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Vauxhall Insignia Sports Tourer on long-term test: the sleek family estate with loads of promise

Vauxhall Insignia Sport
Vauxhall Insignia Sport

After running a small, electric BMW for six months, what is it like to adapt to a traditional estate as your everyday transport?

Our Car: Vauxhall Insignia Sports Tourer 2.0 Turbo D SRI Nav

List price when new: £26,060 OTR

Price as tested: £29,335

Official fuel economy: 51.4mpg (EU Combined)

Read more long-term tests

April 2, 2019

Fuel economy this week: 39.1mpg

Six thousand miles. Actually, about 24 miles shy of that, but that’s how many miles have rolled under the wheels of the Insignia since it arrived around six months ago. It’s gone back, and we’ll miss it.

I chose the Insignia as something of an alternative to the trend to SUVs, the mainstream Vauxhall badge also a deliberate choice over the oh-so-predictable premium norm. Did I miss the fact it didn’t have a BMW, Audi or Mercedes-Benz badge on its grille? Not one bit. Indeed, being relatively rare among such popular premium machines made the Insignia Sports Tourer really stand out from them. And not being an SUV? Estate cars are more space-efficient, with more useful boots, and I like a practical family car.

I’ve always admired how the Insignia looks, particularly in Sports Tourer guise. The SRI Nav spec was more than adequate, with the few extras I added making it rather pleasant; the Winter Pack bringing heated seats, screen and steering wheel being hugely appealing as we ran the car through the colder months. The £290 the head-up display added was an absolute no-brainer, it making the regular instruments all but redundant.

If I were ordering again I’d get an automatic gearbox, not because I didn’t enjoy the shift of the manual, but my wife would have preferred the ease of a self-shifter. That, and an automatic would have meant there was no potential for a roll-away when leaving it, as, oddly, with the manual car the electronic parking brake didn’t have an auto on function when switching off the ignition.

Vauxhall Insignia Sports Tourer
The Insignia estate is a more practical family-carrier than any on-trend SUV

The 20-inch wheels would have stayed on the options list; regardless of how good they look the wheels are just too easy to damage, with each having a little bit of scuffing on them when the car returned to Vauxhall.

When the car was collected another bit of damage was spotted, and I’ll admit I had missed it. Under the driver’s door, along the sill there was a dent. It was substantial enough that we would have known if we’d done it. It’s not in a place that it’s likely that it’s been hit by someone else. We’ll never know, but given the amount of time it’s spent being valet parked at Heathrow and other airports I can only assume that it may have happened on occasion there - so be sure to be thorough checking your car before you drop it off, and after you pick it up.

The interior wore its 5,000 miles of family use very well, looking as good as new when it left. Indeed, with a good scrub, and even with the light scuffing on the wheels the Insignia would pass as new to most.

Life with it has been easy, too, even if I’ve never been particularly blown away by the fuel consumption. It only went down in the time we had it, though a lot of that has to do with the use we put it through, it not helping that it arrived on our driveway after six months of running an electric vehicle. The Vauxhall wasn’t so good at the short-run trips that made up the majority of its use, which was something the BMW i3 was excellent at.

Conversely, the Insignia did the big mile trips with impunity, covering huge distances on a tankful of fuel in conspicuous ease. Doing so saw the fuel consumption rise momentarily, though never enough to see the overall average get much about the 39.1mpg itwas showing when the car left us left us showing.

Even so, I’d have another estate car, though with a third child arriving the need for more Isofix-equipped seats is pressing. So I’m sad to see the Vauxhall go, as it did everything I expected of it, confirming my suspicions that SUVs aren’t really necessary and estate cars are still hugely viable family choices. That, and mainstream is arguably the new premium; premium brands being so common to be the norm.

All of which makes the Insignia even more appealing. Go and try one, I think you might be more than pleasantly surprised.

March 20, 2019

Fuel economy this week: 38.3mpg

The Insignia has been parked all week, my affection for it shifted to another Vauxhall. With our third child now nearly one month old we’re rapidly realising that we need a bigger family car. Actually, that’s not entirely true, the Insignia is big enough, what we need is a car with three Isofix child-seat mounting points in the rear.

I had asked if Vauxhall could send us over a Zafira to try, but apparently it’s no longer on the price lists. That one passed me by if I’m honest, I’d assumed the Zafira was such a mainstay in the range that it, like Corsas, Astras and the Insignia, would be around forever. Evidently not, it seems as everyone’s raced to get into SUVs that MPV sales have taken a dive, to the point that the Zafira is no more. That’s a shame, as I’ve always admired it, the Zafira being very space efficient, and hiding its rearmost two seats (for a total of seven) neatly under the floor.

insignia
Decision, decisions: estate or van-based people carrier?

Vauxhall does have another seven-seater in its range, the Combo Life, and it’s this that’s seen the Insignia sidelined. I’ll admit it’s not nearly as handsome as the Insignia, nor is it as nicely finished inside, but as it’s based on a van that’s entirely understandable.

Actually, it makes it desirable, the van proportions make the interior vast, and, crucially, allows for three individual rear seats - all fitted with Isofix child seat mounts. Throw sliding side doors into the mix and getting the rearward facing baby seat into the middle rear seat is a cinch.

There isn’t the fancy hidden pair of seats the Zafira used to offer, the pair in the back of the Combo life simply tumbling forward to give a sizeable boot. You can remove them, too, if you’ve space to stow them and are strong - they weight a fair bit. Do that and the boot is, urm, van-like.

combo life
The Combo Life has Isofix child-seat mountings on all three rear seats. Sliding rear doors either side make fitting them a cinch

Being a van means it’s not quite as refined as the Insignia, but the high cabin, easily judged corners (and the rear-view parking camera) make manoeuvring and parking easy, while those sliding doors mean you can even get out of it when you’re in a tight car parking space.

It’s all got me thinking why, like the French, UK drivers don’t buy more of these van-based cars, or good old MPVs, as they’re so much more fit for purpose for family life than the SUV that everyone seems to gravitate towards.

I’m still a huge fan of the Insignia, and estate cars in general, but with van life being so damned easy I know what I’ll be looking for next.

March 12, 2019

Fuel economy this week:38.3mpg

Afater an engine warning light started glowing I visited my local dealer Eden Vauxhall in Stratford Upon Avon; as it’s so close I just chanced my luck and popped in. They said they could take a look at it straight away, popping it on to the diagnostics machine while I was given a coffee and waited. Not for long, either, as the technicians discovered the oxygen sensor was at fault, being rather coked up.

insignia
A faulty oxygen sensor was at fault - at least it was fixed quickly and under warranty

I was shown a picture of it, black soot covering it. They didn’t have a replacement in stock, but cleaned it up, which extinguished the warning light, before sending me off and promising to call me when the part was delivered. That wasn’t the only problem, as on plugging in the Insignia they found it was subject to a recall, the fuel pump apparently requiring attention.

The parts were ordered, and delivered the next day, Eden calling to book the car in. It was done a few days later, in no time at all, the whole process as painless as it could be. They were at a loss as to why the oxygen sensor had sooted up so much, though I do wonder if it’s been the Insignia’s lack of long-distance use of late, cold starts and short journeys not exactly ideal for diesel engines.

It’s all fixed under warranty now, and I’m always looking for opportunities to take the Insignia on a longer run to avoid it happening again. I wonder too, if the sensor had any impact on the fuel consumption, which is still down at around the 38-39mpg level. We’ll see.

insignia
The Insignia waits for attention at the dealer - fortunately not for long

Otherwise, with it coming to the end of our tenure we’re readying ourselves for its replacement - which should arrive a month or so after the Insignia leaves. In the meantime I’ve been looking at other alternatives on Vauxhall’s own fleet.

I was keen to pitch the Insignia against its Zafira MPV relation, but apparently it is no longer made. Instead Vauxhall offers the Combo Life for bigger families, which unlike the purpose-built Zafira is an MPV derived from a van. It arrives later this week, so we’ll see how it stacks up against the big estate car… It’s got one win in the bag already, with the promise of three individual seats all with Isofix.

It seems my next family car might need to be a van, then…

March 7, 2019

Fuel economy this week: 39.0mpg

You’ll hopefully forgive me a couple of week’s absence from reporting on family life with the Insignia, but we’ve been rather busy. I say we, but actually I mean my wife, who added another little fella to the Fortunes, making us a five. That means we’re back to a life of prams and all the other paraphernalia that accompanies babies; the smaller they are the more junk you seemingly need to carry.

The Insignia took us all to the hospital, and back, but not without a little bit of difficulty on the return trip. With a six year-old, a four-year-old and a newborn, the limitations of the Insignia have quickly become very clear.

Current legislation requires all three children travel in child seats (until they’re 12 or 4ft 5in tall), which you might think is pretty straightforward. It isn’t. We have a pair of Recaro child seats for the six- and four-year-old, picked because they have Isofix fittings are very well padded. As a result, using the middle seat between them is all but impossible; fine when we were just two adults and two children, but a different story with another child.

vauxhall insignia long-term
A brace of chunky Recaro child seats means there's not enough room to add a rear-facing device to carry the newborn

We need to fit another child seat to in the back, a rear-facing one, and it’s just not possible. Even if there were the space, which there isn’t, it needs an Isofix mounting for its base, and there are only two in the back of the Insignia.

In all honestly it’s a bit unfair to point the finger at the Insignia alone for this, as triple Isofix fittings in the back of cars are rare indeed. Usually you’ll need an MPV with individual seats, and even then all but the largest ones rarely come so equipped.

All that’s got me in something of a pickle. Elsewhere the Insignia is a fine family machine. Estate cars better the SUV alternatives by having longer boots, and the Sport Tourer has already proved its worth swallowing the newborn’s pram length-wise, leaving a useful, sizeable load space alongside it.

vauxhall insignia long-term
Even with a baby buggy on board, there's still plenty of space in the Insignia's boot

Currently we’re managing by using a booster in the middle between an Isofix chair and the rear-facing baby seat on the other side if all five of us are on board. That’s fine for the occasional short trip, but longer hauls are going to be interesting indeed.

All of which has me looking at the Insignia, and all ‘family’ cars, in a different light. I’ve investigated smaller child seats, but I’ve not found anything that will work; and even if they were slimmer, the third middle seat is still going to lack that crucial Isofix mounting.

It all makes me wish for the Seat Alhambra we used to have for family transport… and perhaps scouring the classifieds looking for a used MPV. Three children is not that unusual, surely?

Next week I’ll be seeing how Vauxhall’s servicing stacks up, as there’s an engine warning light glowing.

February 19, 2018

Fuel economy this week: 39.3mpg

Vauxhall very kindly sent us a Grandland X this week to pitch against the Insignia Sports Tourer. There is a lot of anti-SUV sentiment among motoring journalists, but I’m not one of them. While I cannot deny my enjoyment of driving means elements of SUVs don’t appeal to me personally, I have a healthy respect for vehicles that are fit for purpose. And SUVs seem to suit many people. Despite identical briefs, then, both being family cars, they do go about the task differently.

vauxhall insignia long-term
Horses for courses: Vauxhall's twin take on family motoring

Mrs Fortune immediately warmed to the Grandland X, liking its additional height, not just for the better view down the road it brings, but the ease of getting in and out. That’s especially true when you’re 9 months pregnant, I’m told, it just being easier. Like the Insignia, the Grandland X is a manual, my wife finding shifting it easier, both as a result of the position of the gearstick itself, and the fact you push more downwards on the clutch, rather than away from you as you do in the Insignia.

I don’t find either easier, but can’t deny they’re different in that respect. If I was to say one was better, the feel of the shift in the insignia is slicker through its gate, though that could be construed as a preference. What is undeniable is that the Insignia’s cabin feels far smarter than the Grandland X’s, in material quality as well as design, it a nicer environment surrounding you in the estate car, which is odd given the Grandland X is the newer vehicle of the pairing.

For fairness here they’re priced to within a few pounds of each other, the Grandland X’s price with options just £105 more than the Insignia with its additional kit, both being just shy of £30,000. In the Grandland X you get a 1.6-litre turbodiesel to the Insignia’s 2.0-litre unit.

vauxhall insignia long-term
It's not rubbish: the Insignia is perfect for runs to the tip

That’s not an issue, the 1.6-litre 130hp not feeling like it’s lacking against the 2.0-litre’s 170hp, indeed, at the launch of the Insignia Sports Tourer I favoured the smaller engine. The Grandland X has only been with us a couple of days, so there’ll be a bit more insight next week, but the 46.2mpg I spotted on the trip computer certainly appealed against the Insignia’s current 39.3mpg.

Even so, when it came to taking one of them to the tip with the Insignia won out, its longer load length and lower boot access being far more useful for taking old bookshelves and timber to the recycling centre.

We’ll call it a draw so far, then, and I’ve the feeling it’s going to be a close competition as the family car face-off continues.

February 13, 2019

Fuel economy this week: 39.3mpg

A quick glance at my calendar this morning had me realise that our days with the Insignia Sports Tourer are numbered. It’ll be back with Vauxhall late March, by then it having been the Fortune family car for six months.

Choosing it was a very deliberate decision, one that bucks the current trend for SUVs. It’s got me thinking as to the numbers of estate cars sales in the UK, and whether or not they’ve declined significantly with the rise of the SUV. I’ve dropped a note over to the good people at the SMMT, as it’ll be interesting to see if I’m anomalous in liking estate cars, or whether there’s still a lot of us out there.

There’s even division in our own household, Mrs Fortune would prefer an SUV, or MPV - remember those? - over an estate car, simply because they’re easier to get in and out of. That height also give a better, or in industry speak, more commanding, view of the road ahead, which is no bad thing. I can’t argue with her on the getting in and out, especially as, at eight months pregnant anything that makes life a little easier is helpful.

vauxhall insignia estate boot handle
At least a good old-fashioned boot handle won't let you down - and the Vauxhall's tailgate is nicely weighted so that opening and closing it isn't a chore

Speaking to her about the Insignia has been quite revealing. I remember when push-button boots started to become popular that I was a bit of a doubter, thinking it a ‘convenience’ that added needless complication and cost to our cars. After all, is pulling down the boot hatch/lid really that inconvenient and difficult? They’ve slowly won me over, so when the Insignia Sports Tourer arrived with a good old handle and no push button I was a little disappointed.

The thing is, I’ve not missed a button-operated boot. Significantly, nor has my wife, who nailed why, saying that with the Insignia’s boot lid being relatively low, that it’s no hassle to pull down the boot hatch manually. Point one to the estate car, then. With no response from an SUV.

That’s something I’ll be looking at next week, as, for fairness, I’ve asked Vauxhall to lend me its SUV alternative to the Insignia Sport Tourer. A Grandland X will be joining the big red estate for the next week to see the merits of each, and whether there’s a clear winner.    

February 7, 2019

Fuel economy this week: 39.3mpg

That scraping sound. Noooooo! A kerbed alloy wheel. I pride myself in not damaging wheels, but twice now I’ve winced as the Vauxhall’s smartly finished alloy wheels have glanced the kerb. The damage is slight, you’d really have to look for it, but it’s annoying regardless.

Yes I should take more care but, with kids in the car, the usual rush to park outside school - where both kerbing incidents have happened - and massive optional 20-inch wheels it’s something of an inevitability. I’ve taken to looking at people’s wheels rather a lot as a result, and I’m envious of all those people with big sidewalls on their tyres, rather than the skinny little rubber strips that are fitted to the Insignia.

wheels
How much to replace the low-profile tyres fitted to the Insignia's optional 20-inch wheels?

While I accept that the Sport Tourer looks fantastic on its 20-inch wheels, I wouldn’t have specified them as options. Indeed, I didn’t, instead wanting the standard 17-inch wheel but it arrived with the 20in rims, which add a not insignificant £995 to the list price. The standard 17-inch wheels would have cost zero, or an 18-inch option would have cost £505 had I chosen them.

All of which got me thinking about future running costs - not to mention the eventual cost of having said kerbed wheels re-furbished or, even worse, replaced.

A 20-inch tyre won’t be cheap either, so I’ve been doing a bit of research. I chose a single internet tyre supplier, with the tyres delivered and fitted at my address, just to see what the cost would be for the various sizes. For fairness I chose the same brand as the car is fitted with, Continental, and, where possible, the same type.

wheels
Kyle's Peugeot 205 GTi has relatively tiny 14-inch wheels but are the tyres any cheaper?

To buy and fit a single Continental Sport Contact 6 XL, in its existing 245/35 ZR20 size, would cost £216. That’s £864 if I needed all four replacing. Had I gone for the 18-inch optional wheel, with 245/45 R18 tyres, I’d be looking at £144 each fitted, or £576 for a set. And the 17-inch standard alloy wheels? They’d be £119 fitted, or £476 for all four, albeit these being Sport Contact 5s, rather than the Sport Contact 6s of the larger sizes.

Those 17-inch wheels start to look a lot more attractive now, saving a not insignificant £388 to replace all four tyres compared with the 20-inch option. There are more savings, too, as the 17-inch tyre’s economy rolling resistance is rated as B, which is better than the 20-inch’s E rating, meaning better fuel consumption - something the Insignia could do with.

The smaller 17-inch wheel’s tyres are rated as quieter, too, and with more sidewall there’s more rubber between the wheel and the kerb, saving my pride.

It all seems like rather a lot of money for what is, after all, a relatively ordinary family car. All of which got me thinking, how much tyres would be for my own two cars.

pug 205
Although the Peugeot's wheels are small, the relatively deep sidewall means that they're less prone to kerbing damage

A bit more research, then, fitting Continentals - for fairness. My cars' wheels are are comparatively tiny by current standards, but they are performance cars, being a 1991 Peugeot 205 GTi and a 1994 Porsche 911 Carrera. Four tyres for the tiny 14-inch alloys on the hot hatchback would cost £268 fitted, and the Porsche, with its 17-inch alloys, costs £514. That’s eight tyres for £82 less than four for the Insignia. I’ve never kerbed either of my cars, either, in the 4 years I’ve had the Porsche, and near 20 years of owning the 205 and, yes, I’ve done the school run in both.

Still think 20-inch alloys are smart on your family car? I’m not so sure.

January 28, 2019

Fuel economy this week: 39.6mpg

I’ve not been driving the Insignia too much this week, largely because I’ve been abroad on various jobs. The majority of the miles it’s covered have been with Mrs F, doing the daily grind of dropping kids off here, there and everywhere.

Now I’m back home I’ve been doing much the same, driving when you’ve got kids usually to be filed under the category - taxi driving. It’s fine at that, with the odd proviso, the wetter winter weather highlighting something of an issue when opening the rear doors.

Doing so if it’s been raining does see it depositing a decent amount of water on the rear seats. I did think this might be related to the way it sits on our drive - with there being a very slight slope - but it’s happened when it’s been parked elsewhere, too. It’s something I’ve got to be mindful of when getting the kids in and out, as it’s not unusual to have them clamber in via one door, then me open the opposite one to help with seatbelts, etc. where one or both of us gets wet…

rainy seats
An unusual design decision

Other winter-specific, or at least highlighted, things this week included filling up the washers, the road grime meaning they’re used a lot presently. Usefully the warning that they’re running low on fluid is nice and early, so you’re not left wanting for it mid-journey (as happened recently in my own, old car). Opening the bonnet to fill up the washer bottle did reveal that, unlike the rear seats, the engine looks like it’s never been touched by a drop of water in the near 5,000 miles it’s covered. The sealing under there must be superb, as the engine looks exactly as it did when it arrived, with barely a hint of dirt under there.

That’s in complete contrast to the outside, which currently seems to wear a permanent layer of winter grime. With the kids now taken to drawing in the muck on its flanks I think it’s perhaps time I treated it to a wash, though I don’t doubt it’ll be filthy again in only a few days. I’ll put a wash on the to-do list then, and while I’m at it I think an interior vacuum might be worth doing, it incredible the mess that children can make to the interior of a car…

 

January 15, 2019

Fuel economy this week: 39.8mpg

Big miles in the Insignia this week as it transported me from Warwickshire to East Sussex for a job. With 150 miles to cover and a 9am meeting, that meant an early start so I was grateful for the heated seats and steering wheel.

They’re absolutely great for early, cold starts, warming me quickly before the heating system’s warmed up. They’re a must have option if you’re buying the Insignia, or indeed any car that it’s offered with.

Vauxhall Insignia long-term Kyle Fortune
The Insignia's automatic high beam system works very well

Living in Warwickshire does mean I do a fair bit of cross-country driving, and there are a good number of deer around to watch out for. That makes me wish I’d taken the option of the Insgina’s IntelliLux LED Matrix Headlights, as I find the standard headlights a little bit lacking in dipped beam. I’ve mentioned here previously that the automatic main beam setting works brilliantly, much better than many in premium cars I’ve tested, but you need to use it to illuminate unlit country roads well.

It’s not such an issue around town, but after a few days driving my 25-year-old Peugeot 205 GTI at night jumping back into the Insignia revealed that the new car’s headlights aren’t that much better than those in my old French classic. Perhaps I’m being a bit unfair, but I’d like a brighter dipped beam, so I’ll be asking if I can borrow an IntelliLux LED Matrix Headlight-equipped one to see if they’re worth the not insubstantial £1,295 outlay.

Vauxhall Insignia long-term Kyle Fortune
Trust us, the Head Up Display above the main instrumentation is crisp and clear - it's just difficult to photograph

If the standard headlights have slightly disappointed then Head Up Display continues to impress. It’s so bright and clear, and easily adjustable, too. I’d love to show it to you, but picturing it is particularly difficult, doing so in the dark, with the lights off only giving an approximation of the crisp speed read out and navigation pointers that are displayed. It’s configurable, allowing things like the radio station or a rev-counter to be shown, but the speed and those nav prompts suit me best, leaving the main instruments as back-up, and displaying things like the economy.

Three hundred miles in a day and the Insignia performed well, it’s quiet and comfortable and easy on such trips, though I have to admit looking at Alex Robbins’ reports with his similarly handsome, diesel, estate and wondering how he’s getting such good economy from it. Alex and his Mazda6’s 53+mpg is significantly better than the circa-40mpg I’m averaging…

January 8, 2019

Fuel economy this week: 40.0mpg

Happy new year to you all, hopefully you’ve all had a restful festive break. We did at the Fortune household, which meant the big red estate car wasn’t too busy, what with no school runs, after-school clubs and suchlike to be the kids’ taxi for.

No, the journeys over the holidays were more of the sort that the Insignia is best at, those being the longer hauls on the motorway rather than short hops from school to swimming, to Beavers and football. Quiet then, but those journeys did add around 700 miles to the odometer, which have had a positive effect on the fuel consumption.

When it arrived the average fuel consumption was typically in the 41mpg area, but after a couple of months of use it’d dropped to around 38-39mpg where it’s resided ever since. With a 360 mile round-trip to Brighton - the boot loaded with kids bikes, beds and the mandatory case of festive cheer (beer) - as well as a circa 220-mile run to Cambridge and back the Insignia’s consumption improved hugely.

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Loads better: you can't beat an estate when you have a family's worth of stuff to carry

So much so, that at time the trip was showing mpg better than that of the 51.4mpg official EU Combined consumption, getting as high as 54mpg on one occasion. With my wife sleeping at that point you’ll have to take my word on that as I don’t have any evidence, the 50.1mpg snap taken by her as we cruised through the lengthy roadworks on the A14.

The legacy of the is the overall mpg is now back up to 40.0mpg, though that’s likely to drop as the trips fall back into shorter, more regular ones. With my wife now heavily pregnant the she’s finding life with the Vauxhall a little bit uncomfortable. One of the things I like about it is the fact it’s not an SUV or crossover, and is lower to the ground as a result. It’s increasingly difficult for my wife to get in and out of it, and she’s no fan of the other element I like about it, either - the manual transmission.

With me doing the driving over the festive break it wasn’t such an issue, but on one trip she did find sitting in the back more comfortable, the Insignia’s legroom huge in the back.

vauxhall insignia estate long-term
The latest, sleek version of the Insignia (front) makes the previous version seem old-fashioned

That did mean my eldest son had to sit up front in their child seat, which, sadly, had to be held in place with the seatbelt alone, as there’s no ISOFIX fixings on the front seat. With child number 3 due I’m currently looking at all seating options, all my children young enough to require child seats, and the choice for cars with triple ISOFIX mounts is scant indeed. I think I have a solution when it’s time to replace the Insignia, and it’ll have to be a lot bigger.

While out on our festive visits I did have a poke around the Insignia Tourer’s predecessor, which my niece’s boyfriend runs. I remember them new and liked the look of them then, and while it’s aged well ‘our’ Insignia looks much sharper and offers significantly more space inside. Both reasons why I liked it, but with an expanding family the Insignia’s seating might just prove to be its undoing. Until then, it’s still proving a useful, spacious family car, and a more economical one, too. Which is always a good start to the year after the excesses of the festive season.

December 18, 2018

Fuel economy this week: 39.1mpg

How did the big Vauxhall Insignia wagon fare against that paragon of estate cars, the Volvo V60? Rather well, the red Brit conceding little, if anything to the smart Swede, somewhat vindicating my thoughts on mainstream versus premium.

I’ll admit I loved the ease of the Volvo’s automatic transmission, as while I’m usually a manual advocate, for something that’s being driven on the daily grind rather than for enjoyment not having to shift yourself does make things that bit easier. It’d also negate the use of the annoying electronic parking brake which frustrates on the Vauxhall.

The Volvo did better the Vauxhall’s consumption, which has recently dropped from above 40mpg to just around 39mpg. That’s not as good as I’d hoped, and, I suspect, entirely down to a combination of the cold weather arriving and the short runs it’s been doing recently. Sometime in the next six weeks I plan on a trip to Scotland and back, which should see that average figure rise, as the Insignia seems to excel at long-distance cruising.

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A seven-foot Christmas tree fitted in easily

As it’s the festive season it’d be remiss not to chuck a Christmas tree in the back to see how it fits, this year the Fortune household going for a seven foot one, which went in with no trouble at all. Sure, it’s only a once-a-year job, but that the Insignia swallowed the tree with such ease underlines its usefulness for the rest of the year.

It saved the Volvo, too, which developed a slow puncture. The Volvo had a space-saver tyre, but checking the Insignia’s boot I found none, though it did come with a compressor and some sealant. I negated using the sealant, as the Volvo’s puncture was very slow (taking overnight to drop to about half pressure) so I merely topped it up and took it to the local tyre fitter for a repair.

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The well for a space-saver spare makes a handy extra storage area

The compressor worked perfectly, though finding it did reveal a huge bit of extra carrying capacity under the Insignia’s boot floor - enough for a 17-inch space-saver spare wheel if it was ordered with one. While the likelihood is now I know there’s some space under the floor it’ll be filled with coats, boots and the likes, if I were ordering again I’d be inclined to add the £110 option of a space-saver 17-inch wheel and tyre.

Repair gloop and compressors are fine for simple punctures, but anything else leaves you requiring roadside assistance. That’s hopefully something we’ll never have to find out, but at least now I know what the Insignia’s got under the floor should I ever suffer the inconvenience of a puncture.

December 4, 2018

Fuel economy this week: 41.0mpg

When I chose to run the Insignia Sports Tourer it was a deliberate choice, figuring I was somewhat bucking the zeitgeist for premium cars. The odd frustration aside, the big Vauxhall is doing a great job.

Volvo v60 and vauxhall insignia estates
Wagons roll: how does the Insignia compare with a new Volvo V60 estate which, on the face of it, is a more premium product?

The Insignia marks a return to form for Vauxhall with the genre, taking a great deal of time to make sure the boot is practical as well as commodious, and thus far I’ve no complaints about it. It’s swallowed more rotten wood than a pick-up truck could and, more importantly, the kids’ bikes go in easily. Anything that makes life as a parent easier is a good thing indeed.

As to the premium element, the Vauxhall is not short on equipment. It hast one of the best lane-keeping systems I’ve  experienced, the head-up display (an inexpensive option) is brilliant, and the heated seats and steering wheel have already proved their worth and will no doubt continue to do so as winter really takes hold.

All good then, so I thought I’d see how it stacks up to a rival, in particular one from a company famed for its estate cars; the new V60 D3 is tasked with finding out whether spending more on an upmarket badge is worth it.

A lot more in this instance; the V60 D3 Inscription Pro costs £39,860 as standard, to which Volvo has added almost £9,000 of options. Let’s not get fixated by that, however, as the Volvo can be had for £32,410.

Volvo v60 and vauxhall insignia estates
Loads better?: the Vauxhall trumps the Volvo's total load area

Proportionally they’re not too different. They’re both lengthy, but at just 14cm shy of 5 metres it’s the Vauxhall that fills (and often hangs out of) a traditional parking space more than the 4.76m Volvo. That gives the Vauxhall an advantage when it comes to outright capacity, with the seats up/seats down figures of 560/1,665 litres bettering the 529/1,441 litres of the Volvo.

The Vauxhall is also appreciably quicker, its 2.0-litre turbodiesel’s 168bhp giving 0-62mph in 8.4 seconds against the Volvo’s 2.0-litre, 148bhp unit’s 9.9 seconds. Although it is looking like the Vauxhall will clinch it, the Volvo’s ace is its promise of greater fuel efficiency (58.9mpg compared with the Vauxhall’s 51.4mpg), along with lower emissions of 126g/km compared with the Insignia’s 144g/km.

We’ll see how close the Swede can get to that official figure over the next week, and whether the premium interior and equipment make the extra price worth paying.  

November 27, 2018

Fuel economy this week: 40.9mpg

Two things in the picture below are relevant for this week’s update. The gearstick and the little button to the left of it. We’ll start with the button, as it’s a little bit frustrating. That little button is what you might have once called the handbrake. More fingerbrake now, as I doubt even one of the kid’s toys hands would be small enough to operate it. Indeed, I’m blessed with fairly dainty fingers, but if you’re more, urm, sausage-digited you might find the little button a little bit inconvenient.

The electronic parking brake is one of those innovations, developments, improvements - call it what you like but I’ll go with annoyances - which have crept into most modern cars without anyone really asking for it.

The reasoning for them, I’m often told, is to free up space between the seats for more storage, but to be honest I’d be happy for one less cubby to fill with the sort of rubbish that accumulates in any car carrying kids. Indeed, one less area to fill would mean less rubbish actually in the car, as these lidded conveniences only serve to increase the period between emptying it all out into the bin.

Vauxhall Insignia estate long-termm
Those with stubby fingers might not like the Vauxhall's electronic parking brake

The electronic parking brake has, then, given us a bit more storage space. They all operate a little bit differently, which, to normal people isn’t really an issue as if you’re living with it you’ll know how to use it. For someone like me, who regularly jumps into different cars, the differences are clear. Some you push, some you pull, some need a foot on the brake, some are between the seats, others on the dash, to the left of the steering wheel, others to the right. A good old handbrake was always where you’d expect it to be…

It would also operate fairly obviously, and clearly be on, the big lever protruding upwards signalling that. Not so electronic parking brakes, which require a look at the instruments to check if it’s on. Most work automatically, going on when you turn off the ignition.

Which gets me to my point. The electronic parking brake in the Insignia needs to be manually applied. Every time. Forget to do it and there’s no electronic intervention, no helpful automatic switching on to prevent the car rolling away.

That’s fairly unusual, so I checked the handbook to see if I was doing something wrong. Apparently not, though the handbook did reveal that had I gone for an automatic gearbox with Insignia the parking brake would operate on its own. This strikes me as a little odd, as automatics need to be placed in park before getting out, pretty much negating the need for a parking brake… Seems it should be the manual that gets such a function.

It’s something I’ll investigate further, as surely doing so would be no more difficult than adding a line of code somewhere in the Insignia’s software. I’ll push Vauxhall for an answer, but until then I’m rather wishing I’d gone for an automatic. As does my wife, who, now being rather pregnant is finding the work involved in the manual somewhat tiresome. I don’t, but that parking brake is…

November 20, 2018

Fuel economy this week:41.3mpg

After being pushed into service last week as a van for a run to the tip, it’s been a case of business as usual for the Insignia this week. With me being away for a large chunk, Mrs Fortune has been doing most of the driving, mostly doing the short-ish runs that family life necessitates.

That means there’s been little improvement on the fuel economy; indeed, it’s actually dropped by 0.5mpg, which I’m guessing is largely down to the fact it’s been chilly (with heated everything switched on). Those all-too-brief drives have not allowed the Vauxhall to show itself in its best light.

vauxhall insignia long-term
The economy has dropped slightly due to shorter runs and having every heated device switched on

That should change in the coming weeks, as I’ll be doing some longer drives in it in a bid to get it at least up to the circa 44mpg it did in our first few weeks of ownership. It does suit a long run, too, the Insignia a fine companion on the boring motorway trips that make up so many of people’s journeys.

Given its status, both today and previously, as volume-selling fleet model for company car drivers it’s hardly surprising that it’s so adept at the motorway haul, though I must admit that I’ve been surprised at how impressive the Lane Assist is that comes as standard with the SRI Nav as part of the Driving Assistance Pack One.

I’m usually uncomfortable with such systems as they can be abrupt and or half-witted, leaving the car pin-balling down the lane if you’re not assertive with your steering inputs. With the Vauxhall system that’s simply not the case; it’s there, but it works away in the background, giving a helping hand rather than interfering, and allowing you to change lanes (even without indicating) without hauling you back into the one you’re trying to depart.

vauxhall insignia long-term
The lane-keeping assist is easy to switch off, as it's operated by a button in front of the gear lever

It’s good enough that I don’t, unlike virtually every other system I’ve experienced, feel compelled to switch it off as soon as I get in the car.

Even if I do feel the need to switch off that helping hand, it’s easy to do so. Vauxhall has sensibly located a simple switch in front of the gearlever rather than burying it behind a layer or two of sub-menus in the central touchscreen.

Another plus for the Insignia, then, which not only, in my eyes at least, beats the all-too-common premium players in the good-looking, head-turning stakes, but also with its driver assistance, too.  

November 13, 2018

Fuel economy this week: 41.8mpg

Vauxhall Insignia LT
The Insignia estate easily swallowed a load of old fencing destined for the tip

The tip run. The measure of any car, and something of an institution with long-term tests of cars. The Insignia has been earning its keep this week as a refuse truck although my need to go to the tip coincided with me having a Mercedes-Benz X-Class pick-up truck on test; a more suitable vehicle for the task, surely.

Yes, but there's a but. If I had used the pick-up, I would have been charged to use the tip as it is classed as a commercial vehicle.

So back to the Insignia it was, although I feared that the family estate would require multiple runs whereas the pick-up would have required only one.

Vauxhall Insignia LT
No contest: the pick-up has a slightly wider load bay, but the Insignia's is longer

How wrong I was. Seats down, the long, flat floor covered with plastic to protect the interior and carpets, and the Insignia swallowed all the old fencing that filled the X-Class’s pick-up bed, and more. Had I packed it more tightly I reckon it would have managed a good 25% more than I had stuffed in the load bed of the pick-up.

As well as an overall volume of 1,665 litres, the Insignia also offered a lengthy load bay. What's more, the seats fold easily by pulling a recessed toggle on top of the seat backs - and, once you've done that, the floor is completely flat.

It reasserted my conviction that estate cars are more useful than the SUVs that everyone’s buying these days, and reminded me of the old Volvo 240DL estate that I used to knock around in as a student. Nothing seemed impossible to carry in it, and thus far that’s been true with the Vauxhall. That it packs all that carrying space into such a good-looking package is a bonus.

Vauxhall Insignia LT
We'll see whether premium diesel makes a difference to driveability and economy

With lots of shorter drives in the past week the economy has taken a bit of a dive, however. The average is just under 42mpg, a good 3-4mpg lower than I’d expect. On longer motorway runs it regularly manages a mid-40s figure, but running cold, on shorter trips, has hammered that.

We’ll be keeping an eye on that. I’ve also filled it with premium diesel; it will be interesting to see whether the extra £5 or so it cost to fill it with the expensive diesel makes any appreciable difference other than to my wallet…

October 30, 2018

Fuel economy this week: 43.6mpg

Clocks change, and it seems immediately winter has arrived. With real conviction, too, as I woke up with a heavy frost covering everything. I’ve enjoyed the heated seats and steering wheel which I added to the Insignia’s specification via the Vauxhall Winter Pack One choice, which added £660 to the price, but the heavy frost allowed me to try the heated windscreen.

I’m not usually a fan of heated screens as the tiny wires running through them can cause light to bounce about from the headlights of oncoming traffic. It’s usually more obvious in the wet, too, but while the wires are just visible in the Vauxhall, if you’re really looking, they don’t bother me as they do in some other cars.

Vauxhall Insignia Sports Tourer long-term - kyle fortune
Before: a hard frost covers the Insignia's screen

We’ll see if that changes now it’s dark and increasingly wet, but for the time being I can’t fault the job they did, clearing the screen in seconds, and saving the pain of getting out a scraper and having he demister on full blast for the first part of a cold winter morning journey.

Vauxhall Insignia Sports Tourer long-term - kyle fortune
After: clear after a couple of minute thanks to electrical elements in the screen - and without recourse to the heating system

The heated seats are welcome, too. There are three settings for the driver and passenger, the hottest being supremely toasty, though I keep forgetting about the heated steering wheel - an item I dismissed many years ago but rather liking it now and it’s something I cannot imagine specifying an Insignia without. Something to remember if you’re ordering your car in the summer, as I did.

Elsewhere the Insignia continues to fit into my life very well indeed, it being very comfortable for the long motorway hacks that I regularly undertake. The economy has improved a touch this week after a few more sedate long runs; one hangover from my electric car driving days is watching the fuel consumption religiously. I’m determined to get it up over the time I own it, and as it runs in.

We’ve covered nearly 1,700 miles in just under a month, highlighting its long-distance credentials perfectly. Next week I’m thinking that Long Term Test cliché might have to happen, as a lot of pre-winter gardening and clearing out requires a tip run, which is the measure of any car, and in particular an estate…

October 23, 2018

Fuel economy this week: 43.5mpg

I’ve long championed the estate car over the SUV, and with the Insignia I’m hoping six months will provide adequate proof to persuade at least one or two people that some of the best ideas are the older ones. The boot in the Insignia is sizeable, but it’s its length and height that makes it ideal for family use.

Buggies are easier to haul in and out of it, though more often than not with my two now it’s the kids bikes or scooters that I’m chucking in the back. Doing so is a cinch, the length allowing my son’s Islabikes CONC16 to fit in easily, to one side of the boot, rather than lying awkwardly across the floor as it does in my wife’s Mercedes-Benz GLC (an SUV, in case you’re wondering). That leaves plenty of space for all the other stuff you need to squeeze in the back.

vauxhall insignia l/t
A set of transverse supports fasten easily to the Insignia's fore-aft roof rails

There is a limit to what the boot can manage; a 3 metre-long kitchen worktop is it. I did ponder putting the passenger seat down and slipping it in, leaving the rest hanging out of the boot, but thought better of it. I needed either delivery, or a roof-rack. I’ve always rather liked roof racks, or ‘systems’ as they’re more often than not referred to these days, having used them on the VW Up and Seat Alhambra I’ve run on these pages previously. Obviously none of these bars worked on the Vauxhall, each car nowadays having to have specific fixings to suit.

Cue the Thule roof bars and raingutter footpack (pack 951 in case you’re interested) rack I had bought for my old Porsche 911. Being of a vintage where roof-racks were pretty much universal, it simply clamps to the roof gutters that used to be on most cars. I’ve discovered, via my wife’s GLC previously, that the raingutter feet also attach pretty nicely to the roof bars that adorn many an SUV and estate car these days. Sure, it’s not the most elegant of solutions, but it works - having had bikes attached to it the last time I tried it.

vauxhall insignia l/t
Proof that a 3m-long kitchen worktop will fit

On the Insignia it works perfectly, and being estate-car, rather than SUV, height, getting the weighty 3m worktop up there was relatively easy. The same will be true of bikes, as I’ll no doubt find out in due course, but given the number of people cycling as a hobby these days perhaps it’s time for an estate car resurgence - pretty much all the Tour de France support cars being estates, with good reason.

The bars are off for now, but I’ll try my bike on the roof sometime to be sure. They’re bound to dent the economy, which has been dropping, largely thanks to my heavy right foot and sizeable mileage. It has covered the best part of 500 miles in a week, the high average speeds seeing the economy drop by about 0.5mpg to 43.5mpg. I’ll be doing my best to get that back up, 45mpg being my average goal, and I’m sure it’s possible.

October 16, 2018

Fuel economy this week: 44.0mpg

After embracing the future with the BMW i3 S, we’ve taken a step back to conventionality. I say back, but actually I’ve been looking forward to the Vauxhall Insignia Sports Tourer arriving for some time.

A diesel, yes, after a plug-in EV; I already love the fact that with a full tank the range is an indicated 600-plus miles. It’s been with us for a couple of weeks, sharing the drive with the BMW before it left, relegating the i3 S to second car status as the Vauxhall does the longer trips. That explains why in no time at all we’ve wound added 1,000 miles, it taking all of the six-month loan for the BMW to clock up 4,500 - underlining both the Vauxhall’s big-mile prowess and the BMW’s limitations.

Now the BMW has gone, so all the focus is on the big estate car. And I mean big. I remember driving the Insignia Sports Tourer at the launch and being impressed by its capaciousness, Vauxhall admitting then that they’d dropped the ball with the previous model, losing significant fleet sales as a result. It, like so many estates, had gone down the ‘lifestyle’ route, looking the part but not necessarily fulfilling the traditional role of an estate car properly.

Not so this new Insignia, which might hint at lifestyle with the Sports Tourer moniker, but packs a lot of space in the back - 560 litres seats up, or 1,665 litres with them down. Vauxhall’s product planners went as far as interviewing those previous lost fleet sales clients as to what was needed and, as a result, you can fit carpet samples and a standard-sized dog crate in the back - the latter useful to the military and security companies, apparently, as well as dog owners. Our mutt will have ample space, then.

Vauxhall insignia sports tourer long-term
The Insignia replaces a rather less conventional BMW i3 as family transport

The rationale behind picking an estate when everyone else is going mad for SUVs is simple enough; I like estate cars. My father had a succession of Volvo estates, and we could pack five of us, luggage and more in for three-week holidays. For all their size, SUVs aren’t as spacious as their bulk would have you believe.

Further bucking the trend is our decision to go mainstream - when the world drives premium. The decision to do so is simply based on the fact that with BMWs, Audis and Mercedes hammering cars such as the Insignia in sales, it’s now the non-premium players that turn heads. The Insignia is a good looking car, far more interesting to look at than its more common premium alternatives.

We could have gone mad with the specification but, with real-world buying in mind we went with something representative of what people actually buy. That means SRI Nav trim, with the 2.0-litre, 170hp turbodiesel engine, driving the front wheels via a six-speed manual gearbox. As standard that costs £26,060, but a little bit of option box ticking sees that rise by £3,275 to £29,335.

The breakdown for those options is Lava Red paint for £285, a FlexOrganiser Pack for £120, 8-inch colour display in the instruments £415, Head-up Display £290, Rear View Camera £350, wireless charger for mobile phones at £160, 20-inch alloy wheels for £995 and the Winter Pack One for £660. The wheels were added to the specification by Vauxhall; we would rather have saved the near £1,000 they added.

That said, they do look great - and don’t seem to upset the ride quality, either.

The wireless charging won’t be any use presently, as my iPhone is old enough not to have the capability to be charged by placing it on the pad. I already love the head-up display and the Winter Pack One is great, as it brings heated front seats, steering wheel and windscreen - perfect as it’s getting colder.

In the coming months we’ll see how it fits in with family life, but early impressions are good, not least because, unlike the plug-in EV, we can get to where I want without having to worry about stopping en route.

That time with the EV has helped in some ways though, as without really trying the Vauxhall is doing an indicated 44mpg. That’s just 7mpg off the official figure, my six months with an EV evidently having changed my driving style for a more economical one. We’ll see how (or even if) that changes in the next few months.

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