• Summary
• What's Good
• What's Bad
• On the Road
• In The Cabin
• Prices and Specs
• Owners' Reviews

Latest Update 6-5-2012 Vauxhall Insigna: Number of engine fires across Europe through power steering fluid leaking from the reservoir onto the hot exhaust manifold and diesel particulate filter of turbocharged engines. Case history featured on BBC Watchdog on 3-5-2012. October 2011 TSB refers to the pipe that carries pressurised power steering fluid to the rack cracking or leaking. The cure is to replace the power steering pressure pipe and clip. The fault affects 6,900 Insignia diesels, all manufactured in Germany between 2009 and 2010. You Tube links to Burning Insignia 1 ; Burned out Insignia 2 .  Link to BBC Watchdog report.

6-3-2012 Geneva Motor Show: Vauxhall  launched its Insignia BiTurbo diesel - powered by the most powerful diesel engine ever from Vauxhall. With 195PS and 400Nm of torque it's not shy when it comes to performance with a 0-62mph time of 8.2 seconds in the Insignia hatchback, yet fuel consumption is still low as are CO2 emissions.

Introduction:

For various reasons, perhaps early criticism of the rear seat room, it took the Insignia and I a long time to get together.

And that's no bad thing because by the time I got my hands on one they'd have time to develop and refine the model and they sent me a model that on paper rips the tyres off a Mondeo ECOnetic.

To get the Mondeo down under 140g/km CO2 and thereby into a favourable BIK bracket (17% this year; 18% next year), Ford had to turn down the wick, so its 2.0 litre diesel only produces 115PS.

Yet Vauxhall has managed to pull its CO2 down even lower (same BIK bracket) while still providing the driver with 160PS. Combined claimed fuel economy is also pretty much the same at 54.3mpg for the Ford and 54.7mpg for the Vauxhall.