What is it?
The shift from diesel back to petrol now finds itself in unfamiliar territory: a big, mass market family estate, the kind bought almost solely by black pump visitors for the past two decades or so.
This 197bhp 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol is now available in the Vauxhall Insignia Sports Tourer, equipped with a six-speed automatic as a range-topping petrol drivetrain after the blink-and-you-miss it GSi version was dropped from sale last year. The engine first arrived in the Insignia last autumn in manual form, following a debut in the Vauxhall Astra a few years ago.
Diesel uptake for the Insignia has typically been around 95%; unsurprising, given how cars like the Insignia tend to notch up big miles in the hands of the fleet drivers and families who drive them. Yet Vauxhall, like all other car makers in the UK, is noticing a shift away from diesel after 'you know what', and is responding accordingly with more petrol alternatives like we’re testing here.
What's it like?
The petrol is a worthy alternative to the diesel in many ways: it revs nicely across the entire rev range, and pleasingly does without the breathlessness similar downsized turbo petrol engines typically suffer from as the revs build. The wide bands for both peak torque and power are testament to that.
The six-speed automatic is a good companion for it, too, being precise and responsive in its shifts both up and down, if lacking the overall silky smoothness well executed, more modern eight- and nine-speed autos provide. It’s every bit as quick off the line as the impressive 0-60mph time of 7.7sec suggests, too, and not too vocal with it. A diesel will hum along more quietly on a run, yet there’s no coarseness to the petrol in either acoustics or refinement.
Which makes the fact that the car has one big failing a bit of a shame. The economy just isn’t very good, averaging in the mid-30s on a run. Kudos to Vauxhall for publishing the official WLTP figures that back that up (a ‘combined low’ economy of 35.8mpg, and a ‘combined high’ of 38.7mpg). So any buyer will take on this car with eyes wide open and knowing what they’ll be getting, but anyone doing big miles best look elsewhere.
The rest of the package is the usual Insignia fare: a comfortable ride, lots of stability and plenty of grip while cornering to create the kind of car you’d gladly do a 200-mile drive in, but not one you’d pick out to blow away the cobwebs on a Sunday morning.
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32 grand
32 grand for an 1600cc Vauxhall?
I would look at one of these for 10 grand less, but not that much.
Rearranging the (too long) name of the car into a Haiku...
Elite tourer
200 naff sports
Vauxhall Insignificant
Scoobman wrote:
Unfortunately that's seems to be how it's going for vauxhall. I recently had the unfortunate experience of a 150 drive in the back seat of one of these new Insignias, not too sure how they've made so little leg room in what is a big car. Odd spec too, I think it was a Design model, no satnav, no reversing camera or sensors, no climate control, just aircon and a dash full of blanking plates where switches should be. Not a pleasant experience.
FM8 wrote:
Design Insigna under £20k with a 1.5t with which you can use your phone, if you'd been in the Design Nav for £800 more you'd have got Nav. Barely buy you half a 5 series.
xxxx wrote:
Yes, I fully understand that, but I thought it was an odd spec. This was the 1.5T petrol, nothing wrong with the performance, it coped with 4 adults, all 85 -100kg + their kit. But the room (lack of) in the back was poor, there's more room in the back of my Honda Civic. Plus, in the face evermore competition, I find it odd that Vauxhall should kit a car out like that.
Even company car drivers are