Vauxhall Insignia Sports Tourer long-term test review
With four-wheel drive and a powerful yet frugal diesel engine, the spacious Vauxhall Insignia estate could be all the car you need. We've added one to our long-term fleet to see if it delivers...
- The car: Vauxhall Insignia Sports Tourer 2.0 BiTurbo D Elite Nav 4x4 auto
- Run by: Mitch McCabe, head of video
- Why it’s here: To see if Vauxhall’s flagship offers an unbeatable combination of practicality, value and executive comfort in estate form?
- Needs to: Be economical over a large mileage, accommodate lots of luggage and provide enough creature comforts to outshine rivals
Price £28,695 Price as tested £29,495 Miles 10,611 Official economy 40.0mpg Test economy 34.1mpg Options fitted Driver Assist Pack 4 (£650), two-coat metallic paint (£565), Winter Pack 2 (£400), FlexOrganiser (£120)
30 August 2018 – A DPF disaster
Oh dear, all is not well with our long-term Insignia Sports Tourer. In fact, I’ve just got off the phone to various dealerships; it’s going to be at least a week until any can look at it and – wouldn't you know it? – there aren't any courtesy cars available either.
Let me explain. Like all modern diesels, our Insignia has a diesel particulate filter (DPF), which is designed to trap the black soot that such cars emit and periodically burn it off in a clean manner to reduce overall emissions. This process is initiated during steady periods of driving above 2000rpm. So if you spend a lot of time on the motorway, as I do on the way to video shoots, the DPF should have plenty of opportunity to regenerate itself.
Thus, when the warning message popped up on the dash, I followed instructions to continue driving so the DPF could clean itself. And that's when it happened: after about 10 minutes, the car went into so-called 'limp' mode, meaning the regeneration couldn't take place. Something has gone wrong. After consulting the manual, it means a trip to the dealer. I'll report on what they find next time.
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