Vauxhall Insignia Hatchback (2009 - 2017) 2.0 CDTi (140bhp) ecoFLEX SRi 5d Owner Review

Perfectly (slightly above) average. And that’s no criticism! I didn’t want anything French (too roly poly). I’m too sensible to actually get anything Italian (& hope it to run when I need it to). I’d adore German quality, feel, luxury and reliability but don’t have deep enough pockets to join that club. The Far East is a bit adrift from my ideal looks and still too plasticky. My wife remains conditioned by the (now very untrue, but deeply seated) scepticism of the (incredibly smart choice) Skoda options. So I was left firmly in the middle ground of Insignia or Mondeo. With a choice of the two - the Mondeo is clearly the better car head to head on spec. This is backed by the couple of grand premium in price. So on paper I settled for the Insignia. Not “happy” - but it was the right balance of priorities, all things considered. SRI spec is adequate, when you’re buying a 10 month old car, with 10,000 miles for HALF the price that the original owner paid...! In context - it was perfect! So our journey began - with a haul deep into a France (the Land Rover wouldn’t have made it!...). It was a dream. We seemed to get there and back on a tank of diesel (would have 3 or 4 in the Land Rover). The car is solid, squats firmly on the road, quiet, economical spacious enough for 5 in comfort (until we got a dog as well!). It’s cost almost nothing in repairs - Job done. Would I choose another? Not if I had the choice of something nicer, but absolutely Yes if I needed to again. Highly recommend this car. I wanted to make a play on it being “perfectly” average, but it isn’t. It is far better than that. And for it it has been the perfect car for the season.