Vauxhall Insignia Sports Tourer review

If there’s one thing the Insignia Sports Tourer definitely has going for it, it’s price. With a range that starts at a similar cost to a well-specified supermini, even before discounts, it should be affordable for many a family. However, wander up the range to Elite Nav and GSI Nav models and you’ll find the price more in line with premium models from Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz.

CO2 emissions aren’t spectacularly low for any model and are particularly poor for the four-wheel-drive 207bhp 2.0 diesel in the Country Tourer, Elite Nav and GSI Nav models. But if you stick to the cheaper variants in the range, benefit-in-kind payments, which are based on a percentage of the list price, should still be cheaper than less polluting but more expensive rivals.

Fuel economy should also be good on the less powerful variants. Like any car, it won’t manage the official figures, but we saw well over 45mpg from the base diesel. On the downside, residual values won’t be as good as a Volkswagen or Skoda, pushing up monthly PCP finance costs.

Design trim kicks off the range and gets a decent amount of kit. This includes auto lights, keyless start, electric front and rear windows, air-con, cruise control, a 7.0in touchscreen infotainment system with DAB radio, Bluetooth connectivity, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, as well as a multi-function steering wheel.

However, whether you are a private buyer or a company car driver, Tech Line Nav makes the most sense. Along with the above, this trim adds a larger infotainment screen with in-built sat-nav, privacy glass, dual-zone climate control, automatic wipers and driver’s adjustable lumbar support.

Top-end trims, including GSI Nav and Elite Nav, add more luxuries such as adaptive LED headlights, leather seats (heated up front) and a Bose stereo.

Meanwhile, the more rugged Country Tourer is a distinct model that, along with a similarly high standard of equipment to the Elite Nav and GSI Nav trims, also has four-wheel drive, a raised ride height, a black plastic bumper and wheel arch extensions.

Vauxhall performed reasonably well in our 2017 reliability survey, but it finished fourth from bottom for servicing satisfaction among owners of cars up to three years old.

Like all Vauxhalls, the Insignia Sports Tourer comes with a three-year or 60,000-mile warranty and a year’s worth of roadside assistance. This is in keeping with cover from the majority of other manufacturers, but it can’t beat the five-year warranties that Hyundai and Toyota offer or Kia’s seven-year package.

Euro NCAP gave the Insignia a five-star safety rating and it performs well throughout the various categories tested.

Partly this is because it comes with lots of standard safety features, including automatic emergency braking (AEB) and lane departure warning with lane keep assist. An improved AEB system, blindsport warning and a rear cross traffic alert system are all optional.

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