Used Vauxhall Insignia (2008-2017) Review

Lots of family car buyers think they need an SUV, but actually they’d be better off saving a fortune and buying a second-hand Vauxhall Insignia instead. It’s particularly competitive in terms of boot space, which is both larger and more practical than many SUVs, even if their rear seats might offer more comfort.

Those after a smart buy will think it worth considering, too. Why have an Audi or BMW when this Germanic machine does what they do for far less? That the pretty shape still has a certain amount of elegance – it’s really ageing well – only bolsters our enthusiasm for the well-priced Vauxhall.  

The Vauxhall Insignia’s most obvious rival is the Ford Mondeo, another long-running car that’s previously been around as the Sierra and Cortina. The Volkswagen Passat has served for decades too, while other challengers include the Peugeot 508 and Citroen C5.

If you want even more space and value for money, the Kia Optima and Hyundai i40 are worth a look. And the Skoda Superb out-spaces them all, with a vast rear cabin and boot.

This is not a premium car so it does not offer the same sort of perceived quality you get in an Audi or BMW – or, saying that, even a Volkswagen Passat. That’s not to say it’s a poor quality car, though. The plastics inside don’t have a luxury finish, but they’re still robust and solidly constructed, and not too shiny or scratchy to the touch. As we’ve mentioned, the top half of the dash is surprisingly plush at first glance, and it’s only when you run your hands lower down that you notice more unyielding materials.

Facelifted cars are a bit more elegantly finished than earlier models. Vauxhall used more rich-looking trim, and also cleared out (some of) the buttons from the dashboard. The infotainment screen was sharper and a new set of instruments looked more contemporary.

Insignias have good quality seat upholstery, with the multi-material choices in some versions being particularly appealing, especially as the seats themselves are so good to sit in.

There were a couple of generations of infotainment during this Insignia’s lifetime. Early cars used a colour screen, but it didn’t offer a great deal of functionality and didn’t easily pair with smartphones. After all, when it was new, smartphones had barely been invented.

The 2013 system was a big step on. It was based around an eight-inch touchscreen with a crisper display and much simpler, more intuitive graphics. This system is easier to use and more comprehensive.

Look out for Insignias with the Navi 900 IntelliLink system, which features Apple CarPlay as standard. This super-useful smartphone connectivity tool was, however, optional on the more basic R700 Touch system, so you might still be in luck even if you don’t have a car with nav.

Top-spec facelifted Insignias also had a part-electronic instrument panel that packed in more functionality to a colour screen ahead of the driver. It’s another premium-style feature that we like, and think is worth searching out in a used car.

Front-seat space is superb. The Insignia has a staggering range of adjustment for its driver’s seat. It slides so far back on the runners, even those who think they’re tall will barely be able to touch the pedals. The steering wheel adjusts for height and reach, and there’s a good amount of seat height adjustment, too. It means everyone should be able to find an absolutely perfect driving position – another example of how the Insignia prioritises the driver.

The only slight black mark is that it’s not easy to judge where the car’s extremities are. This is a very large car and the interior seems designed in a way that you can’t quite get a sense of where its corners are. You’ll get used to it, but the Insignia will certainly feel like a bulky car to manoeuvre at first.

In the rear, so long as you’re not too tall, it’s pretty good. The rear seat is, like the chairs in the front, very comfortable. It’s firm and supportive, with lots of under-thigh padding for business-people stuck in the back from Slough to Glasgow. Legroom is decent, too. It’s headroom that’s the problem – even sub-six-footers will find their head pressed against the roof when they lean back, which is a bit of a disappointment in a car this large (the Insignia measures more than 4.8 metres long and over 1.8 metres wide).

Oddly, boot space seems only average as well, despite measuring 500 litres with the seats up. It’s a very long space, but there is far too much intrusion from the wheelarches, plus a big, awkwardly-shaped step in the floor as it meets the rear seat-backs. The opening is vast, though, creating an almost walk-in space, and there is (just about) enough width at the rear of the boot to accommodate a set of golf clubs mounted sideways.

The seats are split 60:40, and folding them opens up 1,470 litres of space. This is a large amount, although that slightly awkward shape means you may not make full use of it. The 2017-on Insignia is much better in this regard.

Isofix mounts for child car seats are fitted to the outer rear seats as standard, and the wide cabin makes them easy to use – although remember to duck as you lean in and out, due to the curvy door openings.

Your eyes may glaze over if you look at the full array of engines Vauxhall offered in this generation of Insignia throughout its lifetime. It’s a tremendous line-up, which we’ll attempt to simplify by concentrating on the mainstays. The range opens with a 1.8-litre non-turbo, which is best avoided, as it’s gutless in a car this heavy. If you want an affordable petrol, go for the 1.4-litre turbo: it’s smaller but more powerful, and a lot more fuel-efficient.

Petrol Insignias are rare though. Most were sold with a diesel engine, of which the 2.0-litre CDTi is the most popular This was sold in a multitude of power outputs from 120PS right up to a 195PS Bi-Turbo (and a rare all-wheel-drive version for better winter traction), but it’s the 130PS and 163PS motors that are most commonplace.

This isn’t a particularly smooth-running engine, with a gravelly nature, but it settles down brilliantly on motorways to an extremely refined and (that word again) effortless cruise. It responds strongly to the accelerator and is, overall, a strong albeit workmanlike engine.

If you travel more at mixed speeds, the rattles of the 2.0-litre engine might grate. The 1.6 CDTi is a better bet. This engine produces 136PS and isn’t the fastest against the clock, but it’s less droney and smoother-revving, seeming that bit more alert (even if the performance figures don’t portray this).

Automatic Insignias are rare unless you’re looking at more expensive variants. The auto ’box isn’t great, but it does a job. Rather like the six-speed manual, in fact, which is far from memorable but isn’t excessively awkward or obstructive to use.

On the motorway, in facelift guise, the Insignia is excellent. Noise levels are very low, with wind whistle kept at bay and the slightly noisy road-surface and suspension intrusion of earlier cars better isolated. All engines fade into the background and the Insignia does a very convincing impression of a Mercedes-Benz.

It’s a pity the engines aren’t a bit quieter, particularly the 2.0-litre diesel, which spoils the car’s in-town refinement. The larger diesel feels old fashioned, with the 1.6 offering less vibration and low-resonance rumble – although even this is far from the ‘whisper-quiet’ motor promised by Vauxhall’s advertising.

The Insignia in post-facelift guise was sold with some particularly large alloy wheel options and it’s worth noting that these can generate a bit of tyre roar at speed, particularly if the car is running on cheaper tyres. Those new-fangled tyre labels that indicate how noisy the rubber will be could have been designed for cars such as this.

It was way back in 2009 that Euro NCAP crash-tested this generation of Insignia. The results shouldn’t be compared to more modern cars, as the tests have undergone a decade of (more stringent) evolution since then, but it’s still fairly reassuring that the car scored 94% for adult occupant protection and 79% for child occupant protection. Safety assist was pretty good on 71%, although pedestrian protection was a woeful 40% even then. We dread to think what the score would be if it were tested to today’s standard.

Front and side airbags are fitted to all Insignias, along with side head airbags that stretch from front to rear, although the seatbelt reminders only cover those in the front. 

Isofix is only for the rear seats too, and there’s no passenger airbag cut-off switch, nor any knee airbags. At least electronic stability control is fitted to every Insignia of this era.

As standard, the car comes with a tyre repair kit, but new car buyers could choose the option of a proper spare wheel – a full-size one at that.

Again, such an enormous range of cars means a lot of variability in terms of insurance groups. To try and simplify things, note that a 1.4-litre turbo starts from group 16 (out of 50): the same as a 1.8 (we know which we’d rather have). The 2.0-litre diesels start from group 18, a 160PS version is in group 21 and the Bi-Turbo is in group 24. 

SRi VX-Line versions typically move up a group compared to the equivalent standard SRi. Generally, insurance costs shouldn’t be too high, and an Insignia will cost less than a premium-brand equivalent such as an Audi. Certainly, thieves won’t be drawn to it. They probably won’t even notice it as they head for next door’s Audi.

Some Ecoflex diesel Insignias emitted so little CO2 – as in, sub-100g/km emissions – they actually benefit from free VED (road tax). Look out for these 120PS models, but don’t dismiss the others, which generally only cost either £20 or £30 a year.

A reason to avoid the automatic versions is a big hike in CO2 emissions, which pushes up tax. A manual CDTI costs £20 a year, but its automatic equivalent costs £150 a year.

The Insignia model range is broad, with Exclusiv and ES at the lower end, moving through SRi to Elite at the top. In addition, there’s the sports-look SRi VX-Line and all-singing Elite Nav. 

Post-facelift models included a Tech Line, which has everything any self-respecting company car driver could wish for, plus a smart-looking Design version that ended up being one of the better sellers. Vauxhall then started filling in the gaps with versions such as Energy, which had a bit more kit than SE, but not as much style as Design. 

We told you it was confusing. Did we mention there was also a Limited Edition that was anything but limited? Thought not.