From £17,1858

The new Insignia is essential to Vauxhall’s future and needs to be good. So is it?

The Insignia has always been sold in a slightly baffling array of trim levels, and the new model is no different. For the record, there’s Design, Design Nav, SRi, SRi Nav, SRi VX-Line Nav, Tech Line Nav and Elite Nav.

Each level comes with its own peculiarities, although (roughly speaking) Design is the £17k entry-level car, SRi the mid-spec competitor, Tech Line the business user special and Elite Nav the range-topper (which costs just under £28k for the 4x4 petrol model).

Super-competitive pricing is expected to work well for the Insignia, at least in the short to medium term

The presence of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone integration alongside Bluetooth, Vauxhall OnStar, a DAB radio, 17in wheels, keyless entry, air-con, cruise control and a 7.0in touchscreen makes the Design trim look like remarkable value for money.

For a sub-£18k car, you’d need to have the 163bhp 1.5 Turbo model, but you couldn’t have a Mondeo, Passat or Superb for that price in any spec.

Granted, by the time you get to middleweight grades – SRi Nav or Tech Line Nav being arguably the sweet spot – and added the 134bhp 1.6 Turbo D for £21,580, you’ll be closer to Ford’s and Skoda’s equivalent values, but expect Vauxhall’s aggressive pricing to still admirably undercut its closest rivals.

That’s a useful incentive, because the Insignia’s fuel efficiency is competitive rather than class-leading. As far as CO2 emissions go, the range pick is the 108bhp 1.6 Turbo D at 105g/km, which is commendable but still behind the 94g/km of the Mondeo’s 118bhp 1.5 TDCi. Our more powerful test car emitted 136g/km – also decent, yet distant from the 108g/km of the 148bhp 2.0 TDI found in a Superb.

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Furthermore, its quoted 68.9mpg is obviously superior to our Insignia’s 54.3mpg – a figure we only approached at touring speed. Overall, the car returned 39.2mpg. 

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