto Euro 6 (s/s) 5dr

£3,650

Vauxhall Insignia

1.6 Turbo D BlueInjection SRi Nav Sports Tourer Euro 6 (s/s) 5dr

£4,295

Vauxhall Insignia

2.0 Turbo D BlueInjection SRi Nav Sports Tourer Euro 6 (s/s) 5dr

£4,500

Vauxhall Insignia

1.6 Turbo D ecoTEC BlueInjection Design Sports Tourer Euro 6 (s/s) 5dr

£4,990

Vauxhall INSIGNIA

1.6 Turbo D BlueInjection SRi VX Line Nav Sports Tourer Euro 6 (s/s) 5dr

£5,450

Vauxhall Insignia

1.6 Turbo D ecoTEC BlueInjection Elite Nav Sports Tourer Euro 6 (s/s) 5dr

£5,695

Vauxhall Insignia

2.0 Turbo D BlueInjection SRi Nav Sports Tourer Euro 6 (s/s) 5dr

£5,845

Vauxhall Insignia

1.6 Turbo D ecoTEC BlueInjection Elite Nav Sports Tourer Euro 6 (s/s) 5dr

£5,895

Vauxhall INSIGNIA

2.0 Turbo D BlueInjection Elite Nav Sports Tourer Auto Euro 6 (s/s) 5dr

£5,995

See all available cars

To drive, the Insignia Sports Tourer is hardly exciting, but most won’t be looking for driving thrills in an estate car. The handling is safe and secure, with well-weighted steering that allows you to accurately place the car. It’s very stable on the motorway and allows you to relax on long journeys without having to make lots of tiny steering corrections to keep it heading in a straight line. This is accompanied by very little wind noise – especially on examples fitted with laminated side windows.

There are both petrol and diesel engines on offer and they all come in a variety of power outputs. There is an entry-level 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine that comes in either 138 or 163bhp guise, a 197bhp 1.6-litre that was added in 2018 and a range-topping 256bhp 2.0-litre that's pretty swift and comes with four-wheel drive. Diesel options come as either an economical 1.6-litre (109 or 134bhp) or a torquey 2.0-litre (168bhp or twin-turbocharged 207bhp). The petrols are smooth and flexible, while the more powerful of the 1.6 diesel engines is punchy enough for most situations to negate the need for the occasionally boomy 2.0-litre.

The primary objective of a big load-lugger is to carry lots of stuff and, fortunately, the Insignia ST has a square-shaped boot opening and there’s only a shallow bumper to lift items over. Luggage capacity is impressive and it will swallow five people's holiday gear with ease, although rivals such as the Skoda Superb Estate and Volkswagen Passat Estate have bigger cargo areas with the seats up or down.

That said, the Insignia ST hits back with generous levels of standard equipment. Every version comes with lane departure warning and traffic sign recognition – a thoughtful touch since some rivals only offered these as options – along with cruise control, automatic lights and a 7.0in infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. SRi adds 17in alloy wheels, auto wipers and dual-zone climate control; SRi VX-Line gets bigger alloy wheels and a discreet bodykit, heated steering wheel and a 4.2in colour driver's information display. Tech Line has similar toys to SRi cars, just without the sporty trimmings, but adds front and rear parking sensors. Elite has brighter LED headlights and an upgraded stereo. GSI is the sportiest Insignia ST and gets bigger Brembo brakes and adaptive drive modes.

Any version with 'Nav' added to the end of it will come with sat-nav.

If you're interested in buying a used Vauxhall Insignia Sports Touring, or any of the other cars mentioned here, check out our used car classifieds site here.

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Ownership cost

What used Vauxhall Insignia will I get for my budget?

Prices for an Insignia Sports Tourer start at £8000 for an early car with a respectable mileage. Spend between £9000 and £12,000 on a good 2019 model and £12,000 to £15,000 on a 2020 car.

Check the value of a used Vauxhall Insignia with What Car? Valuations

Our recommendations

Which used Vauxhall Insignia should I buy?

Every version of the Insignia ST is well equipped, so we'd stick with the entry-level Design Nav because it gets all the kit you'll need, including sat-nav.

Both the 1.6 and 2.0-litre petrols are quite rare on the used market, but the more powerful 163bhp version of the 1.5-litre is worth a look if you don't do many miles. However, we’d suggest going for the more powerful 1.6-litre diesel with 134bhp because it pulls well from low revs while sipping very little fuel.

The 2.0-litre diesel engine provides brisk performance, particularly in 207bhp form, but fuel economy figures are disappointing when compared with similarly potent rivals. Unless you’re towing something big, we’d avoid this and go for the 1.6 instead.

Our favourite Insignia Sports Tourer 1.6 Turbo D Design Nav

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Alternatives

What alternatives should I consider to a used Vauxhall Insignia?

The Ford Mondeo is an excellent estate car, with plenty of space up front and a large boot. The load lip is quite low, so it's helpful for those who have dogs. Rear leg space isn’t as good as it is in the Insignia Grand Sport, but the Mondeo has a strong range of petrol and diesel engines to choose from and remains a quiet and comfortable cruiser on the motorway.

If you want the most interior space for your money, then the Skoda Superb Estate would be, well, a superb choice. There are lots of efficient diesel engines and the 148bhp 1.4-litre petrol is remarkably capable, too. Besides its generous rear leg room, the boot is enormous.

The Mazda 6 estate has always been in the shadow of cars such as the Insignia. It doesn’t offer quite the same level of equipment as the Insignia but, thanks to sharp styling, a well-built interior and an excellent infotainment system, the 6 is well worth a look.

If you want something with a touch of class but don’t have the money to run to a Mercedes-Benz, BMW or Audi, then the Volkswagen Passat Estate could be the car for you. There’s a huge boot, efficient diesel engines and it’s very quiet and stable on the motorway.

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If you're interested in buying a used Vauxhall Insignia Sports Tourer, or any of the other cars mentioned here, check out our used car classifieds site here.

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